One year has passed ....

Hello :)

September 19th was the day that one hear had passed since Reggie passed away. Yeah, I have not posted a while again,lol.

So what's been going on? Apart from still missing Reggie I am concentrating on myself. Job with a lot of overtime, lots of hobbies and interests, and now that I'm not moving (again) replacing some things in my flat.
September the pump on my washing machine died a death, so out with the old , in with the new. 1600 spin speed and the laundry is almost dry when it comes out. Fantastic !

Then October a new sofa. Loving it ...and the cats agree....

 Yeah, keeping it covered with a blanked to protect it.I want it to look good and last a long time ! I'm also armed with a water pistol to teach them that this is NOT a new scratch pad ,lol. They don't like me very much at those times ;)

And I learned a lesson .... back ups on discs are not that safe as I thought ! I started going through a pile of discs with resources and designs to copy them to my external drive.....only to find out that discs slowly seem to degrade over the years , and the laptop cannot read some of the files anymore. So I'm ending up with a lot less on that 2 terra bite drive than I thought I would. What annoys me most is that the disc with Christmas resources seems to have the most files that have corrupted and are unreadable.

But.... I actually tried designing a little. And glad to see I have not forgotten all my skills. Still, I am a bit rusty ,lol.
This is what I have so far. I really like the Scandinavian primitive rustic style and colors in the moment.

What else?
I have a pet hate against chemicals in our food, our care products etc. So I try to make a lot f things myself.....and saving money in the process apart from it being more healthy.

A few days ago I made my own laundry soap. Just Castile soap, borax, soda crystals and essential oil for a nice smell. Costs me less than a third of what I would pay in the shop for a bottle.

In the end I had two full bottles and it only took me 15-20 minutes to make.

If you wanna have a go here is the link to the instructions
http://www.mrshappyhomemaker.com/homemade-liquid-laundry-detergent-plus-a-free-printable-label/

Give it a try :)
That's all for now. I have to do some grocery shopping , so 'till next post when I can hopefully give you a freebie link as well ....

Snowy 

I have something for you :)

Hi all,
Back from Nevada and I was glad to be home. Desert is just not my thing , I will stick to the east in future. I miss my woods, lakes, rivers and the sea too much,lol.
The concert we went to in Vegas was fantastic though ! Over 4 hours of music and 3 bands.

But it's something I can cross off my bucket list ...been there , done it , got the t-shirt.
Back to earning my millions (I wish) and on to the next thing. The next journey is already planned. But not as far this time. I will spend X-mas in Germany with the family this time.

As always I have kept busy with various craft project and my plants.
A pebble candle holder...

A re-purposed cushion cover , made from an old knitted cardigan , I don't wear anymore.

And I have some simple Pinwheel papers for you. I saw this post on Pinterest , how to make Rosette Pinwheels and wanted to have a go.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/60165344998836478/

So I decided to make some papers and print them. You will need to print 2 pages of the red/white striped paper and 1 each of the others. Cut 4 stripes red /white , glue together and fold , then 1 circle of the blue stars paper.

And this is one I made with the papers .

Have fun, here is the download link
http://www.mediafire.com/download/cw2tuc74mha4am8/sr_pinwheel_papers.zip

Till next time , stay creative,lol
Hugs Snowy

Why did people become so lazy?

Hi all,
I really wonder why people became so lazy and wanted everything done ready for them.... Over the past couple of years I started going back to to "home made" and cooking from fresh is so much better than Ready Meals, warmed up in the microwave or all this pre-processed food. And it's better for you. No preservatives, artificial colorings or other chemicals. You know what is in your food , and it really isn't that hard or takes much more time if you plan it right. It's better and healthier for you.
I'm not saying I'm a Saint ...I still like a fast food snack from time to time. You couldn't keep me away from Poppey's Fried Chicken  or Bojangles (McDonalds can close down as far as I'm concerned) but with people eating too much of it it's no wonder we have so many problems with Obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes,Crohn's disease and other food related problems and allergies.
Today I made my own Mustard. All you need is
-Mustard powder
-Mustard Seeds ..brown, yellow...the darker the color the hotter the mustard
-vinegar
-salt
...that's the basics, you can add wine, herbs , honey , sugar etc as you like. If you google Mustard recipes you find even some with beer , horse radish and more.
Water/or wine temperature is important, the colder the hotter the mustard, If you use warm water your end result will be more mild , or if you like mild you can cook it down for a bit.
But that's really it ...simple !

 I used an old fashioned mortar and pestle to crush my seeds , and added them to the powder.

As for Crafting ...I have been sewing quite a bit. A cosmetic bag...

...and a coin purse

CD Suncatcher Chimes

It keeps my fingers busy ...I have not smoked for 10 weeks now ! Apart from the health benefits it saves a ton of money. With UK prices of £ 6.49 up to £7.99 depending on brand for a pack of 20 cigarettes I have saved roughly £650.00 so far ! Just right for buying a flight ticket.

In 8 weeks time I'm off into the Nevada Desert ...LAS VEGAS , Baby :)
Until then there'll be still a bit to do, some overtime at work ...and I need hiking boots suitable for that terrain. Sun screen is a must !! There are no trees in the desert where I can find shade like in North Carolina... unless I find a humongous cactus,lol.
On the 30th of April it's concert time...my favorite band Nightwish is playing at the House of Blues in Vegas.
Here their new song and till next post
Hugs Snowy

Moving on

A little bit older and a little bit wiser again. Oh yes, and I have given up smoking. 7 weeks without a cigarette now. It took a lot of determination and a fantastic Motivator who kept encouraging me with messages every day for the first weeks and who was there for me whenever I needed a little push.

Crafting has helped to keep my mind off the nicotine and my hands busy . Here some things I made.

Owl Dreamcatcher 

...and another cute little owl ..hand stitched

I also created a Memory Box and will carry on working a scrapbook about my time with Reggie.

But there will be new memories to make soon. In 10 weeks I will be flying again....away from the West coast area of the USA.... this time my travels will take me to the wild Wild West and the Desert ....more to come, the story will continue,lol.
Till then , see ya :)

Big Changes

Hi ya :)
Just to let y'all know,I'm still alive.
A lot of things have changed since my last post. Reggie passed away in September 6 days before his 47th birthday. He'll always be remembered and  in my heart.
But life goes on and once again I had to get back on my feet after picking up the pieces.
You know what they say :" What doesn't kill you , makes you stronger" and it's certainly true.
I'll post some pics of what went on in the meantime soon ....
Until then
Snowy