A Girl Who Loves Craft

A few more pics

2012-01-06T22:20:00.005Z

Relaxing waiting for a show and trying to keep cool

In this pic Joe was playing with the dolphins through the glass. He is kicking a ball and they are following it.

On my birthday

Mr Giraffe pulling tongues for the camera

Joe interacting with the whales at sea world

S x

As promised....

2012-01-05T21:33:00.002Z

Aims for 2012....

2012-01-04T23:08:00.007Z

Well here is another year and another set of aims to try to accomplish. As I always say it doesn't matter in the great scheme of things if I do them or not but for me its a little reminder each year.

So here goes,

1. Loose weight

Im putting this at the top this year as I am so fed up with it. I loose weight then I put it on. Its a never ending circle. So instead of thinking Ive got to loose 4 stone I have a plan. Im going to aim for 5 LBs a month. Now that sounds do-able doesn't it. I am going to post on here each month how Ive done too just to keep me going.

2. Get Fit

Now this goes hand in hand with num 1 but again I keep joining the gym and getting reasonably fit and then I give up. So my plan is to do something for 30mins a day. I will start off just doing 3 lots of 10 mins until I build myself up to a full 30 mins. I have a great little helper in my daughter who likes to think she is Jillian Michaels from the biggest looser.. If I enlist in her help she will make sure I get up and do it.

3. To get more creative with my photos

So now I have been taking more photos I need to get them off the computer and on the wall or into photo books or in scrapbooks. I had a new computer for christmas with the intention that I can finally have my own space to do my own work so I have no excuses. I have finally downloaded the last of my holiday pictures tonight so I have a few things to keep me busy straight away.

4. To build on my Bear Business

So last year I made more bears, this year I want to carry that on and build on it.

5. To blog more

Quite simply I love reading back on my blog and looking through my photos so I need to get on and update it more often. So my aim is to do a post a week, even if its just to add a picture.

I think that shall be enough for this year but I will leave you with one of my favourite photos from last year.

S x

Happy New Year 2012!!!

2012-01-02T18:35:00.003Z

I wish everyone a Happy New Year for 2012.

I can't believe how quick time flies when you turn 21, next minute you are in your forties.... I haven't updated my blog for a while as life has been so busy round here ( excuses I know ). Anyway it is traditional of me to write my goals and aims down each year and also to go through last years just to see how I did.

So here goes. This was the list I gave myself at the beginning of the year.

1. To learn digital scrapbooking. Well I have learnt a lot this year but haven't had the time to do it that often but overall Im pleased with the fact I do know more that I did at the start of the year.

2. To take more photos. Yes I defiantly have taken a lot of photos. I haven't done anything with most of them though but I have taken them.

3. Loose weight. Grrr this is my least favourite goal ever. I struggle so much with it that its not funny now. I did loose weight again for my holiday in August which was fab but slowly and surely I have now put most of it back on.

4. To decorate the house. Well 3 rooms were started. I decorated my conservatory and we changed it round to an office, playroom and sitting room. We got new desks from ikea and sorted a lot out. We have now ordered a new sofa which should be here at the beginning of february ( a really good buy in sales ) so it shouldn't be far off then. Just a new rug etc. Also I changed all the curtains and bedding in my bedroom, so the room does look different. I didn't decorate as I didn't think it needed it but the walls do look a bit shabby now. I also had to get a new bed for K as her cot bed broke so I did her room up a little when we had the new bed. So not exactly what I wanted but a start....

5. To make more bears. Well I succeeded with this one. I did make more bears and luckily they all found new homes. I did 4 fairs in this country and then 3 on the internet. I advertised more and have tried to get my name out there. I had a new shop supply my bears in America and I carried on with the shops I supplied already. So I did have a great year with the bears and got to meet lots of lovely collectors in the process.

6. To pay it forward. Well this is a tricky one, how can you possibly judge this. I have been more considerate and kind and I have helped people where I can but I can't help thinking I could of done a lot more with this one. I am pleased with what I did do though.

So thats it, all my aims for the last year. Not too bad at all I think. So watch this space for the new ones I will put up for this year.

S x

A few of my new bears

2011-07-17T13:45:00.009Z

As of this moment I have just 6 bears available at the Bears on Parade online show. It finishes tonight at 9pm UK time so there is just over 6 hours to go to see the bears that are available. Here are the 6 I have.

Sweet Pea

Little Lin

Chipperfield

Barnum

Amelia

Baylee

They can be found at

http://www.teddiesworldwide.com/

S x

The preview has begun.........

2011-07-01T22:25:00.007Z

Im just going to share a preview photo of Bobo, a little bear I have created for the Teddies Worldwide show which begins on July 15th.

Check out the website as you caan vote for your favorite bear out of the 75 on show. Im so excited about this show in 2 weeks time and I am busy creating lots of new bears especially for the show.

S x

An excuse to dress up!!!!!!

2011-06-20T21:49:00.006Z

I love having an excuse to dress up. Its not very often I put on the glad rags as I spend most of my time wearing comfy clothes for work or comfier clothes for home. ( That is a sign of age )...

Well after 19 years my sister in law and her partner decided to tie the knot. It was a fabulous wedding and gave us a good excuse to dress up and take pictures..

S x

Save the date.....

2011-04-13T09:30:00.005Z

Ive just had confirmation that I have been selected to participate in another online bear show.

It is called Bears on Parade and it is being held on July 15th-17th 2011.

This show was a fabulous success in March and Im really excited about it.

S x

Whos started spring cleaning?

2011-03-20T23:18:00.002Z

Its funny, I see the first signs of sun and I want to start cleaning. ( not really, it only lasts a day )... Yesterday my hubby went away for the night to watch the footie, 2 kids went to my mums and the other went to town so I had the house to myself for a few hours. I spent 3 hours in my bedroom sorting out old clothes, cupboards, boxes and shelves. I threw out 3 bin bags full and had 2 bags of clothes for the charity shops and then filled up a whole bag full of other stuff to recycle. I cleaned and polished and hoovered. So I now have a nice tidy bedroom. Ive decided to get some new curtains and a rug to brighted the room up and then I will be finished.

Today Ive had my friends daughter round as she wanted to learn scrapbooking. So K, S and I spent quite a few hours having fun creating scrapbook pages. I haven't scrapbooked for ages but I found loads of my supplies in my bedroom so had a good sort out.

Heres a pic of K I took this afternoon to scrap.

S x

Some bears to show you

2011-03-14T23:26:00.010Z

I have had 2 shows in the past month and I just wanted to show a few of the bears that went off to new homes that haven't had their picture on here before.

Ernest 6"

Selwyn 7"

Daryl 7"

Sugar Plum 9"

Emily 6.5"

I hope you like them.

S x

Penny

2011-03-13T16:01:00.004Z

The blooming bear show I told you about has been going on all weekend. It finishes later tonight and so far 3 out of my 4 bears have been adopted. I just have Penny available at the moment. Go and have a look at http://www.teddiesworldwide.com/

Here she is:

Penny

S x

A Sneaky Peak

2011-03-01T22:59:00.003Z

The next Teddy Bear Show I am participating in is the Blooming Bear Show which is an online show with over 75 Bear Artists participating from all over the world. I haven't quite finished all my bears for the show yet but here is one I have called Arthur.

He will be available on the day of the show in just over a weeks time.

Arthur

We had a fabulous weekend in London and a great show at Hugglets. As always it was superbly orgainised and there were lots of people there. I wanted to thank everyone who came to say hi and a big thankyou to all of you that adopted a Scruffie Bear. My new designs went down a treat too.

Right I must get back to it, not enough hours in the day!!!!

S x

What are you doing at the weekend?

2011-02-25T00:46:00.002Z

Well Im off to Hugglets on Sunday. It is the biggest Teddy Bear Fair in the country with over 170 stands of bear artists from all over the world. Its in Kensington Town Hall in Kensington and its on from 10.30am - 4pm. I am in Hall 4 on stand num 126.
I would love for anyone to pop over and say hi as I have lots of new designs that I have created.
Im also offering a discount of 10% to all my blog readers at the fair if you mention that you have read my blog.

Hope to see you there...

S x

My diets going nowhere fast !!!!

2011-02-09T10:58:00.002Z

This loosing weight business is so hard this time round. I lost 3.5 stone last year but I let myslf slip after my holiday. I have since put back on nearly 2 stone and I feel so bad. I felt great last year, my slin was better, not so many aches and pains, no indigestion etc. I now feel like crap. I had every intention of getting back to it after Christmas but its just so hard. Im eating biscuits and sweets all the time. Last night after tea I went to Tesco and bought chocolate covered flap jacks and chocolate hob nobs. Why? This morning Ive had my breakfast and then made a cup of tea and dunked 6 of the chocolate hob nobs in it. OMG what is wrong with me.

Enough is enough now... I don't want to put all the weight back on. Imagine how I would feel then...

So new start tomorrow morning. I have got the summer to look forward to and I want to be able to wear the beautiful skirts I bought last year. I have my gym membership until June so Im starting some classes on Saturday.

I have had to write this down as I just feel so awful I need a kick up the bum to get going.

So hear goes. I think I will write on here how much Ive lost each month so watch this space....

Sx

All a blur..

2011-02-02T09:56:00.002Z

Do you ever feel like time goes so fast that it leaves you in a blur. January has been like that. I don't know why but I don't really know what I acomplished last month. It was Phils B-day last week so we all went out for tea. We don't go out all together for a meal that often as its so expensive so it made a lovely change.

We have started having movie nights on a Saturday every week. We get lots of snacky things from the supermarket, buy a cheap dvd and after K is in bed the 4 of us watch it. We watched 2012 last week and this week we bought the Bourne series and watched the first one of those. Its alot cheaper than going out and we enjoy it.

I had lots of bargains in the sales in January. I left it until the final days of the sales and picked up some fab deals. In tesco I got 2 single quilt covers for the boy for £5, pack of pencils for 20p, notebooks for 20p and lots of bits. In boots they had a 75% off sale where they were clearing all of their sale stock. I got a beautiful case full of makeup for £11 instead of £45 and a purse for £2. I didn't really need the stuff but it has come in handy.

My top buy this month though has been a tastecard. It is a card that gives you discounts at thousands of retaurants in the UK. They normally sell for £69 but you could get a free trial for 3 mths. The discount is either 50% off or 2 for the price of 1 so you save alot. If you eat out alot it will save you alot of money.

I have a the Hugglets Winter Bearfest coming up on the 27th February and I have been so busy designing new bears for this show. I have to get cracking now as its not long.

Heres a photo of 2 bears I made a few years ago that came runner up in the British Bear Artist Awards.

S x

A New Toy

2011-01-11T09:41:00.002Z

I had some money for Christmas so Ive treated myself to a new printer. I haven't had a colour printer since Kaitlin used my beloved Epson as a money box. The ink was rediculously expensive so I didn't use it much anyway. So I bought a Kodak all in one printer as I heard the ink was cheaper than all the others. I spent an hour on Sunday setting it up and Ive been printing some pics to put in frames. I did find the pics come out best if you use kodak paper though and set the quality to best. I need to update the stationary for my bears and I will be able to print off papers etc for my cardmaking. So Im chuffed. It doesn't take much to make me happy you know.
S x

Time for some new goals

2011-01-08T22:55:00.004Z

Its time I set my goals for 2011 while we are still in January. I always say its not really important in the grand scheme of things to achieve them but it really does give me a focus.

1. I would like to learn digital scrapbooking this year. Im still getting to grips with Photoshop Elements and I like what you can create on it. I want to create alot of digital layouts through out the year and have them made into a book. A year in our life so to speak. I saw it on someones blog and I really liked the idea.

2. To carry on taking as many pictures as possible and to get more organised in printing them and storing them.

3. Loose weight. I would like to carry on where I left off and loose 3 stone before the summer. I liked being able to wear lots of nice clothes in the summer and if we do go on holiday it would make me feel better. I am going to take my stats at the beginning of each month and document it too. I saw this on another blog and thought it was a great idea.

4. I want to decorate my whole house this year. I haven't decorated for along time and everywhere is shabby. The biggest obsticle I have is money. I am on a tight budget so I am only going to buy things that are 1. On sale 2. Given to me 3. Second Hand 4. Very good Value or 5. Handmade. I will start by decluttering and sell some of my clutter on ebay etc where I can build up a fund to start me off. ( This is a biggy as there is so much to do in our house ).

5. To focus more on the bears. I have arranged 5 fairs this year including an online show. I worked on some new designs towards the end of last year and I was really pleased with how they turned out. My downfall is I don't promote myself enough. Apart from the fairs I don't tend to get out there with the bears so thats my aim.

6. To Pay it back more in 2011. I am very very lucky to have a wonderful life and family. I have had my bad times too so I know what it feels like but I am grateful for all the things I have and know that alot of people aren't so lucky. I would like to take time think about what I do and the effect it will have on others and if I can help anyone I will ( I do always try to to this but I recently read something that really touched me so much that I am making it one of my goals).

Well I think 6 is enough don't you. Lets see how I get on. Heres a pic of Phil and I from our Holiday in the summer.

S x

Looking back at my Goals for 2010

2011-01-03T23:41:00.002Z

I always set myself goals / aims each year. Sometimes I manage to do them, sometimes I don't. It doesn't really matter, it just gives me a focus. Now before I set new goals for 2011 I must look back on my goals for 2010.

Here goes,

1. To loose at least 2 stone
Weight loss is always on my list. I have battled with my weight all my life. I have found as I get older the weight has stopped me getting on with life like I should. I get out of breath easier, I have a bad back etc.

Well I lost 3.5 stone up to August for my holiday( I did manage to put 1.5 stone back on though from August to now) so I can say I did manage this one for a change. 2 stone lighter yay.......A long way to go still but I don't feel as bad.

2. To try out more recipies

I wanted to eat much better this year and that included all my family so more home cooking was the way to go.

Yes I did this one too. I now make meals from scratch most of the time. I have learnt to make alot of healthier food. My family haven't been ill through it either so thats a bonus. ( honestly if you asked any of my family 5 years ago about my cooking they would of laughed).

3. To learn to use Photoshop Elements

This is a program you spend years learning how to use.

I made alot of progress. I completed 2 more courses and Im developing a folder of techniques I can look back on. Still alot more to learn but Im happy.

4. To take more pics

I have a fabulous camera and I wanted to use it more. I also got a little camera for my handbag so I am always able to take a photo.

I have taken over 700 pictures this year, 300 of those were on holiday but I think Ive done quite well. Its the editing and printing them now that needs to worked on.

Thats how I did. Not bad at all. They were not big things in the grand scheme of life but just little things that make my life easier. Now to the goals for 2011.....

S x

Pyjama Day....

2011-01-02T23:53:00.002Z

I decided to have a pyjama day today. A day when I got up at dinnertime and lounged around all day. The thought of doing it was great. I roped my little princess in too and even eldest son. I duly got up at 12 ( even though I was awake at 10 ). I had come down earlier to make tea and toast to feed us in bed. It was bliss. It felt naughty. I had thought of keeping the curtains shut all day and ignoring the door if anyone knocked. I was content - until Phil decided it was just disgusting that we should lounge around all day in our night wear and stay in bed. So I got up and got dressed as he anoyed me. Eldest son managed to stay in his pjs a bit longer and little princess stayed in hers all day. ( Good on her ). So my pyjama day was ruined. I am normally rushing round every day either at work or looking after my family so I wanted one day ( just the one) where I did nothing. I shall work on Phil, make him believe its his idea and believe me we will all have at least one day this year where we shut the world out and relax in our own little world.
It was really funny though because my father in law rang up at 1pm to see if we were all alright as he had driven past and all the curtains were shut.......

Sx

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T23:48:00.003Z

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Hoping you all have a great 2011!!!

A few pictures from 2010

2010-12-30T23:56:00.018Z

As we are nearly at the end of 2010 here are a few photos from our year.

I lost my Grandma this year. She was 99 and will be really missed. This photo is 5 years old but is the only one I have on my computer. I love you Grandma xx

My Princess

My Princess started reception in school this year and has just turned 5

Phil and I lost quite a bit of weight this year and this is the first time I had worn a dress in over 12 years.

I turned 40 this year and as a suprise my bessie mates hubby took me for a ride on his Harley Davidson. ( I was scared stiff )... This picture above is in one of the disney restaurants. The happy Birthday was made from chocolate.

The said motorbike ride!!!

My boys acting cool in Animal Kingdom

My Princess looking like a real Princess

The love of my life :0)

I had this picture made into a canvas for the wall for my hubby for Christmas

Will taking Kaitlin on a ride at Bushe Gardens

Kaitlin meeting Minnie Mouse for the first time

Our first day at Magic Kingdom. We had a breakfast reservation in the castle so we managed to get in before the crowds which was fab.

I have had a really good year this year and have so many really good memories. 2008 and 2009 weren't that good for us but this year we realised that the most important thing in our lives is our family. We have spent alot of time together doing things and we even eat our evening meal together at the table every night which makes a huge difference. We feel very lucky to have had such a fantastic holiday this year which I can say was our best ever. I feel very grateful that I have such a wonderful family and I love them all to bits.

S x

Great Christmas

2010-12-27T23:18:00.004Z

We had a great Christmas here and I hope anyone reading my blog had a fabulous time too. I got some lovely presents including 2 new charms for my pandora bracelet and my favorite perfume and Ive had a few bargains in the sales too. Im well and truly skint now though and will be sorting stuff out to sell on ebay in the new year to replenish my shopping fund.
All the kids had a great time and thankfully they were all really pleased with everything. K had so so much because as well as Christmas its her birthday over the holiday too. She had a disney kidizoom camera as a main present for her birthday and last time I checked she had taken over 200 photos on it already....
On to the not so good, I seriously need to start my diet again in the New Year too. I lot over 3 stone last year but I must admit I have put over a stone back on since my holiday in August and I feel awful.

Just a heads up too, Ive applied to be a participant in the Blooming Bear Show in March and I was accepted so I am really pleased. It is an online bear show so you can attend from the comfort of your own home. There is a link at the side of my blog to take you to the site which will be updated with more details as time goes by.

S x

Its so cold

2010-12-06T09:35:00.005Z

We are experiencing the coldest winter for years. Last week we had snow so the roads and pavements have been really bad and it finally thawed on Saturday when we had lots of rain. This morning we have woken to temperatures of -5 ( was -12 in the night). Like I used to say when I was a kid, Jack Frost has been. Honestly though taking K to school this morning was so scarey. It was like an ice rink everywhere. I hope everyone stays safe.

On to a new bear. I added Robyn to my website last night. I put a sneak peak on here last week. I am really pleased with this design. He has bent legs so can be posed in numerous postions. I have redesigned a pattern I had created quite a few years ago.

Robyn

Robyn 9"

S x

More pics

2010-11-27T00:17:00.006Z

As I promised here are a few more pictures of my bears. Here is Aubrey again but with a little friend called Sierra. Sierra is going off to live with my Mum. She is a bear collector and I haven't let her have one of mine for a while with having so many fairs to get ready for.( Well 4 fairs but thats alot for me). As I am not exhibiting now until February it gives me plenty of time to make some new bears and Im especially loving the new designs. I have reworked my Smudge pattern to come up with these bears.

Aubrey and Sierra

Next I have a sneaky peak of 2 bears who will be going on my website at the weekend. Again I have reworked an old pattern and created these bears. They have bent legs so they can sit in numerous positions.

Robyn and Gino

Its snowing here right now. I had to cancel 2 of my hairdressing appointments today due to the snow. Im pretty scared when driving in it so if it starts sticking then I come home. I know K will love it when she wakes up if it is quiet deep. Thankfully its Saturday tomorrow so I don't have to go anywhere.

S x

A wonderful weekend

2010-11-24T22:42:00.006Z

As you may recall I was going to Sheffield last weekend to attend the Great Yorkshire Teddy Bear Event. We had a great weekend and got to see some old friends and make new ones too. The fair itself was very well organised and Katherine and John did a brilliant job. I am very much looking forward to the next one. I created a new design for the raffle and I was very very pleased with how he turned out. Here is Aubrey.

Aubrey

Then we have Kevin who I created just for the show and who went off to a lovely new home.

Kevin

I will post more pictures tomorrow.

S x

Wow its cold tonight

2010-11-07T23:13:00.002Z

Ive just been outside to the garage and felt how cold it is tonight. I have been snuggled up in my nice warm house all day today and apart from this morning going to Mr Ts for my weekly shop I haven't ventured out. I hate it now the dark nights are here. I feel like its such a long night now.

Well I have just finished a brand new design of bear today. I have adapted an old pattern to come up with a new look. The bear I have made is for the raffle of the The Great Yorkshire Teddy Bear Event which is in 2 weeks time. Make a date in your diaries if you can make it to Sheffield on Sunday 21st November. It is a new show and Im quite excited as we don't have many shows north of Birmingham. So its all hands on deck now to finish a few more bears to take with us.

Holiday Photo

2010-10-24T23:45:00.005Z

We went to florida on our hols this year and Ive just had the photos back this week. Here is my favorite of the 5 of us. I have 150 photos on my little camera but we had a photopass at the disney parks where you get photographers to take your pictures and then you can have them sent to you on a disc. I have another 150 on there. I don't want to bore you with hundreds of our pics but I will pop a few on here for my own benefit

S x

Need to get sorted

2010-10-19T22:13:00.003Z

I have spent a couple of hours tonight sorting. I can't believe I have so much stuff ( well I did buy it all...). I have so much craft stuff that its everywhere. I need to either use it or loose it. ( Thats a good saying). I did make my first card in over a year the other day and I actually really enjoyed it so who knows, it is Christmas soon so I have the perfect excuse. I also have so many tools and equipment for making my bears that Im forever searching for them so I have sorted all of that out into a cool storage bag today. Im hoping it gives me more time to actually create something...

Here is a picture of my latest bear. His name is Vinnie and he is from my Hairy Hoodlam collection. He hs huge feet and a big tummy and he is very laid back.

Vinnie - 13.5"

S x

Meet J J

2010-10-18T09:38:00.002Z

Just while Im taking photos today of a new bear called Vinnie I happened upon a picture of a bear I made earlier in the year. His name is JJ and he was adopted in Stratford Upon Avon at the Teddy Bear Artist event. I haven't put his picture up on my website yet so here he is. I love this style of bear as they can be posed in lots of different ways.

I hope you like him.

S x

A week on facebook..

2010-10-09T23:04:00.006Z

I joined facebook last Saturday as I said in my last post and already I have 40 friends. Now alot are my family but Ive been amazed how many people I have got in touch with who I knew from school or worked with years ago. Ive had quite a few chats with some great people and it has been great. I always said I would never join the likes of facebook as I didn't see a point to it but I do now. It keeps you in touch with people. We all lead really busy lives and its too easy to live in a little world of your own but its great speaking to lots of different people too. I have found photos of me on facebook that I didn't know were there. A girl I was in school with had pictures in her albums that had me on the last day of school and a class photo from junior school.

My junior school class photo. Taken when I would of been 10

Last day of school

There was 9 of us who hung round together and went all the way through school from infants to high school being friends.

We had a reunion in 2000 and we all met up again. Then we lost touch. I have been in touch with 2 this year through a school reunion and now through facebook I have found more people I was in school with. It has been a great week and it has brought back loads of memories.

S x

Getting Teckie

2010-10-01T20:18:00.003Z

My kids laugh at me and tell me "Im not with it". Well Ive suprised myself today and opened a flickr account. It is a website where you can put lots of your photos so that people can see them. I have uploaded 200 of my previous creations to this account and if you look on my side bar you can be taken to my flickr account to see them. Im so chuffed I did this. It may seem a little thing to some of you out there but believe me this is a major thing in my cappabilities. Lets see what else I can do when I put my mind to it......

Edited: Ive just joined facebook now, my kids will wonder whats happened to me......

S x

Its Monday again...

2010-09-27T18:09:00.003Z

How is it that the weeks go so quickly. Especially when you get to 30. One minute its monday and before I know it the week has flown by. We try to do things at the weekend when we can and this weekend was no exception.

Phil is a big Liverpool supporter but is boycotting matches at the moment due to the way the club is being run and the owners. He is a member of the Spirit of Shankly Supporters Union and they had a meeting on Saturday in Liverpool so I went with him. You can't pass up on a shopping trip to Liverpool can you. Since they have created Liverpool One it is a fabulous place for shopping and spending an afternoon. We went for an all you can eat China buffet and ate far too much (but you can't help yourself can you). My diet has gone for a burton again. I was going great guns before August but have put on half a stone since then. I really need to get going again or else I will undo all of my hard work.

Ive been sorting through my pictures this morning and happened upon a picture of my in laws, Norma and Dennis. Its there anniversay on Thursday so I thought it would be nice to have their picture on my blog

S x

Little Bob

2010-09-21T22:48:00.003Z

Here is my latest bear. He is a cute fellow called Little Bob. I will be adding him to my website as soon as I can as he is currently looking for a new home.

S x

About time....

2010-09-19T21:48:00.005Z

I haven't updated my blog for ages. You know when you have so much to say that you don't know where to start. So Im just going to have to jump right in and start.

Ive given my blog a new look today after I found this really cool website that offered free designs. Its called The Cutest Blog On The block and the link is on the top left hand side of this page. Now I need to redo my website which will take considerably longer. Im hopeless with websites so I have a package that offers you software to do your own which has always worked well for me but I think its time we had a fresh new look.

K has started her reception class at school now. She brought home a bear called Buttercup this weekend and we have had to take pictures of her all weekend with the bear. Then Ive had to fill 2 pages in her folder with the pictures and what she had done all weekend. I did it in a scrapbook style so I didn't have to write a huge essay. Buttercup went with K to Grandmas yesterday and they planted tulips in pots and watered all of Grandads Chrysants and then we went for a carvery for tea. There is a super pub not far from us where that do a carvery for £3.59 each so we often go instead of having a take away as it works out cheaper. Here are some of the pics I took.

S x

2010-04-01T22:28:00.007Z

A few weeks ago we all had a day out at my sisters babys baptism. Here a few of my favorite pics from the day.

A family photo...

My Mum and Dad

My sis with little K

My Guys....

My Mum and her 2 sisters and K

Ive had a nightmare with our main computer as we had a virus and it disrupted our life for a while so I will catch up soon.

S x

Lilly

2010-03-03T09:06:00.003Z

I finally got my camera out and took some photos of Lilly. She is a real cuddly little bear and I will be popping her on my website shortly. I think my website needs a complete revamp so now hugglets is over I will have to get on to it.

S x

Where have I been?

2010-03-01T16:09:00.005Z

Ive been to London to visit the Queen. Honestly I spent Saturday afternoon with the Queen. Well we did see her at Madame Tussauds.....

It was Hugglets Winter Bearfest this weekend so we went early on Saturday so we could have a day in London. It was Js birthday this week too so we took him for a treat. He had always wanted to go into Hamleys and he wasn't dissapointed. 5 floors of toys, games, models etc. Only trouble is there is too much choice so he didn't buy anything.

Next we headed off to Madame Tussauds. It had been years since I went and I thought it would be boring but it was quite entertaining. We spent a good couple of hours in there. J had a wax work made of his hand so he could keep it.

London was packed this weekend. ( when isn't it ) and we struggled to find anywhere to eat. TGI Fridays had an hour wait and Planet Hollywood was 2 hrs. We managed to get a table at Pizza Express and I was pleasantly suprised. I would highly recommend it.

Hugglets was on the Sunday and it is the largest teddy bear fair in the country, held twice a year in kensington. We had to be there early to set up the table and get the bears ready for viewing. I had a great day and many of my bears went off to new homes. I caught up with other bear artists and met lots of new people.

Heres my table with Phil sitting reading the paper

Im going to try and take some pictures tonight so I can put a couple of bears on my website.

S x

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T22:57:00.008Z

Happy New Year. I want to wish everyone all the best for 2010.

Well I have looked back at 2009 and think I had a really good year. We have all come to the end of this year, healthy, happy and looking positively to 2010.

I had 4 aims for 2009 which were to loose weight, cook more, make more bears and learn how to use photo shop. So how have I done. Not bad at all....

Weight wise I lost a stone, so to say it loudly I'm 1 stone lighter now than I was 12 months ago. So its not 4 stone but I'm still pleased. I haven't dieted as such just eaten better and started walking. I have a good friend who I walk with 3 times a week. We try to walk for an hour each time and we really enjoy it.

I now cook alot more. I have found it cheaper and tastier to cook from scratch and have recipes I cook quite often. I would say 3 to 4 times a week we have a good meal.

I have made more bears. Not quite 52 but more than I was. I had 3 really good fairs this year where I sold well and had a few commissions as well. The highlight in September was a 2 shops ordering from me. One in Germany and the other over here. So I'm really pleased with how the bear business is going.

Lastly I have learnt quite a bit about photo shop elements. I have found a fantastic website where you do classes in photo shop and they are easy to follow. I have completed 2 this year so I'm chuffed with that.

My aims for 2010 are:

To loose more weight. I want to give myself a kick this January and carry on with what I did last year but with less cheating. Aiming for at least 2 stone this year as a start. I'm going to carry on walking and cutting out fatty food. I have also just ordered myself a juicer so I can get my 5 a day easier. It was on special offer from QVC and Id been eyeing up this make for ages.

Look at this beauty. Is a Jack Lalanne power juicer which takes whole fruit without having to peel it.

Aim num 2 is to try out more recipes. It is just having the time to try new things but Ive been given a fabulous cookbook for Christmas called Just One Pot. It is full with recipes where you use just one pan or pot or dish. So here goes.

Aim num 3 is to carry on learning about Photo shop. It is such a complex programme that you have to learn to use it. I love what I can do with it. Not just for my pictures but for making things too. So I will do more courses when and where I can. The website I can highly recommend is http://www.jessicasprague.com/ It is fantastic and is full of all things creative.

Aim num 4 is related to aim num 3. I want to take more photos and fill my house with our pictures, fill my scrapbooks with our memories. I have had a new camera for Christmas and its a tiny point and shoot camera for my handbag. I love my big camera but I loose out on photos when I don't take it so I have no excuse now. I will see how I go but I'm going to try and take a photo a day. Whether its of one of the kids or just something from my life I don't care.

So that's a start. If I think of anything else I want to do I will post it on here but these are my aims for this year as well as being happy and healthy. I also have a big birthday this year so I need to really think about what I want to do to celebrate that.

S x

And now its over....

2009-12-29T23:10:00.002Z

I adore Christmas and this year was no exception. I am like a kid myself on Christmas morning being woken at 4.30am by the kids. I made them go back to bed for a bit but we were all wide awake by 5.30am. They were all so pleased with everything and little K was so excited to see Santa had been.
I get quite down then after Christmas, and into January I feel deflated. We used to go away every year after Christmas just so we weren't getting that feeling but now school holidays don't permit it.
My big pressie this year was a new camera. Its tiny. A Nikon Coolpix so I can fit it in my handbag. I never take as many pics as I could as I hate trapesing round with my big camera all the time. My Canon camera is amazing and it takes fablous pics but you have to set your photos up so its not really a quick point and shoot camera.
So hopefully you should see more pics on here next year now.

Im working all day tomorrow and then Im off till next year.

S x

Car trouble

2009-11-23T22:12:00.003Z

As the title suggests Ive had car trouble today. All I can say is it was lucky it was on my day off, lucky I was near the garage and lucky it was still in warranty by 7 days.
Alot of cars now have computers in them and mine malfunctioned today leaving K and I sat in the garage for 2 hrs where we got it fixed. Still I was very lucky that they could fit me in and they could fix it today. I thanked them very much for this and whats 2 hrs in the general scheme of things anyway.

I had been looking for wallpaper for my conservatory. We have one wall and then there are windows on the other 3 sides so its only going to take 2 rolls. the trouble is I can't decide on a wallpaper as there is just so much choice.. I got a few samples a month ago and blu tacked them to the wall and every week since I come back with more I like. Today was no different. I found 4 more and I had to put these up too so its currently like a patchwork quilt in there. Im going to just have to make a decision and be done with it.

S x

Last minute as per usual...

2009-11-21T23:00:00.003Z

I don't like being a last minute kind of girl but it always works out that way. Up until today I had bought nothing for Christmas, no presents, cards, anything. My Mum has finished hers a few weeks ago. Why can't I be like that.... I always seem to have 100 jobs on the go at any one time. See at the moment Im in the middle of decorating my conservatory, waiting for new blinds,wanting to decorate numerous other rooms before the big day. Ive been finishing a few bear orders, sorting out a party for Kaitlins birthday next month and working full time too. So as you can see Xmas has been far from my thoughts so today I went to town and bought my Dads presents. (yipee)

I found some really cool photo frames in Marks and Spencers a while ago. They are black and the appature is 8 x 10 and they have a mount, all for £9.50. My intention was to put 3 on the stairs with pics of the kids. I have a lovely one of J except his hair is a bit long but as he has his brace now he won't let me take another. W informs me none of the pics I have of him are any good because they were taken pre hi-lights and pre straightening and K is growing so quickly I need another one of her. So thats my plan for tomorrow, taking pics of W and K to go on my wall.

Heres the pic I have of J.

Susan x

Im in the mood for dancing.......

2009-10-15T21:50:00.002Z

Im back after my little jaunt to Manchester on Tuesday, where I went to see the Nolans in concert. Wow what a great show is all I can say. It was brilliant and id highly recommend it to anyone who wants a good night. What I love about them is they are real women with real figures who can really sing and they are down to earth.

I went with my friend and we had a lovely time in Manchester, shopping and eating... We stayed in a great hotel where they helped us no end, explaining how to get to all the shops we needed to find ( as a girl has to ). I even drove there which is a feat for me as I don't like going out of my comfort zone when Im driving. I only feel confident in areas I know but Im determined to beat this and get out and about.

Ive also had a really busy week with family. K has been invited to 3 parties in one week, W had a school trip tonight and I have to go and pick him up at 11.30pm.... Its all go. I can't wait for the weekend to just be able to chill out.

S x

On a mission

2009-10-05T21:28:00.004Z

The kids enjoying time at the beach in Torquay

Im currently on a mission to find things to do for free or at least not much money. We have cut our outgoings by more than half over the past 12 months to give us more available money at the end of the month. Whilst this is a great feeling I now look at the value of everything from days out to meals to the weekly food shopping.
Now every week I meet up with a few friends and we hang out with the kidlets. We tend to go to the local playcentre and have coffee or lunch while the kids play. last week we decided to do things a little cheaper so after picking up our little ones from school we walked up to our park. Its a fair walk from my house so it took a while as a 3 year old only has little legs so you tend to go quite slowly. We spent a good hour at the park and the kids had a ball on the swings etc. Next we set off to collect conkers. I used to love collecting conkers when I was little. K thought she had to collect every single conker she saw and had filled our bag before we knew it. So another hour went by with this endeavour. Then off we went to our local library. Its years since I went and I couldn't find my card so I needed to rejoin, so K and I joined together. Wow it was kidlet heaven in there. K loves books so she was in her element. They have dvds you can rent for the children too so we spent another great hour in there.
So a totally free 3 hours of enjoyment which I enjoyed more then the playcentre as I usually come out of there with a headache from the noise of 30 little children screaming at full volume for 2 hours.

S x

All quiet on the home front

2009-09-27T21:33:00.003Z

Its nice to have a quiet week sometimes. As Im self employed each week varies depending on what appointments I have. Im very lucky that Im very busy most of the time but I do get the odd quiet week. Where I might work 20 hours instead of 28 to 30. i had such a week this week. As my baby had gone to school every day I made the most of it, my ironing was up to date and food filled the cupboards and all meals were planned in advance ( never heard of here).
I have been planning a couple of trips though. In 2 weeks a friend and I travel to Manchester to see the Nolans in concert. We are staying the night and having a girly shopping day the next day. I was a little bit young for the Nolans but I remember all their songs. I get up on the dance floor whenever they come on ( LOL ). My friend is a couple of years older so they were full strength when she was a teenager going clubbing. I can't wait.....
Next Phil talked me into going to London with him to watch a football match. I won't go to the football but I will go and have a 3 hr wander around Harrods. I love this shop. It is the biggest shop you can imagine, over 5 floors and you can buy anything you want. If they don't stock it they know where to get it from. This time of year they have a Christmas department selling all things Christmasy. Very expensive but I will buy a decoration to add to my collection. The tiolets are unbelieveable too. They are very ornate and they have a lady to help you ( with what I don't know). They also have a table with all the best perfumes to sample.
Then they have a whole floor or nearly a whole floor dedicated to toys and children. When K was born I bought a cd from there that was filled with songs with her name in. Then the bears, they have loads of steiff and other makes. Im sure I can while a day away, never mind a few hours.
Up the road from there is a charity shop which has wonderful items in it. It might be because the whole area is posh that they have so many designer clothes and household items but I always go in for a gander.

S x

Starting School

2009-09-22T16:18:00.002Z

This week has seen my baby girl starting nursery school. I can't believe it. Shes only 3 and a half and she has to have a uniform and book bag. As shes my third I really don't want her to grow up as fast as she is. Am I an old fuddy duddy or what.
More on the fuddy duddy, did you watch Strictly Come Dancing on saturday? I love that programme and Im glad its back on to brighten up my Saturdays with the X factor. Anyway I don't know if Im getting old or what but there was a dress that one of the proffessionals wore that I really didn't like this week. Well I don't know how they could call it a dress, more 2 squares and a few pieces of lace. I think its spoiling the whole programme to have costumes like this. I love the dresses most of them wear but I feel this year they are getting a bit risque, if thats the right word. Phil thinks Im a prude.....

Susan

Fabulous Weekend

2009-09-14T20:11:00.003Z

What a weekend. I had a great show at Hugglets. My best ever in fact. I met some lovely people too, some for the first time and others I have known for a long time. The time flew by and before I knew it we had to pack up.

As part of the weekend we got a great deal in a Crowne Plaza hotel where we had 2 nights for the price of one. It was by heathrow airport. As we had gone down on the friday we had the whole Saturday to fill and we wanted to go into London. Anyone who know central London knowns not to take your car in ( unless you know which car park to use). We got travel advice from reception and we set off to catch the bus and the tube. We got off in Leciester Square and sat outside a bar for a few drinks in the sunshine. We then saw a ticket office and wondered if we could be lucky enough to get tickets for a matinee show. We were lucky and got to see Sister Act at the London Paladium. It was fabulous and highly recommended to anyone who gets the chance to see it. We then went off to China Town and had a buffet. We headed back to the hotel and had a nice evening in the bar.

I must have been so relaxed the next morning that I overslept.... I like to get up an hour before I need to go anywhere as I always shower /wash my hair and do my makeup without rushing. Well I must have pressed snooze on my alarm and I ended up getting up 15 mins before I wanted to be having breakfast. I hate it when I have to rush and I panic. Anyway we got to the show in plenty of time and I managed to get everything set up with minutes to spare.

Roll on February for the next show.

Susan

Countdown

2009-09-06T20:51:00.002Z

Well Ive had a lovely few weeks. The kidlets are now back at school and we only have a week to go until the biggest teddy bear show in the UK takes place on Sunday 13th September at Kensington Town Hall, London.

We have a weeks holiday in the Church Farm, Haven near Bognor Regis. It was great. The kids had a ball and we got to see quite alot of the south coast. We had a day in Brighton, a day in Portsmouth, and afternoon in Bognor Regis and a lovely shopping trip to Chichester. The weather was good and we just chilled out for a week.

Im full on at the moment trying to get ready for Hugglets.

Susan x

Starting the countdown

2009-08-16T19:23:00.002Z

Time flies doesn't it, too fast if you ask me. The kids have been off for 4 weeks now and have 2 and a half weeks left. Its time to think of buying uniforms and kitting out the pencil cases all over again. Little K is off to nursery in Sept and she has to wear a uniform too.

Its now exactly 4 weeks to Hugglets too. Why am I never prepared. I should have loads of bears made by now but I haven't. I do have quite a few in varying stages of completion but none actually finished. I am not going to list anymore on ebay now until after Hugglets which is 13th September in Kensington Town Hall.

Also my dear second son J has broken his arm last week. He was playing football with his friends and was in goal. On catching the ball his hand bent backwards and he broke a bone in his wrist. He is now in plaster up to his elbow. So much for us going abroad on holiday. It really wouldn't be fair on him to go on a holiday to greece or spain when the main entertainment is the pool, especially if you can't go in. Good job we hadn't booked as we were waiting for a cheaper last minute holiday.

Susan x

Creativity

2009-08-11T20:01:00.003Z

Im currently learning so much on my course about photoshop I thought Id have a go at designing something myself. My son is into Naruto which is a Japenese anime ( ? ). He has been asking me to design a graphic for him so i have. I had him sitting next to me telling me what to write but I put it all together myself and designed the background using brushes etc. It showed how much Ive been taking in from the course though as usually we just copy or tweak our designs instead of come up with something from scratch. So here is my attempt.

Susan x

A new course

2009-08-04T22:53:00.002Z

Go me... go me.... go me......... Sorry Im singing out load here. I have started a new course on the Jessica Sprague website called brushabilities. Its all about the brush tool in photoshop and what you can create with it. It is our second day today and look what I made. Im so chuffed with it I am going to frame it to go on the wall. I am slowly learning more and more with photoshop and the possibilitlies you have with it. I will be creating my own adverts soon. Watch this space.

Ive had a lovely day out today. I took Kaitlin out with friends to a candle factory about 20mins from here. She made a lovely candle and then painted a candle holder for the candle too. They had lots of crafts for children so it meant we spent a good few hours with the kids being entertained. After lunch we went to the ice cream farm. Wow there are hundreds of flavours to choose from as well as a brilliant play area for the kids. None of these places were expensive so a good day was had by all of us.

Susan x

A Perfect Birthday

2009-08-03T21:54:00.004Z

Today is my birthday and I can honestly say it has been one of the best birthdays Ive had in years. Yesterday hubs and I took our eldest son to Leicester as he is has gone on Space School UK which is a form of summer school for kids interested in Space. He is going to be doing lots of things that are space related. Its being run by Leicester University and from the sound of things Bills is having a fabulous time. Anyway Ive digressed a little bit from my day.. We carried on the to my most favorite town in the whole wide world. Stratford Upon Avon as it was only 40 miles away from Leicester. We decided to stay in the Holiday Inn this time as hubs had found a cheap rate and its looks so nice. Normally you can never get in this hotel when we want to go. It is a fabulous hotel and the rooms are lovely, the staff are lovely and the food is pretty scrummy too. We had some money off vouchers so we decided to have our dinner in the hotel as it was a 3 course carvery. It was delicious. Feeling absolutly stuffed we then went for a long walk around the town and had a nice evening sitting outside a pub by the river. The weather was perfect.

This morning we got up leisurely and had breakfast in the hotel which was really lovely. Then into town we went. Hubs had said he'd buy me a present there as I wanted a new watch but had to see one myself. Iended up with a lovely watch from Next, a new bag, some really funky luggage tags and lots of other bits.

We were only stopping till lunch time but because of the big breakfast we decided to have a meal on the way home instead of in Stratford. We ended up coming nearly all the way home and had a fabulous lunch at a restaurant not far from us called the Cheshire Cat. I would recommend this place to anyone as we have always had fabulous home cooked food there. They do meal deals in the day so it was very good value too.

Then we came home and picked up the other 2 kidlets and spent a nice evening with them. I haven't had many visitors with going away for the night but all my family and bessie mate made sure I had my presents and money before I went.

To top the evening off Ive just eaten an entire bag of thorntons vanilla fudge so what more could a girl ask for. I have felt utterly spoilt today and loved every minute of it.

I have put another bear on ebay tonight. His name is Bobby and he is 12" tall. If you want to see his auction, just click on his picture.

Bobby - 12"

Susan x

Back on track

2009-07-29T20:08:00.002Z

It seems like a long time since I started my weight loss plan back in January. Hows it gone? Slowly.... Ive lost then put on, then lost and then stayed the same for ages. I have lost about 1 stone 3 LBs in total but its slow for 7 months. Still its off and hopefully off for good. I stopped going to see the nurse back in March as they were always cancelling my appointments due to staff shortages. This week I have started going back to see the nurse and I am going for it once again. Not a diet but a plan for life. Ive got rid of all the bad food in my cupboards and just bought healthy which should help. So we will see how I get on. Id like to loose it a bit quicker but as long as its coming off I shall be pleased.

We are currently looking around for cheap holidays. We have been saving like mad and fancy a week away in the school holidays if we can find anything cheap enough. There are loads of bargains if you can wait till a few days before so we will keep looking.

Swine Flu has finally hit the first person in our family. My Mother in law has it. We haven't seen her for over a week so there is no chance we have of catching it from her but its scary how close to home it is now. We are wishing her a speedy recovery and the doctor has told her to stay in for at least 5 days so she doesn't pass it on. I know the majority of people have it mild but I have asthma so Im worried about that. I can't believe how quickly it is spreading around the country though.

Susan x

Devon in July

2009-07-26T20:55:00.003Z

Here is my latest bear. Ive called him Devon as I wish I was there at the moment. He is on ebay at the moment until next Sunday. If you would like to see his auction, please click on his picture.

I haven't done much this week at all. It was the first week that the kids are off and apart from them going to the pictures on Monday they have stayed in most of the week. The weather has been awful with rain every other minute. I have had a good sort out yesterday, I filled 2 bin bags with shredded paperwork that I didn't need. We had a vat return to fill in and you have to make sure your last 3 months of books are completly up to date to do that. We are nearly there though.

Susan x

Ive got the bug

2009-07-21T23:30:00.002Z

Well Ive just signed up to 2 new classes over at the Jessica Sprague website. She is starting a brand new class on 3rd August but you need to sign up now to get on it. Its called brushabilities and covers the brush tool in photoshop. She promises to show you how to create you own blog header as part of this class and as that was one of the reasons I wanted photoshop in the first place I thought Id get on it. Its my birthday in a few weeks and Ive asked my family for money instead of pressies so it will go towards these 2 classes. I have had this photo shop elements programme for 2 years and bought it to have a go at digital scrapbooking and creating my own banners etc. Problem was I couldn't get my head around it. I even bought a book to show me how to use it and that cost £30 and I couldn't get my head around that either. I can honestly say that the way Jessica Sprague teaches her classes in small video segments is fantastic and you keep going over what you have learnt so it does start to sink in too. I would highly recommend them to anyone who wants to learn how to use their photoshop programmes more.

Susan x

Last Day on Course

2009-07-19T20:04:00.005Z

I have added another bear to ebay today. His name is Roman. I have been taking his photo for an hour today as his mohair is tipped and wavy so it was hard to catch the right light. With my new found editing skills though it wasn't too bad. You can visit his auction by clicking on his photo.

Roman

Today was also the last day on my 2 week photoshop course. We had to make a 9 frame clipping mask. I didn't have 9 pics on my computer of similar things so I took 9 pics of Ks favorite toys at the moment. 7 of her toys from Peppa Pig and 2 of her disney princesses. I thought Id print this out and put it on her wall. I really need to get out there now and take loads more photos I can edit.....

Susan x

Story Board and Colouring a photo

2009-07-18T17:41:00.004Z

Well Im still on my course for photo editing and Im having a ball. I have gone from not being able to resize a photo to actually making art with my photos. I have learnt 2 techniques over the last 2 days which I never dreamed I could do. I learnt how to make a photo black and white and then to have one area coloured. I always wanted to know how people did this as its so cool.

Then I learnt how to make a storyboard. I read alot of photographers blogs and loved the way they created these for their photos. I didn't realize I could buy a frame and make one of these in the size I wanted to go in the frame. That is so cool. These are some pics I took of my friend and her children. I am totally inspired now.

I have one more lesson to complete before the course is over for me and I am so thankful that I stumbled upon this ladies website and was able to get on this awsome course for free. I also can't believe the amount of things there are on the internet for free. Fonts, brushes, frames etc, that world is your oyster. Gosh Im gushing a bit now.....

Susan x

Last 2 projects

2009-07-15T22:28:00.003Z

Yesterday saw us creating a burn technique around the edge of your photo so it effectively draws your eyes towards a focal point in your photo. This was an awful photo I had of 2 leopards from chester zoo but I think the editing I have done has now make it much better.

Todays lesson was so hard. We had to create our own mask and add texture and an edge burn and then add text but on top of an overlay. Boy I can't even remember all that myself. To me it turns a photo into a piece of art. Whether Id use this many techniques on one photo or not I don't know but it was a good challenge.

Ive been so bad on the diet front today. I went out with my friends and their daughters and after a morning spent at a playcentre we went to Mcdonalds for lunch. That wasn't the worst thing though. I fancied something sweet after and because we were at a large outlet village called Cheshire Oaks we found a hut selling Krispy Cream doughnuts. I don't even know if I have spelt it right. My friends were raving about it so I decided to by a box of 12 to take home. Well what a mistake. I have had 4 today and I feel totally awful now. ( They were nice though)

Susan

100th post

2009-07-13T21:52:00.003Z

Wow Ive actually stuck to this blog to get to 100 posts. It is a bit adictive though as you keep doing it. I like the fact I can look back to a post I made a year ago, just like a diary. I heard you can have a blog made into a book eventually so youve got a permanent record so I might look into that.

Day 8 on my photoshop course see us adding text and texture. I had learnt how to add text but couldn't move it around or change the colour so Ive got a much better idea now. I have used a pic I took of K and my words leave little to the imagination but with more thought and researching for quotes it would be better. My aim is to eventually create my own banners and adverts.

Susan x

Meet Marmaduke

2009-07-12T18:49:00.006Z

Here is a new bear Ive created called Marmaduke. He is a big bear for me at 15 inches tall. He will be listed on ebay at 9pm tonight if you want to see him. Look at the frames around the pictures, I did that.....

Ive been sorting out loads of stuff today. I went through Kaitlins wardrobe and found about 100 outfits that no longer fit. We have decided to sell as much of our clutter as possible and see if we have enough to go away for a few days at the end of the school holidays. So to start with Ive listed loads of mohair on ebay. its pieces Im unlikely to use in the future.

Susan x

Not so sure of this effect

2009-07-11T20:35:00.004Z

Its day 6 on my course and Im really getting into it now. Today saw the use of TTV and how to apply it. then we could apply brushes too. Here is my pic of K but I think I should of had a scenery type of photo and not a person as it doesn't do it for me at all. Some of the other people on this course have uploaded fab pics tonight so it must be the type of photo.

I have freckle ending on ebay tomorrow and at this point in time he is still at £16 so he could go for a really low price. If you want to visit him click on his picture on the last post.

Susan x

Now we're Cooking on Gas

2009-07-10T22:12:00.006Z

Today sees the introduction of textures. What the.... In my dreams I thought. But look what I did. Im so impressed. This is my freckle photo with 3 textures on it. Now here is the same photo with the textures and a frame on it. I had to use a bear pic because these textures would look silly on a happy smiley people photo and I haven't got anything else to hand. Im actually really getting a few things now and Im definatly going to carry on with more courses when this is finished because this lady sure has a way for teaching ( even dummies like me)..

Susan x

Grungy frames

2009-07-09T19:59:00.004Z

In day 4 of the photoshop course we learned how to apply a grungy frame. I have always wanted to be able to do this ( and now I can ).... This is most impressive stuff. I applied it to a picture of K and her rabbit.

We are now on countdown to the kids finishing school for the summer. W and J finish a week today but K finishes on Monday. They are off for just over 6 weeks. I would of liked to have gone away for a week in these hols but we shall have to see what comes up.

Susan x

Day 3

2009-07-08T20:25:00.004Z

It looks like this photoshop course is going to be great. It is in small chunks which are easy enough to get your head around. Today we had to age a photo and then frame it and put tiny stars on so it was a mix of all the lessons. I like that as you only commit things to memory if you keep redoing them. Here is my pic for today. This is my friend and her daughter. I think it adds something special to the photo, makes it arty. I am just so pleased to be learning something with this programme.

I had an invitation to attend a bear show in Austria today. I am so honoured as it seems like you can only go by invitation. I believe the show is in October so I need to see if I can manage to make it there. I have always wanted to go to Austria as it looks so beautiful.

Susan x

A lesson with brushes

2009-07-07T17:48:00.004Z

Well again Ive learnt something new today. How to use brushes in photoshop. I didn't even know what it meant. Ive now learnt how to add brushes and change their colour and resize them. Wow. Here is the picture I used and the box around the cherish is a brush and then I added text to it. The possibilities are endless now. Im going to search around for some free brushes to use as apparently there are thousands.

Sweet J

Susan x

Photoshop Elements Course

2009-07-06T18:20:00.002Z

I found a free course on the internet a few weeks ago giving tutorials for photoshop. Its a lady in America who runs courses and she offered a free 2 week course on framing your photos. You can't sign up for it anymore because it has already started. I have learnt so much just from lesson one today that Im thrilled. We had to frame a photo and use word art on it so heres my attempt.

She runs loads of courses in all aspects of photoshop and photography. Take a look at www.JessicaSprague.com

Susan x

Bonfires at midnight

2009-07-05T21:50:00.004Z

Well we had a very eventful evening last night and not in the best way either. I was on my computer last night in the conservatory at about 9pm and I started to smell smoke. I just thought it was a bit strange to smell smoke that late. Well my son had been in the garden and he comes rushing in telling me there was a fire in next doors garden. We flew outside and tried to look. I have a 10 foot conifer hedge between next door and us so you can't see a lot but we could smell it. Now they have a tiny garden and then a path which runs along the hedge which is about 6 foot wide, we have the same our side. Now guess where they had the bonfire. Right the other side of the hedge at the side of the hedge. Well there were sparks flying over the hedge and up my house as they had built it up so high. I just couldn't believe it. They have only moved in last September and because of how our houses lie and this big hedge, I have never met them. But to have a bonfire at night within 10 feet of someone elses house is out of order in my books. I wouldn't of minded as much if they had the decency to come round first to tell us to shut our windows and to warn us but no. I was so worried it ruined my night. My little girl was asleep in the room just above where they had it so her room filled with smoke. It was awful. Then to make it worse time was ticking on and each time we saw it die down they built it right back up again. I was trying to force Hubby to go round but he was telling me to calm down all the time. In the end it got to 12.30 am and hubby shouted through the hedge asking them what time they were going to put it out as it was 12.30. Then 15 minutes later we heard them put a hose to it but the smoke then was just awful.
Now am I being hyposensitive or do you think this is what we should put up from our neighbours. I like to think of myself as a considerate neighbour who likes to keep to herself but be friendly so Im very upset someone has no thought for me or my family.

We have had a pretty nice afternoon today though. The kids wanted to go to the pictures today so we dropped them off and then hubby, K and I went round the shops and out for lunch.

I have put Freckle on ebay tonight for a starting bid of 99p.

Freckle

Click on his picture to go to his auction.

Susan x

Update

2009-07-03T23:52:00.002Z

Well after my last post my sis ended up in hospital with little J. She went in because he had screamed solidly for 8 hours give or take a few minutes for bottles. The hospital were excellent in that they saw her straight away and then kept them in to observe him. She was there all night and then all the next day. He was fully examined from head to toe and observed when he was screaming. They don't think its anything serious and have given sis a list of things she needs to do and they are at the end of a phone. She has come out today not knowing what exactly it is but more confident in the fact that someone is finally taking notice of her. So fingers crossed.

I was gutted today when Andy Murray lost his match. In the UK we don't have many people to pin your hopes on so its especially bad when they loose. I do think Andy is a superb player though and he will get there soon.

The heat has finally subsided a bit today after a really really heavy downpour and storms this morning. I understand the words tropical weather more now. We have had thunderstorms here almost every day for the past week.

Im not working this weekend and my Mum is having the kids for tea tomorrow so Im hoping hubby and I can go out and treat ourselves to tea tomorrow afternoon. We don't get to spend much time together as we pass like ships in the night. He works nights and I work days so we usually only spend an hour a day together and then with 3 kids you don't have much conversation that isn't listened into by little ears. Mind if we saw each other lots then we wouldn't have anything to talk about would we.

I have been working on a little bear this week. Im hoping to have him finished for Sunday, fingers crossed again.

Susan x

Heat Wave .....

2009-07-01T22:08:00.005Z

Oh my its so hot around here at the moment. I have been hoping for nice weather for so long and now its gone over the top. The humidity is awful and then we are having way too many storms and showers too. I shouldn't be moaning as I hate the winter with the cold and gloomy weather we have in the UK so I will shut up now.

My little baby nephew isn't very well at the moment. He is constantly screaming, I mean up to 10 to 12 hours a day. My sister is going out of her mind with it. She has had the health visitor, midwifes. 3 doctors and then a trip to A & E and all with no joy. They thought it was colic at first and then they thought it was silent reflux. Sis has changed his food 3 times and had him on gaviscone infant, infacol and other stuff too, none of which have helped much. She changed his bottles, then the teats and keeps him upright more which hasn't helped much either. She got in at the doctors again today and saw a lady doctor who fully checked him over and she wants him to have a days monitoring by a pediatritian. So fingers crossed she will get an appointment soon so that the baby can get treated.

Here he is a few weeks ago when he was asleep. We gently put him on his tummy for the picture.

And wasn't Andy Murray fantastic tonight. Mondays match was brilliant and had us on the edge of our seats but tonight he had a confident air about him. I can't wait till Friday for the next match.

Susan x

Sunday night

2009-06-28T22:14:00.004Z

Well its Sunday night so my weekend is almost over and what have I done. Not a lot....... I did a bit of spring cleaning the boys room yesterday. Oh boy, I found alsorts of interesting specimins of stuff under the beds and on the floor. I filled a big bin bag with rubbish. J seems to think the bin is behind his chest of draws where I found 15 empty crisp packets and numerous other pieces of rubbish. I just think teenage boys are from a different planet. It needs another sort out of their toy chests now but it looks 100% better than it was so it will have to be a work in progress.

Today we had our dinner at Mums. I love Mums Sunday dinner and we had a lovely time. We got home and I was taking pictures of a bear for ebay when I got hijacked by this little lady who covered my bear in a blanket and demanded I take her picture instead.

This is taken in the conservatory, which is a playroom come office.

This was taken on the trampeline. She was totally posing for both of these pictures.

Here is Chadwick, the bear I was photographing and I put him on ebay tonight. You can go to his auction by clicking on his picture.

Susan x

Another Technique

2009-06-26T21:58:00.005Z

I figured out how to put a frame on a picture tonight after lots of practise in elements. The frame is actually in the photo. Im not 100% sure what I did but if I practise some more I could even start creating my own stationary for my bears.

Heres Freckle, the picture that I practised on.

Susan x

What hit me?

2009-06-25T22:37:00.002Z

Oh my goodness, I was ambling nicely through the beginning of this week with a busy Monday, catching up on shopping, ironing, banking etc. I even went for a 5 km walk on Monday evening and I was fine, full of energy and life. Then in the middle of the night on Monday I was awoken with a feeling like Id been hit by a train. I had such bad stomach cramps I thought I might of been in labour ( in my dreams). I had the most ferocius stomach upset Ive ever had. Without going into detail I couldn't move for 2 days. The only thiong I can think is it must of been something I ate ( or drank ) as no-one else has been ill. I did eat 5 flap jacks on monday as I had the monthly munchies and then I had a sachet of some slimming tea which smelt and tasted vile. but I had to drink to see if it does what it says on the pack.
Still Im fine now so I should be thankful but I just couldn't believe how you can go from full of life to not being able to get your head off the pillow to being full of life again within a week.

So as you can gather I haven't done much else this week. Yet.....

Susan x

Fernando

2009-06-20T20:47:00.005Z

Fernando

Well here we have my lastest bear to be put on ebay. I love coloured bears but don't tend to make them very often. He is from my Hairy Hoodlam range. If you want to visit his auction just click on his picture.

Ive had a very lazy day today. Apart from a bit of shopping this morning I decided to have a lie down on the sofa this afternoon as I was so tired. I had a headache which Ive had alot this week and I felt a bit dizzy. I slept for about an hour which was a much needed recharge. Sometimes I get so tired that I have to have an afternoon nap. ( Do I sound old now )

Susan x

Wow look at me...

2009-06-19T13:05:00.004Z

Well I had a few cancellations today due to people being ill or changing their times so Ive had a few hours to play. Look at my header.. I can't believe Ive done that myself. Its not perfect, but Im thrilled Ive actually done something in this photoshop elements programme. Ive had to change my background as it didn't go with my lovely new banner but thats a small price to pay. The actual background to the banner I found on the internet ( hey Im not that clever yet). It was free here. They have loads of freebies so a bit of credit where its due.

Thats enough use of my brain today I think, Ive got a headache now.

p.s I don't know how to fit it in the frame its supposed to be in in this blogger but its better that I had before.

Susan x

Tootsies...

2009-06-18T22:54:00.005Z

I went to take some pictures of my new baby nephew on Monday. He is absolutly beautiful and I can share his tiny toes with you. I haven't had permission off my sis to put his full pic on here yet and I don't want to do it without asking so tootsies it is for now.

Well I have to say a big thankyou to Ruth for explaining photoshop elements resizing to me. I have never come across a programme that has had me going round the twist before. I have now been resizing like mad all night to get the hang of it so thanks Ruth. Ive also played around with saturation and come up with a cool effect that I like. So heres my little princess deep in conversation with her toy dog.

S x

More pics

2009-06-15T17:47:00.002Z

No Im not vain by putting a picture of me on here, I have an ulterior motive. By putting a photo on blogger it reduces it in size so I can resave it again. I am just not getting this whole resizing photos on elements. I did have a program called photo impact but I can't find the disc to put it on this computer and that used to resize pictures just great. Im finding photoshop elements to be so difficult in some ways. Also everytime I touch up a photo in either elements or picassa it becomes really bad quality. I think I am going to look for a course on photography and editing pics as its getting me down now. By the way this pic was taken by a photographer called Kirsty Wiseman who takes brilliant photos.

Now here is another one taken with my camera on automatic, ( which is mainly all I use ) but I have done no editing.

Susan x

Picture of a Show Table

2009-06-14T23:49:00.006Z

Here is a photo of my table at the fair last week. Its not very often I have this many bears together at once so I took a pic just to document it.

Heres a pic of Kaitlin that I took today too.

I went over to Liverpool today for a shopping trip. My friend and I can shop for England when we want to but today was possibly one of our best trips. We got the train from Hooton station as we don't ever like the idea of driving in Liverpool. Trains come every 15 mins even on a Sunday so that is fab. The main reason we were heading to Liverpool was for their Primark shop. It is enormous with 5 floors of clothes for all the family and household items too. I spent £50 and I swear the amount I bought anywhere else would of cost double or more. It is so cheap. We have to really watch the pennies now, ( like everyone else in this country with the resession ) so you can get a real sense of pleasure when you spend a little on such a lot. We had our lunch by the Albert Dock and then afternoon tea in the Beatles Hotel. Serious shoppers need at least 2 refreshment breaks you know.......... So a day well spent.

Susan x

Sidney is on ebay

2009-06-13T22:40:00.009Z

I placed Sidney on ebay today. Click on his picture to go to his auction.

I have also been playing in photoshop elements again as Im determined to get to grips with it. Ive now found I can do some basic editing quite easily as they have a quick fix section, just for me.......he he...

So a few more pics.

I took these at Chester Zoo in the new Butterfly House. Its truly amazing how close you could see these wonderful butterflies.

Susan

Fabulous Weekend in Stratford

2009-06-10T21:44:00.006Z

If you have never been there you want to put Stratford Upon Avon on your list of places to visit in your lifetime as its fabulous. Its hard to explain but its a small town with such a laid back pace and beautiful scenery and fabulous shops. We love it. The weekend was great. It rained all day on Saturday but it didn't really matter as we browsed round the shops and sampled the wares of various pubs too. We found a lovely chineese restaurant which had an all you could eat buffet for dinner in the evening which was lush.

The main reason for us going to Stratford was for the Teddy Bear Artist Event on the Sunday. It is so well orgainised and such a welcoming fair, everybody was in really good spirits. It is run by Samantha Potter and her family and they don't make any profit because they donate all the proceeds to the British Heart Foundation. I did well with my bears and have even had lots of interest since I returned home too. I will definatly be booking for next year too.

I have been doing more messing about in photoshop elements over the last few days and here are a few pics from our holiday in Torquay.

The kids on the beach.

Susan x

2009-06-05T22:23:00.002Z

Im packing all my things now for the bear fair at Stratford at on Sunday. Ive made quite a few new bears. With everything that has gone on over the past few weeks I will be glad of a weekend away. We are heading there early in the morning so we can spend as much time as possible in Stratford tomorrow. My mother in law is coming over to look after the kids and is staying the night here. So Ive been sprucing the house as much as possible for her to come.
Ive been for a 5km walk tonight with a friend of mine. We walked up a huge hill and then back again. It took an hour there and back and my legs are killing me now..... I am going to try to do it 3 times a week though and try to get fit.
If anyone is going to Stratford at the weekend then please come over and say hi. I know quite a few people did come over at Kensington which was nice.

Susan x

2009-05-31T00:02:00.003Z

Here is the same pic using the Picassa 3 software. Its a nice and easy software but doesn't have alot of features. But is less more?

Susan

Photoshop Elements

2009-05-30T23:14:00.005Z

I have had this program for almost 2 years and have never used it. I just couldn't get my head around it at all. Anyway I bought a book (more like an encyclopedia) to teach me how to use it. It cost half the price of the program but I figure it will be worth it if I can use it on my photos. I love taking pictures and currently I edit them in a free program I found called Picassa 3 which has been great but I now want to do a bit more. I have been playing tonight and found a photo I hated. It was awful of me, I had a really shiny face ( as you do when all your makeup comes off) so I wanted to disguise this. This is what I di with it.

This is way better than the original and its fun. The biggest thing I wanted to learn was how to resize the photos. It hasn't sunk in though.....

Susan x

It never rains but it pours....

2009-05-25T21:41:00.010Z

I seem to have had a lot happen in the past 6 mths and the past few weeks have really been the icing on the cake.

Firstly my Mum had a fall 2 weeks ago in my garden and she broke her hip. It was so awful and it has really opened my eyes to how the NHS is run. We had to call an ambulance for Mum as she couldn't even get up when she fell. No-one was allowed to go with her as the hospital was on shut down. ( This means no visitors are allowed as they have an infection which they are trying to contain) Poor Mum, she was frightened on her own. This continued for 2 days when we were finally allowed in to see her. They didn't operate on her for 2 days and she had been in so much pain. I am very dissapointed with alot of the care my Mum has received. I am not saying its the fault of the nurses or doctors as most of them are lovely and I mean truly lovely, but the odd few have been awful. I think its so sad that one more wonderful service we had is going down due to cost cutting and running it like a business.

My little sister has had a little baby boy in the meantime. He was born on Thursday 21st May. She has called him Jamie Frank Peers. He is just so cute and tiny too. Im hoping to take some nice pics of him soon.

Kaitlin woke up with a rash today. Chicken Pox has been going round her play school so I have been really worried it might be that. It hasn't turned into spots just a rash on her tummy and back and she has been full of beans today so it might be something else. Here hoping anyway.

One of my hobbies is photography ( Im only just starting ) and I promised my friend I would take some pictures for her at the weekend. Its great practise for me. Im considering taking it further as I love it. Heres a few pics of her.

And heres my daughter with my friends daughter.

How cute are they..

So heres hoping things calm down a bit for a few weeks.

Susan X

14 years ago today....

2009-05-08T23:13:00.003Z

Saturday, I had my first child. Wow doesn't that make me feel old. I can remember every minute of the day too. It was Chester Races and I went into labour at 4pm in the afternoon and we needed to get to the other side of Chester to the hospital. Needless to say we made it and I ended up having Will at 10pm in the evening. I don't feel a minute older than I was that day although my body certainly looks it.

On the diet front I have lost 5 Ibs this week. Hooray...... Ive descovered green tea. Apparently its a great antioxident and is well known to help you loose weight. ( I don't know how true it is but I will believe anything).I have also started excersising so I think that has helped. I have doubled the amount of water Ive been drinking and my skin feels alot better. I have been suffering from spots on my face for a while and these have got alot better. So Im getting nearer to the stone mark now.

Its panic mode for the bears. I have 4 weeks till the fair now and I haven't actually sewn any. I have cut a few out though .....

Susan x

May Day

2009-05-01T13:26:00.003Z

This year is flying by isn't it. It was only Christmas 5 minutes ago and now we are looking towards the summer. I really want to buy some nice plants this weekend and tidy up the garden. I love flowers and always wish Id got more plants when the summer gets here so Im going to make an effort.

Im starting to get the conservatory / office / playroom sorted now. My cupboards from ikea are fab and have sorted all of the toys out. Ive filled alot of paperwork away and its mainly the desk and bookcase left to do now.

I am going to be having a table at the teddy bear event in Stratford in June, so Im now going to get all fluffy cutting out this weekend. Ive decided to make a few more smaller bears for this fair and more Pandas and try to have a theme.

We went to Torquay and had a brilliant time. The hotel where we stopped was part of a group called the Torquay leisure Resort and I would recommend it to anyone. There was soooo much for the kids to do they had a whale of a time. The food was lovely and because we were half board we didn't need to spend much on food.
On the way home we stayed at the Alton Towers hotel. We got a great deal and paid less than half price. This was fabulous. Really swish. If you stay at the hotel you get to go into the theme park 1 hour before it opens which is worth its weight in gold. The boys ran round going on all the big rides before 10am so there was no queuing. So Id really recommend the hotel just for that...

Its along time since we had a holiday in this country and I for one will definatly be doing it again later in the year.

I put weight on in Torquay which was a bummer. Only 4Ibs but Ive been trying ever since to shift it again so I ended up getting back to just 3 IBs lost in total. Now Im only a pound of where I was so its getting there. 8IBs down now. How hard is it to loose weight though.... I want to aim for another 7 Ibs this month to take me to the next stone down.

S x

Catch Up

2009-04-10T22:47:00.004Z

I don't seem to have blogged lately as Ive been busy so its catch up time tonight. Well I lost another 3 Ibs and then this week I put 2 IBs on. So we are up to 7 IBs lost now. I could pinch myself as I know what Ive done. Ive eaten chocolate till it came out of my ears and we haven't reached Easter yet.. I can only put it down to that particular time in each month when I eat anything and everything sweet in sight. So hands slapped and back to it next week.

We have booked to go away for a few days. We have found a cool looking hotel in Torquay as we think going abroad at the moment is too expensive. When you have 2 boys who are now classed as adults on a plane its a bit much. I used to go to Torquay when I was growing up with my Mum and Dad and I loved it and this country has so many nice places to visit. It is supposed to be warmer than here and the hotel has loads for kids so if anything it will be a nice break. Last year I only took 3 days off work so I think I need it. When you are self employed you don't tend to take many hols as you don't get paid whilst your off....

Oh Ive been to ikea twice now as I like the cupboard I bought the first time so much I went back for another. Phil has put them up and they are now filled with toys. How can a 3 year old have so many toys. By the way I love ikea.

Saturday nights have just got better now. Robin Hood has started again which I love and Primeval is back on too. There is a girl in that who has the most gorgeous hair. Shes called Abbey in the show and the hair style is very short, very white and elfin like. There are only a tiny amount of people who could carry this kind of style off and I wish one was me as I would love it. Anyway who could want to go out now on a Saturday......

I have my next bear fair coming up in June. Its called the Teddy Bear Artist Event and its in Stratford upon Avon. Im very concious I need to make some new creations but Ive been having a long look at my style and I want to concentrate more on some smaller bears.

S x

6 Ibs down....

2009-03-28T00:14:00.002Z

At last Ive managed to loose a bit of weight. In just over a fortnight Ive lost 6Ibs. Im so chuffed. I know its not much and I can't even tell really but it has made my week actually loosing something. I want to loose 3 stone if I can by Christmas so fingers crossed. Watch this space. Ive only cut out the fatty food, chocolate ( bar the dairy milk I had at lunchtime ) and crisps ets. Ive eaten more at meal times and then not inbetween and Ive made proper food, from scratch...

My best friend and I went to warrington tonight to go to ikea. I adore that shop and wish we had one nearer. I have come back with a storage cupboard thingy to put Kaitlins toys in and a picture for my hall and a new dustpan and brush. I could buy the whole shop if I had the money,
although its very reasonable anyway..

I am hoping to have a feature in an American magazine soon. Teddy Bear Review wrote to me to ask if Id like to go in a feature they were writing and they asked for some photos too. I hope I got everything to them on time. Im thrilled about it though.

Our clocks go forward this weekend. Its already getting to about 6.30pm before it goes dark so from Sunday it will be at least 7.30pm Wey Hey .... I can't wait for summer...

S x

About Time.....

2009-03-18T23:31:00.002Z

Today has been beautiful here in sunny North Wales. I have gone round smiling all day because the weather has been lovely. As they say Im full of the joys of spring. It really makes a difference to how I feel when the suns out. I hate the winter. We used to go on our holidays in January just so it broke the winter up. This year we stayed at home and Ive really missed the break.

Kaitlin has a new saying. When I ask her a question she doesn't say yes or no anymore its "ah ha". It is so funny, I think Elvis is back......

Im trying hard to eat healthy at the moment. It was one of my aims at the start of the year. I have tried a few times now and packed up each time but Ive got Phil involved now and it makes a difference if you don't buy all the fatty food. My cupboards are full of healthy snacks and fruit. One bug bear of mine is that healthy eating can cost alot more so now I need ways to cut the food bill down again. Ive got new batteries in my bathroom scales so I shall see how I get on.

S x

What a week....

2009-02-27T23:09:00.004Z

Well what a week Ive had this week.

Starting with the good, we had a fabulous weekend in London. We went down on Saturday morning at about 9am and landed in London at about 1pm. We didn't want to go straight to the hotel as it was outside London in Slough so we hatched a plan to stop somewhere fairly close and get the tube or train into the city. We ended up parking by the Thames in Putney, finding a train station and heading for Waterloo station. You know I never realised that Will had never been on a train....so that was a bonus. Anyway we thought about going on the London Eye but the queue was miles long. So we set off on foot over the river Thames and wandered aimlessly around the sights, stopping for ice-cream and drinks on route. It was so nice as the sun was out and we weren't in a rush. We must of walked for 3 miles but there were street dancers drawing crowds and we really enjoyed it. I love London just for the amount of things to do and places to see.
When we got to the hotel later they had upgraded our roon to a junior suite for free, which was fantastic.
I had a great time at Hugglets on the Sunday. A few of my bears went off to new homes and I had lots of interest. I saw lots of people I know and chatted to. I bought a fair amount of supplies. ( It would be rude not to when you have no postage to pay) Im still trying to put more bears on my website so watch this space.

Then the bad.
Kaitlin had been really ill at Mums on Sunday with a sickness bug. She ended up being so poorly for 3 whole days. Then Joe got it on Tuesday and then I got it on Wednesday night. Boy I have felt so ill for 2 whole days. Im only just starting to feel a little bit better. Phil went away on Tuesday morning so he missed the worst of it. I had to canel all my customers this week as I couldn't move with the kids Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and then I slept most of Thursday and Friday.

On a good note, it was Joes Birthday today. Gosh he has been so happy. He mainly had money so Im sure that will burn a deep hole in his pocket. We got him a genuine Spain football shirt with Torres on the back and then Phil has took him away tonight to watch Liverpool play Middlesborough tomorrow. They are stopping in a hotel and have gone with lots of other supporters so I just know Joe will be in his element.

S x

Mad Panic...

2009-02-21T00:29:00.006Z

What a mad panic Ive been in tonight. The Hugglets show is on Sunday and we are leaving tomorrow morning and stopping overnight as London is at least 3 1/2 hour away from here. Ive had bears to tag, bags to pack, trousers to take up. You name it Ive done it. Will is coming with us this time and hes really excited. We will probably do a bit of sight seeing tomorrow afternoon. Ive just made a cuppa which Im going to enjoy before going to bed.

Phil has gone on a school reunion tonight so he hasn't come in yet. Its 25 years since he was in school. Its scary how time creeps up on you. You don't feel older yourself but you look in the mirror and it hits you....

Please come and say hi if you are going to Hugglets on Sunday. Im in hall 4, stand num 126. I can't wait to see old friends and meet new ones too.

S x

And a few more ....

2009-02-16T19:19:00.004Z

S x

About Time

2009-02-16T00:01:00.004Z

Its about time I put a couple of pics on this blog of mine. I have worked like a trooper for the past few weeks and I now have 15 bears ready for Hugglets. I am hoping to make another 2 this week. The weather was dark today so I could only take a few pics but here are 2 of the bears Im taking to Hugglets. I will hopefully take more pics tomorrow.

Amber

Freckle

On another note we went out last night for a meal and we went to the pictures. We didn't want to spend to much as we want to save money for next weekend so we decided to go and see a film. We saw the Curious case of Benjamin Button. I loved it but Phil thought it was a bit slow. Its ages since I went to the cinema so it was a nice change. We had our tea in a pub called the Eight Rights which is just outside Chester. We had a lovely meal for less than £16 for the 2 of us. They do a fab curry deal where its £4.80 for your choice of curry, rice or chips, nan bread and a pint of either beer or pop. So phil went for that and I had a sandwich with a portion of chips. We then shared this fabulous desert. Chocolate Brownie Sundae. Its huge, enough for 3 people really. So all in all a good night. I love getting bargains now and am always searching for offers. We even called at Tesco for our sweets for during the film as the cinema always charges over the top.

S x

Kickboxing

2009-02-10T10:21:00.002Z

I haven't had a minute to myself this week. I was very busy with the hairdressing, working all evening on the bears and Saturday was spent cleaning and sorting my kitchen.

On Sunday we went to Colwyn Bay which is a seaside town about 35 mins away from us on the North Wales coast. Both of the boys were in a kickboxing tournament being held there. Both of them came second and won trophys in their individual categorys. Will was in a points category while Joe was in a continuous category. All I can say is I had to cover my eyes when Joe was fighting as it was too physical for me. They were going hell for leather. We had a nice day though and stopped for tea on the way back.

Im on target with my bears. Ive made 8 so far and will be putting up previews when I get their photos taken. At this rate I might make a big one if I have time ( or any stuffing left)...

S x

Extraordinary day !!!

2009-02-01T14:07:00.003Z

Wow yesterday was a day to remember. I had to take Joe to the optitians really early, which was fine. They were running late so we actually go in for his eye test at 10am instead of 9.20am. So I was grumpy, never mind Joe. While doing all his tests, she took a long time over one test. Then off she went to get another optitian to take a look. They were nodding and agreeing with each other while Joe and I were wondering what was up. Then she went out of the room for 10 mins and said she was ringing a specialist. Now we are talking a Saturday here so my mind was working over time. Next minute she came back and said I need you to go straight away to Arrow Park Hospital to see the said Specialist. Please go straight away she said.
Arrow Park is not our local hopsital as its towards Birkenhead / Heswall. Well I was on my own and didn't have a clue how to get there and the sat nav wouldn't find it so I had to get directions from the opticians.
Anyway half an hour later I found the hospital, found where we needed to be and waited to see the specialist. He came along and said the optitian was worried as she has hardly ever seen what was wrong before and needed a second opinion. Well he was fabulous, he did lots of tests, asked lots of questions and talked to Joe in a way that found out lots of info. He even did a scan on his eyes. Worried wasn't in in for me, I was really scared. It turned out Joes optical nerve appeared swolen which can be a sign of other things, but it was fine, it was just a part of his development with his power of vision and he ruled out everything.
Joe now has to wear glasses all the time, and we are going to try and find special sport glasses too. So on Monday I have to take him back to choose new glasses.
We got back home about 2pm and I treated Joe to a Mcdonalds.

In the meantime Phil had taken William to Jodral Bank which is a giant telescope, satelite not far from here for the afternoon. Wills really interested in Space and it was nice for his dad to spend time with him on his own.

On the bear front I have all the bears sewn up now and Im allowing 2 days each for the larger bears ( 5 of them ) and 1 day each for the smallers ones (7 of them) with a few days extra for luck........ Hugglets is on the 22nd February so we are talking a very tight schedule with me working as well.

S x

So Tired....

2009-01-30T21:50:00.002Z

I am soooooo tired today. Do you ever feel that tired on a friday. I could honestly sleep on a washing line. Mind Im that tired my head is really hurting. I so look forward to a friday night as I know I will have 3 days off. But then its all the washing, ironing, shopping, cleaning ( whats that) and tidying. I wish I had a fairy to do it all for me..
So as you can tell, Im down in the dumps tonight.

Ive got to take Joe for an eye test tomorrow. He needs new glasses and is overdue a test. The bad part is that its at 9.20am. So no lie in for me.

S x

So much to say

2009-01-25T13:32:00.004Z

You know how it is, you have so many things to do and you have so much to remember. I have to write everything down now as I always forget.
This week has been really busy. Wednesday was Wills parents evening. Although I look forward to going I hate the way its set up.
Will has a timetable which he takes round to the teachers he really wants us to see. Id like to see them all but there would be no chance. Anyway he only managed to get 6 appointments as all the other teachers were booked up. Now this is a big gripe of mine. They need to have it on later or make it over 2 nights so you can see all the ones you want.
Anyway when we get there the room is set up with teachers all round the outside sitting at little tables and then rows of chairs in the centre for us parents. They are only allowed 5 mins per parent and we all have times. Well can you imagine what its like, everytime someone gets up from a teacher 5 sets of parents all scramble to get in the chairs quick enough as everyone goes out of turn. I hate it.
After all that though we have had really good reports from all of the teachers that we did see. So we are 2 really pleased parents.

Friday I went back for my appointment with the nurse. I had alot of blood taken last week and they said I am just fine. They tested for diabetes and under active thyroid, cholesterol and other things so thats really good news. My Mum suffers from high cholesterol and with the way my diet was... I was a bit anxious. But the good news was it was 4.2 which is good apparently.
Then came the weight. Well I haven't really settled into my new eating plan too well yet so I was trying to think of excuses all the way to the doctors on Friday. Anyway she weighed me and Im 1 kg less than last week. I was really pleased with that considering the mini eggs..... I have to go back in 2 weeks now.

Onto the bears. I have 13 cut out and now have 6 sewn up. Im going to sew them all before I start work on each one individually. All my little ones I sew by hand and then the bigger ones are tacked together and then I go over them on the sewing machine twice because they have to stand the stuffing. Im making a mixture of sizes and colours including a couple of brightly coloured bears this time. Itys 4 weeks to go now till Hugglets so Im working on them every night.

Susan x

Top 100 Bear Artists Blogs

2009-01-19T20:30:00.002Z

After reading a fellow bear artists blog today I joined the list for the top 100 bear artists blogs. If you want to see the list follow the link at the side.
Well Ive spent a good few hours being noisy and looking at these blogs. Wow is all I can say. Now my little space on the web looks so plain and boring. I can't even create a decent header, although I do have a certain adorable person who is designing one for me. Watch this space..

Aim Num 4
Now to follow this total lack of creativity in the digital design world I have decided my 4th aim is to master photoshop elements. I bought this over 2 years ago and I still haven't installed it on the computer as Im so scared it will take up all my memory. ( I really need a new computer but that isn't an option right now). I want to be able to create my own banners, adverts etc but find it very daunting at the moment.

Phil got himself a little run around today. Just a little Golf but it means he can now go out with the kids when Im working. He has his van but can't put Kaitlins car seat in it so he is stuck when Im working late and he needs to take the boys to one of their clubs. You should of seen him today though, off he popped for a tax disc, insurance and he even pumped up the tyres and put diesel in and my dad charged the battery. I haven't seen him move so much in a few years. LOL.

On another note. My diet has been going quite well but I have had a few cheats. ( Mini eggs should be banned). I know Im only cheating myself so I need to stop it.

I also rejoined my group on UKS today. I haven't joined in for a long time after all that has been happening here but I felt the time is right now to get back to normal and stop feeling so down on myself. I love UKS as everyone is fab and my team is especially nice. ( I would say that )...

Right I really must cut out another 2 bears tonight if I want to keep to my schedule for hugglets.

Susan

My new lifestyle...

2009-01-13T17:51:00.002Z

Starts tomorrow. Well I have to have one last pig out before we start.
I went to see the nurse today to start my lifestyle plan off. ( That sounds better than weight loss plan). She gave me lots of info and we had a really good chat about eating better and getting more active. The whole thing isn't about loosing weight so quick you can see it in a week, its about changing your way of living so you automatically loose weight over along time. Im going to aim for a 1LB a week which sounds like nothing but over a year its 52 LBs. What I would give to be that much lighter in a years time. Im that mortified about what I weigh I could never say it out loud. I also have to have a full blood test on Thursday to rule out any illness that could of made me put on that much weight. ( As if )
So Im sat here eating my last bag of mini eggs for a while.. Why do they have to sell mini eggs straight after Christmas? Im told I can still have treats but just not as often as I do now.....

So watch this space,

S x

Thinking of Bears

2009-01-11T22:35:00.002Z

Well Im doing alot of thinking about the bears at the moment. Now I work full time again I don't get round to making as many. I have booked 2 bear fairs this year and just before Christmas I heard from Irene at Hugglets to say they had a space at the Winter Bearfest on 22nd February if I wanted it. Well I had such a good time in December at the last Hugglets fair, I just had to say yes... Now I have just over 5 weeks to make a fair few bears and I need some inspiration to get me going. I found a great website after reading another bear artists blog where you can make a mosaic picture of lots of little pictures so guess what Ive been doing tonight. These are just a few bears from the past few years.

Aim Num 3

That is to make alot more bears this year. I love making bears and love doing the fairs but always struggle to get enough made. I would like to make one a week this year, so that is my aim, 52 bears before the end of the year. This is entirly do-able. I would never rush a bear as they evolve and they take time but one a week is taking my time.

Susan x

Highly Recommended

2009-01-06T23:16:00.002Z

Tonight I locked myself in the kitchen and I cooked. Slaved over my cooker for an hour. I must admit I hate cooking, I am so impatient that I would of liked to give up. But I didn't. I made spagetti bolognaise. And everyone bar William ate it too. So a success. Now I know alot of people must wonder how Ive never learned to made such a simple reciepe but I didn't.

Sunday I made stew from my friends receipe and it was lovely. Need to make a note to put more veg in it so we can have it for 2 days.

So in less than a week I have made 2 meals from scratch. Wow Im so proud of myself.....

I also went back to work today. I love my job and my business has picked up to a point where Im nearly turning people away. I have lovely customers and it doesn't feel like going to work so thats a huge bonus. Im so glad I went back into hairdressing. And the money has helped no end too.

S x

Aim num 1 and 2

2009-01-02T23:19:00.005Z

Well I have decided to come up with a list of aims this year instead of resolutions. Just becauseI never stick to resolutions.

Num 1.
To start a healthier lifestyle. I desperatly need to loose weight but instead of the usual diet clubs I want to do something that I can keep up. I went to see the nurse today for a check up for my asthma and she told me the surgery now offer a service where you get support off a nurse with weekly or fortnightly weigh ins and lots of advise and support. Ive booked my first appointment for the 13th Jan so we shall see how we go. To be honest Im looking for something I can incorporate into all our lives as I think we could all do with being healthier.

Num 2.
To cook more often. I mean really cook.... Too much of our food comes from packets and its tasteless. So I treated myself to a new cookbook as Id heard lots of good things about it. Im not a big lover of Jamie Oliver but I wanted nice easy receipes and my friend recommended this one. I would like to cook properly at least twice a week if I can. Its hard as I work late 4 nights a week but the weekends will be my time in the kitchen. Fingers crossed.

I need to think of a couple more now.