Christmas Crafts and Cards

After getting another set of blood tests me and Dad had a quick look around the charity shops near the hospital in Stevenage and ended up buying almost the whole shop in one! Its good to be able to walk around and get things done after blood tests as when I got them done when I was very aneamic it used to really take it out of me and I would need a rest. I got these stamps for £1.50 (middle picture) which I cant wait to find a project to use them for. Another shop had individual wooden stamps starting at £4 each so these were a bargain! Its a shame I've wrapped all my presents otherwise I would have stamped everyone's names onto the brown paper in some red paint, I will need to remember that for next year! I also got this Christmas Crafts book for £2.50 which gave me some great ideas for my dinner party. It also showed me how to make these Christmas cards. The top cards are so easy to do, you simply follow the template to pierce the holes in the card and then push the ribbon through. I used red and gold ribbon and then stuck gold card to make the base and a button for the decoration on the top. The second cards are plain cards I bought in the sale last year and then stuck buttons on using my glue gun and drew a line in black pen to make them look like baubles hanging from the top. I'm really happy with them! We also ended up buying 20 James Bond DVD's for £2 each, a photo frame, the Keith Lemon book, a Christmas hits CD (wouldn't be Christmas without one!) and lots of other bits. Charity shops are amazing for gifts! 

Christmas Jumble Sale

Today we went to a car boot sale in Hitchin, we got there a little bit late so some people were packing up but it means most are ready to haggle! In the picture above I got all the candles for £1, some have been used but with a new candle in they will be great! The tin was 50p and full of tiny decorations including this Christmas pudding pin badge which looks great on my tartan scarf! The other decorations I will use to add onto presents and to decorate the chocolate slabs I will be making tomorrow! I also got a cream coloured blazer for £1, it has no label but its got a nice fit and will be smart especially for next year when I will be having interviews for placements. My last buy was a mug from Whittards with little scottie dogs for £1 on that I have filled with homemade dog treats as a gift for the dog (pets have Christmas too!)

The last two weeks!

Its been a couple of weeks since I've posted anything on here and lots has happened since then! The first week I mainly spent at home, I was feeling quite ill with stomach pains and got very tired. We went out for a big meal where I had my first glass of Gin in over 2 months and lamb for dinner. The next day I felt awful but looking back I think maybe I ate too much of the wrong thing, I don't want to blame the Gin! My Christmas spirit was completely going but luckily I planned a trip to Coventry to stay at my University house and that has put me in a better mood! The Tuesday I went to my course Christmas party where I wore my new Jones and Jones dress, It was really good and I drunk a bit there and felt fine the next day. Here's a picture from the night, not very good but you get the idea (i'm on the right)!

Pamper Hamper

I have spent today doing some more making and wrapping for Christmas and decided to do something about the Pamper Hamper I mentioned in another post. The whole thing including the box cost me about £3.75 which I'm pretty happy with as it looks a lot more! 
The box contains the soaps I got from the jumble sale and nail varnishes with cuticle sticks and files from M&S that came in a huge gift box. I won these on a tombola along with a turquoise scarf that will make a good present for my Nan. I've added 2 shell candles which you can see how to make in a previous post!

The other picture is the smaller items added, the bracelet was from the jumble sale and only cost 25p! I saw one exactly like it in boots for £4 so that was a good find. The photo frame came as a pair that I found in a charity shop with the label still on saying £8 just for that one and £12 for the other! I paid a pound for this one and the other will go as part of another present. The little heart I made loads of last year with some left over fabric, they cost virtually nothing but if you spray some perfume on they hold the smell well and make nice smell hearts to be hung on a draw or a door knob. 
I would quite like to receive this as a gift so I hope the person receiving it like it! 

Gin and Lemonade

If any of you know me personally then you might know that my drink of choice is a gin and lemonade (or just shots of whisky if I'm not quite drunk enough!) however since getting ill I haven't drunk at all and I'm starting to miss it a little bit! At the moment while I'm living at home its fine as I rarely leave the house let alone get an opportunity for a night out, but next Monday I will be going back to Coventry for two events where I would like to drink! Usually it takes me quite awhile to get a bit tiddly but I'm expecting that after not drinking for over 3 months and losing a stone will probably make me a lightweight! 
I have had a look online and there's a lot of information about drinking with Crohns, generally saying its a bad idea as it makes symptoms worse. Sometimes I've found that the symptoms of Crohns are like a bad hangover anyway (I never get a headache!) so this doesn't affect me too much. However some people have found they are fine with certain types like clear alcohols such as vodka. I've never been a big beer or wine drinker, I only enjoy the occasional cider when its hot so that works for me! I'm hoping that also counts for gin but I'm not sure about the lemonade as I've been told to avoid fizzy drinks as they can also irritate me. So, I have decided tonight to test out a nice glass of gin and lemonade after putting the Christmas decorations up and then seeing what happens... wish me luck! 

Jumble Sale!

Today I went to the jumble sale down the road with Izz to raise money for help for heroes. We weren't expecting much as I live in a small village but actually it was quite busy! There were a few stalls, mainly books and cuddly toys but I did manage to find some bargains which I've taken pictures of. 
The first picture is a small cardboard suitcase with a floral pattern that I bought for 20p!
Im really pleased with that as these boxes usually sell for at least £7. I'm going to use it as a hamper for some bits for someone including the soaps in the next picture which were also 20p! With a couple of the shell candles and some smellies it will make a great girly present!
The jumper I saw behind the table in a bag of bits that hadn't been put out yet but the pattern caught my eye. Its always worth asking about things like that as you could find something that they have missed! It cost me 50p but its so warm and cosy and looks good with leggings for the winter.
The two books were 50p and 20p and are 'The Zombie Survival Guide' and 'Fatherland'. The zombie book I bought for my cousin as a little Christmas gift as we always joke about what we would do if we were in an apocalypse! I think I will make a survival hamper as a present for her and her fiance for Christmas. The other book reminded me of my Dad (which sounds terrible as its about Hitler) but he is interested in history and it looks like a good read!
The bag I probably didn't need as I seem to collect these satchel type bags but for £1 I couldn't resist. Its a great vintage bag with lots of space inside. Along with that I also bought a navy leather belt with a little gold boat on it for 50p and a bracelet with a dragonfly on for 25p! 
We finished it all off with a lovely cupcake and entered the raffle to win a bottle of champers, hope we win! 

1st December!

This is my advent calender, it's nearly Christmas!