Sarah Youde

Cookies for Santa

Today has been busy to say the least, I really thought I could have a fairly relaxing Christmas Eve but it hasn't happened.  However, the Turkey is cooked, the Gammon is ready and the gravy for tomorrow is sitting in the fridge as I type - lovely :)
It is now 7.30pm on Christmas Eve and the kids are all in bed, including Mark who ate a pile of pate earlier and now seems to have food poisoning!  I hope he feels better soon as I have to wake him up at 9pm because there is no way I can get all the presents downstairs by myself.  I am sitting here with a nice glass of red wine and having an hour to myself before the mayhem begins.
I was more excited than the kids putting out our plate of food for Santa this year because I made a special plate for them.

I bought a cheap salad plate from Tesco and followed a tutorial on painting it with porcelain markers from the very talented Cathe Holden.  If you fancy making one the tutorial is here.

Passing Time

Where have the last few weeks gone?  It seems to have flown by, but then so has this whole year!  I have never know a year to pass so quickly.

Obviously, having Amy in our lives has changed things quite a lot and looking after a toddler again seems to take up all of my time (that with the usual cooking, washing, cleaning, school runs etc)  I just don't seem to get any time at all these days.  We also had the craft room built this year which made things a bit chaotic.  Apart from that I have barely even seen anyone, visited much or well, done anything!!  But it is worth it because Amy is the perfect addition to our little family.  One thing though - no more, 3 children just about push me to the limit work wise so we won't be having any more little surprises heading our way!

Amy had her very first nativity last week at pre-school and I was really looking forward to it.  Mum and I arrived and took our seats.  I tested out my zoom lens to make sure it was set properly before the children took to the stage.  We were all set.  The children started coming out and we were ooooohing and ahhhhhing at Mary and Joseph, the production was lovely and the children were so cute.  Amy, however, took one look and me and refused to take to the stage - for the ENTIRE performance!!  It took me back a few years as this is exactly what happened when Ben had his first Nativity in Nursery, at least this time Amy came to sit with me on my seat, that time the teachers got me to sit in the choir with Ben on my lap, I looked like some kind of giant facing the audience with my screaming child!

I managed to get a nice(ish) photo of Amy in her angel costume because the pre-school kindly allowed me to take her home in it and return it the next day - we went to Mum's and got a photo of her stood in front of Mum's tree.

She did look cute though!

Domestic Sluttery

I love the Domestic Sluttery blog, I subscribe to it via blog lines.  I just wanted to point out the great competition they have on the blog today with gorgeous prizes of around £500!  Don't enter though, I want to win it!!

Have a look here.

This is what you could win!

The Last Week of School

It is the last week of school for Ben and Charlotte this week and that is always a bit of a manic week, not to mention the extreme excitement that will invade the house next week whilst they have 6 days at  home before the big day.  Luckily Mark goes on leave on Friday as well which is a huge relief because the children's behaviour is much better when victorian Daddy is home!

I have got three days now to get everything sorted in the house for Christmas so that I can enjoy the week before Christmas with my family, I really don't want to be stressing about last minute presents, cards or wrapping, oh and not forgetting I have Amy's first Nativity on Thursday and the girls are coming round on Friday for a get together - can't wait :)

I took a load of photographs of the kids in front of the Christmas Tree the other day to use for family cards, not one came out good enough!  I may need to do more of that this evening - oh the joy!  They hate to pose (except Ben who is a regular little model!).

Here are some more of my Journal Your Christmas pages, just to add a little light relief to my post

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

 

Day 12

 

Day 13

Now, I need to go and find the wobbly antlers headband for Charlotte to wear to school today :)

JYC Catch Up and Decorating for Christmas

Just a quick catch up on my Journal Your Christmas pages.  I will add a couple more tomorrow, I love how this album is turning out :)

 

 

 

I didn't get around to uploading these at the weekend as we were out most of the day on Saturday having a lovely meal at Frankie and Benny's and generally looking around the shops.  On Sunday I decorated the Christmas tree with the children which went quite well this year!

 

 

 

Journal Your Christmas - Day 3

Can't believe I have managed this three days in a row!  I am getting worried about binding my album already though, it's going to be thick.  I think I need to do a few less dimensional pages over the next few days.

Here is my entry for Day 3.  The journaling is in the envelope and tells how I try to make cards each year and in the past they have been cross stitched, photographic and papercrafted. The pictures show some of the cross stitch cards I have sent in the past.

Envelope closed:

Envelope open:

Amy went to pre-school this morning and the local newspaper came to take photographs of the children in their nativity outfits, apparently she was NOT happy because the baby jesus had to stay in the crib - Amy absolutely loves babies of any kind whether they are real or not.  When I arrived to pick her up she didn't want to come home because one of the Mums was in the hall with a real baby in a pram - Amy wouldn't move away from it she was just staring at the sleeping baby.  She cried when I picked her up to bring her home which is a slight improvement on a few weeks ago when she wouldn't even let me drop her off at school!!

Journal Your Christmas - Day 2

Just a quick post to upload my JYC page for 2 December.  If I can keep this up, I am going to have a great festive album - it makes me happy :)

 

Todays page uses photographs that I acquired from my nephew Jason's facebook album because we so rarely get snow here in the south west.

The 'Let It Snow' circle was cut from some patterned paper, stuck onto some Kraft cardstock and covered with Tim Holtz Crackle Paint (Rock Candy) and then rubbed with white acrylic paint - it looks really frosty in real life.  I am using lots of Ranger products on this album and I am particularly loving using Claudine Hellmuth's Studio Line whether it be the paints or the multi matte medium - they are really worth the investment!

The first page...

...of my Christmas album is complete, I think I am really going to enjoy making this -  I am so glad a won a free pass to one of Shimelle's classes a few weeks ago.

There is journaling beneath the little flap with the button and bow on which is secured in place with a magnetic snap.  The journaling just says that I am committed to creating a keepsake for us, as a family, to cherish full of everyday memories and christmas cheer.

The swirl stamp is from the Cherish set by Stampin' Up but it works beautifully for christmas projects - I love it.  The Kraft cardstock has been stamped with a Christmas script stamp (i think it is from Hero Arts) but I stamped it with Old Paper Distress Ink and it is very faint, this was the effect I wanted but I couldn't get it to show up in the photographs.  Also, I just love the little felt poinsettia from Hero Arts - LOVE it!

Advent

Well the advent calenders have been removed from the packaging and Ben, Charlotte and Amy have had their first taste of breakfast chocolate for the Christmas season.  Unfortunately Amy doesn't really understand and just wants to eat the whole calander now which was causing a few problems before the school run this morning but I am sure she will get the hang of it.

I promised I would come back this morning and post a picture of my album cover for Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas class.  I had such fun making it! I particularly enjoyed creating the snowflake which was from a Holiday chipboard set from a few years ago by Basic Grey.  The snowflake was gesso'd (is that a word?), painted, glimmer misted, glossy accented and glittered - I got really messy and still have paint on my nails to prove it!  The whole cover was spritzed with Iridescant Gold Glimmer Mist so it has a lovely shine which doesn't really show in the pictures.  Do you recognise the little reindeer?  He is one of my stash of little chipboard reindeer from Tesco (although he has been painted and UTEE'd).  My favourite part is the glitter on the corners, it is so thick and lumpy but looks just like ice.  The glitter was applied to a layer of Glossy Accents and then when almost dry I added another layer to prevent it chipping off (the glitter is from Doodlebug).

 

right, must take Amy to Pre-School!!