Yippeeee..... I'm back online...

• Computer came back the other day, and was still broken.
• I fixed it by pushing the keyboard back in place..
• Yesterday AOL was having a hissy fit.
• Couldn't get online alllllll day!
• This morning I'm back online!!!

Why is it when you have the opportunity to go online you don't want to, and when you can't, you do???

What a fantastic idea! (keeping to the top.. please scroll down)

As you know, I love blog hopping... and after visiting Jackie's blog yesterday, I thought this sounded like a fantastic idea!

So, I have decided to participate in one of the largest giveaway events in the blogging world! The One World, One heart event. Click on the sign above to go and visit.. there are hundreds of blogs listed!
Here is what it says on the site...

It’s all in the spirit of sharing and meeting fellow creative bloggers.
click on the above link to visit the OWOH Blog and hostess,Lisa "oceandreamer" Swifka who created this giveaway and says..

"The original idea behind this giveaway event was tobring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It closes the gap of the blog community and enables us to interact, discover new and wonderful people, and in the process possibly win a prize or many prizes along the way...This is more than wanting to win something.......in the end it's about finding kindred spirits. Someone who may be fairly new to blogging, not sure how to navigate, find others and have others find them....Some are long time bloggers
and in some cases well known in the art community. Whatever the case it brings all of them together...We are not solving the worlds problems nor are we curing anything nor are we changing the world. We are merely generating a closer community between humans through blogging."

What I am offering for my giveaway is this book by Jane Alford.

(You can't click on the look inside bit, I just took the photo from Amazon, so visit there to see more).

It is a great book, with lots of great ideas, however, I know most of the techniques shown, so it seems silly it just being sat here.

My giveaway is for anyone who has an active blog, and I don't mind if you're involved in the OWOH or not. All I would ask, is that you leave a comment ON THIS POST ONLY for a chance to win. Please make sure that you have a way I can contact you - therefore, no anonymous comments please, otherwise I won't be able to accept your entry.

The Winner will be announced on February 12th, 2009.

Again, if you want more information on this event, click on the logo above.. Happy Blogging!

At last!!!

I have actually got my lappy back this morning!! How happy am I?!

Well, actually not much! Why? Because the bloody keyboard isn't in properly!!!!!!!!

Comart, Rotherham.. don't use them! Their timings are rubbish for repairs and the repairs aren't that good either! Grrrrr...

But at least my little Silver streak of lightening is home.. **smile**

Nothing else to say.. nothing else to show.. just needed to share my joy!!! lol..

Have a very good day!

Just clowning around..

Two posts in one day? How good's that?!

At the moment, I'm still having problems with my comment boxes, it's not counting how many comments I have on a post, however, I can still see them when I click on it so that's okay..

Well, I'm back with a little card I made earlier. I haven't actually used this stamp that much since I used it, and I reckon it's pretty cute.. It's Juggles the clown, a High Hopes stamp..

The papers are Die Cuts with a View, not sure which pack though. I used Papermania alphastickers for the greeting and highlighted it with a gel pen.

The clown was stamped with permanent ink and then coloured using Prisma's and Whispers pens. Some parts of the clown had 3D gloss on to highlight certain areas.

I hope you like it - it was just a quick card to try this colouring technique and quite well it turned out too! Thanks Maddy.

See ya soon xx

Happy Valentines Day

I know it's a bit early, but this is the theme this week over on the Forever Friends Challenge blog.




This is my card... I hope you like it..

The papers are some that I've had in my studio for a while, and I can't remember who's it is... the image is a Forever Friends decoupage from Docrafts. These are just wonderful for people like me who don't particularly like all that cutting! These just pop out - stick them together and off you go! Just great!

I also used a Papermania ribbon brad and a length of ribbon from the Range - again, can't remember who's it is, but it was so pretty. The wording is Doodlebug rub ons..

Why not go over to the blog and take a peek, it's definately worthwhile this week. We have some new design team on board, and they've made some brilliant cards..

Thanks for looking.

Jo xx

Comments box..

Somehow, it went missing in action - I don't know why, but it went on vacation!!!

anyway, I got it back me thinks.. so hopefully if you're revisiting you'll be able to leave a comment.

thanks for being patient and special thanks to all those of you who emailed me to let me know. xxx

A quick little card... and a good old chinwag!

Carley came home from work on Friday and asked if I could do a quick get well card.. This is what I came up with.


I didn't get a chance to do it until last night and she wanted it for today for her friend Rachel, who had fell down in the ice and snow and broken a rib - ouch! So, family helped to come up with the card - Paul suggested the doll with a ribby set of bandages. Carley said to use the lilac stripy paper, which is out of the docrafts pack and is so pretty. The wording is cut from the Impress machine and other stuff was from stash and punches.


I put some 3D gloss on the lettering to make it stand out a little more. Rachel loved her card although did mention that she didn't wear dresses.. lol.. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.


So what else have I been upto today?


Well, Martina started off the day by making a fantastic cake.

It's a Marble Cake from her Rachel Allen baking book that she wanted for Christmas. She has made quite a few cakes from it, and this must be nicest one yet. The marbleing doesn't show up too much, but when you cut into it, it is really good. A strange looking cake, but it tasted good! Not that it did much for my gluten-free, but hey.. once in a while eh? Stomach pains and bloating here we come!!

Whilst Teen was baking, we took the fluffers for a walk in the wood. It was quite chilly, still a bit icy but great for a walk. Whilst out, we met another couple of lovely springers - Treacle and Charlie who belong to a couple I know. Then we came across a really beautiful German Shepherd puppy.. honestly, be still my beating heart!! He was a stunning little fella. Those who know me know we lost a GSD before we got Holly and it still breaks my heart, but the little furbabies we have now make every day a joy..

When we got back, I got stuck into doing the dinner for this evening. Again, I decided to delve into the realms of my OH's new book, below...

We had roast pork, roast veggies, home made gravy (which I have never made before), and by golly it was lovely. I followed every step in his book, even though I make a roast most weeks and have done so for all the 22 years of married life! but I feel like I've learned something new.. how good is that!

Now, it's just around 10pm and I've just sat and watched my two favourite programs, Wild at Heart and Dancing on Ice. Poor old Todd... but what an entertainer eh?!

So.. that's all for me for now.

But if anyone is reading in Australia, Keep safe and sympathies to all those lost in Victoria today. Our relatives in Adelaide are still safe and well for now.

Waiting time is over....

So, what's the big announcement I hear you ask??

I'll give you a clue -

This is where I was on Friday, and spent all week preparing for! I had a screen test down in Peterborough at Head Office... and I did 'fantastic' apparantly! I was also told by Martyn, the presenter that I could talk!! Well, isn't that what my job is all about?! He is actually a very tall bloke - I never realised he was quite so tall! I mean, I know I'm a shorty, but he just towered above me.. lol.

I had a great time there - even if it was only a short (very short) time on camera, which seemed really wierd. You stand in front of the cameras doing the filming, and also two tv monitors at the front of you which you have to avoid looking at.. lol.. quite odd.

Anyway, I did my party piece, my demo, and that was it. I was told my floor manager Howard and my contact there, Michelle, that I had done great and there were no problems at all. They were all very pleasant down at Ideal, and yep.. I'm loving the fact that I can be a part of it!!

I am down to do a recording mid March, and also a meeting down there mid Feb, so watch this space...

I feel so very lucky and those who have helped make this possible - you know who you are! And a very big, heartfelt Thank you to you too!

Snowy Thursday!

blimey... it's Thursday already - and snowing really heavily. We've had around a couple of inches at least this morning. I always think it looks lovely when it first falls, then hate it when it turns to ice! I am however, keeping my fingers crossed that some of it disappears for tomorrow. I am off down to Peterborough for the afternoon.. more details to come - but its very exciting!



I've been out with the dogs this morning. They absolutely love it when it snows as you saw in the photos the other day. Today, Truly has been collecting snowballs! So funny. She was running about on the field and when she got back into the car to come home, she had collected lots and lots of little balls of snow under her tummy. Holly found another little cocker to play with, so they ran theirselves rugged, and Scooby just enjoyed playing snowballs.


Because of the 'thing' that's going on tomorrow, I've been busy running samples up and trying to finish my Debbi Moore cards too. But I do have two cards to upload for you. The first one is this week's entry for my Forever Friends challenge blog and the second is for Lili of the Valley challenge blog.

I made this card for the imminent arrival of Baby Jaeden. I used the Forever Friends decoupage kit from Docrafts for the card. The ribbon is from my stash, and I just thought it finished it off nicely. The theme for this week is Tall and Thin - have a play and leave us a link.

This handsome little guy was used for the Lili blog. The theme this week is Men. I used Trimcraft papers from last year, as I thought they went with the Die Cut of the boy well. I used the Easi box board from Phyllis to make the topper. The little chipboard stars are Basic Grey and so is the rub on wording at the bottom.

That's it for now. I'll be back tomorrow to give you all the gossip..

Jo xx

Great start to the week ....

Guess what... ?! It's snowing! And pretty thick stuff too. The pupsters are loving it. Scooby loves chasing the snowballs, and can't understand why he can't find them.. lol.. Holly just runs around with her mouth open snapping up all the little white things falling from the sky, and Truly... well.. it's been absolutely wonderful for her this morning. Let me explain..

When we got Truly last May, she had come from Ireland straight to us to foster for a Springer Rescue. (she is now permanent, but that's a different story. ) Anyway, in the time we have had her she has come on so much. She now loves to go for a walk, loves food, and is an all round star. The only thing that is a reminder of her past, is that she will only pee and poo on concrete at home. That's usually down the side of the house, which makes it easy to clean so that's fine!

Today, she has revelled in the fact that there is white all over the place and has been for her first walk up the garden. She got so excited that she found Holly and Scooby playing that she joined in, and came in covered in snow! She absolutely loved it. And me? Well, I felt very proud of her! What a proud mummy I am sometimes..

To remind me of this fantastic achievement for her - and us - I've snapped a couple of shots of the pupsters this morning.

(yep.. photos can now come thick and fast - my lappy still isn't back, but I upgraded the desktop at the weekend so I can now upload piccs and stuff on there! Why didn't I think of it earlier!)

This is Truly sniffing at all this funny stuff.

And this is Holly, sitting lovely for her piccie

And here's Scooby.. Mr Poser.. he loves having his piccie taken sometimes..

Don't they look great? Ahhh, I love my spaniels.. can you tell?

I did mention the other day, that I also have two puddytats..

Well, here's Senna.. I even managed to get the photos and videos etc off my phone this morning - actually, I'm loving the desktop because it has the card reader built into the front - easy peasy!

Oops.. just realised, it's on it's side.. I'll change it later. Senna is now 11 years old, and we lost his brother last year. He is coping really well, and loves all the extra attention. Sweet.

Another little photo I want to share with you, is this one that was hiding on my phone card. It's a piccie of Holly, which we took when she was around 8 weeks old. When we bought her home at 6wks old, the first place she wanted to go and explore was the veg rack. We don't know why, but she loved being under there. We put her a little cushion on the bottom rack and when we were doing dinner in the kitchen, she would go and sit in there and fall fast asleep.. Oh Memories.. aren't they great?

Another great thing I discovered this morning was that Youtube now accepts MP4.. so I just had to have a play and upload a quick video of Holly and her sister Arwen. Arwen is the one with two spots, Holly just has the one. Hope that helps.

*** I can't upload the videos.. but if you go to www.youtube.com and go to joaustin22, then you should be able to pick them up there. *** I'll try again later.