New Kitts on the Block...

As promised a couple of blogs ago, the two new additions to our mad enough already household.....drumroll please for Pablo Diablo and Rocky Rocket Man Strachan!!! Awww!!! When we lost our Kaspy Boy in a road accident back in September we were absolutely distraught. He left a huge hole in all our lives - he was such a dominant character around the house. It was like our house was just way too big for little Mog and she was lost without her brother. Strange though it may seem, we quickly decided that although we needed to grieve for our loss, we would not have Mog as our only cat and once things weren't so raw we would make enquiries into taking on a new kitty from the local cat shelter. About four weeks later we arranged for a lady from the Cat Shelter to interview us at home to check our suitability for taking on a kitten. During the visit she told us of some kittens that were currently in one of their foster homes which would be ready for homing shortly and would we like to have a look at them? With much trepidation on my part we all went to visit them in their beautiful foster  home out in Auchterhouse. As soon we saw them we knew we couldn't have just one (I know, I know!)  There was only three of them and one was spoken for already. So, it was decided there and then that we would take the two little boys.  They weren't quite ready to leave their mummy yet so we had to leave them there for another week but we made sure their Cat Shelter names were changed and that they were to be known as Rocky and Pablo!
   They have settled in really well although Mog was decidedly miffed to start off with and took to standing in the garden glowering at the house. Even now, she grumbles like an old lady if they get a bit too in her face which, being kittens they do -  but all in all she has coped really well. They are funny and cute and really really naughty - just the way we like 'em!
 Here's a couple of piccies!

Pablo

Fast akip!

Rocky

It's a hard life being a kitten!

Thanks for popping by!

Jak

xxxx

   PS:- Leon and The Girls put the Xmas tree up last night. Not unexpectedly, two unwanted furry decorations kept appearing in it! At one point Rocky had to be untangled from lights and tinsel. They shall now be collectively known as The Dangerous Brothers!

On the first day of Christmas, Sadie gave to me...

...a stunning advent calendar she'd made for me at school! Hooray! The first door has Rudolph in it or Roodle as Sadie calls him. Day 2 has a jolly snowman behind the door. So while everyone else in the house is opening their own calendars and chomping down chocolate before breakfast, I get a lovely colourful surprise behind each door, just like it should be!
   Now when I was a wee girl there was only ever 1 calendar bought each year and me and my big sis Kags always had to take turns to open each door. These calendars were always of the holy variety naturally, as Christmas is all about Jesus - well it used to be when I was young, probably cos we went to Catholic schools... Anyways, I was always so excited about the Advent calendar and Kaggy who is seven years older than me, always let me have my turn first to open door no.1. Now, I thought my big sis was being (unusually) kind and had truly entered into the Christmas spirit by being so generous as to let me have the first go... It took me years to work out why I never ever got those final no. 24 double doors that revealed baby Jesus in the manger, with Mary and Joseph et all! Hmmmm...
Have a lovely lazy Sunday crafty friends!
Jak xxx
PS:- She always whipped my ass at Cluedo too, even though it was only the 2 of us playing...I'm such a dimwit!! LOL!

Sadie Leaves Nursery...

Ok, so this actually happened last year but I felt like updating the old scrapbook and well she might like to remember these sorts of things when she looks back once she's all grown up...
   Its just a pretty straight forward LO using up scraps that colour match the photos and instead of trimming papers with my guillotine, I just tore them using a ruler for a change. Saves on distressing the edges! I dipped into my old 365 bedtime story book for the wee illustrations in the corners - they are sweet and retro. These kind of books are impossible to get in our local charity shops without paying a small fortune. Perhaps car boot sales might be a better idea for that sort of thing...
Anyway, hope you like it, thanks for looking,
Jak
xxx

Nurse Sadie Belle...

Haahaa! - maybe I shouldn't laugh but the very thought of Sadie growing up to be a nurse... Think I can safely say that although I come from a family of many nurses, it's the one profession I couldn't see either of My Gurlz going into. Millie for one would faint at the mention of the word blood and Sadie is just too much of well, everything crazy! Anyhoo, the lovely piccie of her in her nurses' costume inspired a very colourful layout...The colours made me think of old 1950's illustrations, so I cut some out of an old book that I thought would match up well with the nursey/hospital theme. The flowers were made using a new framelit for my Bigshot. These are great - must buy more! Hello Santa if you're listening....
Hope you like it. Thanks for popping by,
Jak
xxx

Sadie's First School Day Book

Good morning everyone!
Here's a look at a little book I just finished up now that my craft desk is back to normal! It's made from some kraft cardstock bound together with washii tape. The idea for this actually came from a feature I saw in Scrap 365 magazine and it has lots of stamping which I don't usually go in for but it kinda went well with the messy feel I was trying to achieve. I used washii tape for sticking in the photos and making little flaps to turn the pages. I love washii tape and have quite a wee collection of the stuff now. Thank goodness I have found a way to use some of it! I think that bit of upheaval we had around the house inspired me to tidy my stash up too and I rediscovered lots of things I forgot to use - namely my Big Shot, so I dug that out to make some diecut titles. While I was playing with my Big Shot it occurred to me that I don't have nearly enough dies so I went online and invested in some lovely new framelits which I used to make the school badge on the book cover. I love these dies and  I so have 2 more new sets of framlits with stamps winging their way to me as we speak (purchased from Craft Superstore free delivery for orders over £40 - I had to make sure I spent enough to qualify heehee). Hopefully I might be able to rustle up a few Xmas cards with them when they come!
Talking of which I am working on a couple of card designs that I want to simplify and be able to make up quickly so I can get them out there... nothing too fancy just well designed and simple to put together!
Stay tuned for more craftyness soon!
Have a lovely Sunday with lots of inspiring things in your day!
Jak xxxxxx

Hello hello! its me I'm back!

The way we were... eek - by this time the doors had literally started falling off!

  

And now....

Hello PhotoBombing Kitty!

Hello my crafty friends!
Things are slowly getting back to normal round this way and I thought I'd start off with ...... Kitchen News ..... Yay! The news is I now have one! And its almost complete apart from the decorating and lino, but wow what a difference it has made!  Since I seem to spend the majority of my life in there - it's great to be in a more erm... welcoming environment. What I mean is, hooray - it's not a dreary, depressing, embarrassing, hovel of a pit anymore that has been slowly sucking the lifeforce from my very soul for seven bloomin' years!!! Feel free to drop in for a quick cuppa anytime!!!
   The strangest thing occurred just after the tiling was done. One evening, I had not long started making tea for the girls when a spontaneous and unexpected quietness descended upon the kitchen.  (s'okay - it lasted about 30 seconds, nothing to worry about!). The usual background noises were still there going about their daily business - Simon Mayo on the radio, oven fan whirring away quietly, then Pop! Pop again! Crackle! Pop! What the??? Now this popping and a crackling wasn't that loud but it was coming at me from all directions. Really - what was going on? I thought my ears were playing tricks on me or that someone had filled them up with Popping Candy while I hadn't been paying attention (that kind of thing happens all the time y'know!) and then the penny dropped or should I say I remembered what the salesman in the tile shop had told me. "Them tiles'll start making noises once they've been put on the walls. (!) It's the crackle glaze on 'em. You'll hear 'em cracking. Don't worry though they're meant to do that!" Of course at the time I thought "Yeah mate, do I look that daft?" But guess what-  he was not taking the proverbial! The heat from the oven set them off and really deepened the crackle finish on them. It's like they've been finished off with Ranger Crackle Glossy Accents! I was amazed!!! They've stopped doing it now - must have reached their optimum level of crackleyness now they have settled in! So yeah, that was an entertaining 20 mins of my life and I really tried so hard to catch them doing it, but every time I stared at one tile, another one at the other side of the kitchen would pop so, no, I didn't see anything happen but I heard everything! Mental!
   Would you say I need to get out a bit more?
Thanks for popping (heehee) by!
Jak
 xxx
PS - Did anyone spot the little kitty sneaking in on the act? He's one of our new babies - he also has a less attention seeking bro' but more about them later!
xxx

Sadly, no crafting for a bit...

Hello crafty friends,
Just a quick note to let you all know that I'm going off the crafting radar for a bit (again) - things have been more than a bit stressful Chez Strachan. There's been prep work involving removal of walls for my new kitchen install over the last two weeks which has meant so much cleaning etc and we're only half way there. My kitchen contents are currently all over my craft table so that kinda makes crafting a bit tricky anyway. My Other Half is going for spinal surgery on Monday which is a worrying time for all of us too, but, the saddest thing happened just Tuesday past. We lost our dear, beloved Kaspar in a fatal accident involving a car at the top of our road. The local SSPCA called to inform us of his death which literally knocked us all sideways. He was so special to all of us as he was such a character and a naughty boy too - he had lots of friends in the street and would often stop in for tea at many of the neighbours' houses. No wonder he was such a big handsome boy. A neighbour mentioned today how much everyone in the street was missing him - he even used to grace the bowling club at the bottom of our road with his presence because he liked to know what was happening on his patch. I guess his curiosity and wanderlust were his undoing. We have been left in pieces by this horrible tragedy - its so unfair that these things happen. I'm sure any animal lovers reading this will understand the pain we are feeling at the moment. So, no crafting for a bit.
Hoping to feel better soon -
Jak
x

               xxxxxxxxxxx RIP my handsome grey boy -  we will miss you forever! xxxxxxxxxxx
                                                            Dec 2010 - 18th Sept2012
                                                            xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Loving This Acrylic Album...

Hello everyone! I’m still here although I have temporarily gone off the old creative radar lately - apologies! - but I’ve been busy with hols/school/planning a new kitchen, so, I’ve not been at the craft table doing much. That was until I dug out this acrylic album. It was a cheapo purchase from Hobbycraft - I think it was something mad like £1.99 from a clearance shelf - how could I resist such a bargain! Then it lay under a pile of other stash in a drawer for a few months... But then I got a bee in my bonnet about doing something a bit different and this little acrylic album called to me from it’s lonely drawer and told me it was time to shake off the cobwebs and step up to the challenge! I hope you enjoy the finished result. It was really fun to do and although advice says that these types of albums should be worked on from the back to the front to make sure you don’t get too much glue and backs of papers visible, as usual, I just ignored this. I can’t help it - I’ve always hated being told what to do. It seems to have worked ok and I don’t like my stuff to look too planned out anyway - I prefer the organic approach! Haha! As usual it has been a great way to use up some not so good photos. I love the touchy/feely tactile-ness when I pick it up, especially the recycled buttons on the front cover.
Thanks for staying tuned!
Jak
xxxx

Kaspar - handsome but deadly

Hello to you!
Thankyou for popping by my little blog. Today's entry is a new 12x12 LO of my cute cat Kaspar. This is him relaxing in the back garden. Cats love lazing in the sun so needless to say there hasn't been much of that happenning this year. When I got these photos developed, I noticed how zingy and lush the green grass looked (clearly all that rain must be good for the garden!) and I wanted to take advantage of that to draw attention to the photos. I thought it would be fun to make a cute, grass border with some bright green paper. I cut random slices into the green border and then ruffled it and curled it with my fingers so it would frame the photos. I think it looks fun and tactile - I couldn't stop playing with it while I was making it and the girls were intrigued by what I was going to do with it. I diecut the title with my BigShot and the text has been printed off and cut into strips - my preferred method of journaling! Don't ya just hate it when you write directly onto a layout and then go and make a spelling mistake or smudge the ink!
Have a lovely Sunday everyone
Jak
xxx
PS. The handsome but deadly text refers to his efficiency at slaying any livestock that finds its way into our garden and beyond... naughty kitty! x

My Little Pony Bracelet...

Hey, hey, hey!
All the girls here are having a Pony-tasic holiday and seeing as it is raining again, (wait a minute - did it ever stop?) we amused ourselves by making this li'l cutie with some shrink plastic and an ole bracelet nobody wanted! In fact I like it so much, I might be tempted to sneak a little wear of it myself! Yeehaaah! Ponies Rock!! Sadie is delighted with the result as am I and now that I have seen the Pony Royal Wedding at least six times and listened to the soundtrack at least a hundred, it is safe to say I am now totally indoctrinated into the ways of Ponyville! I even have a favourite! No! Two favourites!! I love AppleJack - she reminds me of Dolly Parton (I know! I know!) and cute little Fluttershy - so kind and gentle. Honestly, I have to get out a bit more!!! So, in order to quell this cabin fever, we are going to see some real ponies tomoz and the girls are going to have they're first ponyride ever. That should kill or cure the pony madness that has possessed us!
Trot on!
Jak
xxx

New LO - The Simple life...

A new 12x12 layout using mainly Anna Griffin supplies. Apologies for the TERRIBLE photography! Just can't seem to take a good photo of this one at all, so excuse the awful flashy glares on the photos and enjoy the embellishments instead! This Anna Griffin kit is lovely to work with and although I'll never achieve the intricacy of the samples she brings with her to promote her kits on the Selly Telly, it's nice to have a supply of stash that works well together and makes for a cohesive LO without too much design angst! Don't know if any of you Crafties that pop by here care for her style - it's not really the kind of thing I normally go for, but I was so wowwed by her demo samples, I wanted to see the goodies up close and personal, you know, have a stroke and all that! I used the kit as a quick way for making up cards (see the May blog entry) and they sold really well. I'm left with the bigger pieces and lots of 12x12 papers so yeah, I think I'm going to go off down that chintzy vintage path for a wee bit, see how it goes. I'm sure I'll stray from the path - anyone who knows me will not be surprised at this - I just like to have a meander sometimes and see what happens. I think combined with a bit of Kraft it's bound to be a winner!
Hope you are all well and wallowing in your crafty indulgences whatever they be.A big thankyou again for taking the time to check in and see what I've been doing.
Cheers,
Jak
xxx

Oor Wullie table makeover now complete...

Jings, crivvens and help ma boab - those old Oor Wulie annuals came in handy then! For those who don't know about Oor Wullie, that was Wulliespeak for various degrees of excitement!!! And I'm actually really excited about how easy/quick this was to do and how well it turned out! V effective - makes me want to try something else using a colour comicbook style next time. I think my dining room chairs could do with something - hmmmm...
It all started with an old table my neighbour was going to skip (that means take to the local council Refuse Management Centre), but knowing of my crafty ways with things, she checked in with me to see if I would like first refusal before it got binned. Of course, I couldn't see it being thrown out - Jings, that would be a terrible waste of creativeness! So, since I've been slicing up old books 'n' things recently, I thought it might be an idea to cover it with some old illustrations or the likes. So, a few pages and some random cutting later - hey Presto! The paper is stuck down with craft glue and has been varnished with Diamond Hard clear matt varnish. This turned out to have a very slight sheen to it which should wipe clean easily. The monochromatic Oor Wullie style works well in my front room because it's decorated in neutral tones. Hope it inspires you to get cutting and gluing too!
Thanks for looking!
Jak
xxx

Chocolatey smile...

Good morning everyone!
Well I'm into the second week of my holiday now and it hasn't been particularly productive craftwise, so far! The craft table has been taken over by bored children drawing and doing their thing. Such a shame - the weather has been really rubbish and it's not much fun wandering about in the rain so, apart from visiting friends and the odd trip to the park/dogwalk we've not done much so far. Last night I cleared the decks and rattled this LO together. It's a scraplift from Scrap365 and as usual, I had to restrain myself from overdoing it and remember to leave a bit of breathing space...
I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of some new photos to scrap which will hopefully inspire me to get stuck in to more 12x12s. The girls keep growing(!) and I need new piccies for fun new LO's! Honestly, so much to create, so little time to do it in. I recently made a list of projects I want to try out. I have stash that hasn't seen the light of day since it was bought (this means you, acetate minibooks!) and I'm determined to knock a hole in it so I have to quit procrastinating and get in the zone. Oh, I recently embarked on recycling an old table which just needs another coat of varnish so pop back soon to see how that turned out!
Anyhoo, time to get those girls moving - it's stopped raining for the moment!
Keep on creating,
Jak xxx

Repurposed book illustrations

Hi there!
Hope you are all well. Here's a few cards I made put together by chopping up an old children's book to use the amazing and very "of their time" illustrations. I had a source at hand - namely an old book of my big sister's but I couldn't bring myself to ask if I chop it up - you know, she's never forgiven me for giving her beloved Baby Angel doll a haircut and an eyelash trim 40 years ago! Haha some things will never be forgiven or forgotten so, I ordered the same book from ebay and felt no shame/pain for hacking it up. Lo and behold - some cards! I think they look cute and the random extract of text from the story that goes along with them adds to their charm! Well, I think it does anyway. Quirky is the word I'm looking for here! By the way it's so hard to come by these old book these days. Used to be that you could walk in to any charity shop and were awash with them but now they go off to specialist book/charity shops and are very hard to come by unless you pay a small fortune for them!Hmmm! Anyway I hope you like them!
Thanks for looking!
Jak
xxx