VERY BELATED THANK YOU

I am such a bad blogger at the moment!! Sorry all. And I'm especially sorry to my lovely mate Vicky, to gave me this award ages ago and I did nothing with it..... I will go and sit on the naughty step (and at my age, I may be gone a while!) and think about it. Really sorry, hun, and a great big thank you to you. xxxxx

A WEDDING CARD WITH A DIFFERENCE

If you look carefully, you should be able to spot the difference! Yep, it's my first wedding card for a gay couple. Never had to make one before and I wanted to keep it light-hearted but elegant at the same time.
There were lots of cards about with two grooms, two blue towels, etc, but I wanted something a bit different and I've had these little bow-ties for ages and never had a reason to use them. The paper is from Pink Petticoat and it says lots of things like "Forever", "Gorgeous", etc, which I thought was appropriate. I've used the same paper inside, too, and put a layered panel with the wording in there so it can be written. I hope it's right for the occasion and I really hope they like it!! TFL xx

THE JOKE'S ON ME...

First of all, sorry for being a bad blogger and not posting anything for a few days, but things have been really horrible around here just lately and I'd rather say nothing than post a lot of moans and groans. And I want to say thank you to the three lovely ladies who have emailed me their support and hugs - you have kept me going and lifted my spirits and I promise I'll be in touch as soon as my head is back together - much love to you - you know who you are xxx

ANYWAY, to explain the title of this post.... About a week or so before Lil G broke up for summer hols, one of her friends arrived at school sporting a brand new pair of glasses in funky pink plastic and was the centre of attention.
All of a sudden, Lil G starts telling me that she can't see properly, her eyes are playing tricks on her and she probably needs glasses too..... Yeah, right. Of course you do, darling. This went on and on until the end of the term...
...so, being the really mean parent that I am, I called her bluff and made an appointment at the optician's to get her eyes tested.
I know.
Clever, eh??
So off we went last week, Lil G, Mum and me. She wasn't quite so sure about it all when we got there.... ha ha! My plan succeeded!! That'll show you, I thought.
So he went through all the tests with her - and he was brilliant with her - and put eye patches on her, made her watch a clown and tell him what colour his nose was, etc, etc,.... and that's when it all went very wrong.
The joke is very much on me, because it turns out that she needs glasses.....
Yep.
I know.
You could have knocked me out with a feather. Seems she is slightly long-sighted and has astigmatism, just like me.
How stupid do I feel?
How mean do I feel?
She only has to wear them for reading and writing and should outgrow them by the time her eyes are fully developed at age 7. So it's not too bad.
Anyway, she chose purple frames - of course, is there any other colour?! And I mean PURPLE!! frames - she won't lose them, that's for sure!! We pick them up next week.
So, I'm off to report myself to Social Services and crawl back under my rock...... xxx

PINK PIGGY WIGGY THINKS I'M A WYLDE WOMAN!!!

And she's probably right - takes one to know one!! I say that because she's given me this award!! Thanks Dawny!! It's called the WYLDE WOMEN award and the purpose of it is "to send love and acknowledgment to women who brighten your day, teach you new things and live their lives fully with generosity and joy", which is a lovely sentiment, I'd say.

The rules are:

1. You can give it to one or one hundred or any number in between - it's up to you.

2.Make sure you link to their site in your post.

3. Link back to this blogsite (http://http://www.tammyvitale.com//) so Tammy can go visit all these wonderful women,and

4. Remember the Purpose of the Award.

So, who to pass it on to? Well at least I'm not restricted to picking 3 or 4!! But on the other hand, most of people I would want to pass it on to have probably by now already got it!! Well, let's see then:

Vicky
Natalie
Zoe
Barbara
Tracey
Cass

That's a good start. I love each of these for different reasons - their craft has inspired me or they personally have inspired me, or indeed both. So enjoy, ladies xxxx

BIG CONGRATS AND YUMMY BLOG CANDY!

Well here's a bit of good news. The lovely and very talented Janet has now got the first batch of her Max & Milly stamps - talk about a proud 'mum'! Pop over to her blog and have a look cos they're fab - can't wait to get mine! And it's a double celebration cos she's also had over 15000 hits on her blog - WOW! No surprise really, when you see her designs.
Oh, and to celebrate, she's got some really yummy blog candy up for grabs! So what are you waiting for? Hop over to her blog now!!

TOP TIP FOR OLD EYESHADOW!

Been picking up some really great tips lately on ways to save money and still enjoy this cash-bandit of a hobby of ours!! One of them was to not bother buying acrylic blocks for my clear stamps, but to use an empty CD case instead. And you can store them inside. Bit obvious when you know, but it hadn't occurred to me!!

My next favourite tip was to use old eyeshadow instead of expensive chalk. So when I made this card for my very lovely cousin, who is utterly barking too (and very very very old next month), I used an old eyeshadow around the edges of the image and I think it came out quite well!! I've been trying to find a set of earthy coloured chalks for a while, so this was a great substitute!!

Any other money-saving tips gratefully received!!!!

The sentiment is something my neighbour always says about me now I'm 40 (damn cheek!), but I have actually seen it on another card somewhere during my blurfing expeditions. The image is one I bought in a set of stamped images from ebay, but it seemed appropriate!!TFL xx

FAB START TO A MISERABLE TUESDAY MORNING!!

Well this week is turning out to be a rubbish one, except of course for the Rainbows thing, so it was a real treat to find out that the very lovely and totally barking Dawny has given me this! Thanks, chick!! Thought I was off on a shopping spree at first..... LOL!!

The rules of this are:

1. Only 5 people allowed.

2. 4 have to be dedicated followers of your blog

3. One has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and live in another part of the world.

4. You must link back to whoever gave you the award.

So, nice and simple then!!! NOT! I have no idea who is a 'dedicated follower' of my blog so I'm just going to nominate four lovely and talented people that I 'blurf' with! Tricky one, cos there are so many that I know of, but here goes:

1. My mate Mrs VH.

2. Fellow chocoholic Dddeeebbbzzz

3. Lovely Ruthie

4. Super duper Barbara

and my 5th one, which has to be someone new to my blog and in another part of the world, goes to Mel, a fellow Westie lover and very talented crafter.

There are so many others I'd love to pass this onto but most of them have it already!!! xxx

WE ARE A FULLY-FLEDGED RAINBOW

... so after the frantic scrubbing of the face to remove the facepaint, which I think was welded on, we managed to make to the Oaks in time for her to do her promise and be fully enrolled as a Rainbow.

They all had a great time at the Oaks - a couple of other little ones were also enrolled and two were 'pushed over the rainbow' which means they are leaving to be Brownies - and had a BBQ and made chocolate crispy cakes. AND there's another badge to be sewn onto the uniform - good old Daddy! - and a certificate. And all the way home, we had to sing the Rainbows' Goodbye song.... Proud parents, we are! xxx

AAARRRGGHH, A SCARY MONSTER!! Or is it a beautiful butterfly.....???

I'm going with scary monster, but you can make up your own mind ...... This is how she came home with about 5 minutes to get clean, changed and out the door for Rainbows.... marvellous, innit?

PINK CARD FOR AMY

Our friend Amy will be 4 in a couple of weeks. I was going to cheat and buy her a card, but it goes so much against the grain to buy cards.

Problem is, I'm not very good at cards for children - I find them very difficult to design.

But I had a go and came up with this. It's a stamped image I bought from ebay and some Pink Petticoat paper, wording done on the pc and some ribbon and sparkly bits. I hope she likes it!! TFL xx

OOOH! A NEW BLOG TO LOOK AT!!!

Having spent ages nagging and nagging her, my good mate Tracey has today launched her new blog!!! Yay!! She can be found at www.tracey-tlc.blogspot.com . She makes some delicious cards, so when she's had a chance to upload them, go and have a look, cos they're fab!! Well done, Tracey and welcome to Blogland!!! xxxx

NEED A GIGGLE??

Up late again... can't seem to get to sleep these days. Done a bit of blog hopping and came across this list - made me giggle, so I thought I'd share.

It's a list of bumper stickers, apparently. Whatever, it's a bit of fun - enjoy!

My husband and I divorced over religious differences. He thought he was God and I didn't.
I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
I Work Hard Because Millions On Welfare Depend on Me!
Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them.
I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.
Don't take life too seriously; No one gets out alive.
Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.
Earth is the insane asylum for the universe.
I'm not a complete idiot -- Some parts are missing.
Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.
God must love stupid people; He made so many.
The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.
Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?
Being "over the hill" is much better than being under it!
Wrinkled Was Not One of the Things I Wanted to Be When I Grew up.
A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
Stupidity is not a handicap - park elsewhere!
They call it PMS because Mad Cow Disease was already taken.
He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless dead.
A picture is worth a thousand words, but it uses up three thousand times the memory.
Ham and eggs. A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.
The trouble with life is there's no background music.
The original point and click interface was a Smith &Wesson.
I smile because I don't know what the hell is going on.

I know you're smiling...... xxx

UNBELIEVABLE. YET TRUE.

It doesn't take much to get me ranting, but one thing I HATE is cruelty to animals. And whilst happily 'blurfing' away this afternoon, I saw this on Dawny P's blog. And it upset me. And I started ranting. And then I joined the petition.
Be warned, this is a harrowing video, so don't look if you're of that kind of disposition, but I make no apologies for linking to it, because it's wrong. And has to be stopped. If you agree, then join in the petition, please. Thanks x

NEARLY THE SCHOOL HOLS - AAARRGGGGHHH!

Can't believe Lil G has already reached the end of her first school year! Doesn't seem five minutes since we were filling up looking at her in her new uniform! Anyway, I've been nagged long enough and we made this for her teachers. She chose the colours and the flower. I hope they like it.

We had her school report and to be honest, things have changed a LOT since I was at school. The report was 3 sheets of utter gobbledygook, to me. What happened to "English - worked well this year, but a bit of a chatterbox"? Oh no, now I get "She uses writing for a variety of reasons, using features of different forms". Really? Answers on a postcard, please, if you have any idea what that means LOL!!

Still, the upshot is that she's working 'above her level' (?) which I think means she's doing alright, so that's fine with us. Well done, baby girl xxxxx

WELSH WEDDING CARD

Got asked to make a wedding card with the wording in Welsh! Got the idea from a card I saw on Zoe's DoCrafts gallery - she's very talented. I hope it says "Congratulations on your Wedding Day" and not something like "may the fleas of a thousand camels infest your first-born"!!!! I don't think so; the translation was done by a reliable source! TFL x

FIRST TIME USING X-CUT SHAPE CUTTERS

About time I put a card on here, I think! Made this for my friend's little girl. Love this Bazzil card! Stamped the image on the inside and then cut out holes in the front and the Bazzil and - surprisingly! - got them to line up! The image is coloured with Whispers pens and the whole idea came from - who else? - Sue Nelson's Heartprints gallery. The ribbon is from RibbonOasis - gotta love spotty purple!

I'm not good at cards for children, but at only a year old, I don't suppose she'll mind LOL! TFL x

I'M A NUTTER...

... Emma says so. And to prove it, she's given me an award - thanks mate!

She's probably right. I do have a very warped view of life. But then I think you have to. As my tag line says - "Blessed be the cracked, for it is they who let in the light". Quite right too!! I will always remember being bodily removed from a VW garage in Germany when a man came in and said "Tag", which is short for "Guten Tag", as in "good morning", but I couldn't help myself and replied "Ha! You're it!!" and then collapsed in giggles. O/h wasn't impressed. Which made me worse.

Don't you think, though, that there is so much stuff in life and the world that is very hard and sad and unfair that if you didn't laugh, you'd be locked up? I do. But it gets me into trouble sometimes. For example, in a meeting with a very important client and we were discussing putting some new stuff on his server in three folders. One called "IN", one called "OUT" and I fell about laughing and begged them to call the third one "Shake it all about", but it went down like a rat sandwich!!

Take Dad's funeral. Up there with a slipped disc in terms of pain and suffering. We were having "All things bright and.." as one of the hymns. It can be a real dirge so we'd asked the organist to play it at quite a pace. He took off like William Tell and Mum and I were in hysterics as the congregation sat gasping for breath!! Dad would have laughed.

So I suppose what I'm trying to say is that NUTTERS OF THE WORLD UNITE!! PEOPLE NEED NUTTERS!! I'm proud to be one.

Who's with me?

YEE-HAW!!

It's Time Travel Day at Lil G's school today and they have all paid £1 to go in costume rather than in uniform.

There's a tardis at school (wonder if she'll be home in time for tea???) and all kinds of events and stuff going on all day.

We were going to go as Princess Leia, but her hair is just so fine that it was impossible to put it into two 'danish pastries' either side of her head. So we went for a cowgirl look instead. As, it seems, did a lot of others, judging by the number of stetsons on the way into school.

Her hair is in two bunches under that hat (please don't ask about the hat, by the way....) and we think she looks faberoony!!

OOH, A GIFT VOUCHER!!

My very good friend Emma over at Elf Creations has reached 10,000 hits on her blog - not really surprising, is it? - and to celebrate, she's giving away a £10 gift voucher to spend at Poppicrafts!! If you don't know it, it's a fantastic place to stock up on your stash - they have some really fab stuff and great service. All you have to do is leave a message on her blog, a link on yours to hers and a link to Poppicrafts to be in with a chance of winning. Go see!!! xx

WHAT A SURPRISE!!

Well, having had the week from hell - oh, for many reasons - the lovely Sharon over at Shari-Anne Happy Crafter has given me a little light at the end of my tunnel by passing on this award!! I'm really touched, cos she makes such wonderful things and I often look to her site for inspiration, so again I'm truly humbled! Thanks, Sharon!
I now have to pass this on to three others - really easy to think of three people whose sites inspire me, difficult to find three who haven't already got it!! So I'm going to pass this on to Vicky, Emma and Barbara, I think, cos I visit their blogs a lot for inspiration and a giggle!! Sent with love, ladies xxxxx