How hot...??

So here I am with a tattoo less arm, lol. But great news...the fabulous Argentinian artist, Diego, has agreed to an appointment with me..Yayys..!!! So watch this space...

Here's Ems supervising me yesterday at breakfast.

And look, here's proof that I do eat..!!

I hope you are all as addicted to the tattoo show on TV Miami Ink. I love it and cant get enough. Its a reality show with real tattoo artists, real customers being tattooed. So real pain and real blood. But they do some really awesome work. Maybe one day I will fly over and get them to do one for me..

Here's my favourite Ami... Well you just would girls wouldn't you..??

Really need to show you these next 2 pics. Bezzie Su's gorgeous hubby,How, is a musician and children's entertainer.He is How in Howdidoodi and is always dressed really casually. So it was a shock to see him like this.

Unfortunately it was all due to a funeral.. It took him ages to find the outfit, but I think he scrubs up well, lol. Told him I was putting his shoes on shoe watch, but he thought I was joking. So, there you go How...told ya..lmao Bet you never wear them again babe...

Me and Bezzie Su where sat out in the sun yesterday and amazingly we both got burnt. She looked hilarious as she had a red body but a white face and neck., which didnt look as though it belonged to her body. Do you remember Worzel Gummidge, the scarecrow, who had a different head for all occasions..?? Well that's what she looked like, as though she,d put the wrong head on, ha ha . Unfortunately, or fortunately for her, I haven't got a piccie. But I do have a burnt piccie of me...!!!

Ouch..!!

Today was alcohol ink cards, and we had a fab time all round.

L - R Elaine the baker, Lisa Pat and Pat.

Sue, newcomer Vicki, Frances and Chris.

And here's more art journal pages for you...

Tomorrows class is Tim Holtz style tags and Sunday, more journaling..yayy..!!!

Enjoy xx

It should have been me..!!!!

Such a disappointing day. I was all psyched up for my new tattoo. It was a really large Japanese piece and was going to symbolise my moving forward...!! To me it was a really positive step towards my healing process. The Goddess knows I am not good about eating and so dragged me out for a cooked breakfast and supervised me eating it. With such a large tattoo , the outline itself was going to take 5/6 hours and it is important that you don't let your blood sugar drop. So after a hearty breakfast we stocked up on Magazines, snacks and drinks - it was going to be a long day..!!! So we rocked up only to find out that the tattooist hadn't. You cant even begin to imagine how pissed I was. Emmi was ready to run, lmao...Today was supposed to represent so much and has been in my head for nearly 20 yrs. The other tattooists tried to appease me and come up with alternatives, but I decided against. So I have decided to try for an appointment with a fantastic Argentinian tattoo artist. He is well renowned so if he gets back to me I am expecting a long wait before he can start and I have a feeling that I will need all that time to save up. Otherwise a remortgage is called for, lmao, and no I,m not joking... But he is renowned for his large Japanese pieces and I only want the best. So every cloud has a silver lining and maybe the tattoo artist not turning up did me a favour..!! I might not have the artwork I wanted on me today, but I will end up with a much better one eventually.
So, real sorry, no pics for you, no blood, no pain, no tears...I am consoling myself by watching 3 episodes of Miami Ink back to back...
Laters babes xx

Blank Canvas...

Ooh just time for a quickie post tonight... Am running around like a headless chicken ( no change there then, lol ). It started badly this morning with the builders continuing their assault on our eardrums. they are lowering the floor to accommodate a large trampoline, and unfortunately the floor is 18 in of pure concrete, hence the noise. well we couldn't answer the phone, we couldn't hear the music (biggest sin in my book) and me and Ems couldn't even hear each other without resorting to sign language. We stuck it out as long as we could and then though , bugger it and closed the shop and studio. So Builders 1 - Dylan 1, ha ha ...

Ben has been off sick today, so I hope hes better tomorrow as he is the only one in. Ems is coming with me to hold my hand as I embark on my next tattoo.... This tattoo is very important to me and I have been planning it for years. It is all designed and consists of all things that are really symbolic to me. Will share peeks as soon as it calms down lol. I understand that a lot of you find the idea of tattoos distasteful and weird, but I love them and that's what matters. I am still the same person underneath , I am just extending my art to my skin. I believe we are all tattooed under the skin , its just that some choose to make theirs more visible than others.

So onto more art....more journal pages

for a neat twist on the newspaper pages of my journals, pop over to Red shoooes and inky fingers

Darcy (00ps, not quite sure if that is her name, apologies if it isn't,..) has made a journal ready to start and just needs to get over her fear of the blank page lol. But shes taken the first step which is the most important. Once she starts I,m sure she will fly through it..

Enjoy xx

Journaling, journaling and more journaling...

Yayy..art journaling class today...Got off to a bad start though. The builders were using an industrial angle grinder and the noise was unbelievable. I complained and was told there was nothing I could do about it and I would just have to put up with it...!!! Well the words Bull and red rag come to mind..!!!! lets just say that at 10 oclock sharp they were silenced and didn't resume till 1 min past 3pm. Dylan 1 - builders o, lmao...

L - R Helen, Janet,Sarah and Sue

Janet, Stephanie and Pat

Anne, Chris and Sue

Oh yes it was the dreaded vine drawing..!!! They were fabby at it proving that its not as hard as you all think.

Wanted to show you this lovely mini book that one of my Tues night ladies, Tanya, made for her daughters school teacher. Her daughter Lucy is leaving for university and so her and her friends all conrtributed photos and memories.

I bet she cries when she opens that little pressie..!!

And you need to see this little beauty from 12 yr old Isobel . Its an altered book which she did with no help at all. I think shes done a fantastic job.

This is what we were doing in the Tues night class. Using all Claudine Hellmuth products. Sticky back canvas, paints and grungeboard.

Ha ha don't think our Tom will be amused, do you..??

And heres some more of the promised journal pages. Just love the face on this woman ..

Enjoy xx

Lovely, lovely ladies

Ok here go, fingers crossed it will work tonight. So going back to Friday, we had a really busy day. I have a photo here that is hilarious and just sums up how I felt all day. Anyone of a nervous disposition look away now..

Yes that was me at the hairdressers. How you cry..!! Well after only the usual 2 hrs sleep, no make up, and 1 hrs crying, you too could look as good as this, lmao I have been toying with the idea of growing my hair again, it used to be really long and curly. But I get too impatient and because it is extremely thick it drives me mad, So the decision was made , I was having it all cut off again. Well the lovely Emma totally ignored me and just gave it a nice trim. telling me to stop bloody whinging and persevere a bit longer....!! I dunno you just cant get the same quality of hairdressers any more can you..??

Anyway the deed is done, but I,m not sure, looks a bit mumsy to me, a bit too grown up. What do you think. Its the type of do that I,ll probably have to look after and even brush maybe..!! I,m not sure if I,m ready for all that responsibility really..

Anyway then me and the Goddess had to fly round Asda for all the shopping. Books I had ordered for the weekend classes hadn't arrived so I had to make a totally new sample. We had to spring clean the studio AGAIN.. And then I had to remember to breathe and become calm ready to welcome the ladies.

What a lovely bunch they were, many had travelled for 4/5 hrs and so were tired, and lulled me into a false sense with their quietness.

They soon made up for it on Saturday with lots of cheek and backchat..!!! But I got my own back by working them extra hard and covering them in inks and paints. And by late afternoon the combination of hard work, fast pace, tiredness and calming Beeswax quietened them right down.

It was Mags birthday, so of course, we had to celebrate with a cake. Hilariously every time I lit the candles the fans blew them out. Ah well its the thought that counts.

One of my ladies , the lovely Ruth, won a raffle prize last weekend and as a thank you brought me in a calendar. Now most of you know I have no need whatsoever for a calendar because half the time I don't know what planet I,m on , never mind what day it is, lol. But this one is right up my street. Just take a ganders...

Holy Makeroly...!!! I am sure I will find a need to check each day oin June veeeerrrrrrryyy carefully..!!

And I cant blooming wait till November...

Also got these from the lovely Maggie. Nearly all gone oops..!!

Sunday started a lot quieter with the garden canvas. Now for some reason everyone is always scared of their hand drawn vines, it has been known to reduce some to tears ( well almost, maybe a quick-k snivel..!!) but not this lot, oh no. They were fab and got onto it with real enthusiasm and not much moaning. What normally takes me an hour of tuition and praise and coercion was over and done in 30. Way to go ladies..!! Don't they look proud..???

All too soon the weekend is over and its time for the sad goodbyes.

Heres Chris , Pauline ( who was soooo excited I thought she might burst ) and Jackie.

Maggie and Mags

Claire and Janet

and Sonia and Gina

So that's it , the end of another fabulous weekend. The next one is Ranger 1 and is filling up fast. Christmas fabby dabby in Nov is nearly full and January half full so don't leave it too late.

Right I am now going to stuff my face with whatever I can find and then pass out from exhaustion.

Enjoy xx

bits and buttons

One more sleep till the fabby dabby weekend.....Its all hands on deck now with the preparations. Kits to pack , shopping ton be done, studio to be cleaned... Is this deja vu..? It sounds the same as last week, lol...Sometimes it is a bit like groundhog day at our place. Heres some of the prep.

Look at what was delivered today...

How fab are these Little beauties...??

These are the 2 sizes available. Cant remember the measurement exact , but they're about 1 1/2 and approx 2 1/2 in.

We have the larger size in these 5 colours

and the smaller buttons in all these colours,

And here's some sneaks of the next brochure.

Enjoy xx

Can you tell who it is ???

Busy, busy workshop today. It was the frame accordion album. I designed this quite a while ago and it is always a sell out. This time I used Savannah papers from 7gypsies and hardware from Idea-ology.

Gorgeous , if I say so myself, lol.

At the weekend when everyone was bringing in home baking we were a little inundated, and so I have been dishing it all out in the workshops in exchange for a donation to Carers Resource. And one cake stood head and shoulders above the rest. Everyone has been oohing and aahhing over it. It didn't look anything spectacular, just a plain sponge with icing on, but when I started to slice it - ooh I was in sniffing heaven. I don't eat cake but I could easily have munched on that one. So Giddy and Giddier, you were the culprits responsible, for "worlds best ever cake", and the recipe is needed pronto. Thanks babes.

Here's Ann testing it out. It was the only way we could get her to shut up today..!!

Here she is getting told off ( ha ha ) cant remember what for but it certainly seemed to amuse Ingrid.

L - R Mrs T, Marie and Sara.

Me, Pat, Liz ( who I insisted on calling her Val all day!!), Gill, Paula and Sue

Bhauna, Janet, Tara and me.

Bezzy Su was around somewhere as well.

Thought I would take some pics of the kids class as well.

L - R Amelia, Ellie, Hayley and Anne

Georgina, Katie, Claudia, Eden and Pam

Amelia was running the Race for Life tonight with her mum so had come all dressed up for it.

Here's a couple more art journal pages.

and I came across this the other day so thought you would like to see it. Awww don't we look sweet.

Do you think I,ve changed much..??

Enjoy xx