Happy, Happy, Happy New Year.

Excited much? My baby girl got engaged! Sian is now affianced to Dan and so now both our daughters are prospective brides. I cannot stop the tears of joy. Parents just want happiness for their children and me and Mr H couldn't be more pleased.

That lovely news made up for the fiasco that I had (not) planned for our Hogmanay - just me & Mr H at home. Quaffed the bubbly stuff and had planned to send up a Chinese lantern which I had painted with our hopes for the family for 2011. It was awkward to ignite but after about 5 muns the whole thing caught fire!!! Hopes went up in flames; Mr H roaring with laughter and me gutted. The moral being never to try anything mildly complicated after a bottle of Cordonui. Another year older but no wiser, so what's new?

I made a card with my new stash and the old stash that I have unpacked. It is for Clare's Challenge on the Docrafts site.

I used the free stamps and embossing folder which came with Issue 25 of the Docrafts Creativity magazine. Heat embossed the stamp with holographic powder and coloured with Promarkers. Used my new Martha Stewart doily lace punch for the 'ribbon' and Coredinations cardstock and Honey & Hugs paper. Just had to add my flowers which I made using new PM flower punches and jewels from the Anitas 3mm jewel wheel.

For those who are observant I also bought a watermark and have been instructed on how to use it from Lynne Salmon. I have a link to her site in my sidebar if you want to pop over! She was very kind to take the trouble to help me and increase my ability with technology. Lynne deserves my heartfelt thanks!

I am away to make a card for Sian and Dan; I hope Mo has a suitable digi! Cheerio for now and the very warmest of wishes for an inspirational 2011, Hazel x

A nice surprise!

On Christmas Eve I had a lovely surprise as the German Glitter Glass from Meyer Imports which I won in a blog candy draw arrived from America. I have taken pictures but they simply do not capture the bedazzling colours adequately.

The colours are, from the top, Red, Copper, Gold, Pale Yellow-green, Pale Blue, Violet, Black, White and Silver and they are sumptuous. I thought I would have to pat down Sian when she left because she loved them in their cunning wee bottles. I did offer to give them to her but she does not craft and said it was better that I kept them to use!

Huge thanks to Jon Meyer; I have a link to his blog and to a UK distributor of the product in my sidebar - not that I am doing this for gain but because I was so thrilled to have been chosen to receive this gorgeous gift.

While this gift came all the way from the USA in time for Christmas Day, I still await a present for Morgan which was apparently dispatched from Bradford on 30th November and is in a 'backlog', also apparently. I have never had problems with Internet shopping until this incident and had to buy an alternative gift. I wonder how long the backlog is expected to be - if it arrives before July she can have it for her birthday!

It was disappointing but was only a small glitch in our festivities....... it is so quiet now that they have all gone back to their homes. Our children are loaned to us for such a small period of time and I am so proud of the two wonderful young women they have become but sometimes I have a sentimental wish that they were the little girls they once were, just for a wee while! I am getting all mushy because 'Mary Poppins' is on in the background and 'Feed the Birds' is being sung. I used to sing this for my sisters when we were young and I sang it to my two when they were small so it always puts me in a reminiscent frame of mind!

With tears dripping on the keyboard and the sound of Julie Andrews, I will say cheerio for now.

Hazel x

Well, another Christmas Day, St Stephens Day and Boxing Day have passed and now we have Hogmanay to look forward to and 2011 to see in. I have had little chance to do anything except celebrate and I have not even had a chance to play with my pressies yet. Well, a little play - Morgan gave me a Japanese doll kit and I spent some of yesterday and some of today painting and decorating them. I ventured out to the town today as our kettle needed to be replaced - developed a leak - and it was pandemonium trying to get onto the Retail Park - my daughter reckoned it was the allure of the Next sale and sure enough all the traffic seemed to be heading there - I got a new energy efficient kettle which met with Mr H's approval, although he was unable to come out with us due to prior commitments watching footie on the TV.

Here are the Kokeshi I decorated.

They are similar in size to the Momiji dolls and the paint in the kit was a bit rubbish so I used my own and rather than use the decals provided I painted on the faces and the other bits. I think it looks better and I love the little cuties I have called Cherry-Cherry, China Blue, Smiles and Flower.

I have got some card ideas fomenting for the New Year, so bring on 2011.

Best wishes, Hazel x