My Week

This Week I have struggled mentally to cope day to day so I am having to break my day up into sections and morning till lunch, nap, dinner, evening with the wee one and bedtime its the only way I can get through the day.

My eldest son is at the moment in a young offenders institution for breaking his curfew he was place on September last year, he faces his trial on Monday so it is all coming to a head and I am really feeling it.

I have came to rely on him so much and I miss him incredibly day to day without him is unreal and bedtimes are the worst when you lie awake thinking about him alone in a cell just hard.

But Ian and Jayden and Jordan's friend Scott went to visit him last night and all said he looks well and I spoke to him for 10mins on the phone on Monday night and he has said he is doing well, the other boys on the wing are cool and have been helping him with cigarettes until his day to go to the shop (he has been now mind you) So I am pleased hes coping well enough its hard all round.

So to keep me with my thoughts busy I have been crafting little and often, a lot of stamping sentiments and cutting them down to size. so when I am making cards I have the sentiments stamped ready to go.

I really need to try catalogue my stamps better especially my sentiments and am thinking of maybe a notebook and number system (I am storing them all in SU clear cases now) so thinking stamp the sentiments in the notebook and number next to it with what stamp set it is in.

I hope that this would work, we will try it and see x 

Also placed another order for some more SU goodies and received and order from Jo's Price Designs

Will post the stuff I have got from Jo first

I love this pad and so country cottage feeling just perfect for backgrounds and for home decor projects

These pads by Grace Taylor are a perfect thickness for envelopes they are beautiful and so pretty x 

I already have a few of her pads but this one I love the blue tones in it xx

This is a newer pad from First edition I have a lot of their pads as I love the thickness x I feel in love with first edition when I purchased a few pads in Ireland a number of years ago and since then I have been addicted lol x and I love this one as it is girly but not too pinky girly if that makes sense x 

Another of my MUST haves x I actually bought 2 of these in 8x8 as I love that size for my cards and smaller projects also its not as "precious" as a 12x12 lol x 

Another staple in my craftroom silver mirror card I love this for word dies and small elements.

I have bought a paper from SU over SAB with hot air balloons and havent really used it much as I dont have anything to go with it and I am not going to have a need for a lot of this style to warrant buying the full suite from SU so this was a perfect compromise plus I love the heart in the center as I can then use that on other projects x 

I though "wrongly" I needed this ink pad as I like memento dewdrops for sentiments sometimes I have tuxedo black, london fog and I thought I had a light brown and purchased this but I already had it bummer x so this will be in a happy mail for someone soon no doubt x 

These are 3,6 & 10mm gemstones I love these for flower centers and for adding to cards also love that I can hand colour them with my alcohol markers so they match my projects I bought 2 packs of each as I never want to be without my bling haha x 

Now for my SU Goodies I have ordered this week 

A Little Wild Bundle thought these would be uber cute as gift tags for new borns x 

A must have for all crafters really and the font is wicked.

So many samples on the net using this set that I NEEDED it lol x 

I wasnt overly taken with this one but the dies are lovely and I think for the stamps they are versatile enough to be of good use.

This one I literally had in and out of my basket more than you would know as I kept thinking "hmm not really me" but I eventually decided to go with it and I am SO pleased I did have watched a few cards made using it and I love it and this it will be WELL used lol 

This one is just simply beautiful it was a design made by the lovely Patty Bennett

to celebrate her million dollar sales milestone and the story behind it is beautiful (I have linked Patty's blog post about the set above)

I also love that it is not a set targetted to one ribbon you could amend this to any support ribbon which I love x 

Awesomely Artistic - just stunning SOOOO many projects to get inspired by through pinterest and google when you type in this set name

Birthday Blossom - Pretty font and I like the versatility of the set.

Another must have the hardwood background stamp

who doesnt love mermaids?? I love the idea of the silhouette going to have fun with this set x  

My wee buddy Amanda has used this set a lot over the past year and I have always liked it but never fully committed to its potential until I looked properly x defo a MUST have xx 

Another must have its a word that in my house is said often, I have taught both my boys to always repair rifts before sleep even if it is a case of I think we agree to disagree and just let it be, Ian my oh of 20yrs is the worst ever he NEVER says sorry well thats a lie but he doesnt use it nearly as often as he should he finds it a very hard word to say. But I think it is a must have 5 letters and can build a million bridges x 

just perfect background extras x

I have wedding invites to make for a family member

(Ian's cousins daughter) but we are all pretty close and I am honoured to make them although it has been a bit of a :O shock trying to get my head around what to make but hoping these dies will help as I have an idea in my head just need to get it out and on to card lol

I had a 50% off item and these just had to be it x £44.50 a lot of money but for what you are getting they are great and I am thinking monogram projects and cards so I am sure they will be well used x 

Another layering set x perfect for me as I love my square cards especially at xmas time when I make SO SO many these will minimize measuring and cutting by hand x just run them all through the big shot ;) 

the lines to me look like waves and thought perfect for my mermaid :) also like the circles for tucking behind other layers etc x so think it will be handy

Other stuff I ordered was

DSP, Cardstock (a set for each family and the new incolour) 

Also some tear tape and glue dots, dimensional's.

Twine, Ribbon and Clips, and White Craft Pad, embossing powder and more stamp cases for my collection of clear and photopolymer I already own so I can fix them in to some sort of order.

and lastly water colour pencils I have my derwent watercolour and my derwent Inktense but having these in the SU colours will be useful.

I know that my shopping recently may seem extreme but..... my budget over the winter months and early spring is very very minimal and only essentials really so this is my time of year to stock up and put things away (like the adhesives and the cardstock)

anyway hope you have a good Thursday and all my UK friends get out and vote LABOUR for England and SNP for Scotland to keep TORIES out of number 10 x 

fingers crossed tomorrow morning will bring us a better future for the uk xx