An age old question. Well, a question anyway...

On Aunty's Forum one of the girls has come up with a question. It's a good question.

Fi asks "Is it just me that is fed up with seeing the same images on some of the blogs?", wanting to know if anyone else felt the same.

I'd have to agree with her. A lot of the work we see is no longer "original" per se, but just continuous rehashes of someone's original work. A kind of "well, that works, I'll copy it and tweak it and and and....". Which is fine. It's all well and good. But when you see endless repetitions and variations of the same thing, it can get a little tiresome. And oh how I know and understand that. We have our own version of it on Auntys, called the monthly challenge. When the challenge calls for "monochrome with one embellishment of a winter colour" or "at least two bows and two buttons", you're going to see a lot of similar work. The challenge then becomes being original within that theme. If everyone else is using ribbon to make their bows, make yours out of paper or stamp and emboss them. The trouble is, it gets tiring trying to be original.

Another problem is where one is looking - if you're searching for inspiration it can be hard. Though I guess that if you're going to go looking at a blog called "Tilda & Co", you ought to expect there to be a lot of Tildas, just as there will be lots of inchies on the Inchy by Inch (or is it Inch by Inchy?? ) blog. I love the Inspirational blog as they showcase such a lot of talent, and a lot of ORIGINAL art. But again, after a while the art on there can seem to meld into one big blur of gorgeousness.

I suppose there are some collage images that are done to death (like the Paper Artsy ones) but I admire everyone that can do that kind of work and get away with it - oops, I mean succeed at it cos I just can't quite do it (Yay - Rosie, and Esther & Ruth). I try to be artsy, but fail miserably 90% of the time. I'm rarely original enough to call myself an artist, just a bit artistic. At least, I think that's what that bloke called me.

But yes - to answer the question I'd agree wholeheartedly with Fi. Something new and trendy comes out and everyone jumps on the bandwagon - gotta have the latest thing! Be it Tilda or Sugar Nellie or Lizzie Kate. Next up will be Maggie - and whilst we are all cheering Sally very loudly on..... I hope I don't get sick of the sight of Maggie. Bless her two dimensional cotton socks. I've got my eye on the witch Maggie - but I'd really like to see Medieval Maggie and Tudor Maggie, and perhaps even a Maid Marion Maggie complete with longbow and arrows.......

Sally?

David Bailey, eat your heart out....

Woohooo!

This month my workplace ran a mini photo competition. I wasn't going to enter, as we have several extremely talented photographers, and I figured I didn't stand a hope in hell of winning anything. I mean, one of the guys does it as a professional hobby!!!

But I gave in and figured you've got to be in it to win it - and entered these bluebells, as per my earlier post....



and I got....

SECOND PRIZE!

No prize, just came second.... LOL

Ikea et al.

About ten days ago we ordered a mirrored wardrobe from Ikea. I'm pleased to announce that it turned up today, and it's doing fine. We were only going to put the frame together tonight, and do the doors tomorrow. However....

Just as I get sidetracked with my crafting and think "just one more... almost done....", so he just had to hang the doors.... He got a bit carried away. I pointed out to DH that the door stops really ought to go on the base runner BEFORE he screwed the runner to the cabinet as he wouldn't get them on afterwards. Except I was too late. Now he's taking the runner off to repeat but as per the instruction book....


(A little later - ok, a LOT later)

Am I so wrong to want to wield a carving knife in his general direction?

You watch. An hour from now, after he's had a relaxing time on the sofa, he'll be moaning about it being another late night. He wasn't going to hang the doors tonight. But he did.

Bravo.

We have mirrored wardrobes.

The one upside to it all is that at least the room seems bigger.....

Oh, and I can now hang all my clothes up - more space to buy more!

Inchy Saturday...

Well, at least it's not late!

Over on MagickDiva's blog, there's a link to her Inchy by Inch blog where she sets a challenge every Monday... This week is all about postal art, and here is my entry! There is also blog candy up for grabs courtesy of Nina at Purple Faerie and her blog can be found HERE ((((Ooh! Just learned how to do hyperlinks!!!! ROFL)))



I've basically used stamps, in a collage format, added 1" in stamped numbering (bottom right hand corner) and added a charm which is a pair of notes.... geddit?????? ROFL

I may just have a stab at the next one when Fi puts them up!

I've also added four more entries for the team challenge to Auntys Forum which are as follows. For once I'm going to pat myself on the back - these are good, even for me, and I seem to have ramped up my game a bit lately....to be honest, the photos don't really do these cards justice.

Funny Friday

Last night I re-discovered how much fun it can be to just sit on here in a chat room with a couple of mates and bottle of pear cider. Now we're at it again....

The trouble is that you have to be there to "get" it, as copying and pasting what gets said after the event just ain't funny any more. But I have as much of a laugh on line as I do in real life. Sometimes it's actually funnier - there's no preconceptions of what a person is going to be like, they just spout funny stuff and you find yourself falling off your chair, crying with laughter. At least, I hope everyone else does.

Otherwise I'm just another nutter.....

Wooooohooooo!!!!

We just went over the 1000 visitors mark!!!!!

Wooooohooooooo!!!!

Inspirational Cathy

Well, I had to come back on here and blog properly.

Another funny thing has happened. Kind of, though you as a reader may not think so. It's just one of THOSE things.

Every once in a while I think to myself "ooh, wonder what my fellow bloggers are blogging these days" and I hit one of the links over to the right to see what's up with my blogbuds. One thing usually leads to another, or as they say right here in blogland, one blog leads to another. So I went from Grendel to Bubba (you're going to try that in a mo, aren't you? See how I did it?) and from Bubba's blog I found the Scrappin' Rapper (yes really) which led to YouTube and I found Cathy Zielske. Except I didn't. I found some mad bird doing odd interviews and general humour plus a piss-take of Tom Cruise and Scrap Porn..... HEHEHEHEHEHE..... and eventually ended up back on her blog. I got there in the end. Her blog is linked to on the right - called "Bits & Pieces".

And I just want to say - Way to go, Cathy! You're an inspiration that us girls can do it just as well as Grendel and Bubba. We CAN take the mickey out of our hobby. We don't only have to blog what we've been doing and saying "what a good girl am I, here is my latest loorollpencilpotturnedintoacookiecutter."

Somewhere along the way I forgot who is me. Sorry Debs, it sounded funnier than "I am". And ME includes wit, humour, occasional rumbunctiousness, a most DEFINITE naughty side. Yes Debs, I'm referring to him.... And I REALLY really have to stop worrying about who is reading this. As long as it's not my other half, that is....LOL

So from now on, this blog is going to change. Oh yes, I'll still have my latest loorollpencilpotturnedintoacookiecutter, but I'll try and be funny with it. And if you don't like my particular brand of humour.... find another blog.

There.

I said it.

Now where is that photo of my loorollpencilpotturnedintoacookiecutter?


PS. Cathy - I hope you don't mind that I snagged your photo from your blog......!!!

Evening all!

Funny how time runs away with you, isn't it? Blink, and you miss everything. I last posted on Sunday. Now it's Thursday. How'd that happen???? LOL

I've finally got around to blogging the cards I made over the weekend. So here, for your delight and delectation, are the following!

First off the block is this 3D decoupage horse card. Very basic and simple, it's basically what it says on the tin. Layered onto some other card and then a whispy like affair that I can't for the life of me remember what it's called.... LOL. It's NOT Angel hair. At least, I don't think so... At any rate, it was a commission for a birthday at work! Woohoo...



Next up we have 4 Christmas cards. Yep, they're the usual 4 cards I make every month for SSCC. And as usual I've combined them with the Monthly Team Challenge on Aunty's Forum, which this month is all about Silhouettes.





Interesting point of note with these last two - the background behind the silhouette is made by wrapping an elastic band around a plain rubber brayer, and then inking the brayer with dye ink. A couple of passes across some plain white card and Voila! Instant desert scene complete with sand storm....

Baking Day

Yep. I'm crazy. Officially.

Tomorrow is my birthday. So what do I spend today doing? Baking! Well, I've done a lot of ironing and washing too, but I've been baking.

Why? I hear you ask..

Well, because I'm HR at my workplace. On birthdays we're expected to buy everyone in our office cakes. I'd rather bake them. And I'd feel bad if anyone got left out - which means that because I work with EVERYONE in the company, I have to provide cakes for 68 members of staff.... silly me....


Yesterday I made a batch of Tiffin, today I have done a second one and have also made two Bakewell Tarts. And I'm about to make a couple of sponges..... Tomorrow, because I really AM nuts, I'm making a couple of Jamaica Ginger Cakes, and some Chocolate Coconut Cake. Doolally, me.

Two pictures of Tiffin...





and my Bakewell (the second one was in the oven when I took this!



We've been invited round to my brother's place for dinner tonight, so that will be nice!!! At least that means I won't have to cook......

What a weekend that was!

Well, for starters, Saturday night we went (well, DH went and I got dragged along for the ride) to see Girls Aloud perform live at the Bournemouth Internation Centre (BIC for short). All I can say is - they were OK. The sound was a bit crap, so Nicola and Kimberley sounded a bit like Minnie Mouse when they sang, and I would like to say YAY! to Sarah who proved she has as big and as good a voice as Nadine. Cheryl - you need to eat, love.

Sorry the pictures are a bit crap, but I only had my camera phone with me, but here are a few choice shots from the gig.... as you can see - they started out suspended on wires above the stage. Quite spectacular, but ultimately utterly pointless!







On Sunday we went over to Corfe Castle in Dorset, had a look around the castle, then went onto Worth Matravers and took a walk down to Winspit followed off by stopping at Swanage before driving home. The weather was fantastic, as these pictures show.








I'd also like to wish my late Dad a very happy birthday for today - bless you Dad.