Storytelling Sunday 2013

Yay it's back for another year, Storytelling Sunday!  For 2013 Sian, over at From High In The Sky, has added a little twist and has asked everyone to Pick Your Precious for this year's storytelling.  I do hope you'll join in.

It was easy to pick my current 'precious', although it will be packed away later today for another year, it's the stocking that I made Maddie for her first Christmas 18 years ago.  She was six months old and it was a bit of a spur of the moment decision to make it, I knew she was too young to understand, but went ahead anyway.  I sewed each stitch by hand and she has put it at the end of her bed every year ever since.

It was filled on Christmas morning this year and instead of putting it at the end of her bed and disturbing her I left it under the tree...big mistake!  I left the room for 20 minutes and when I had returned Alfie had the stocking in his mouth and was trying to get the chocolates out!  I shouted, Maddie ran in, saw what happened and ran straight out again.

I managed to wrestle it from his jaws but it kind of ruined Christmas Day.  There were lots of tears and lots of discussions about how the stocking could be repaired, at one point Maddie wanted him gone, never to return.  It was during the day that I realised how precious the stocking was to her too.  She asked me how I would feel if the dog chewed something my mum had made for me, I couldn't answer because my mum has never made anything for me.

The next day I inspected the damage and we've decided to leave it as it is for the time being.  It has even more history now and, like I said to Maddie, when Alfie is no longer with us she will always look at her stocking and remember the naughty dog that we loved so much.

It did take her a couple of days to make friends with him again though!

Now it's your turn, tell your story about something precious to you.

Thank you for stopping by
Jo x

Happy New Year!

I hope the New Year has started well for you.  It did for us as this picture, taken at one minute past midnight, shows:

We were at a friend's house playing board games and laughing so much, a great way to see in the New Year.

This week, well the three days at work, have gone so slowly.  I feel like it's been the longest working week ever and I'm sure I'm not the only one.  It has given me time to think about New Year's resolutions and what I would like to achieve this year and I thought by sharing I would have more chance of reaching my goals so here goes:

1. I want to manage my free time better.
2. I want to take more photos.
3. I want to read more - I'm using Good Reads to help with this.
4. I want to visit different places and have more days out.
5  I want to use the stash I have, especially the buttons I collect!
6. I want to join in with more challenges that I see in blogland.
7. I want to continue to lose weight.
8. I want to put myself first more.

I think I should be able to reach my goals, nothing is out of my reach there and if I sort out number 1 first then I shouldn't have a problem with the rest.

I hope you all had a good Christmas and a jolly New Year.

See you Sunday for Sian's Storytelling Sunday, can't wait.

Thanks for stopping by
Jo xx

Yet Another Round Up

It's been so busy here but I bet that's the same for everyone at the moment! I thought I'd have a quick look back at what's been going on and I hope that everything will eventually make it into my Journal Your Christmas album.
I was very lucky to get to spend a final weekend with Paul, he's off on lots of tours this month and will spend Christmas in Austria! We went for coffee and cake:




I got this fabulous package for my crop advent swap and I'm loving opening a gift every day:




I put my Christmas tree up so the living room looks all cozy:




I was shocked to wake up to snow, didn't see that in any local weather reports!




Maddie got a new phone which she loves:




I had emergency milk delivered in a teapot!




The bingo girls went out for a Christmas meal at Jimmy Spices, it was lovely and so were the cocktails!




I went to my nephew's birthday party and snapped a picture from outside looking in. They all looked cozy inside and that's how my family make me feel:




I've had cuddles with him:




And cuddles with her:




And, so far, December has been great.
I hope you're having a great month without too many stresses.
Thanks for stopping by
Jo xx
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Time's Been a Flyin'

This month has absolutely whizzed by so I thought I'd do a round up of what's been going on.

We bought new winter hats:


We've had plenty of red cups!


I started to crochet a granny stripe blanket, wide enough for a double bed!


We went to the Victoria and Albert museum for the Hollywood Film Costume exhibition.


We really only went to see the dress and ruby slippers from the Wizard if Oz but everything else there was amazing.


I went to Eastbourne with the crop girls for a day of scrapping.


It was a Wild West theme!


I finally had my hair cut.


I've done a bit of Slimming World baking.


And a little bit of scrapping.


It's been busy but it's been fun.

Now I'm doing the countdown to Journal Your Christmas, exciting times!

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by.
Jo x


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Another New Week

But I am feeling so refreshed that I just don't care that it's back to the office today!

I had such a lovely weekend and it all started on Friday when I went on a road trip, with a couple of scrapping friends, to Eastbourne (stopping en route to shop for stash!).

On Saturday I got all my boring, horrible jobs out of the way like housework and food shopping before heading out to have dinner with some friends.

On Sunday I had a real 'me' day and got my stash out.  I'm in a sketch group and I've been so bad that I still hadn't got round to last month's sketch, that has now been rectified.

This is the sketch:

And here's my layout:

Me and my oldest friend celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee back in June.

Using papers and embellishments from Portobella Road collection, which were perfect for the event.

I hope that you had a great weekend and are looking forward to another new week.

Thanks for stopping by
Jo x

Frosty Festivities Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to my little corner of blogland.  This weekend Jennifer, over at Jennifer's Jumbles, is hosting a blog hop, the Frosty Festivities no less!  Jennifer has a fantastic prize on offer and all you have to do to be in with a chance of winning, starting at Jennifer's, is comment on all of the blogs you visit returning to Jennifer's to let her know you've done it.  The prize is items from the Basic Grey Aspen Frost and Carta Bella Winter Fun ranges.

Now it will be no surprise to the people that know me to find out that I absolutely love the winter.  Mother Nature plays out her final, fantastic symphony of the year in autumn.  She shows us how amazing everything around us can look when it has a splash of gorgeous reds and oranges and then it's almost like the lights of nature are switched off.  That's when it's our turn to brighten the place up with Christmas decorations and lights!

When I was younger and living at home there used to be a train station at the end of the road.  In the winter, when the wind was blowing and the rain was falling, I used to sit in my room, cozy and warm, watching the commuters rushing home after work. I loved being indoors with the rain beating down, I felt so relaxed, safe and happy and I think that's where my love of winter stemmed from.

When the snow fell we would grab our sledges and head for the hills, returning later in the day wet through and freezing cold.  Now I love to be walking in the park with the dogs in the snow. I love how the sounds are muffled and I sometimes feel like I'm the only person on the planet.  Like a big kid there is nothing I love more than to be the first person to leave footprints in freshly fallen snow!

I always rush home from work during the winter months to shut my front door on the world, light the fire and do some crafting.  Although I scrap all year round I always feel most creative, with all of my hobbies, during the winter months.  It's probably because I don't feel guilty in the winter for sitting in all day and knitting, sewing, painting or scrapping.  In the summer months I know my mum would be mortified if she found out I stayed indoors when the sun was out, in fact she calls me every day just to check!

Winter for me is all about Christmas and coziness, hats, scarfs and gloves, walking in wellies and enjoying eggnog lattes and mulled wine! I never see it as a dreary month with drab colours.  What do you love most about winter?
Thank you for visiting Buckingham's Palace, your next stop is with another Jo and if you've got a little bit lost along the way here is the full list of all the fantastic people joining in:
Jennifer
Abi
Daphne
Jacky
Jemma
Jenny
ME :)
Jo S
Julie
Kirsty
Lisa-Jane
Lizzie
Louise
Mel
Rinda
Sarah
Sian
Jennifer
I hope you all have fun hopping and enjoy your weekend.
Jo x

Beauty in the Making!

I was recently asked to do an example page for a friend who has set the weekly challenge today over on UKScrappers.

Her challenge is to scrap using a colour you wouldn't normally use, to dive into your scrap basket and to get arty, great challenge.

Well Maddie turned 18 back in June and on the evening before her birthday we decided to do some girlie things and have a relaxing time with face packs!


Every time we looked at each other we got the giggles!


I even laughed when she tried to pull scary faces.

I knew this had to go in the albums so decided to scrap one of the photos for the challenge.


I used green because it's not normally my 'go to' colour, everything came from my scrap basket and I painted some bubble wrap and used it like a stamp to make the background.

Hope you had a lovely weekend and feel refreshed for the week ahead.

Thanks for stopping by
Jo xx


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