Using Up Those Odd and Ends

We all have them, those little odds and ends we make then put too one side, as they didn't quite work in the project you'd originally made them for. Mine all live in a big Kilner Jar on my window sill, every day they sit there looking at me willing to be used.

 

This week I tipped out the jar and started sifting through the bits to see what cards I could come up with. I tasked myself not to make any NEW cards until I'd used as least some of these items up.

 

This Thank You card was a simple one, I'd made the sentiment a couple of weeks ago, but decided it was too large for the card it was intended for. The flowers were a something I was trying out I saw on Pinterest, where you colour the stamps with watercolour crayons then dampen with a water spray and stamp. I dismissed it as too scruffy so into the jar it went so I could use the other side of the card for something else. The sentiment and stamp landed side by side and looked great together, so I dug out some pretty backing paper and bakers twine the card was done.

 

The Happy Anniversary card was slightly different, I've been trying to learn to draw without much success, but found I really enjoyed painting my stamped images with watercolours, this little mouse was my second attempt but I just couldn't decide what to do with him. I then found the Happy Anniversary stamp with the orange backing paper. So using my punches I punched out the mouse, some matching backing paper, added some bakers twine and gems onto a card front that was already made up with a backing paper and was very pleased with the result.

 

 

The next two cards were some Spaniels I'd made up some time ago, you may recognise them as being similar to the ones at the top of my blog. I always make them up several at a time, it's so much easier if I need one to make up a card quickly, not having to wait for the glue to dry, plus every one of them is ever so slightly different even if you think they look the same, look closely and you'll see what I mean.

 



 I added some sentiments that were in the jar, cut a circle in half to make their forepaws look like they were holding it and stuck them onto two card fronts that were already made up.

 



I love making the spaniels and was really getting into using up the odds and ends, so decided to give a box card a go. They look very complicated, but are actually fairly simple to make, I watched several videos on YouTube before I got down to actually making it.

 

Again it's made up with bits out of the jar, a watercolour Bee and Hedgehog, stamped grass and flowers and an embossed sentiment. I just added the gems and stuck it all together.

I'm linking this card to the Papercraft Challenge ~ Summer Fun, because I think its very cute and summery.



I was quiet pleased with my first attempt at a box card considering its been made with odds and ends. The next time I make one I'll stick with a theme or a colour.

 

 

This weeks post is a little later than usual but there's still time for me to link it to this weeks Creative Monday also Smile it's the Weekend and Welcome to the Weekend.

 

Hope you all have a great week crafting.

xxx

 

Follow @Miss_BiggunTweet

Beautiful Sweet Peas

 Beautiful Sweet Peas picked from my allotment first thing this morning, the scent is just amazing, I always prefer to put them in a clean jam jar as they never look right in a vase.

Sweet Peas are one of my favourite flowers, so many beautiful varieties, my favourites being the purples, pinks and whites as they have the strongest scent. This year we've planted six different varieties down on the allotment, and can't wait to see them all in flower.

 We've also planted several Giant Sunflowers, so far so good and they're approx 6 foot tall with good strong stems, I can't wait until they flower, should be good to practice my Macro photography on.

As I've mentioned before we're a little behind everyone else, even though we started really early this year, we had a massive slug problem due to the floods and wet start to this year. For the first time ever we've had to resort to using slug pellets, not ideal, but it's so disheartening to lovingly grow your seeds into strong seedlings, prepare the ground and then plant them out, then to arrive the next day and find everything had been eaten, week's of hard work amounting to nothing.

But as you can see from the pictures things are really coming along now.

These are my flower beds which are a first for us, but we wanted to attract Bee's, Butterflies and other insects, so far we've seen lots of Bee's and a few Butterflies, glad to be doing our bit to help the local wildlife.

Here's our Potatoes, Rhubarb and Cucumbers, we've had several harvests of Rhubarb already this year, the cucumbers have just started to flower even though they're still pretty tiny.

Next on our virtual tour are my Cherry Tomatoes, we have larger ones growing in the greenhouse, more Sweet Peas, Sweeetcorn and  behind that is my Red Onions, one or two of them are huge already.

Himself had just been round with the lawn mower,  the grass was pretty long because of not being able to get there since my knee operation for a couple of weeks, but it's all nice and tidy again now, just the way I like it.

I'm linking this post to Badger Boo's Smile it's the Weekend, Welcome to the Weekend Blog Hop, and How Does Your Garden Grow.

Follow @Miss_BiggunTweet

Smile it's the Weekend

Follow @Miss_Biggun Tweet

Smile it's The Weekend Blog Hop {12}

Good afternoon and my apologies for this being a day late, we where hit by stormy windy weather again yesterday, as a result we've been without power, internet or phones. If that's not a reason to start scheduling  these posts I don't know what is!

Himself has been back to hospital and finally had the stent removed, he now has only one more check up then he's all finished at the hospital, which is fantastic news.

So much has happened this week, all good news I must add, but I'll save that for another post and get this done quickly in case the power goes off again, which it probably will as the wind is picking up again.

So I'll leave you with this amusing picture, one of my old work mates posted it on facebook of the plaster drying on his wall.

Did you see what I saw?

Hope you all have a great weekend, take care wherever you are in the world with this weird weather we've been having, be it snow, cold, wind, rain or heat that you're enduring at the moment.

xxx      

get the InLinkz code

Follow @Miss_Biggun Tweet

Smile it's The Weekend Blog Hop {11}

It's that time of the week that we all love, it's almost the weekend. Because of that I just love Fridays, it's my favourite day of the week.

Years ago Friday was always Pay Day, the day your Boss gave you that little brown envelope full of cash with everything hand written on the front. When did we stop getting those and Pay Day become monthly and your money went straight into the bank? It sure didn't seem the same once the little brown envelopes stopped, did it?

A quick update on the diet front, after a tough week full of cravings and a couple of blips, I jumped on the scales this morning and I've lost 5lbs this week, yes you read right 5lbs.
Feeling pretty pleased with that but know it won't carry on that way, I'll only lose a pound or so a week from now on.
 I wish it was quicker but 1lb at a time is the healthiest way to lose it and keep it off, fad diets just don't work because as soon as you start eating properly again all the weight just piles back on again.

Badger Boo had a trip to the Groomers and came back looking a right little smarty pants, he really enjoys posing for his post groomer  picture. He knows as soon as it's done he always gets a chewie for being good.

As soon as I lift him off the table he starts charging around the garden barking his head off, telling me to hurry up, nothing like the serene pup you see in the picture. I really like this picture as it's the first one in ages that his cataracts don't show up in.

Poor Badger has had to go on a diet too, whilst he is by no means fat he is starting to get a little bit of a covering over his ribs. I've never had to worry about his weight before as he's always been a finicky eater, but over the last few months food has suddenly became his number one priority. Prevention is better than cure so I've nipped the weight gain in the bud.

Wish I was so strong about myself though!

Hope you all have a great weekend

xxx

get the InLinkz code


Follow @Miss_Biggun Tweet

Smile it's The Weekend Blog Hop {10}

I found out a couple of weeks ago that the Specialist is happy to operate on me now and let me have a pair of new knee's. I'm understandably very nervous about the operation, so I've opted to wait a few months to allow me to lose some more weight. The less I weigh the more chance of success.

The diet has pretty much fallen by the wayside these past 18 months or so, what with everything that's been going on here, but on Monday I took the bull by the horns and jumped on the scales with my eyes shut. As I opened my eyes and peeked at the reading I fully expected to see I'd gained a lot some weight, but I was in for a pleasant surprise! 
I had actually lost 4lbs since I'd last weighed myself, how amazing was that!

So it's out with the chocolate and processed food, and back in with home cooking and sensible eating, I hadn't realised how easily I'd slipped back into the bad habits again.

It's been a tough week food wise, but to take my mind off the cravings for chocolate I've finally made a start on the huge pile of ironing that's been taking over the bed in my craft room. 
It's not strictly exercise but it's not sitting around on my bug fat bum either, at last I'm back to not wearing clothes that look like I've slept in them.

I'll keep you all updated how I'm getting on, but don't panic I won't be boring you to death with pictures of what I had for Dinner, I really hate it when people do that, mostly the food they post looks so unappetising as food is really hard to photograph well. 

If your a new follower you can read all about my weight loss story so far here, but be warned the first picture is hideous and I won't take responsibility for shock it may cause you.

Hope you all have great weekend.
xxx

get the InLinkz code

Follow @Miss_Biggun Tweet

Smile it's The Weekend

I walked into my bedroom this morning and was confronted by the cheeky Badger Boo just chilling out on my bed without a care in the world.

 



 

He'd obviously had a good root around to get comfy looking at the state of the soft toys, but how could I be angry when he just looks so darn cute and makes me smile all the time at his daft antics.

 

 I'm convinced he does all his silly things on purpose, he's a natural clown and seems to get a real pleasure when he hears us laugh.

Laughter is the best medicine after all.

  

Hope you all have a great weekend.

xxx

 

get the InLinkz code


Follow @Miss_Biggun Tweet

Some Good News at Last

Morning everyone, apologies for the lateness of this weeks post.
Yesterday was a day of celebration, as I went to the hospital to see my Specialist about whether or not he thought I was finally at a stage that he would operate on me and give me some new knees.

My Arthritis pain has got a lot worse since I was forced into Medical Retirement, but try as I might I'm no where near as active as I was when working, because nowadays I don't have to force myself to keep moving.

The good news is:
I can now have new knees whenever I am ready mentally to have the operation done.



Himself is now recovering well from his latest operation, he only has one more small procedure to go, which is removal of the stent, then it's hopefully life back to normal again.
So we have an awful lot to smile about this week after the months and months of doom and gloom that have overshadowed us lately.

 

Hope you all have a great weekend too.

xxx

 

get the InLinkz code


Follow @Miss_Biggun Tweet

 

Smile it's The Weekend

When I saw this feel good video I just knew I had to post it as todays "Smile it's The Weekend" post.

The joy and lust for life of these cows is amazing and it sure made me smile.
I hope it makes you Smile too.




To add your posts to "Smile it's the Weekend" just click the blue Add Your Link button below and follow the simple steps.

You can even "Get the Inlinkz Code" now to add the links to your post if you want too, so your readers can check them out too.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

xxx

get the InLinkz code

Follow @Miss_Biggun Tweet

Smile it's The Weekend

Badger Boo loves coming to the allotment with me, usually he likes to help with the digging, but as it was a bit chilly yesterday he opted to take a supervisory roll, watching me from the comfort of his cushion in the shed.

 

 

I recently decided to hand back the rear half of our allotment as it's just too big for me to manage on my own as Himself can't do any of the heavy work at the moment.

 

Last year I covered the rear to stop the weeds growing and to save me having to mow it in the summer, as I'm handing it back I had to get it uncovered ready for the next person to take over. The back half is in a lot better condition than when we took it over as you can see here.

 

The tarpaulins look so untidy to my tidy mind, but in the long run they will make life so much easier when it comes to digging again.

 

I've left one of the beds uncovered as it has the Rhubarb and some Leeks in it, plus last year it was turned over many times and the Couch Grass was sort of under control by the end of the Summer.

 

Now it's time for my favourite part, planning what to grow this year and setting out the plans for some new raised beds, I already have the materials just didn't have the time to sort them out last year.

 

I'm also thinking of planting a Pear and Cherry tree to compliment the existing Apple tree which bore so much fruit last year I've not had to buy any apples and still have plenty in my shed at home.

 

Originally there were plans to have a meadow area at the back to attract bees and insects, I'm hoping to still have an area to do this but not sure how it will fit in now on a smaller plot.

 

I had so many plans for the allotment last year, and hope to get them all in place this year and turn it into a beautiful and tranquil place that supports us with yummy organic vegetables.

 

To add your posts to "Smile it's the Weekend" just click the blue Add Your Link button below and follow the simple steps.

You can even "Get the Inlinkz Code" now to add the links to your post if you want too, so your readers can check them out too.

 

This post is also linked to Welcome to The Weekend Blog Hop.

 

Hope you all have a great weekend.

xxx

 

get the InLinkz code

Follow @Miss_Biggun Tweet

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

We all love a good sleep don't we? 

Badger Boo is no exception, he can sleep for England.

My favorite picture is the one above, but just for fun I though you should see just how sleepy this little dog is.

I think you'll agree he's going for some sort of a world sleeping record. 

 

To add your posts to "Smile it's the Weekend" blog hop, just click the blue Add Your Link button below and follow the simple steps.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas from Myself, Himself and of course Badger Boo
xxx

get the InLinkz code

  Follow @Miss_Biggun Tweet

Yep it's Smile it's The Weekend Time Again

I recently discovered Bit Strips on facebook, they're a bit like Marmite you either love them or hate them.
I love them.

Sadly they don't have animals yet, so Badger Boo's avatar is a handsome, vertically challenged Mr Muscles with a curly hairdo. 
I have a lot of fun in the odd spare minute I've got at the moment making up little Bit Strip cartoons, the possibilities are endless.

The other day I had too many painkillers and felt a bit Oooooo all day,  the other is pretty self explanatory LOL

My main victim is of course Himself and whilst they give me and others a bit of a giggle I don't think he's too impressed by them. Which of course means I have to share them with a wider audience, it would be rude not too.

So here's a very small insight into our life.

Hope you all have a great weekend, and don't forget to keep smiling.

xxxx

get the InLinkz code

  Follow @Miss_Biggun Tweet

It's Been a Good(ish) Week

It's been a pretty good week here.

Although Himself is still suffering a lot pain, he received a phone call on Monday offering him an operation slot the first week in January. This is fantastic news, so apologies for this post being a day late, but I was at the hospital yesterday with Himself having his Pre-Op Assesment done
Fingers crossed all goes well this time.

The camper van had it's MOT done on Thursday and passed first time. It was a surprise as it's sat for approx 18 months unused although we did put new wipers on and all the tyres have had to be replaced one by one over the last 12 months due to "unexplained" punctures.
It also had a service, new brake fluid and it's annual SMMT to ensure we don't die of carbon monoxide poisoning plus checking the water tanks are safe and not harbouring any nasty bacteria to make us unwell. 
All this took a couple of days which meant I was left car less as my car had been left at the storage area, which was really awkward when my son texted me asking for a lift back from University on Thursday night and I couldn't give him one.

Badger Boo was very excited to see the Camper Van again, I'm sure he thought we were off to the beach. 
Poor Badger Boo, you can see the disappointment on his cute little face when he realised we were at the garage and not the beach.

Off on my next Daft Adventure: or maybe not!

The crafting side of things is going very well at the moment and I'm very busy. I hope to update my website with more news this weekend, although I've been very naughty and fallen behind on the whole online/media front recently **slaps own wrist**

Feel free to link your posts below, just click the "Add your link" box and follow the simple steps.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

 xxx

get the InLinkz code


Follow @Miss_Biggun Tweet