Christmas

It's Boxing Day evening and here I sit in my new t-shirt, cuddled up with my gentleman, very content. An empty tin of Roses sits between us, we had turkey & stuffing sandwiches for lunch, then turkey risotto for tea. A clear sign it is the day after Christmas.

We went for a walk around Roundhay Park today, second year in a row, perhaps it'll become a Boxing Day tradition of ours :) With all the children happy with their presents, the family came round for a lovely Christmas dinner, and me spoilt like never before I feel like the luckiest woman right now.

A very merry Christmas to all reading this. I hope you were as spoilt, as happy, as lucky as me, and are also feeling Christmas cheer & slight indigestion ;) Roll on 2014!

Over Eager Parent

So today is the day, it's Ellie's first play ever and she's going to be a little Reindeer. Can't wait, it's in 4 hrs! I have my camera charged and now trying to concentrate on uni assignments before I go!

I never knew I was one of those OTT, with camera at the ready, getting there early, beaming from ear to ear parents until recently. Lol I feel fit to burst to tell people that she's going to be in a play, I even told the lady at Morrisons check out this morning. Thankfully she didn't leave me hanging and she got a little bit excited for me...probably forgotten now though.

It's also her last day of nursery this year and I really need to remember nursery etiquette for next Christmas as this year I was caught off guard. She's got more Christmas cards than me! So last night we sat down and each time I wrote her friends a card, she would draw them a little picture on the inside. I asked what each picture was, and strangely she was in the mood to draw volcanos in each one apart from one who got a zig-zag line. Very festive! Next year I will be armed with a bumper pack of cards and have them all ready to bring to nursery on time. Also get something better for the staff than chocolate, they must get lots of boxes!

SIX DAYS TO GO FOLKS! *cough* 4 days till my birthday!! I have to wrap presents still and then I'm done. Simon intends to practice the xmas meal starter this weekend, he has mushroom soup in mind....he's going out drinking and xmas shopping on Saturday, place your bets on if he will still want to make mushroom soup with a hangover on Sunday morning? - Needless to say I bought prawns for a prawn cocktail just incase ;)

This time next week I will be tidying the house, eating xmas leftovers, relaxing, and hopefully feeling very happy that all went well. A couple of quiet days before we head to Wales to celebrate New Year with my fiance's lovely family

Daydreaming of Cork

;) Double take anyone?

So today I find myself half way through an assignment when my brain wanders on to the subject of cork. Currently I sell cork photo coasters and have made lots recently and enjoy making them. I first thought of these as a side line to my shop, but they have become the main sellers over Christmas https://www.etsy.com/listing/171332862/photo-coaster-set? Who can resist when Ellie's baby face is promoting them hehe.

Annnyway, so I was thinking ahead to expanding the range and my mind has gone into over drive! I didn't consider holidays like Easter, Valentine's Day, Halloween etc when I opened my shop. But everyone likes quirky new things at the best of times and people tend to go crazy in the holidays. So I'm planning ahead for Valentine's day now. But also working on two new projects for items to add to the sensory toys too. Not quite sure where I find the time, though I think my tired eyes and reluctance to get up in the morning tells me it's usually in the late hours of the evening and night....or when I'm supposed to be writing assignments!

Its 15:39 now and it's getting dark outside, I have half an hour before I do the nursery run. Hoping that she didn't exert herself quite as much today as yesterday, so we can avoid grumpy tantrums about moving a chair in the kitchen, as this is what happened last night. Two year old's are wonderful aren't they.

Child tries to move chair - chair doesn't move - child ends up crying hysterically (she's tired, but you can't tell her that) - results in Mummy pretending to flex her muscles before heaving the chair up like Superman in the hope that the tears stop - and that time they did. Phew!

Unfortunately there is no photo for this story, but I'm sure you can all imagine how ridiculous I looked!!

It's been 6 days since my last....

I have missed writing on my Blog, I have been so busy with The Blossoming Workshop, assignments, and Christmas that I have neglected it a little bit. My apologies!

So it's a week until Christmas, can you believe it, how fast has this year gone, bringing with it many ups and downs, interesting, and fun moments, and the best moment of all when I got engaged. Though tomorrow may come close, my Ellie is going to be a Reindeer in her first Christmas play at Nursery! *heart melts* Oh boy am I excited, can you tell? I feel I am babbling, or on the verge of loosing my train of thought with silly gibberish speak.

-grabs hold of self-

Isn't it wonderful when fun comes from the most unexpected moments! There I was wrapping up some orders to send, carefully snuggling them up in bubble wrap, when Ellie takes a sheet off the table and looks at it with great curiosity. I suddenly remember when I was little one birthday my mum put a bubble wrap sheet with 'Happy Birthday' written on it outside the door to the room all my presents were in. I had to jump and pop the bubble wrap before I could go in, it was so much fun! So we did it there and then, no Happy Birthday paint, but a good jump around on a big piece of bubble wrap, and she and I loved it!

Needless to say the piece of bubble wrap isn't able to protectively wrap anything anymore! :)

Have some unplanned fun and silliness yourself, I'm sure the benefits will be listed on some scientific fact sheet somewhere

Pink & orange sky

Today:

- Walked to nursery with Ellie under the pink and orange sky as she pretended to be an aeroplane & encouraged me to do the same, obviously I obliged and had a great time.

- Did a whole assignment at uni from start to finish.

- Picked Ellie up from nursery early & had a happy evening together.

- Began my newest customer order, and really enjoyed making it.

- Had a phone call with my marvellous fiance.

- Now watching a film, having a glass of wine, & eating chocolate.

A truly marvellous day. If you haven't had such a perfect day today, I wish you one tomorrow. After a crazy busy week with some pretty upsetting moments, todays perfection came out of the blue and calmed me throughout. I hope for more pink and orange sky in the morning. xxx

Christmas Dinner List

Right-o feel free to comment, add, shout if I've forgotten anything pleeease!

• Stuffing
• Onions
• 1 Lemon
• Potatoes
• Sprouts
• Parsnips
• Peas
• Carrots
• Pigs in blankets (sausages in bacon)
• Gravy
• Cranberry Sauce
• Tin foil (to use, not to eat)
• Chestnuts (not my thing, but t'other half likes them)
• Brandy butter
• Christmas Pudding
• Chocolate Yule log
• No Christmas Cake, last year it stayed in the cupboard until August this year, when it met its demise in the bin
• Mince Pies
• Chocolates
• Crackers
• Drinks: juice/ sparkling stuff/ alcohol

Then I still need to get:

• Crackers
• Napkins
• Candles
• Streamers!

......

and the TURKEY!!!!!

Oh I'm so excited! Can you tell, I've said it quite often. Seriously need to get more decorations to quench my Christmassy feeling. Fake snow too much? Possibly... but the kids would love it hehe. I'll post photos of the chaos in T minus 16 days!! Or maybe 17 if I'm slightly distracted on the big day! (P.S. that is not a pic of my house or table, I WISH!)

Skittles: moreish, yet sickening

Wow I feel like I have neglected my Blog over the weekend with being so busy! But I'm back, ta-da!

So what's happened to me this weekend, well we had all the girls over, went to the Huddersfield Light Festival, which was fab. I recommend you go if you ever get the chance. It didn't start till 5 with the lights but it was well worth such a late trip out and the girls had a great time dancing to the music, watching the light shows, and eating pizza made fresh in a pizza oven from scratch. I could have eaten delicious food from any one of those stalls, but money is a little tight with it being nearly Christmas.

Christmas! Yup, this year I am making Christmas dinner again, this time for 6 people. Only my second year of doing it, but I'm so excited. We got a 'new' extendable dining table from a charity shop so we wont all have to cramp around the tiny circular table we had before. And I am now on a mission to find a pack of 6 placemats, its hard! They come in 4's, so I could buy 8 easily, but 6 is a struggle. Maybe I'll just have to make them myself :)

Skittles, moreish yet sickening. I am sitting writing my shopping list including a list for the Christmas food, while eating a share bag of skittles. Time to close them before I barf!

I will post my Christmas day shopping list so if I've missed anything perhaps you passers by can tell me so I don't forget a vital ingredient on the day.

I could babble on all night, I do enjoy this Blogging lark!

Mummy, you're my best friend

The best words to hear my little Elliephant say to me!

A day of very strong winds, public transport delays, not enough food, uni, and continued cold weather. I was so happy to pick Ellie up from nursery and get home. We got the duvet downstairs and watched The Rescuers Down Under, she loved it. At bed time we had a made half hour being totally silly tickling, playing peek-a-boo, singing, cuddles, and then "Mummy, you're my best friend." I think my eyes lit up and I gave her the biggest cuddle. Tomorrow is our day of fun again, can't wait till she wakes up.....so long as its after 7.30am hehe.

I said I'd share with you the image of the Christmas decorations at the local pub, shame this year you can see the ceiling, but still a bit more bling than I'd have in my own front room.

Tonight I've been doing very little apart from sitting watching TV and having so many ideas for my shop. I have begun a list, perhaps if I make a couple of prototypes for each I may drum up more interest, I know they're good gifts, it's just the internet is a big place and I only have a tiny shop. But the word "Blossoming" suggests that it will grow into something beautiful in time. Just needs nurturing, caring for and tending to. I'm enjoying doing it very much.

www.etsy.com/shop/BlossomingWorkshop

Creativity vs funds

I feel a little dis-heartened today. Maybe it's lack of sleep, or I've run out of energy I'm not sure. I think maybe if I write a little I may feel better, even if no one is reading the blog yet.

It is coming up to the end of my 3rd week having an Etsy shop and I have received orders but not in the steady roll I was hoping for. Perhaps I was a little ambitious and I know I am a little too excited to make things. But I have to hold off while orders are slow as my money wont stretch if there's not much coming in. Aha!! I think I've just identified the cause behind my lull in mood. I really want to make and create, but I need to calm down and respond to demand.

I am doing lots of promoting, I think I should do leaflets or business cards, but these also cost!

Maybe a little too ambitious huh, but as it is my first shop I didn't know what to expect. Let that be a lesson to me :)

I think this afternoon requires cake, a big slice of cake, and then a very very rare evening out with some friends. My lovely mum is coming to babysit and off I'll stroll to the local pub, I'll try get a few pics as it is always decorated to the extreme for Christmas, some years you can't see the ceiling!

Ahh I feel better for taping my thoughts out on the keyboard, and promising myself cake.

Thanks for reading whoever you may be :) if anyone does lol.

Bird Song

So the bustle of a Monday morning was non existent today, did I get up extra early, or have a day off? Nope... I slept in by an hour, woke up a happy 2 year old who ate her breakfast without the usual slow sleepy pace, and then played in the garden until the taxi arrived. I thought I'd order a taxi instead of walking - "it'll be quicker," I was wrong. But still it turned out lovely in the end.

I worked on assignments at home, and promoted my shop by all the media forms I could think of. I also came up with new ideas. But I have to hold back as funds are low and I need to make back some of the money I've already spent :( However maybe a few prototypes during the Christmas holidays will quench my thirst.

At the end of a full day spent inside in front of the computer I can get a bit anxious to go out. It used to bother me, some days it still does. Today was one of the days where it did just a little. But I wrapped up and walked the 15 mins to Ellie's nursery. It was busy on the roads, but once I got on to one of the back streets it was quite quiet and I heard a really loud bird, I don't know what it was, I'm not knowledgable about bird song. But it reminded me of going walking in the countryside when I was little and how much I loved it. There's not any proper countryside near where we live, not within walking distance anyway. It made me think about what I give to my daughter, I hope she has fond memories of being little. Perhaps this blog will be a nice thing to look back on, and my shop will grow to contribute nicely to her future. Those are some of my hopes conjured up on route to the nursery.

Feeling quite calm, happy and thoughtful, I think I'll have good dreams tonight...and hopefully wake on time. Sweet dreams.

New Product Launched Today!

1st of December, another new product!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/171332862/personalised-cork-coasters

These are fun to make, and a unique and personalised gift for everyone! So proud of my little shop :)

We've had such a wonderful weekend here. Christmas has arrived: Christmas Tree is up, decorations are plenty, the kids saw Santa yesterday and what did they wish for? A purple present, and a new yoyo. So cute! Then today Santa delivered a letter down the chimney for each of them to say that they were on the nice list and their presents are being made at the North Pole. Christmas is magical with little ones isn't it!

Merry Christmas one and all! Lots of Love xx

Mummy's & Ellie's Day of Fun!

Shopping for tinsel, cake eating, bought advent Calendars, and painted a BIG picture, including painting round our feet.  Wonderful end to the week :)

...Oh and I got Monty Python tickets!!!

Addicted!

Ok I admit it, I am addicted to chocolate. Not just a little bit, I have a routine. Every night after the small human goes to bed, I get the chocolate out and have a cup of tea without fail. BUT if there's no chocolate in the house I think about chocolate, go hunting for chocolate, find substitutes to chocolate e.g. hot chocolate, biscuits with chocolate chips in them, chocolate sauce its ridiculous!

Mmmmmm chocolate chocolate chocolate...... tonight was one of those nights where I went hunting. It was only when I found Hobnobs at the back of the cupboard that the nagging thought of "find chocolate" vaguely disappeared.

I am going to the shops tomorrow morning and buying chocolate!!!!!

Oh actually not until after I have tried to buy Monty Python tickets. I'm so excited I might not sleep I missed out earlier in the week, I need to get these. Then chocolate!

Tomorrow is MUMMY & ELLIE'S DAY OF FUN! Every Friday we have the day together, this week we have a massive piece of thick paper to paint, she has the job of choosing all the tinsel her little heart desires, and we're getting our hair cut. A fun filled day. Pics to follow :)

Have a fab Friday!!

A Good Cause

Currently suffering from a headache thanks to the glue sealant I'm using for my next addition to the shop. Oh I'm so excited, my brain is buzzing with ideas and I am using every spare evening to create things alongside working on my assignments.

This week I saw a post about a poorly little boy who's parents are raising money for a charity called Clic Sargent, this is the link:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=Luke-Wendy-ClicSargent 

I decided I'd message them and see if their little boy would like a free personalised toy with his name on it. They said yes, his favourite colours are red and blue and I am creating his toy over the next few weeks. Feels really good to be making this for a little boy who has been through so much. Fingers crossed they get the good news they're hoping for before Christmas!

Head on over, give a little something to a fantastic cause, then sit back happily knowing Christmas is just around the corner!

Lots of love to you all!

OUCH!!

So in January this year I gave my fiance his birthday present, an experience pass to go clay pigeon shooting. We finally went yesterday! Never been before, but I want to go again! I'm not a lover of fighting or shooting animals or anything like that, but shooting bright discs out of the sky is lots of fun.

Was I actually any good??.......well.......I shot 4 clays out of 25, sounds poor I know, but those 4 were from the Olympic standard range. I couldn't shoot any of the standard shoot clays, how daft is that! Perhaps that means I was very lucky, or perhaps I'm just a higher class of marksman than the men that were there. (I prefer the latter.)

As a result of shooting I have a lovely brown-blue bruise on the top of my right arm, and feel like I've broken the top of my back from the rebound of the gun - is that even what you call it. Next time i'll wrap a pillow round my arm. So that's OUCH 1.

I burnt my hand on the oven tray as I got the sausages out for lunch. OUCH 2.

Nearly two weeks ago now I switched the sofas round in the living room, they do look better now and are more comfortable when there's more of us sitting down to watch TV. But I pulled the sofa, and managed to sprain my wrist, not coming across as a very sturdy woman am I! It still hasn't healed, OUCH 3.

On the other hand, I used a glue gun this week on my new products that have just gone up for sale on www.etsy.com/shop/BlossomingWorkshop and I didn't burn myself, I used my new craft scissors and didn't cut myself, and I did a lot of sewing and didn't pierce myself. Hooray!

A painful yet productive and fun week! I imagine I may have jinxed myself now uh oh!

By the way, harmless plugging, check out my new products on my shop!! :) 

FIRST SALE!!

Wahooo! First sale within the last half an hour. *Does a little dance.*

So excited, all wrapped and ready to send, plus the free gift for my first lucky customer :) 

Christmas!

Boo hiss, I hear some of you cry "it's only November!"

But tonight, Christmas began here, the Christmas lights got switched on in town with donkey rides, clowns, singers, riders, a hog roast, fake snow, Father Christmas, and of course Christmas lights! (Though they didn't all work) hehe.

We had so much fun, my little Ellie is sleeping peacefully now after being wow'd by the fireworks, and having been up since 6.30am!

Who knew Father Christmas was from Yorkshire too, he had a very broad accent. We even saw him walking round Morrisons later on, strange!

Oh I've spoken too soon, she's woken up and is complaining that she doesn't have her star wand that she got at the celebrations.

Sleep well! Tomorrow is another fun packed day, it's 'Mummy & Ellie's Day of Fun.' I have neither work nor uni. I love Fridays :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Paint hair day

Back from the nursery run to find I've gone there, to the shops, and back with white acrylic paint in my hair! Marvellous, the joys of doing craft work in the afternoon and not checking the mirror before I left the house.

Isn't imagination a wonderful thing, sometimes I'm lost for ideas, but not my 2 1/2 year old, she made voices for her feet this evening and proceeded to walk her feet up and down my leg talking to me. And the other day, she ran through the park with her arms out behind her shouting "Weeeee, I'm a supermarket!" (superhero mix up i think ;) ) Then my imagination put a cape on her back, and a big Superman 'S' on her chest. Might have to photoshop that!

Bed time for little one now, then I have more painting to do, more craft work on the next addition to the shop, and maybe eat an entire chocolate orange to myself. Oh and write more on my next uni assignment. Sleep will come quickly once my head hits the pillow!

New Stuff!

Making new things for the shop, I should really go to bed but I'm painting & then have to clean up the paint that I have managed to get everywhere including my nose!

I want to take an "in the making" photo, but the table is just a mess. Maybe I'll take an artsy one in the morning and put it up.

*Free gift for my first customer on etsy* www.etsy.com/shop/BlossomingWorkshop

Cannot wait till my first sale!

Shop review!!

The shop was reviewed for the first time today, take a look:

http://theadventuresofjackjack.wordpress.com/2013/11/18/the-blossoming-workshop/

It's a lovely Blog by a fellow mummy. Oh I'm so excited :)

I've ordered more materials and craft bits and bobs to get cracking on new ideas. Somehow I have managed to complete a Uni assignment early amongst all this madness. I think chocolate and little drink are well deserved tonight!

The Beginning!

Hello!

Oh I'm so excited to be sharing this with you. These last two weeks have been pretty busy. I have been wracking my brains for months trying to figure out what my 'thing' was going to be after I finish uni.

You see, my fiance (Simon) and I are moving in together finally in June, and thanks to the wonders of finances, we'll be better off with me not working until our littlest starts school. But I'm not comfortable not earning anything for us, my biggest problem is how can I treat Simon with his own money?!

So what to do, nail design? Voluntary work? P/t in a shop? I liked these ideas, but they didn't click properly. Then Ta-Da! I came up with The Blossoming Workshop idea. Creating Sensory toys for babies, toddlers, and those with learning difficulties. I could start the idea now, not wait till the end of uni, I can do it from home, I can make presents and prototype toys that our daughters can try out. It'll be fun most of all and something that I can expand and really put my enthusiasm into.

In the last two weeks I have set up a shop on Etsy.com (www.etsy.com/shop/BlossomingWorkshop), bought in supplies to begin the gift making, made a Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest board. And the final beautiful addition is this blog!

Please stick with me, I'll be blogging about the development of my little shop, and anything else I fancy having a little natter or moan about along the way. As I'm half way through my last degree year at Uni, planning our wedding, organising a house move, and being full time mummy, along side this business venture. I'm sure I wont be short of things to babble on about.

Lots of Love!