HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Dear Reader

Well the Easter Bunny is nearly upon us, so Happy Easter everyone. Hope you all enjoy your eggs! Here is a picture of some of my Easter things. From l-r, an Easter card I made in an RWS class, an Easter basket I made for a Simon says Stamp challenge, an Easter Basket bought inVenice (can't resist their favours) and a birdcage Maurice bought me for Easter which contains the egg I bought him! And a little yellow Easter bird on top of the cage (didn't want him trapped inside). After Easter I plan to decorate the cage a bit more when time allows. And finally my Easter banner that I made one Saturday at an RWS crop. I think people wondered what on earth I was doing but I like it - it's cheerful. Thank you Loraine for giving me the images to use. I was commissioned to make another this week - but for the birth of a baby boy. I made the banner and matching card using just blues and whites and a blue/white gingham ribbon but this time hand-painted a bear with balloons stamped image

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We've had a lovely Easter so far. Off we went to Ikea yesterday morning to get 'some bits' for the craft room we're still creating. I know it's been a while but it's a work in progress! We are hoping to get it finished over the Bank Holiday. Anyway, still undecided where to put shelving etc we decided to pay the Swedish shop a visit for inspiration. I love an Ikea experience now and again. It's like being in some kind of nordic parallel universe where nothing appears to match and yet somehow goes together so well - like bacon and egg, or should I say raw fish and rye bread. Maurice loves the meat balls with the sauce and the red jelly stuff. I like the way it tells you exactly how many you will get for a small, medium and large portion - I think Maurice opted for 14 this time! Everything in Ikea has wonderful names and I get carried away shouting "Can you see Sockerart in pink? It might be near Fridfull or Blomster." Of course, we buy something 2 metres long that causes Maurice to sweat and go "Redvig" trying to fit it into the "Carster". Only way is for me to pull my seat right forward so my eyelashes are touching the windowscreen. Well not quite but I bet Lynda's would now she has falsies! Not quite the way to travel when there's torrential rain late afternoon and the windowscreen wipers are on 'manic' setting, sending me dizzy I'm so close to them. I shut my eyes and go to sleep.

And today, a lovely morning and early afternoon crafting with some really nice people, including Sandra from Scotland who was an 'absolute caution'. And laugh? Did we! And I got some of my Harry Potter Owl Post envelopes distressed (thanks Lynda/Bee for your help). Maurice and I then went to look at a car I had spotted yesterday. It was an automatic Chrysler Touring Cabriolet, no more expensive than the basic Toyota I'm presently driving but it looked more fun to me! Certainly was. It broke down on the test drive and left me stranded at the traffic lights near Grimsby Tesco on Victoria Street. Aaaaaagh! I got out whilst Maurice ran off to the garage to get help. Some young lads drove past and shouted "Should have got yourself a proper car love" which I thought was hysterical and was still laughing when the police stopped to ask what I was doing. Apart from laughing. I told them I was test driving a car but it wouldn't go and they started laughing too. Ah! well, can't win 'em all as Granny would say.

And tonight I found out I'd won a top three blinkie for last week's Whiff of Joy Challenge, which was an absolute shock - I'm still amazed - but also delighted. Thanks very much to the Design Team for choosing me. It's made my Easter very special.