Lang may yer lum reek!

Well for everyone up here in Bonnie Scotland you will know exactly what I mean.....
for everyone else.......
I wish you all the health and happiness that 2009 can bring.
My wish for all of you is that the best day of 2008 is like the worst day of 2009!

Thank you to everyone who came to see me at my demos in 2008 - you have offered me a lot of support in what has been a very tough year at times.
A lot of you have become very good friends and I look forward to seeing you all again in 2009.

Thank you to my friends - old and new, you know who you are, who with out even knowing it make the sunshine smile through the clouds.

Thank you to all the people I work with. I am lucky enough to have one of the best jobs in the world! I really love what I do and I hope to do it for a long time yet! I might never be rich but it makes me very happy (more important than the money!).

Thank you to my family, especially my Mum. She is very special and has always loved me for who I am. She's very special.

And most of all thank you to my wonder husband and fabby son. They are my reason for getting up in the morning. They support me in everything I do, even when they don't agree with my decision (and they never say I told you so when it goes wrong). I am very proud of them both.

Always remember........ if lemon are what you are given in life............. make lemonade!

See you in 2009!

Merry Christmas!

One more sleep to go and Santa will be here. Woo hoo!!!
I love Christmas..... it's nice just sitting here with David and Kris, and my wonderful little doggies.
I'd like to take this chance to say a huge thank you to all of you who visit my blog and to those of you who have come along to any of my demos.
I have really enjoyed this year and look forward to more of the same next year!
Have a great Christmas, enjoy your day and enjoy the time with each other.
I'll be back after the big day! lol
Keep an eye out next year.........there will be some blog candy coming your way!!

Keep smilin'

A little giftbag

Hi there,
as promised here are the instructions for the little gift bag that I created from an A4 sheet of card.
This has been a very popular little bag at my demos this year............ I hope you like it.
You will need an A4 piece of card (any colour will do but I suggest you use white for your first attempt), a pencil, a ruler and a score board (I have used the Diamond Card Craft score board - it always gives a really nice finish). A good pair of scissors will also be a must - my favourite are the x-cut spring detail scissors (available in the UK from any Do Craft stockist).
Work with the card smallest end facing you.
1. Measure and mark from the side (it is the right hand side in the picture) at 1cm, 4cm, 14cm , 17cm and 18cm.
2. Do the same on the opposite side of the card and join your points together.
3. Turn the card so that you now have the longest side facing you.
4. Measure and mark at 10cm. 13cm and 23cm.
5. Do the same on the opposite side of the card and join your points together.
6. Use the picture as your guide.
7. Create a fastener at the top of your design - see photo
8. On the side panels, find the half way point and then mark from the bottom edge to the top center - this will help with the finished shape of your bag. - see photo
9. Cut out the body of your bag, be careful at this stage because the left over bits will be used to make your handle and pocket.
10. Using the scoreboard go over all your lines - this will make it much easier when it comes to folding and sticking the edges.
11. Decorate your bag and then add you pocket and handle..
12. Stick together using the tabs and ds tape or glue
I will do a step by step photo when I am feeling better. I just wanted to get this up now so that it could be used for Christmas.

The finished bag should look like.......

Sorry - I've been a bit AWOL!

Hi there,
I am still fighting this cold off, i've had it now for over two weeks and it just seems to linger....... very nasty and of course it means I have the energy levels of a flea swimming in treacle!
So I am sorry if I haven't been around - thank you all for the nice get well emails that I have been sent.
It's nice to know that people out there in blog land, some of whom I have never met, are thinking of me.

Wrap up warm where ever you are!

One stamp two cards

Well that's not bad for me........ - one day and 4 posts! lol
This is my fav card so far....... two different looks from one stamp!
I hope you like them......

Been making some cards!

Finally.......... I have started to make my Christmas cards!
backside into gear and geI know....... I know.......... I have been demoing Christmas cards since July! but it has taken the most horrible cold ever for me to get myt some made for us! (I have!!!!! to be more organised next year!) lol
Here are some of the cards I have made so
far......

End of an era.......

Last night was my last night at Guides.
Not just for the Christmas holidays but forever! The time had just come for new challenges and ventures and to allow everyone else to grow in their roles in the Unit.
It will be odd next year when I know they are all back and I am not part of it anymore.....
I'm not leaving Girlguiding Midlothian (far from it! I will still be their arts adviser for the next 4 years and I am going to become a Scottish Trainer - that will keep me out of trouble!) lol
Last night I was given a wonderful bunch of flowers, some choccies, a bottle of wine, a cute pen and a lovely friendship pin.
The most special thing was a photo album that was photos of my Guiding life - it was really nice to be able to look back and remember when the piccies were taken.
I will miss everyone of the girls - some of them a lot! My BP girls are now all moving on too!
Good luck to everyone at the 4th Guides - I know I am leaving you in very safe hands.....
(and Jean - you know were I am if you need me! But I know you will be fine and you will do an amazing job!)

Here's Milli!

As promised here is a lovely little picture of the wonderful Milli.
Milli was given to me by the fantastic ladies at the PaperMill in Livingston when I did the last Forever Friends demo.
I think she will just have to be my new mascot to come along to all of my Do Crafts demos....
I think she is very sweet!

Oh dear......... winter blues!

I have the most horrible cold...... (thank you David!)............ boy has it hit me like a brick wall!
Never mind.....
The challenge for this week is up on The Forever Friends Challenge blog....

Here is my entry for this week
I hope you like it.
The theme is - A Christmas Carol....

I'm looking forward to seeing what greatness you all make with the theme...

A wonderful gift? - Not!

My wonderful husband has brought in a cold from his work and because he is wonderful he thought he would share it with me!
So here I am only a few weeks down from getting rid of the last one, with a head that has a very badly playing brass band thumping away in it and the energy level of a sloath!
Hey ho - just one of those things I guess..........
It's very cold here too, so a good day for staying in my pjs and not going very far.....
My two fabby doggies are keeping me company and they also double up as very good hot water bottles....
Day time tv really is rubbish though! But at least I am getting some stamped images coloured in so I can make some of my Christmas cards....
People at my demos have all been asking if I have made all my Chrimbo cards..... well the honest answer is NO!!!! I have made a few, mostly for orders from other people but I haven't really started on our cards..... I have been demoing them since July so it feels like I have made hundreds and if you were to count all the samples I have left at the shops I've demoed at it probably has been hundreds......
Better get a move on though! I'm not demoing this weekend so it will be a great time to get busy and get them made.
All my Do Crafts demos are now finished for this year (I still have a showcase to do at Southfield Paper People - come on over and say hello if you are in the area, it would be fab to see you! It will be on the 20th December! - you will be able to buy one of my cards if you want on that day too!).
Thank you to everyone who has come along to my demos this year. I have had a wonderful time and have really enjoyed getting to know some of you very well - we have shared a lot of ideas and laughter.
I just wanted to wish you all a huge Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year! I hope that Santa brings you everything that you could wish for and that 2009 brings you all happiness, health and joy......

Great demo

What a fantastic weekend I had!
My first demo was up in Inverness - Hobby Haven... what a fantastic shop with just about every craft under the sun in it! We had great fun making cards and playing with die-cutting.
Thanks for the warm welcome - I hope to see you all again in the New Year.
My second demo was in PaperMill at Livingston.
It was a day of Forever Friends - I really love those little bears. I even got given a Forever Friend bear of my very own to keep - I have called her Milly as she came from the PaperMill. (I'll be back with a picture of her very soon..... she is just adorable and I think she will be coming along to every Do Crafts demo that I do from now on!).
One of the projects I made for the PaperMill was also my project of the week over on the Forever Friends Challenge Blog (see the side bar on the right for the link!)
It's my version of a Christmas Advent box.
What do you think?
I'll be back later with some more piccies of the projects I made and of course to introduce Milly.....
Till then,

End of another busy week

Where oh where does all the time go?
Before you know it the end of the week is here and yet nothing seems to be finished!!
Here is my card from the Forever Friends Challenge this week.......

The theme this week was contemporary Christmas.....


Tomorrow I am off to Inverness for a demo - pop by Hobby Haven if you live in the area.... it would be fab to see you!

If you live a bit closer to me, I will also be in the Papermill in Livingston on Sunday - we will be having lots of fun with Forever Friends........
Make sure you say hi if you get the chance to stop by.....