Jump cut....

I am not going to bore you with details (excuses, reasons etc) why I have not posted for so long, instead I am going to jump cut to today and get on with the business in hand.

I have just returned (got back 13 days ago) from a fabulous trip to the USA where I enjoyed some rest and relaxation, met up with some great crafting pals and did a little light shopping in the craft stores and the outlet fashion malls.

I could easily fill this post with pictures and lists of all the fabulous stuff I picked up but instead I think I would like to focus on one or two things and then maybe show the rest as I start to use it... so you can see what I bought and what I made with that product or item.


Now having said that, I have not  yet started to make anything at all with the things I brought back, but I am itching to share these fabulous goodies with you...so I am going to go ahead and do just that...and will have to come back later and share some projects I make with this gorgeous haul of goodies from Um Wow Studio. 

This is not my first lot of Um Wow goodies, but I love them so much I find myself being slightly stingy with how and when I use them...so I figured if I get some more I won't feel so bad  when I use them... and lets face it, they are too fabulous to just sit on my desk...
                                                         
I have been "slightly wiped" since we got back (and it did not help that the clocks went forward that very weekend) .. and we had a wonderful family wedding 7 days after we landed so I am not yet fully back into the swing of things...but I did get a couple of cards done and out this week... And this new home card  is the first of them.
Sadly the photo (which had  to be snapped really quickly because the deadline for completion of the card changed and I lost four days that I thought I had) does not show all the depth of colour and all the texture on this card - it really is one of those cards that cries out to be touched - but it was delivered to the new deadline and the recipient was thrilled so that is what really matters.

The weekend sprawls ahead filled with options and possibilities. Will I go to Ally Pally and mooch around the craft show or will I start organising the new stuff and putting it away, will I get all arty and inky ...or will I laze about and procrastinate?   Who knows, if I'm really good I could do all of the above

 Happy Friday"

Excuses, excuses... and I even forgot to publish this blog post from the start of the year - hopeless!

Don't you just hate it when people don't update their blogs for ages and then suddenly pop up full of apologies or excuses with  promises of regular posts and exciting new things to come?

I do...

 But as much as I hate it in others, sadly I still find myself in that group of neglectful bloggers. I am of course sorry I have neglected my blog, I even have some pretty neat excuses too... but they, along with promises, mean very little if I don't follow through and take action.

So as I move through 2015 I have decided that things must change.

I have plans for this year ...starting with a total overhaul of my craft room. At the moment it is a complete tip and looks like a tornado chased a hurricane through there five minutes before an earthquake.


It always make me smile when people say their craft room is mess and they must tidy it and then  a couple of hours later they post again with a picture of a room so tidy it hurts.

I am a realist and I know my craft room tidy is going to take a lot longer than few hours... it will take more than a few days...it might take a few weeks...but I am determined to tame some of the chaos and so I have enlisted help for the task. A little shame, along with the promise of some new and focussed storage, is a great motivator and so here is a carefully angled photo - a glimpse into my very messy work room.

Once I have 'sorted' the craft room, I have great plans....

 Last year I vowed to learn something new and I went on a few workshops to try things that were new to me. I had such fun and so I am determined to carry that through to this year as well and  I have started researching suitable workshops and retreats for 2015.

I also want to try to complete at least one project each month. That is my aim and I would like each project to be different from the one that went before...it is still a bit vague but the good intentions are there.

And finally ... since crafting can be a rather solitary pastime, I am determined to spend some time crafting with others... and have already arranged a stamping session here at my house for later this month. (because I know myself well enough to know that if I don't organise it straight away then life will get in the way of my plans and it won't happen!)

All of that will keep me busy so there will definitely not be daily blog posts, but I plan to schedule in weekly posts for now...to keep me honest.

That is me and my early plans for 2015. I'd love to know what are you planning for 2015?

Cxx