JackBlackRoady

Over 3 years later...

2011-10-29T05:02:00.000-07:00

... and I am back on my blog! I am only posting this to say two things:

1.) I really really should not spend any more time than I already do on the computer. I have enough distractions from work as it is. So I don't think I will be adding anything often...

2.) ...but I have been making Octonauts and I am so impressed with them!

What are Octonauts?

Isla is obsessed with them. So I am trying to make toys for her!

Look what I made!

2008-04-19T01:27:00.000-07:00

This is the reason I have been very quiet recently... meet Isla, born 5:40 am on 9th April, weighing 5lb 5oz and 4 weeks early!

So instead of being on mumsnet, blogger, gmail and facebook, I have been feeding, changing and sleeping!

My son is impressed with his new baby sister!

Tigger bookmark

2008-03-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

What a crazy weekend, I am totally exhausted. I've worked out how to upload photos from my phone so here is the Tigger bookmark I made for my friend Michelle a little while ago.

I am off for a sleep now!
xxx

I have an award!

2008-03-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

I have been given this award by Tillyboo who is a wonderful friend and has cheered me right up. Thank you Laurie!

I am going to pass it on to vInTaGeViOlEt as her picture has also been making me feel better over the last few days.

I am also going to virtually pass it on to my mum, who is slowly regaining her speech after a brain operation and stroke.

Love and hugs to all 3 of you
JBR
xxx

Prune bars!

2008-03-12T05:15:00.000-07:00

The simplest ever recipe for someone to eat prunes (maybe you are also taking iron tablets?) Altered from a recipe in a 'the three ingredient cookbook' by Jenny White. Here we go:

1 large bar milk chocolate (150g)
2/3 large bar dark chocolate (100g)
8 digestive biscuits (115g)
20 ready-to-eat prunes (115g)
2 spoons of unsalted butter or margarine (50g)

1. Break up the digestives in a bag using a rolling pin or a potato masher :)
2. Chop up the prunes.
3. Break up the chocolate and melt in a microwave. Add the butter and stir until melted.
4. Mix the whole lot together and spoon into a shallow tin or bottom of a tupperware tub.
5. Put it in the fridge for 2 hours until set, then turn it out and slice into bars.

This is the only cake-like thing I have made since we moved into this house, as we don't have an oven as yet. And this is probably the healthiest thing I've eaten for about 2 weeks!

JBR
xxx

I got my Easter swap!

2008-03-10T03:54:00.000-07:00

Megan (aka vInTaGeViOlEt) sent me the most beautiful picture as part of the Mumsnet Easter Swap! It is for the nursery, and here it is photographed in situ:

Isn't it just perfect for a babies room? It's the only decorative thing I have in there at the moment - there is still a lot of work to do on getting it finshed - but it looks at home already, and has really brightened up one corner!

I absolutely love the fact she put '2008' on it - it is personal, and so beautifully done! She put a little card with it, and I have tucked it behind the picture - I'll keep it them together. The little Easter basket that came with the picture would be perfect to decorate a cake, if I had an oven!!!

Anyway, this gave me a much needed boost on Saturday evening, when I opened it, so thank you Megan, you are a star!
xxx

Vintage Violet got her Easter swap!

2008-03-05T13:27:00.001-08:00

So now that Megan has it, I will post what I made! Sorry about the colour, the first pic is with the flash on, the next two with it off. I can't decide which is more true to the real colours.

This was such a lovely calming thing for me to make! The card has a cross stitch Easter bunny and has gold/green/yellow coloured sequins all around the edge; I always have beads or sequins on my cards!

The bag was 'recycled' (if I had thought to take before and after photos this might make more sense...) from a little skirt, I sewed the waistband of the skirt closed to make the bottom of the bag. Then I sewed a hem for the ribbon into the lining of the skirt, then sewed the lining to the floaty material of the skirt.

I thought that Megan could use the bag to keep crafty bits in, like small material pieces - the opening is wide and you can see inside easily.

JBR
xxx

Mumsnet Easter Swap Finished!

2008-03-04T01:38:00.000-08:00

I am really pleased I have finished this, and I can post it off to Vintage Violet (hopefully today but maybe tomorrow... huge job list today)

Until she sees it, I will just post this sneak peek:

So you can see cross stitch, sequins, and the lovely Spring fabric with the little blue flower. More to be revealed when she gets it!
JBR
xxx

Two more cards

2008-03-03T06:30:00.000-08:00

There are so many cards to be made! This is a poor photo but a card with silver background and black ribbon and flower hand made paper.

And this card caused much discussion with my darling son, who wanted to know why I was putting beads on a snail! Men, huh!

Now I must get on and finish my MN Easter swap, which must be posted to Vintage Violet this week. But I have just got the internet back after our house move so I am stuck to the keyboard. HELP!!!

Two cards

2008-02-25T05:50:00.000-08:00

I made a baby boy card for a friend of mine, her son Alfie was born last week, only slightly overdue! Her due date was Valentines Day, my son's birthday.

I also made a card for another friend as she has a new job, so it says 'congratulations' and 'good luck'! The beads are pearly and go so well with the shiny paper, it looks really elegant (for me at least)!

I love using beads on cards, but after making bracelets for my sister-in-law I am running low - time to get down the charity shops and get some more beads!

JBR xxx

Birthday card

2008-02-17T08:20:00.000-08:00

I made this cute little birthday card - the background is reflective silver card and the front grass is 3D. I had a lot of fun making this! I make most of my cards but I won't post pictures of all of them, as sometimes they are 'in jokes', or they are just really simple, or sometimes they are just a bit naff!!!

MN Blue Challenge

2008-02-14T05:36:00.000-08:00

We moved in on Thursday, and there was too much unpacking to do, so instead I thought I would try and make something blue for the MN challenge. I have a lot of beads that I use for card making but I had some elastic that came with them so I made these little bracelets. They are for my sister-in-laws birthday on Sunday, and they were brilliant fun to make, sat in the middle of boxes and bubble wrap!
I could only post this now, though, as we have no internet yet in the new house. It's my son's birthday today and he is having a sleepover with 4 friends so I am off to decorate the family room for them now!

JBR xxx

Cross stitch picture

2008-02-05T05:25:00.000-08:00

I am packing my house - we move on Thursday, yeah! - and I found this cross stitch picture, which I completed years ago. When we get into our new house I am going to have it framed again, it's glass broke about 2 house moves ago. When I finish the project I am on at the moment I'll post a picture, and then I am going to start on the challenge of 'something blue!'
JBR xxx

ooooo, a blog!

2008-02-01T04:07:00.000-08:00

I thought I would start a blog as I think I am the only one out of the MN Crafters who hasn't got one! And I do spend a lot of time on email and websites so I'm going to give it a go.

Because I just really do a bit of cross stitch and card making, with occasional other bits, I feel like a bit of a novice. So also this blog will help, as I will hopefully record what I make and feel a bit prouder of it (is prouder a word?)

So anything I make from this moment on, I will post a picture on here. She says, confidently. We'll see!

To start me off, here is a cartoon picture of my Jack Black Roadster, drawn in Journal on my Tablet PC. I drew this about 6 months ago, when I probably should have been planning lessons or marking. It makes my lovely sexy car look like a van but it's an example of me making something!!! hehehe!!!

JBR xxx