Sam's Diet & Crafts

Final Christmas Creations

2011-12-24T17:28:00.003Z

The past few days have been a whirlwind of kitchen creations and shopping.

Chocolate truffle/bonbons - a la Nigella. I used a raspberry liqueur so they have a lovely flavour to them.

Chilli jam - again a Nigella recipe.

Fruit flavoured vodka - blackberry on the left and strawberry on the right... I think it will be a very merry Christmas indeed!

A round-up of bits

2011-12-24T17:20:00.002Z

I realised that I had not shared these.

Here's another card.

2011-12-11T13:18:00.003Z

Still in the creating mode, here's a card I made having seen something similar created by Kirsty Wiseman. Really quick to create and gives an effect that I have spent ages on it - that's what I call a result!

Cards again

2011-12-11T11:12:00.002Z

So I'm back on the card making express, now I'm doing the more personal cards. I struggle with male cards but thought that this simple card turned out well.

I used Nestabilites for the die cut circle and the a Cuttlebug die for the snowflakes, stars and alpha.

Mince Pie Cheat

2011-12-05T19:11:00.004Z

The past few months I have seen the ready made pastry people showing an ad for Mince Pie Pin Wheels. So now that I had the sheets of pastry in the freezer I decided to give it a go.

I have to say it is the easiest thing to make - no faffing cutting tops and bottoms of pastry - just unroll the pastry, spread the mincemeat on it and roll up. Ten minutes later the pin wheels were cooked.

I'm all for cheats like this type in the kitchen, and I'll definitely be adding it in my JYC this year as a top baking tip!

If you want to have a go at the pin wheels you can find the link here.

Enjoy x

PS - these are really, really bad for the diet but at this time of the year it just has to be done!

Deck The Halls etc

2011-12-03T23:44:00.005Z

When the boys were young, I had a routine that the first weekend of December I would put the Christmas tree up. The boys are coming up for 22 & 25 so Christmas really doesn't have the same meaning. Last year I didn't even bother putting up the tree & decorations, as Hubby was working evening shift, I was working boxing day and our elder son wasn't able to make it home either, so it made sense for me to save my time for other seasonal things.

This year is totally different. It's the first weekend of December and I'm back on track with the tree up. I still need to decorate the rest of the house, but at least I am part way there. I had thought I wouldn't bother this year, as once again Hubby is working evening shift on Christmas Day, however he has been able to get the time off - just that one thing has made me view the festive season totally differently.

This mood swing ties in with deciding to do "Journal Your Christmas" (JYC). I'm loving reflecting on past Decembers. I have lots of things whirling round my head that I want to create on paper, so for now I'm jotting everything down and will do what I can as and when.

PS - Note to self, must remember to take the macro function off when taking pics from a distance!

A Frosty December Morning

2011-12-02T08:15:00.001Z

I woke to typical December weather this morning, a dry but very frosty morning, with the roof of the houses & cars covered in a thick white coating.

Journalling Thoughts

2011-12-01T23:50:00.005Z

So this is where I am at with my JYC plans.

I'm unsure if I will retain my flash card as it is. I may do something quite different with it but retain the same answers. Time will tell.

I've not produced a book, or a manifesto but I have been scribbling away making lots of notes about all sorts of things related to Christmas past. I've started to type some of the thoughts out on cards so that I can pretty them up / dress / scrap them in which ever way I choose when time allows in the future.

In my head I have my historical Christmas thoughts on the cards. Then in another section of the journal I plan to have rectangular tags that relate to the present Christmas, with the possibility of expanding it for the future perhaps with round tags for 2012 and so on. Well that is the plan at the moment anyway.

Journal Your Christmas 2011

2011-12-01T21:51:00.004Z

For the past couple of weeks, I have been jotting down memories about my childhood Christmas. I then found that I was taking photographs and jotting down details of what I'm up to this year. I had some sort of journal planned in my head, but I wasn't quite sure where I was going with it.

So it came as a surprise to myself that I decided to sign up for Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas. You receive daily prompts & downloads for the duration of December and into early January - I guess I can call it a gift to myself.

I plan to use this to add dimension to my own journal. I don't want to get bogged down doing something similar to everybody else. Instead I will use the prompts to "season" my own journal.

More Christmas Cards

2011-11-27T13:08:00.002Z

And the 2011 Christmas Card creations continue with these three.

The dove was embossed using the Cuttlebug.

The second was cut using the Cricut, with an embossed background.

The bottom card I have stamped using a Papertrey clear stamp.

Decorated Hearts

2011-11-26T16:25:00.003Z

Some time ago, I mentioned I'd picked up some plain brown hearts from my local craft store. Here are a couple of them decorated.

Sleeps Till Christmas - Part 2

2011-11-22T21:23:00.003Z

And here is the finished item. I cut the title using one of my Cricut carts. Thanks to Hubby for drilling the holes and screwing in the hooks.

Last night I took it over to our friends house. She was thrilled with it - her boys, who I had actually made it for were far more interested in their little bags of chocolate coins - that's kids for you.

Sleeps till Christmas - Part 1

2011-11-22T21:17:00.004Z

The third stage was coating in paper. I used paper from last years My Mind's Eye Colourful Christmas collection. I then applied stickybacked pearls and diamond bling.
Once the paint had dried I then decided to apply the double sided sticky tape.
A friend of mine had seen a completed Kaisercraft "Sleeps till Christmas" tree. I offered to make one for her as she is not a crafter.

I got the Kaisercraft chipboard tree from www.craftisland.co.uk.

In this photo I was busy painting the tree - at this stage I was not sure if I would be covering it in paper or not.

Christmas Cards Again

2011-11-13T22:40:00.001Z

Here are some more Christmas card creations made this weekend.

Pure & Simple

2011-11-13T19:26:00.002Z

I love the colour combo of the inside of a kiwi fruit - it's such a pure fresh shade of green.

I love to eat mine with a teaspoon - a bit like you do with a boiled egg (and of course it's good for the diet too). How do you eat yours?

Remembrance Sunday

2011-11-13T09:25:00.003Z

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.

Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

we will remember them.

Christmas Cards

2011-11-12T20:19:00.002Z

So here are a few more cards I've been creating the past couple of days. As you can see it's been a bit of a production line with the Christmas tree images - I just love it!

Shop Finds

2011-11-12T19:17:00.002Z

I found these cute little wooden Christmas decorations in my local Lidl store - 99p for two decorations. I thought they'd be ideal to dress up and use on fancy gift tags for those special little people in our life.

Scrap 365 is in d' house!

2011-11-10T20:22:00.003Z

I'm very excited as I've taken delivery of the first issue of Scrap365. I've only had a quick flick through it, but it is looking like it should be a good mag. Fingers crossed that this one lasts longer than six months.

And yes, there's more!

2011-11-10T19:39:00.003Z

So here are a few more of my 2011 Christmas Card Creations - can't you tell I'm loving my new Papertrey stamps

Christmas Card Production Line

2011-11-10T19:35:00.002Z

Well the Christmas card production line has commenced. I'm surrounded by envelopes, cardstock, stamps and lots of lovelyness. Here are some of what I've been up to.

Another Weekly Weigh In

2011-11-10T19:32:00.002Z

Well this week I have been reasonably good, so I was expecting a bigger loss than the one I actually got. I lost 1.5lbs this week so in three weeks I have lost half a stone, which I guess is good when looked at that way - so why do I feel disappointed this week?

Weekly Weigh-in

2011-11-02T22:04:00.002Z

Last night I had my weekly weigh-in. Taking all things into consideration I had had an alright week on the food front. I'd had a couple of things that I shouldn't have while at a party and also a few glasses of wine.

Fortunately the scales recognised my efforts with a reward of a 3lb loss. So now I just have to replicate it this coming week!

Getting Seasonal

2011-11-01T07:40:00.002Z

I'm in the process of making Christmas Card designs that can be created by a newbie to crafting or somebody with more advanced skills in preparation for a demo on Wednesday. No easy task!

So I then thought about squares of paper and the possibility of using wrapping paper or even old cards cut down so that cards can be produced with minimal expense. Although the paper I've used is not gift wrap it shows how effective the design can be. The top card is a stamped image mounted on blue paper. More to follow soon.

Twin Cards

2011-10-30T09:30:00.003Z

Today we're attending a first birthday party for twin girls. I realised looking at the stamps and stash that I have - and there is an awful lot of it! That very little of it is geared towards children. I guess this is due to where I am in my life. Our own children have grown up and grand children are not on the horizon - to my knowledge, and also only a couple of our friends have young children too, so I guess there has never been the need to purchase them.

Anyway, after a lot of searching, I came across a set of clear stamps that I think were made by Kanban. The background paper is from one of those pads that come free from a magazine, which I think was designed by My Mind's Eye.

It's a "heart" thing!

2011-10-29T18:17:00.003+01:00

I seem to be a collector of hearts. Obviously I am not talking about the emotional or pumping blood type but the ornamental ones that seem to be gathering in my house.

Anyway, I thought I'd share these with you, that I picked up at the local "Strikes" garden centre craft section. They're 50p each and have a depth of approximately half an inch with a width on the widest heart of 3"

I'm going to have to get busy decorating these as samples for a demonstration I'm giving to the WI group. Finished items to follow soon.

Shopping & Cooking

2011-10-29T18:09:00.003+01:00

Well it's been a busy day today. Hubby and I headed off to Cheshire Oaks Outlet Village, as he needed ski jacket & trousers. Obviously there were a few hand bag shops and it would have been rude not to get one. Ooops - or should that be two! So we returned home happy with our purchases.

I'm still on track with the diet. I even managed to get a jacket potato for lunch while out today, so on the whole all is good.

We're visiting friends this evening and I've had a quick baking session. Banana and Chocolate Muffins and a Lemon Sponge cake too. They smell fantastic. I hope they will taste as good.

Day Two

2011-10-27T22:44:00.004+01:00

It's the end of day two and I have celebrated with a glass of wine. Half way down the glass I was feeling very tipsy! As my Hubby says "I'm a cheap date" - I rarely have a lot to drink.

I have not scale hopped but I feel thinner. I know that's daft when I'm only two days down but that's the way I feel.

At Fat Club this week, Ann talked about treating ourselves with something that we can eat. So I tested this by buying some plums - a fruit I very rarely buy, but these were lovely and really did feel like a treat.

I guess what I need to learn is that a treat does not have to have the word "Cadbury's" on it!

Inspiration

2011-10-26T21:47:00.002+01:00

This evening I sat watching Kirstie's Homemade Britain, where she talked about Book Sculpture, along with other things. You could say I was inspired!

Although I didn't have any old books to hand, I did have my paper scrap box and a one inch round punch. I set about punching out multiple circles, grabbed the glue and made these little coloured paper pom-poms.

I also stamped a few gift tags too.

Getting Creative

2011-10-26T19:05:00.003+01:00

October is a busy month for family and friends birthdays, so it made a nice change to make a "new home" card. I really like the way the card turned out. Sometimes simple is best!

The background cherry paper is a piece of scrapbook paper by Melissa Frances. I think the stamp came in a set from L'il Davis and of course it is mounted on some black Bazzill cardstock.

Day One!

2011-10-26T07:59:00.003+01:00

So it's day one of "the new regime" and I'm feeling positive.

Breakfast is out of the way and I know what I'm doing for lunch. Thank goodness satsumas are in the shops. I love them and I'll be able to take one as a treat when I'm in need of a sugar hit mid afternoon.

Back to Basics

2011-10-25T23:20:00.005+01:00

If you have visited recently, you will have noticed that I've deleted all my old posts and I have been absent for many months.

My life is busy now that I'm working full time and time to indulge in crafting seems short. One thing that has not changed is the lack of control I have over my weight. It seems to see-saw back and forth. So I've decided to set myself a mini target of half a stone in the next four weeks - this should be easily achievable.