Christmas tales

Well, its all nearly over for another year. Christmas was good fun, got some lovely gifts including perfume, crafty stuff, vouchers, expensive lip gloss and makeup, books, dvds, cds and some other bits and pieces. I was a very lucky girl indeed! Also been trying to catch up on my Christmas Journal, here's how some of the finished pages are looking (I'm leaving the rest until they are complete with photos):





Spent alot of time with dad, and trying to sort out the house. We bought a sofa yesterday at DFS, which was quite exciting! We're not doing anything special for New Years as we're both ill so don't feel up to much. Hopefully 2008 will be an even better year and happier for everyone.

Happy New Year!

Btw, I'm quite pleased with some of the pics I've taken this Christmas, I got a tripod and have been having fun taking pics with no flash and no camera shake! Especially of lights!

Nearly Christmas!

Where has this month gone!??! Honestly, its flown. Christmas shopping is done, christmas journal has not....work has been busy and finishing late, but the christmas party was the best thing!

We had our xmas party on Thursday, it was fantastic! Went go karting in the afternoon, I came 10th out of 15th so I was very chuffed as I was totally terrified, so drove really carefully and didn't get any penalties haha!





Then we came back to the office for a table football tournament. My partner, Ben, is one of the top players so I was feeling the pressure! The days before he kept ringing my desk telling me to practise, read up on tips and that we had the best draw for our first game! It was very funny, he kept telling me to look after my hands lol.

Anyway, I was very nervous about the tournament too cos everyone was watching, and I hate being watched! Our first game didn't happen, our opposing team was missing a player so we automatically went through to the next round! When we did finally play we won the game, with Ben calling me a natural, and telling me I made several great saves. It was so funny. So then we were in the final, and amazingly won that! So we are the champions! Ben picked me up when we won, and we even got a trophy lol.











Then there was a quiz, which I also won with another partner and got a tenner for that! Everyone was calling me the winner of the day, and in the evening we went out for dinner and dancing in a club in london.









It was such a great time, got home at 3am and went into work yesterday feeling very sleepy! Then at 5pm we had another set of games of table footie, myself and Ben were defeated, although he still says that we are the best partnership, so then I was playing on the same team as Freya, against two of the guys. We thrashed them four games in a row, they were utterly stunned! I haven't laughed so much in a long time, the shock in their voices, Ben called me a traitor because we beat him, but he was also pleased because its all practise for when me and him play next year haha.

I'm absolutely loving work, I had such a great time with everyone, really feeling part of the team now, especially with people cheering me on with the table football and stuff.

Unfortunately yesterday morning I woke up with a stinking cold, right in time for xmas! Been trying to finish cards and stuff but just have no energy to do anything! Let's just hope I'm feeling better by tuesday!

I'm not that great at this...

Whats new? Lots probably...

Work is going fine, car is fine, I'm fine! Me and Steven went to the IOW this weekend which was fun, wet and windy, but fun. November wasn't very eventful, had a health scare with mum's memory again but all seems ok at the moment thankfully.

I've updated to add some pages from my Christmas Journal from Shimelle's class. I've done the first 2 pages, but know I'll fall behind in the week because work will keep me busy. I haven't even made any xmas cards.....oops.

Some exciting news!

Sorry...I'm trying to update, honest!

Work is still going really well, enjoying it loads! Its been tough at times but I'm feeling more settled now which is good. Travelling still a bit awkward though.

Exciting news part 1: I've been asked by Shimelle Laine to do a layout for Scrapbook Inspirations! Woot! Very excited, couldn't believe it when I got the email. will let you know when it gets published.

Exciting news part 2: We got a car! I lovely sparkly dark green nissan micra! Its fab and we're very excited to have finally found one, so Steven is enojying getting back into driving and I'm enjoying have my own car and not borrowing mum's all the time.

Nothing special been happening, went to a Halloween party at Steven's family's house, been out with friends and not much else!

But all is good anyway! Have some layouts I need to scan as well at some point...

Ickenham retreat and life updates!

Ok, I've been crap at updating, sorry! Didn't realise just how little online time I would get now I've started working full time!

Ok, so first up is an update on work, I love it! The people are great, really nice and relaxed and helpful. I work in the graphics area (its one big office, but people are grouped by department, with Pete and Rory. I have my own desk and Apple Mac, which is awesome, the other day was quite amusing when they guys went on a mission to find me a pouffe (is that right) for my feet because I'm too short for the height of the desk, so need one to rest my feet on so I can be level with the screen! They found a pile of carpet swatches for me, lol! Must take a photo of it when i don't feel so embarrassed to photograph my desk like a saddo....

Had to sign a confidentiality report too, as we work on top secret stuff which is exciting! I've done a bit of branding work, some new stuff for the company like reception posters and a christmas card. Its been great fun, and I'm not as tired as I used to be which is great. So all in all I'm enjoying it, sometimes I feel very young and inexperienced, but I know thats ok...its just scary!

Then on the 5th I went away for the weekend to Watford, to the Ickenham scrapping weekend. It was awesome! I went with Juli, and got to spend some time with her, Kathy, Sam, Kate and Mindy, and made a new friend, Ann. I laughed LOADS, especially thanks to Ann and her singing when Shimelle stopped everyone from talking... Shimelle's classes were fantastic, I need to photograph my stuff but my camera battery just died so I can't. I made a patchwork quilt out of card and photos, which is now framed and ready to go on my wall, and nearly finished an album in a weekend, we only didn't because there were actually more pages than Shimelle thought, but I just finished it last night, and am very proud of it, it was a liberating class where we scrapped in a new way, not worrying about papers, sizes or matching, and just doing it!

I felt like a little kid at the crop, we had dorm rooms that slept about 10 people, a big showering area and then a huge school dinner like kitchen! Madness!

Also had fun taking photos of lights as Ann had never tried this with a slow shutter speed, whereas I am obsessed with it. So we went out and had a play with her car, using the coloured lights to photo graph! Was quite amusing, hazard lights on, reverse lights and brake lights make cool images! And this was at about 11pm in the freezing cold...in our pyjamas! Rock and roll!

This was our table, with Juli, Kathy, Judith and Sarah, and then Ann on the saturday and sunday.

All the albums Shimelle brought for the Fill My Little World class.

All the materials Shimelle supplied for the quilt class, and you can see her quilt in the background.

Some of the goodies our table had for the album.

The pizza box filled with lovely goodies for the class, loads of bazzill, pp and some Banana Frog stamps!

Some of my crazy lights pics...

Me on sat night in my PJs!

One of my favourite layouts of the weekend, everything just matched the photo so well!

Shimelle Laine!

The very fun Ann!


My fellow Prima Princesses, Sam and Kate.


Kate and Mindy:


After the crop Juli drove us to Willow Tree Crafts, and I bought myself some Autumn Leaves stamps, some pp, an American Crafts 6x6 album to do the Learn Something New Every Day class by Shimelle, and some other bits and pieces. All in all, a fab weekend!

Since then its been work work work, I try and do as much as I can in the evenings, but the journey home is a bit longer because its awkward with the train changes and stuff. This weekend involved two trips to Ikea to get "housey" stuff, like plates, jars, and other lovely goodies that we can now call our own when we go round the house!

I also had my last day at Hamleys last week, which was mental because it was really, really busy and it felt so weird after being in an office all week! I was very sad to leave, I'll miss all my friends, even though we'll be in touch I won't get to see them as much. But I did feel I couldn't take the standing and the crowds anymore, so it was nice to leave before Christmas mania.

Even heard my first xmas ad of this year the other day, good old Argos with the "I wish it could be mmas" playing, and so it begins....

Thorpe park and stash spending!

Few things to update on!

On friday we went to Thorpe Park, my bravest and longest journey driving so far! We made it in one piece without getting lost or having too many problems. It was a very miserable grey day, but the park was pretty empty so it was better for rides and queuing. We went on Stealth first, which is awesome! Steven wasn't very keen, but then it does go from 0 to 80mph in 2 secs, or something like that, and propel you up a vertical tower, over the top and back down again! I loved it!



Then we done Nemesis Inferno which is also good fun, we walked more or less straight on!



We then went to Colossus which left my head feeling a bit rattled from all the loops!







We then done X:\ No Way Out and Loggers Leap. We got a bit wetter than expected on Loggers Leap, but there was no queue at all so we went on it again right after!



We went on the Rumba Rapids then, which felt like quite a comedown after the big adrenaline rides! We looked quite funny, two people in a 6 person boat, sitting opposite each other in the rain!




I then went on Samurai and Vortex, both spinning rides. It was a shame because some of the newer rides that I've never been on before were shut for the day.






And as you can see, the rain didn't hold up! Got rather drenched, but we'd been on everything we wanted by 2pm so we headed to the car, warmed up and came home.





Was a really good day out despite the rain. Came home and done some scrapping too!



Then yesterday went to the Ally Pally which was good fun! Had a bit of a spending spree, although stayed just within my budget. Got some new banana frog stamps, some heidi swapp foam stamps, some new blonde moments, piggy tales and dream street papers, some embellies and some new journaling stamps. Think thats everything! Will post a picture later when I get the chance. And here are another two layouts I made yesterday, one just needs some spellings checked before its finished.