An early...and very weary blog!

I think both Dad and I were way too pooped for any serious construction today...so the IKEA box still sits in the hall! But I had more fun really as I played around doing pretty things....including...



...first up - alphabet corner:





This is the tool box/drawers that I bought ages ago and holds all my spare letters...when Im cutting, there are always ones that I dont use, but hopefully, now that I can store them like this, I will use up all these extras.

Then, my favourite thing today...hang...I dont know what you call it, I bought it at IKEA anyway:



I love this...perfect for hanging my 52 Q & A tag project on, my small stitching templates, scissors and so on. I like that my tags arent tucked away out of sight now!

Finally, my piece de resistance....a tree with fairy lights...ha ha ha! I love trees with fairy lights and this one has been gathering dust in my bedroom for years...so I spent a good old while polishing each leaf - and the fairy lights still worked yay!



Whatever next??? I'll tell you what next - I popped up to Wilkinsons and bought my craft room a chandelier..lol...Im saving that treat for another day!

Back to work tomorrow...phew, it will be good to have a rest! 'Oh no you wont' I hear from Lee and Ella...he he! Its been a great week though...to think, just 7 days ago I was just buying the paint!

Time to snuggle on the sofa.....Zzzzzzzzzz

Thank you for popping by! Sue x

A bit of late night blogging after a very exciting day!

Today's the day that my crafty emporium really started to take shape, I am so thrilled with how its all looking I could burst!!!

The final shelf on the pink wall went up....here is Dad busy sorting out the joins...good old 'no nails'...his most favourite thing after WD40!

This shelf posed a problem being 24" deep. The largest brackets I could buy were only 12" so we sat and pondered over our morning cuppa about how we would tackle it....then brainwave - we were already putting the 3 small drawers at one end, so why not tuck the desk (with drawers) under the other end - I lose the desk kind of, but it looks neat and gives me a sturdy work area....just what I need for all that Sizzix'ing!




I think this looks so fab! I told my Dad, I feel like I have won the lottery with this room, he has been such a star....and come round to my way of thinking in the end...ha ha ha!

The space between the plastic drawers (which are brimming with paper...you can never have too much!), will fit another set of drawers and leave a space for a tote bag to sit. This is handy as there is a plug socket just behind there, and I will need access to that for any heat embossing I might do now Ive found all my bits!

You thought that was all the shelves done and dusted didnt you....but no, there's more! Remember I changed my mind and opted for 6" shelves above the worktop one, well that left me a pair of 12" looking for a home. So, these went high up on the opposite wall, and will hold all my paperbacks - hooray, now they wont be taking over my bedroom! I also hung a very pretty net curtain...I like nets, I think they are cosy!



One final job before calling it a day. I stuck two Brenda Pinnick embellies to the wall, banged a nail in each....voila, somewhere to hang my rulers!



Ive moved quite a lot more stash into the room....now Im working in reverse, and yes...the more I empty from my bedroom - the more that seems to appear lol! But I can see a few square inches of my bed so I must be getting somewhere!

I cant wait to get crafting in here...lots to do yet, the nearest I got to crafting today was popping my blister with my paper pricker...yuk...ha ha ha! I just KNOW Im going to regret doing that tomorrow! With a bit of luck the IKEA unit might see the light of day...Dad wants his hallway back!

Oh, lets get this posted before its Sunday! Thanks for joining in with my crafty emporium journey!!!

Sue x

It's been all go here today!

Dad has been busy sawing....

Ive been busy screwing shelves to brackets.....here is my blistered thumb...he he!



But just look at my four beautiful shelves...with a few select items placed, just to test them out! They will look a lot more beautiful in time as I need to add scalloped edges.



We had a real to-do with getting the joins to match up as of course the wall is warped in places, so we had to add joining blocks to pull them together. These will disappear when the pretty scallops are made. Under these will be a shelf/worktop...2 foot deep - but we are leaving that until tomorrow as we havent yet agreed on how to tackle it....but I think we know who's idea will win through...ha ha ha!

Anyway, Im absolutely thrilled with how its all coming along....but a little concerned...this is just a teeny view of my bedroom, did all this stuff really come out of such a little room....and will it all go back?????



Thank you for popping by! Sue x

I had a second wind....

......and popped up a few more brackets....





...having real jip with this one though....



Think I will have sleep on it....and hope the bracket fairy visits in the night and fixes it!!!

I WIN, I WIN.....in the words of the late great Frank Sinatra...

I did it MY WAY!!! lol!

Progress is slow, my this is hard work...but its progress so all is good. I marked up the wall, and in doing so, decided that I'd rather have a 6" shelf one from the bottom, rather than another 12" one....so it was back to Focus and Homebase for more supplies. I'd already ventured to Focus this morning to stock up on screws, plugs & brackets....dozens of the beggers, and get this - I chanced my arm that they would accept my Dad's pensioners discount card.....and they didnt bat an eyelid...well really!!! Still, whatever...it save me a few pounds which is good job as this is all adding up!



So...it was ready steady go...









The real action didnt get going until about 3pm...so this is how far we have got today. The shelves on the top are just resting there...not yet screwed in - we are mega-pooped, so.....we need to chill, and tomorrow is another day!




Look at me looking proud of my wall...my attempt at taking a photo at arms length! I know I look raggedy and my hair is beyond help.....but SIXTY....surely not! lol!



Sparkles to all my visitors, thank you for popping by!
Sue x

It'll be shelf wars at dawn!!!

I was kind of hoping to show you some shelves this evening, all nice and shiny and new on my wall.....but here they sit, keeping my IKEA unit company in the hall!




We are very lucky to have a Focus just moments up the road, so that was the first stop. But all they had were 8' lengths....I need 3mtrs which is a tad short of 10'. Why oh why, when you want something in metric...which usually I dont, it comes in old money! Anyway...Homebase is not too far away, so off we go - me sulking as Dad has started to make alternative suggestions regarding my shelves again...and I WANT WHAT I WANT!!! So they only have 6' lengths, but plenty of it in stock so I agree to have joins...and Dad says its easy stuff to cut (yeah right!), so I get 10 sheets of melamine...8 at 12" deep...not what I wanted, but I'd given up by this time, and 2 at 24" deep...that will be the bottom shelf/worktop. I really did want one shelf at 15 or 18 inches so that my albums wouldnt over-hang, but its just not to be found...hey ho!

The fun really started when we loaded this lot into our little C3...ha ha ha! The rear seats had to go down, the passenger seat had to be flattened...so how do I get home (its not that close!).......in the boot obviously lol! Well, you know...not so much in the boot, but in the hatchback bit clinging on for dear life at every turn! Phew..we got home safe, if frazzled, but way too pooped to start chopping up shelves and all that drilling and screwing. But, I wasnt having a day with no progress, so we got to work on the carpet. My sister gave us some carpet that her friend was getting rid of a while back, it was practically new and has been living over the garage for some time. Although the carpet that was in the room was okay'ish and would come up nice with a good clean, I thought 'why not have new', a nice oatmeal colour too, so thats what we did. When I say we, I have to hand it to my lovely Dad on this occasion, as he cut out the right size piece and fitted it up there with ease, and its a heavy old job. He was really struggling at times, but he carried on until it was done - thank you Dad....doesnt my new carpet look smart....



....spot the lateral thigh trainer looking shiny new - Ive had it years...he he!

But...while I am so grateful to my Dad for his help, the afternoon brought more 'ideas' for how to fit my shelves - completely ridiculous and ugly into the bargain, but its an uphill struggle to get him to see things my way!

So watch this space tomorrow to see who wins 'the war of the shelves'!!!!

Meanwhile, another view of the room so far...




Thank you for popping by! Sue x

Two days..two colours..........two sore feet!

Well, three colours if you count the white on the ceiling! Anyway...the painting is done done done!!! Do you get a sudden craving for raspberries and cream..lol!

Okay...the room looks a tad boring I know, and not much like a crafty emporium, but now the fun really starts - tomorrow its time to add shelves!!! I have to buy them first so a fun trip to Focus and Homebase - I love DIY sheds only a teeny bit less than craft stores, so Im looking forward to this!

I had a little break from the house this evening as it was Craftin' Crazy night...not that I did any crafting, but I went along for a good old gossip with Babs & Cheryl and it was lovely to catch up!

Until the next episode of Sue's Crafty Emporium, I wish everyone a very nice sleep and I hope you have a good Wednesday!

Sue x

ps: Joe, if you are looking in.......bed, what bed? Ha ha ha ha!

Bank Holiday Monday....time for paint!

Progress today....ceiling - 2 coats of white, and one coat of Crushed Almond on 3 walls...not bad! I am absolutely tattered and have no photographic evidence for you today...hopefully the 2nd coat will go on tomorrow along with Candy Cane on wall number 4 and I will have the energy to take piccies!

Time for a choccie fix and a bit of tele, but first...Im sending big hugs to my good friend Maria at this very sad time for you...thinking of you buddy.

Sue x

Here we go...Sue's crafty emporium is on its way!!!

After many weeks of dithering..moving stash around from one place to another and calling it 'tidying', Ive finally got my act together...and combined with a week off work, Im determined that I will have a crafty emporium by the end of it.

I now know that the spare room is some kind of Tardis, as the more I took out of it, the more seemed to appear when I looked again...it was never ending! My bedroom practically full to capacity, as of Thursday 21st, the spare room still looked like this...



.....by Friday, I was starting to make a dent...



Saturday comes around, and I call for reinforcements...good old Dad! He dismantled the bed and the wardrobe, and I disposed of these very rapidly into the garage before he could make any more suggestions about me using these bits to create my new shelves...good grief!



By tea time, I had stripped all the wallpaper off, swept the cobwebs away..and at last it is ready for painting!!!



Meanwhile...have a little glimpse at my bed! I have to say, this view cannot be seen now as more and more piles of stuff have been added to the room. There is just enough space for me to squeeze in and pop my pj's on!



Let me introduce you to my temporary nest on the sofa....when the kitties dont get there first that is!!!



Today...paint is purchased, room is prepped, so fingers crossed there will be colour on the walls by tea time tomorrow!

Watch this space!

Sue x

52 Q & A - tag 19...What gives me hope?

Another easy question....without my friends, I would be nothing!



Thank you buddies for making me 'me'.....see, its your fault...ha ha ha!

Sue x

52 Q & A....Tag no. 18

Tag 18 asked...Whats on your to-do list this week? Well, what a perfect week it was for this question to come up as I had lots of good things on my list!



My photo shoot on Tuesday - well, I was topless can you believe lol! But you wont be seeing me on page 3 anytime soon...these were my 'before' photos ahead of my reconstruction surgery in June....not long now woohoo!

Tidy room a bit on Wednesday....more news about my 'room' to follow...I have the week off work now so Im going to be doing some serious make-over'ing!

Thursday...aw...it was my babys' birthday - Tom was 21, and here he is with his baby Marley...how cute!



Friday was a day my sister Carol and I had been waiting many months for...our date with David Essex and our FRONT ROW seats to see the musical 'All the Fun of the Fair' - WOW! It was a marvellous show, utterly captivating...and of course, David was fabulous!!!




...and absolutely of course we had to dash to the stage door for a rendezvous with the lovely David himself, and once again I am photographed looking demented and totally starstruck in his presence...he he!



One of my better to-do lists for a week....brilliant!

Photos a little small....click on them to make them BIGGER!

.....you NEED to see them bigger so that I may work my superpower upon you....ha ha ha ha!

Sue x

52 Q & A - tag 17 - What is my superpower?

Was there ever an easier question....ha ha ha! And my answer is....



***Look INTO my eyes, not around my eyes, IN my eyes***



...and FEEL my power!!!

Happy shopping, Sue xxx

Colossal papers are beautiful yes? he he he!

The lovely Ann C over on docrafts set us a challenge to use up some old stash...at least 2 years old, as for some reason we are seen as having too much paper with not enough using - 'too much' - NEVER! Well, back in the day when scrapbooking was just taking off here, all you could get your hands on was PM's Colossal papers - very bright and very cheap - hence many of us acquired piles of the stuff....but then what to do with it??? I must say it is hard work, and does not suit a lot of the layouts that we like to do these days....but bright and cheery IS back in fashion, with WRMK Nonsense, Hoopla and Frenzy papers and the like, and with the help of a variety of Sizzix dies and techniques learned over the years - I made a pretty page with the dreaded Colossal!



My lovely Bubbles comes to the rescue once again - she seems to like Colossal....she won me the Docrafts competition with the stuff too!

But hey, I didnt stop there...I made a notelet with it too - thank goodness for Sizzix and hooray for Colossal!!!



....only another squillion sheets to go!!!

Couldnt you just put them in a bun and eat them!!!

Much fun was had at Tom's birthday celebrations....I met Tom and Jamie's little puppies - Marley and Ruby, how cute!

We spent much of the afternoon in Zizi's...an Italian restaurant which was so yummy, and it was lovely to spend time with Tom, Jamie and Izzy.

But as you can see...puppies were the stars of the show - I just couldnt stop snapping! So if you need a dose of cuteness...and who doesnt, then feast your eyes on my little slide show!

Happy Birthday Tom!!!

My baby is 21 today...woohoo! I remember when you spelt your name Mot and called moss moff...you dont still do those things do you...he he! My fondest memory is us snuggling up together with your balloon book, pointing out the starry one, the one with the chicken..where has the stripey one gone?!? Look at you now, a fine....if sleepy-until-dinner time, young man - Im right proud of you Tom!!!