Friday 28 March 2008

There's a Mouse in this House!

Actually there are loads of bloody mice in this house judging by the amount of damage they've done!

Will went into the garage on Wednesday night to get the dust sheets so that we can start decorating Jacob's bedroom, only to find rather a lot of mouse poo and some chewed dust sheets! We spent the next 4 hours in there cleaning it up and trying to assess the damage. We found the following...

* All the dust sheets chewed.
* Half a VERY large bag of pasta gone which we later discovered under a unit (see piccy to see just how much they'd nicked!
* The dry dog food mixer bag and Maisy's biscuits snaffled.
* Books that Freya has grown out of which were boxed ready for the charity shop chewed.
* Will's old photography magazines (some of which were 13 years old and I'd been telling him to get rid of, so serves him right!) damaged.
* Overalls and a coat nibbled and holey.
* Packets of chicken, curry and beef noodles eaten (they know how to live, these mice you know!)
* Picnic rug - bit likea polo mint but with a much bigger hole in the centre!

And the creme de la creme of chewing what they're not meant to have.....

** 4 out of 6 cushions for my patio chairs. Oh no! Not the cheap ones we have in there which were 2 for £10 but my rather posh ones which the kids don't sit on which cost us £30.00 each. £120 worth of bloody cushions ruined - the lil' b***ards!

I am so upset!

With regard to the books that aren't nibbled, I'm afraid they've had to go to the tip as well as mice do not have bladder control and wee constantly leaving a trail of smelly urine wherever they go (my garage stinks of pi**).

Anyways, to give you a laugh....

We were moving things to check for damage and hoovering up rather a lot of mouse poo (cute little tinkling noise as the little dry pellets go up the metal hoover tube!) We got to the back corner of the garage and hadn't found anything except damage, 3 empty bait trays and pellets. There in the corner sat my big pot for my Christmas tree. Lovely pot too, it comes out every year that I have a real tree! Will moved it and hoovered underneath, put it back carefully and hoovered the saucer that it sits on. I was about to say to him that I bet the little bugger was hiding inside when up pops a little brown head! Oh how it made us jump!!!!!

Will was shouting for a black bin liner to put the pot into so that he could get it and mousey out of the garage. I was so proud of the way my hubby rugby tackled that stationary object to the ground and encased it in black plastic that I nearly peed myself laughing! He picks up the bag and pot and runs out of the garage. Via obstacles in the way! It is p*ssing down with rain and he's in the street calling to me and asking what he should do with the bag/pot/mouse. There is no way that he is going to smash my pot, I can tell you! My instructions were to get a pair of shoes on and to grab a torch. (Which I did after a trip to the loo just in case I kept laughing!) We have a park across the road from home so we went the other side of that and positioned ourselves under a street lamp. The torch goes on as Will puts the screwed up bag on the floor and opens up the top. The mouse (scared out of it's little skin, no doubt) pops up the cutest little head to look at us and then goes back into hiding under the upturned pot. The torch goes flat! Will very bravely (I mean he is a grown man and the mouse is all of a few inches long) lifts the pot up and the mouse makes a dash for it, straight up the hill, over the footpath and back in the direction of our bloody house!!!!! No doubt calling on a few of his mates to join him in the house of plenty pasta!!!!!

Drama over, we were still laughing our heads off as we return to the house to finish the clean up operation. The back of the garage is cleaned up and put back into a tidy order. One last shelf to do...... the one that has left over paint tins and spare washing powder, bleach etc on. He was hoovering up the pellets off the shelf and moved a box and did another little bugger not scamper out and run up the wall behind the chair cushions. Frightened the bloody life out of the pair of us as we were really not expecting to see another one alive.

Armed with the hoover as his weapon he was (under my instruction) trying to chase it up the wall and find it to suck it up into the hoover! No joy!!! So we changed tactics. I stared at the wall while he picked up the garden hoe, and he stared at the wall while I took the end off the hoover. Either way that mouse was going to be toast! MWAHAHAHA!

We prodded and poked the stuff that we'd put back only to be very disappointed in not finding him.

The bait trays were refilled and we were determined we were going to win this battle.



I checked the bait trays yesterday morning only to find that Mr Elusive Little Mouse had returned from his hiding hole and had a nibble. Ha! He's gonna regret that meal for sure!

I work next door to a pest control company so paid them a visit yesterday morning when I went to work. I came out of there with a big bag of super duper, industrial strength, two meals and you're dead poison and some little boxes to keep it safe from the kids and the dog.

Last night was round 2 of the garage. We cleared the ENTIRE contents onto our driveway so that we could satisfy ourselves that Mr E Mouse had nowhere to hide and we would find him. The garage was spotless, not a pellet of poo in sight (but a VERY full hoover bag!) There were no places for mousey to hide. He was not there! Not under the tumble dryer, not under the freezer and not under the (beer) fridge! We had scared him off with our hoe and hoover! YAY!!!!! Humans win the battle over rodents was the headline.

3 hours after starting the job everything was back in place complete with 9, yes 9 bait boxes. These lil' beasties are not going to get the better of us this time, oh no sirreee! Anyway, they'd gone hadn't they....?

NOPE!!!!! Lo and behold the bait was nibbled this morning when I checked and quite a lot more extra had been taken when I checked again tonight. On my way home it was a trip to Wilkinsons for a big tin of Jeyes fluid (outdoor disinfectant for those that don't know). My theory is that if we scrub the driveway,(ok if Will scrubs it), and round the entrance to the garage door with it then the mice won't be able to follow their own urine scent and return to haunt me (and they did BTW on Wednesday night - I had some very bizarre and a little bit 'shiver down your spine' kind dreams about mice).

Wish me luck.......

Will keep you posted.

Oh and congratulations if you managed to get to the end of this post! LOL xx

Thursday 27 March 2008

New me!

Well, they say that life begins at 40 don't they? As I was 40 last month, I've decided to go for a new hairdo! I made an appointment yesterday for this afternoon without telling anyone except my boss as I was going to the hairdressers in work time.

When I went, I looked like this....



Came back again looking a bit like this....



I'm hoping the new hairdo is an improvement!!!! The reaction so far...

My 'she' boss loves it - her hubby, being a man - what can I say?! But he DID notice it!!!!

Sent a picture message to Will's phone. The text that came back was WTF?! When I rang him, he said he was reserving judgement until he saw it 'in the flesh' and when he did, he loved it!

Freya laughed at me when I picked her up from mum and dad's after work today and told me it looked freaky! She now likes it though.

Jacob HATES it!!!!! He didn't like it last time I had it cut as I had loads cut off and this time is even worse.

I was talking to my lovely friend Steph on MSN tonight and she gracefully said it makes me look 10 years younger - no wonder I loves that girl! LOL

The reaction from the lovely ladeees at Bubbly Funk has so far been positive.

Well, what do you lot think?

Monday 24 March 2008

Hand Craft-ED friends

Remember a couple of weeks back when I went down to Oxfordshire on a Craft-ED training day? Well these lovely ladies are some of the girls I met up with.





It was a great day - very inspiring and we all came away with so many positive vibes!



Looks like Heather can't remember her phone number! LOL

Saturday 22 March 2008

Bubbly Funk CJ

The Bubbly Funk CJ is coming to an end now and the journals will soon be home with their owners (can't wait!)

This was my entry into Tracey's journal. Her theme was colours. Initially I felt quite daunted to do my entry as there are some SERIOUSLY wonderful entries before me and the standard was HIGH!

My mojo just jumped up and hit me on this one last Friday night and this is what I came up with...



The paper is Frolic from UrbanLily. It was a plain black and white which I doodled with various colours and then coloured them in with a matching chalk. The chalks were sealed using hairspray (any old cheapy one will do). I then added some journalling with a white Sakura gel pen. Added some Prima flowers each centred with a little gem.

On the whole I'm quite pleased with this little entry. Hope Tracey is too!

Friday 21 March 2008

Some cards...

I've been a bizzy lil' bee recently making some cards for friends who have birthdays/anniversaries or babies and have come up with these...



Brenda's anniversary card is made using the gorgeous BasicGrey Two Scoops with ribbon from Ribbon Mad. The lettering is cut using Sizzix Curlie Girlie die which I've then used Glossy Accents on to give it some oomph!



Jayne's birthday card is BasicGrey Two Scoops again (can you tell I'm loving this paper atm?) Again the alphas are from the Sizzix Curlie Girlie dies and embellied up with Glossy Accents.



Lily's card is for my neighbour's daughter who had the most beautiful little girl recently. Congrats Michelle and Ging on your such a gorgeous daughter! Buggered if I can remember where that paper came from as I found it sitting all neglected and wanting to be used! That's even got a rub on which I don't normally use as well. Alphas are Sizzix Curlie Girlie.



Lola is the new daughter of Emma over at the Bubbly Funk Forum. Such a lovely lady. What a wonderful addition to her family Lola will be! She got the Two Scoops treatment too! Ribbon and the flowers from Ribbon Mad. The little elephant embossing die is from Cuttlebug.

On a slightly sadder note, you should never be without a sympathy card or two as tragedy hits us all at some time or another and always when we're not expecting a visit!






The black blooms on these are from Bazzil. The others are from Prima and the swirly 'stem' is cut using a Sizzix die. The stripey, glittered paper is from the DCWV Glitter Stack. Ribbon from Ribbon Mad. Ink pad Stazon

Thursday 20 March 2008

Ellie Wiseman Trust / Bubbly Funk Auction

As part of my contribution towards the Bubbly Funk auction to raise money for Ellie I made this for Janice who won the bidding. Thanks Janice, you are a honey! mwah! xxx

Enclosed are pages for her to put her CDs into to keep them safe and scratch free.




The papers used are all DCWV from Craft-ED (contact me for information on how to get your hands on these lovelies!). The blooms are from Dunelm, Bubbly Funk and Prima. Ribbons were from Ribbon Mad. The gem and the pearl circle in the flower are from wherever! Ink is Cat's Eye Chalk Ink

Altered wooden letter

I bought this plain unfinished wooden letter for 99p in a sale recently for Freya's bedroom.



She's recently had it redecorated, so I tarted it up to go in her new 'big girl's' room!




The papers came from Bubbly Funk as part of a monthly kit. The large, cream bloom is from Bazzil, the brown Angel Bloom is from Bubbly Funk. Small flower from Prima. Ribbon from Ribbon Mad and the brad from stash. Ink pad is a Cats Eye Chalk.

Wednesday 19 March 2008

Craft-ED product


This gorgeous Quick Quotes canvas kit is available to buy from me. It measures 6"x6" and includes everything you need (except photographs, an ink pad and glues) to make a magnet backed canvas for you to display your loveliest photo - in my case my beautiful daughter dressed in her finery as a bridesmaid last year. I think it's a fabulous price too at only £7.00. This is ideal for a beginner right through to an experienced crafter.

Contact me to find out how you could get your hands on one to produce your own work of art to be treasured. Great for a gift for grandparents etc. Sorry mum and dad. Love you dearly as I do, I'm keeping this one though! LOL xx

Tuesday 18 March 2008

Happy Birthday Karen!

A very lovely lady called Karen, who I look on as a friend, celebrated a special birthday on 11th March. This was her card and her little CD book/album that I made for her.

All papers were from BasicGrey Two Scoops - yummy papers indeed! I know that she's got it so I can blog it now!


Thursday 13 March 2008

Bzzzzzz, there's a new blog in town!


Craftgenie, the wholesaler have just started a blog {here}. Already there seems to be some lovely work from some fabby designers.

Go on, have a look! You won't be disappointed!

Sunday 9 March 2008

Scrapbooking @ Craft-ED

I had a lovely day in Oxfordshire yesterday at a Training Day with Craft-ED. I met some really lovely ladies, who, like me, just love to cut and stick!

I made a LO using a couple of photos of my DS and made the other page at home last night. The papers are all DCWV and the clouds and the alphas are all Sizzix dies.

If you want to get hold of any of the the range of scrapbooking goodies (and come on, why wouldn't you? They're fab!) Just contact me by email and I'll send you a catalogue.


Wednesday 5 March 2008

Auction for Ellie Wiseman - Results!!!!!!

Well, who would have believed it?! The Bubbly Funk auction for Ellie raised an amazing £227.03!!!!

Thanks so much to the people who bid on my H2O lookie likies which raised £5 and for the CD book that I have promised to make to the winner's requirements. That made £10!!

Thanks everyone! Luvs ya!

Monday 3 March 2008

Auction for Ellie Wiseman



It's the last day to enter your bids for this great cause! PLEASE go and have a look at what we have to auction off for Ellie. All bids must be with Caroline by 7pm tonight.

For those that don't already know and as a reminder for those that do. An auction has been arranged over at {Bubbly Funk} to help raise funds for Kirsty Wiseman to send her daughter to the USA to get some diagnosis and treatment that she has been unable to find in the UK.

We have decided to hold a little Auction for the {Ellenor Wiseman Trust}. If you are a {Bubbly Funk Forum Member}, you can view items for auction. If not, please visit the {Fotopix} site where you can see what is available.

You can bid on so many different items, many of which have been handmade with love. There is even a scrapbook layout by the lovely Kirsty Wiseman herself!

If you are interested in bidding for anything, again please email Caroline either through the 'Contact Us' page on {Bubbly Funk} , or via PM on the Forum. Auction bids to be received by Caroline by Mon 3 March, 7pm when the auction will be officially closed.

Sunday 2 March 2008

Chocolate Cupcakes!

These are just a couple of recent cards I've made...

Cupcakes

This was made using some recycled packaging from my Cupcake glass board and the mug/coaster/tray set I bought from Morrisons recently.

Chocolate


This was made using one of the stamped images I received in a RAK from Leann which I've coloured using H2O lookie likies. The paper is from DCWV Glitter Stack and the ribbons are from Ribbon Mad.

Daring Card Makers

Mum's recipe...
This weeks little extra doesn't have to be for any specific occasion but you do have to follow a reciepe. Two buttons, one ribbon and a 'spoonful' of flowers.....! Put all the ingredients together and bake in a craft room until complete !



Paper is BasicGrey Two Scoops. Two buttons from stash. one ribbon is from Ribbon Mad and is cut into two. Spoonful of flowers are from Dunelm and Prima. Gems from stash. Rub on from Papermania.

I am woman!
It's Lythan here. As ever we are blown away by all your wonderful contributions. It makes our day to see how creative and ready to be challenged you are!

As its coming up to Mothers day in the UK here’s a chance to make a card that celebrates women and girls . So I’d like to see a card with at least one feminine image on it . And that's it for rules really.
Apart from this one.
And it is sneaky.
No Tildas, Sugar Nellies or Bellas please. I love them all. But there are loads of great challenges out there using them so for this challenge you can give them a well earned rest!




The stamp was from a RAK from Leann which I coloured with H20 lookie likies. Paper is BasicGrey Two Scooops. Ribbon is Ribbon Mad. Rub on is Paper Mania. Gems from stash. Blooms from Prima

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