A little more wedding indulgence

Back 2 years in time to our own wedding this time. We were married at St James' Church in Styvechale, with a reception at the Courthouse, Coombe Abbey afterwards. Our perfect day (where many things went wrong)....

My Mr Bogert

My lovely bridesmaids and Mum. L-R ~ Stephanie, my sister, Amy, my Maid of Honour and my cousin, Lisa, my best friends all through school and part of the reason I ever met Rob, Simone, my best friend after I left school, and we were almost step sisters once! My Mum, Annette and at the front, our lovely little small person who was not quite 2 at the time.

My Cousin Amy and Alexandra. I made 2 of the bridesmaid dresses and Alex's. My Nan (who's in her 80's) made my cousins dress, my wedding dress, and one of the other bridesmaid dresses.

Our little Boodle and Geoff the Giraffe (instead of flowers)

Me and Pops

The lovely guys. L-R ~ Lawrence Molloy, a university friend always described as the most lovely person you could ever meet, Matthew Weller, a school friend of mine (since we were 7) who Rob claimed as a friend (as he has with so many of my friends), Anthony Jones, Rob's best man and also the other part of how Rob and I met, David and Mark Newman, 2 of Rob's cousins.

My Beautiful dress

• It rained
• the suit hire company forget the extra top hat we'd hired in memory of Rob's dad and we had to send one of the ushers after it
• I spent most of the day fighting with my veil and the wind
• the organist played the wrong processional music
• Alex cried, ran around and screamed the entire service until my sister had to take her outside (and miss our vows)
• one of us (can't remember which) got some of our words muddled
• Rob gave me the wrong hand for his ring
• we signed the register entry for the wedding following ours
• the reception venue used the wrong table decor, lost our background music until after we returned from honeymoon, and broke my sister's thank you gift and lost one of the others
• there was a taxi strike in Coventry that day which meant that our guests were late getting back for the evening reception and about an hour late leaving at night
• the air conditioning broke during dinner and we were all roasting
• I hooked my hair on a light fitting during dinner and nearly yanked it out. Idiot.
• our first dance was late because some of the taxi delayed guests were bringing the CD
• the DJ played everything we asked him not to, a nothing that we'd requested (and he looked like a bum)
• we had to do the first dance song twice because the videographer missed it the first time
• the hotel gave out wedding cake in boxes that were supposed to be set aside for those that couldn't make it (so they didn't get any in the end)
• there were building works right outside the reception room and across half the car park (so a few guests turned around a left when they arrived because they couldn't park)
• and finally, some people in our wedding party thought it would be great to decorate our room with loo roll. Not very funny when it's 1 am, the key card to your door has been cancelled because of the mess by the hotel and you have a small sleeping child with you.

But I had a lovely day that makes me smile when I think back at look at the pictures. And don't I have a more interesting story to tell with all the hiccups?

Warning: Extreme smooshy contents

In 4 hours and 40 minutes we'll be 2 years married, over 9 years together, 3 houses lived in, 8 years living to together, 1 graduation, 1 child together, 1 christening organised, 3 countries visited together, x amount of holidays taken together and with family and friends, 3 big parties marking milestones, countless trips to B+Q and Hobbycraft and 24 guinea pigs donated to a bigger home. I love you Mr Bogert :)




(Finished the card. 2nd attempt. 1st one wasn't good enough for my man ;D)

Boo!

I was probably asking too much to think I could make some cards and finish the crochet bag. Instead these are what I have to show....

Baby boy cards x2

I stamped onto 2 different colour blues with navy ink, then heat embossed with black sparkly powder. I coloured certain parts using some Sakura pens (souffle, glaze and glitter jelly roll). The I cut them out, mixed them around a little, stuck them down and hey presto!

One neutral baby card.

What was I thinking? 3 baby boy cards? Jumping the gun a bit. I have no idea what one of the babies is going to be! And I got to use the "little bundle" embossing plate again, which I love!

Today the little person and I have been cooking up some spooks. All 7 of Alexandra's halloween cards are ready for a late October delivery! It took a long time getting all the bits together because me (being a clever mummy) decided now was a good time to use not one but two of my alphabet dies on the big shot. Times 7. Yeah, fiddly.

Anyway, ready to go. Paint splodges come first, followed by mummy making glue swirls and Alex throwing as much glitter over the card and herself as is humanly possible. Then my little card desinger sticks her felt ghosts and paper labels on (little help from mummy to keep the words in the right order and the right way up) and finally. Beady eyes and heart sequin lips. 2 ghosts did get googly eyes, but we only had 2 sets small enough to use. The others were bigger than the ghosts head! Task complete, crafty girl happy, Mummy learnt valuable lesson = sizzix alphabet dies are cool but not to be used on a run of items :S

I know there are a few people who read this blog who will be recieving a card, but I figured we're so far away from Halloween, you might forget by then!

This afternoon I must make Rob a card. He'll think I don't care.

Sleepy Sundays and sunshine

I love Sundays, don't you? They're the most laid back day of the week, and in my case it's the only day where we're all at home all day, so we call it family day. It's also my lie in day which Rob allows me so that I can catch up on sleep from my early start work days (when I should really just make sure I go to bed early enough on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night, but get carried away with other things).


Today I made a belated house warming card inspired by Dorothy from Kansas "There's no place like home, there's no place like home....."




An old friend of ours moved into a house down the street about 2 weekes ago. I was thinking just give her a few days to settle, then the wedding came and other things took over. Today was late enough I decided. We also took her a house plant and chocolates. Just what every girl needs for their new home :)

We dropped them round on our way out for a walk in the sunshine. The really nice kind of sunshine. (You know the type where it's warm and everything looks and feels sunny and happy, but you're not blinded by light or melting into a puddle on the floor?) We stopped by the village shop to get drinks, went to the park and bought an ice cream from the ice cream van, then we walked down to the pub/hotel at the bottom of the village to check if their christmas dinner booking forms were out yet (we booked this time last year), but they weren't so we just had a drink out on the terrace overlooking the river. Relaxing and peaceful (apart from the singing 3 year old sitting at our table).

We walked back via the churchyard, and now here we are being lazy and sleepy around the house. The small person is watching a cartoon, Bogert is editing photos from the wedding in a slouched position, and I'm waiting for dinner to finish cooking because I'm starving. Then I have plans.

I have crafty plans. I actually have a very long crafty to do list:

• recover the toddler group chairs for when we go back in September


• make a wedding card for wedding next month


• finish the hen weekend scrapbook before the wedding next month


• make alex's bedroom curtains preferably before autumn arrives


• make alex's new bed spread and pillowcase to go with the new curtains


• make alex's party invitations because once the birthday is sorted, I can move onto to Christmas thoughts. And the party's pirates! What's not to love :D


• plan the craft for todler group for Sept to Dec because I'll regret it if I don't do it before we go back


• make a wedding anniversary card for bogert (it's 2 years on Tuesday)


• make Alex's halloween costume for when we go to Euro Disney (October - Mickey's not so spooky halloween party) we're thinking Disney villain. "Mwah ha ha ha!"


• make Alex's pirate costume for her birthday. Again, pirates, how cool is that?


• make Alex's trick or treat costume for halloween. She wants to be a mummy. We had to clarify she meant one in bandages and not one who cooks dinner. You never know with her.


• make 7 birthday cards to cover us in the run up until xmas, after all, Alex is way ahead of me!


• make 3 baby boy cards all due before christmas (or just after in one case)

I think that's everything (not including christmas and halloween craft). Tons to do, but my crafty plans for this evening extend as far as finishing another crochet bag (and maybe doing the cards I mentioned 'cos I get to use my new crafty stash!).

Drum roll please....

da, da, da, da, da, da, daaaaaaaa!

Basket full of stamps, inks and stamp cleaner. There's 2 full baby sets in here, one for a boy and one for a girl. Most of the stamps have never been touched!

Basket full of punches, ribbons, paints, pencils, pens, glues, embossing powders, glitter, embellishments, shimmer dust and more

All hail the Big Shot :)

The big shot and tons and tons of embossing plates and cutting dies. Mine! Yay!

And here they are in all their glory (as promised). My new craft goodies courtesy of the lovely Amanda.

Sorry I didn't get these pics in a post yesterday (bad me), but the truth is, I promised Alex she could make a card for the new baby across road. And we did. We got a bit carried away and made another 12. We're all set now for cards until March next year! (not including halloween and christmas. They get special attention)

Card for our neighbours.

L-R ~ Auntie Amy's (my cousin and Alex's Godmother), friend's baby due December, friend's wedding next month.

L-R ~ Auntie Helen's (Rob's sister), Uncle Sam's (my brother), Nanny's (Mother in law)

L-R ~ Karen's (Dad's partner), Brian's (Mum's partner), and Grandpa's (My Grandad) and we made a second one like this for Grandad (my Dad)

I can't show you 2 of the cards because there maybe nosey visitors (Mum, Stephanie you know I'm talking about you, right?) who spy their own card and ruin the small person's surprise, and we can't have that now can we?

When I do card making with Alexandra, she gets a bit overwhelmed with the amount of "stuff" I have, so we normally start by picking something small like a patterned paper or an embellishment, then I pick a selection of things that would go with it and she chooses what to use. I do the cutting and stamping, she chooses where to put things and does the sticking. (I also make sure she has any words the right way up!) I'm very proud of my crafty little monkey. She loves making things and showing them off, and I love having the time to spend with her. It seems to have a calming effect on her too. (Which, believe me, is a really good thing!)

Alexandra took the gift and cards round to our neighbours this afternoon (with me in tow) complete with Big Sister rosette just as planned which I finished this afternoon. Well I say planned, it kind of evolved as I made it. Nothing was set in stone, as so often happens with me. It jumps straight from vague notion, to completed article, not always with the best results.

I even found time to make this quick gift tag for the prezzy using an embossing plate, the big shot, a heart punch and some blue cord. Look at me go! On a work day none the less.

I've been up to all that, I've cooked dinner, we've had 3 visitors just this afternoon (all seperate), we've had family movie night tonight (Igor) followed by a lovely interpretive dance routine during the credits, it was my turn to wash and put the small person to bed and read a story, now I'm blogging, and I was in work at 6:20 this morning. Just call me wonder mummy. Sleepy wonder mummy who is off to bed. Good night all :)

Eeeek!

All my birthdays have come at once thanks to a very generous lady! She's actually one of Rob's photography friends and as she now has so much camera equipment with her new hobby/love, was looking for a loving home for some craft stuff she had from her card making. She thought of me and brought it round today (after I literally snapped her hand off when asked if I was interested). Nothing she mentioned in her messages prepared me for what has arrived. Eeeek!

Stamps, inks, papers, card, pre-scored cards and envelopes, ribbons, embossing powders, sticky pads, shrink plastic and tons more. Most exciting of all? A big shot and a huge case full of dies including 2 large alphabets and one small! How kind is this new friend! I'm completely overwhelmed and super excited! I just want to use everything! Now! All at once!

I'll try and snap some pictures tomorrow so you can see just what a huge yummy mass of craftiness it is!

Now, babies. Lots of them. Everyone seems to be having babies or planning on making babies. There was the lovely little boy born just a month ago that I sent the blanket to, there are 3 more little people on the way before Christmas, 2 of which are definitely boys, and our neighbours just had a little boy at the start of this week. We still don't know what they've named him, but I popped out to buy a little gift today after work. So this is what I've been up to this evening (apart from looking at all my goodies and letting out the occasional sigh).

I've just finished making this little card. (This is one of the card blanks that arrived with the lovely lady. I even got to use one of my new embossing dies "Little bundle" and the big shot!), so the light wasn't good for the picture, but just wanted to share :)

Tomorrow I'd like to try and make a brooch/badge/rosette of some kind for the new baby's big sister who's really been looking forward to his arrival!

Masks

And our earlier craftiness has been Daddy approved!




Alexandra says "I'm a princess, your a princess queen, and Daddy's a Kingdom."
Wow. A whole Kingdom. Impressive :D