More Christmas

A few more of the different designs of christmas cards made for last year

I made four of this one in varying colours

I made four of the Kraft coloured one

These three are variations on a theme, all similar but slightly different, the lovely soft coloured papers were a gift from Neil

Last year was the first year I actually managed to get all my cards made well before the day itself, as most of them were to be posted I really did have to get more organised, it felt a bit strange not having to rush around making last minute cards

I could get used to this retirement lark !

Love and mistletoe kisses

Tracey

xxx

Christmases past

As promised I have a few of the christmas card designs I created for last years Christmas cards

These four were all variations on a theme, lots of layering and die-cutting 

These first four were made for the lovely ladies I work with at the Cornwall Hospice care shop, they have all made me so welcome and I love my monday mornings, we are endlessly busy but always end up having a giggle and quite often cake !

All the ladies I have worked with have taken me under their wing and have helped Neil and I find out all the best local shops, pubs and places of interest, everyone is super friendly in our little town

We all enjoyed a lovely Christmas meal out at one of the locals, it was originally a just a meal but most of us ended up staying for the pub quiz, what an absolutely brilliant night ! It's funny sometimes how the least planned events seem to turn out the best, we didn't win, didn't even come close on most of the categories but we had such a laugh, the Prosecco flowed and if we were being judged on fun then we definitely won!

My lovely 'boss' Sue ( who is coincidentally the least bossy person I know) , Margaret and I ended up with an extra bottle of Prosecco somehow at our end of the table and all I will say, is, the tea towel Neil bought me as a joke definitely came to mind

Just for you Sue 

All new friends, people I will learn more about and spend more time with as the weeks pass by, people I never knew six months ago but who are already a big part of our new lives down here in Cornwall

But not forgotten are my old friends from up country, cherished friends who have kept in touch and who thought of me and my family at christmas time

One very special gift I received came by the way of Jan

She came to stay with us one weekend before christmas and brought with her this adorable little book

Tee book is made up of little envelopes, each containing a handmade tag

All the little tags had been decorated and each of them had a little message handwritten on the back from Jan's class members who were my old class members and friends

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed receiving this gorgeous keepsake, thankyou so much to all the lovely ladies who contributed, my gift took pride of place on my special bookshelf for the whole of December and most of January, it is now tucked away for safe keeping in my memory box

Thankyou for all our cards, handmade and otherwise

Love and belated baubles

Tracey

xxx

Happy New Year

Hello and a Happy New Year to all my lovely blog readers

I don't make resolutions as such, I am far too rebellious and only see them as rules to be broken, most lasting fewer than three days

But I have a couple of goals I would like to reach this year, one of them is to blog a little more regularly

Retirement has left both Neil and I a little rudderless. We are loving the time together and seem to have loads to do but don't really have any deadlines or routines. We seem to wander from one week to the next a little bewildered as to what happened to all the hours in between and days turn into weeks, and weeks into months. It doesn't help that Cornwall is so darned laid back, everything 'appens dreckly and it's not long before you fall in with the slower, more relaxed pace, any more relaxed and we will definitely both be horizontal !

I have been doing a little crafting over the last couple of months, this card was made way back, at the end of last year to thank my special friend Beryl for a beautiful gift sent at the end of the summer.

Thankyou so much Beryl, I loved my gift and miss you more every single day, I need to persuade you and Geoff to make a trip down and we can enjoy fiddly diddly beach together xxx

I have lots more cards to share, birthday cards and anniversary cards and of course all the christmas cards I made but have not yet shared

Will be back soon with crafty stuff, updates and photos

Happy new year to all my family and friends, new ones down here and old ones up country

Love you all dearly

Tracey 

xxx

Get well wishes

I made this card a couple of weeks ago for one of my dearest friends who is currently quite poorly

The very worst thing about living at the other end of the country to most of my friends and family is not being able to dispense hugs so easily

I used Melissa Frances and Stampin'Up  papers and some fabulous webbing which my lovely friend Carol gave to me a long time ago, I am very frugal with it as I love it and have not found any to replace it with - it only lands on very special cards and gifts

The large pink flower was a hideous purple to start with but it was the only one I had that size, so I set about it with inks and embossing powders 

Sending much love to my dear dear friend P, love you xxx

In other news

We have just enjoyed our very first non-family house guest by way of Jan

Thankyou so much for coming Jan, it was so nice to catch up with all the news, thankyou for the gifts ( I will be sharing the gorgeous tag book on my blog for everyone to see) and thankyou for the inspiration, but most of all thankyou for your company xxx

Molly has started puppy school

If there was an award for the naughtiest puppy each week, such an award would be going to Molly - hands down, or should I say paws down !!!

And.... drum roll please, I have actually started making my christmas cards - before December no less . Will be sharing them soon

Love and healing wishes

Tracey 

xxx

Birthday Girl

 Happy birthday Amy

Today saw my beautiful daughter turn 22, I know I say it and think it every single time a birthday comes and goes but I honestly have no idea where the time goes

Amy is staying with my mum and dad for the week so her card and gift were sent and I am saving lots of hugs and kisses for when she comes home at Christmas

This is the card I made, Amy is a massive animal lover and her favourite of all living creatures since she was a baby is the rabbit, she cannot resist anything at all bunny

And the most recent photo I have ( stolen from Instagram of course )

I hope you have had a wonderful day sweetheart, I know Granny and Grandad will make you feel special

We couldn't be prouder of our daughter who is as beautiful inside as outside

Love and birthday kisses

Mum 

xxx

Shades of autumn

There has been a definite nip in the air today and the skies have been a little gloomy, Cornwall is sitting under grey clouds laden with impending rain

Definitely a day to cosy up at home and potter

I have been saving glass vases of all shapes and sizes with a mind to utilise them in seasonal decorating, little vignettes with a subtle nod to the time of year

I have been lucky to come across a few at work, where I also found this cute little Gisela Graham frame

And so with autumn in mind, aromas of cinnamon and vanilla wafting from the pot pourri, I set to work

The vases were a little grubby but a good wash with fairy liquid and a dash of vinegar had them sparkling once again, I halved the pot pourri ( bought from our local 'The Range' which is a five minute drive from our house) and distributed between the two vases

The round vase sits on my dining table, with my napkin holder, on top of my cotton and lace table runner (from TK Maxx)

The taller more oval vase sits in one corner of my kitchen, along with the frame

I printed some word art onto a piece of scrapbook paper using photoshop to position and vary the fonts

A very pleasant way to while away an hour

Love and little vignettes

Tracey

xxx

Pupdate - the adventures of Bruce and Molly

A gentle stroll, for about five minutes along the chalk track, beside the railway line and stream opposite our house, you will come across a sheltered little park,  nestled between our local football team's home ground and a public basketball court

It's the perfect little sun trap, safe from any roads or hazards (Molly is capable of finding the most innocuous place or item, and, turning it in seconds to a life and death situation)

This is the home to Bruce and Molly's newest adventure

The trials of the tennis ball

Bruce is smart, he knows that to be able to chase the ball (which he loves) he must bring it back

If he catches it or gets to it first he leaves Molly standing

And he brings it back, and Molly follows, and it all starts all over again

Sometimes (usually when Bruce is totally knackered), Molly gets there first (or, more aptly, Bruce lets Molly bring the ball back while he has a breather)

 Molly has a totally different variation of the game which includes escaping to the nearest filthy ditch,  whereby it is a whim that decides whether she will actually keep the ball or leave it in said filthy ditch ! Or will she run and not come back, instead, sit on the perimeter of the field waiting with a grin, whilst, in exasperation, me, Neil or Bruce ends up having to go to her, whereby she will sidestep past us ( she must have been taking note of the footballers next door ) and run hell for leather into the farthest corner at the other end of the field, or,  she will she get totally sidetracked, drop the ball mid-play  and go off to investigate the nearest wonderful and totally mesmerising stick, leaf, rock (whatever, it matters not) !

On those rare occasions whereby she does in fact bring the ball near enough to perform a grab and go technique, we can resume play, Bruce waiting patiently, as always, as his silly puppy playmate learns the part of fetch that does indeed keep the ball in play !

Love and puppy kisses

Tracey 

xxx