The Pressy The Party and the Back of the House.

Hello Everyone.

Couldnt post yesterday as i forgot to re charge my camera battery until late and then we had to meet the girls for our Christmas Party Evening and it was a bit late when we got back.

Anyway here is the beautiful present that onr of our lovely customers has made us for our new house.

This is the front of the tag that was attached to the present.

And this was the message written on the back and as you can imagine we were really touched.

And here is the present that Kate had made for our new home isnt it just INCREDIBLE and my photography really doesnt do it justice.

Here is a close up of the bird house so that you can see all the work that has gone into it.

This is a close up of the hand felted bird at the top of the birdhouse.

And here is the hand felted bird at the bottom and notice both have hand stitched beads and feathers attached to their tails they are Fabulous.

Finally this is a pic showing the side view of the bird house so that you can see all the work that has gone into making the tiled roof.

Oh Kate thank you ever so much for this gorgeous house warming gift and we will find a spot for it where it can be admired not just by us but everyone who visits us too.

We are really blown away that you made something so beautiful for us and thank you from the bottom of our hearts xxxxxx.

Last night the girls who work with us in the shop and ourselves went for our annual Christmas meal and we had a great time.

Here is a pic of us all in the festive spirit.

We would like to say a big thank you to Di, Jean, Karen, Michelle and Anthea for all the hard work they do for us, we really couldnt do it all without you.

And i would like to say a really big thank you to them for everything they did for me when Gordon was ill at the beginning of the year I will always be so grateful and you are the best friends anyone could ever have xxxxxx.

Oh i bet you wonder where Harry was while we were out enjoying ourselves.

Harry was with his friend Oliver having a great Christmas Party of their own.

And Finally i bet you wonder if the back of the house got finished before Christmas? Well take a look at these pics i took tonight.

Yes they managed to do it and the weather here has been horrid all day with wind heavy rain and sleet, but they were determined to do it and weathered the storm Thank You Guys.

This is a view from inside of the back reception room looking towards the new windows.

And this is a view from the kitchen looking along the extension into the back reception room.

So the back of the house is almost finished. Theres some electric and plumbing things to put into the new ceiling and then the insulation will be done before it all gets plastered.

We will be going in and doing some painting over the holidays in the other rooms and then the kitchen and bathroom will all be installed next month.

I think we will be moving in between the end of February or the beginning of March and we are all starting to get really excited.

Well thats our news up to now and i have a some more Christmas cards to finish as there are still a few we have to deliver tomorrow and then we can have a breather.

I will try and get on before Christmas day if i have time if not We wish you all a Safe and Happy Christmas.

Love and Smiles Rob Gordon and Barnie ( who keeps sniffing at all his presents under the tree ) xxxxxx

...

Snow and Scotland and Panda's Oh My

Hello everyone.

On Sunday we travelled up to Scotland to see Gordon's Mom and Family and exchange presents and have a little mini pre Christmas get together.

Although it has been a tad cold down in our neck of the woods we have seen no snow at all, so imagine our surprise that as we were driving through the peak District ( we were about 30 miles into our journey ) we drove into a real winter wonderland with snow everywhere, we had to stop as little Harry absolutely loves snow and we played in the White stuff with him for almost half an hour. Here are a few pics to let you see just how snowy it was.

Gordon and Harry in the snow.

A Winter Wonderland.

We never saw any more snow until we reached Gordons Moms house where to Harrys surprise and happiness the back garden was Snow heaven so he played there until bedtime.

Monday

It was a very wet and rainy day today and the snow had all but disappeared which was a bit of a disappointment to harry so Gordon his mom and i decided to go to the Art Gallery in Glasgow for a few hours.

It is a fabulous Museum with lots of Art Nouveau and Deco displays which we all loved.

This was my favourite.

I may do a Rubber Stamp based on this embossed bronze as i think it is so beautiful.

The other thing that caught our attention was a modern art piece suspended from the roof of the gallery showing lots of plaster cast heads. Heres a pic.

We all loved this and although it was quite spooky you just had to keep looking.

That evening we took Gordons mom out for a Christmas meal and she liked the place that much she is going to take her friends there soon.

Tuesday

On Tuesday we took Gordons nephew to Edinburgh Zoo to see the Pandas that have just arrived there.

Oh wow we had to wait in a queue to get to see them but it was worth the wait as they had just woken up when we got to see them.

They are here for ten years and the Zoo has done a really good job with their enclosure.

You don't get bored waiting in line either as you can watch the penguins swimming underwater through a hugh glass viewing area.

These were the best photos of the Pandas that i took.

This is the Male Panda Tian Tian, he had been sleeping and had just woken up.

This is the female Panda Yangguang and i was lucky enough to be right at the front of the glass partition when she decided to come down and take a closer look at me.

Just at that moment my cameras batteries ran out so i was really happy i got that snap.

After the Zoo we went into Edinburgh to have a quick look at the Christmas Market.

Over the Christmas Holidays i am going to update my Flickr Photos and you will be able to see a lot more pics of our trip to Scotland there and loads more things too.

We all had a Fish Supper tonight at Gordon's Moms house and Harry had a grilled square sausage for a treat.

Today we said our goodbyes and came back down to England and we couldn't resist having a look at how things are progressing at the new house.

Oh WOWEEEEEE i can't wait to show you how the back is looking and wish i had re charged my camera but you will be amazed at how much has been done in the time we have beeen away

and i will put pics up soon.

Tomorrow i will be showing you the wonderful New House present that one of our customers have made us before we go on our annual staff Christmas Night Out which is always fun.

Thanks for dropping by and see you all tomorrow.

Love and smiles.

Rob, Gordon and Harry ( who is very tired and wants more snow ) xxxxxx

Its Getting Better and Catchup

Hi everyone.
Well the back of the house is starting to look better and the lovely builders reckon it will be finished just before Christmas.
Heres a couple a pic i took tonight in complete darkness ( as we can only view in the dark because of work ).
.
As you can see we now have the re inforced roof almost complete and the builders
plan to have all of the back done before Christmas.
These lads have worked so hard and the weather here has been against them all the way.
The plumber has been and had a good look at everything and we now have to have all the
gas pipes replaced as they were put in ages ago by the man who built this in 1930, so you can understand that everything needs re-doing,
There are pipes coming out of the walls that in these days would be a big No No but we knew this when we bought the house and know that everything will look a lot better for being sorted out and give us peace of mind.
Back to our own house and its going to be our last Christmas here so after a lot of soul searching we decided to go the whole hog and put the big Christmas tree up.( which we hav'nt done since we lost Barney four years ago).


This is the last Christmas we will have in this house so i have put three trees up and illuminated every window and it feels great and Harry just loves it.
I will close now and will post again on thursday to show you a wonderful new house present that one of our customers made for us. ( be prepared to be amazed ).
Love and smiles Rob Gordon and Harry. xxxxxx

AND THE WALLS CAME TUMBLING DOWN.

Hello Everybody.

Wow has'nt the weather been awful today, hope everyone is OK and did'nt get blown away.

This morning started with Gordon and i going to have a look at how our new kitchen will look when it is finally time to have it all installed.

After a bit of tweeking and changing things around a little we have finally got there and i cant wait now to get cooking in it. We reckon it will be around mid to late January when all that starts.

We had to go to the new house afterwards to make sure the new skip had arrived and see how the builders were getting on. Now before i go any further here is what the back of the house used to look like

Because the extended part of the house was a little dated and the wooden parts were showing signs of age we decided to get it all knocked down and modernised with a re-inforced flat roof

so that we can have a balcony leading from the bedroom upstairs to watch the wildlife in the garden at different times of the day and night (neighbours have seen badgers in the gardens at evening times ) and a nice cuppa in the mornings on nice days.

So this is what greeted us this morning

Everything had gone literally and i must admit i was a little taken back at first.

The builders asked me if i was ok so i must have looked shocked, so for a bit of fun i said with a serious face that i didnt like it and could they put it all back up again as it was. It was their turn to look shocked until i started laughing.

Heres another larger pic of the back of the house.

Just after i took this picture the heavens opened and the winds came blowing in so we all went inside. I will post more pics to let you see how its all progressing over the next few weeks.

Malcolm the joiner has put in more doors and we have a plumber coming in next week to sort out kitchen, bathroom and gas pipes.

So i will close here and see you all for the next installment.

Love and Smiles Rob Gordon and Harry xxxxxx

4 Years Today

Hi Everyone

Not a nice day for us here today as it was 4 years ago our little Barney passed away.

We still Love and miss you and know you still come and see us now and again.

Thank you for all the fun you bought to us.

Love from your two daddys and Harry xxxxxx

Its all slowly Coming Together and Other Adventures

Hello Everyone.

Can i just say before i begin a big thank you to all of you who have left comments and phoned us at the shop to wish us luck and happiness in our new house.

I must admit the last couple of weeks i have been wondering if it will all ever be finished and maybe we will eventually move in around 2030.

Last week we took a break and went up to see Gordons mom and family in Scotland.

I must admit we really needed it and it was great to lie in and just relax Thank You so much mom for letting us get our batteries re-charged and looking after us, Love Ya xxxxxx.

Thanks also to all the girls who took care of the shop and the orders while we were away.

We love you all loads and loads too xxxxxxx

When we got back on Wednesday we were very good and never went to the new house until Thursday evening after work.

OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH what a difference a break makes and how busy all the builders and joiners have been, the place is starting to look fabby.

Here are some before and after pics.

This was the bathroom and toilet we had knocked into one room.

Look at the Avacado Suite and the tiles and the wallpaper.

It takes me right back to the 1970s and Abigails Party.

When we went on Thursday evening it was all starting to come together

and all the back wall is ready to put the new window in next week.

Malcolm our joiner and husband of one of our customers has pulled down the horrible

cupboard which encased the boiler on the left and is going to make us a nicer one.

Before we went to Scotland Malcolm had just started on the stairs area and i told him i would

probably like a little toilet and sink with a storage area if there was room.

Wow i couldnt believe it when i saw what he had done.

Where the new door is will be the downstairs loo and then there is a little cupboard just big enough for my vac and cleaning stuff.

( small cupboards = cleaning stuff big cupboards = crafting stuff ) Thanks Malcolm its wonderful. xxxxxx

To the left is where an ugly cupboard used to hide the electric and gas meters ( we still havnt found the water meter ) ????

And look at what Malcolm has done this time it makes such a difference.

I was nearly in tears when i saw just how much had been done and how wonderful everything is starting to look.

Anthea's husband has been busy putting all the radiators in for us and we are meeting them tomorrow to help put the last few in.

Oh look who's that in the picture ha ha yup its harry who really is loving it all and seems to love the little cupboard under the stairs, we couldnt keep him out of there.

These last two pictures are the false wall the builders have had to make so that they can start re building the extended part behind, so now if the bad weather arrives while they are working at least the house will stay dry.

And this is the kitchen with the false room.

That door used to be in the wall to the left of the picture and the builders have done a great re cycling job and used it for the temporary entrance I love it.

Finally heres a pic of something else ive been doing since coming home from Scotland.

Yes i am getting all my Christmas cards made and im late again as usual.

Still im really enjoying just getting my fingers around all the scrummy Christmas papers and dies

and making loads of mess as i go along.

I will try and do a quick video tutorial for them if you like, let me know.

Right ive took enough of your time with me rambling on again.

Thanks for dropping by and do leave a comment if you can.

Love and smiles Rob Gordon and Harry xxxxxxxxxxxx

..

The House Of Wishful Thinking

Hello everyone.

Are you sitting comfortably?

Ten i'll begin.

Just before Gordon took ill this year we decided that the time was right to move house.

This all came about as we had spotted a property just 2 minutes walking distance from the shop and it also had a view of the fields and mill pond from the back garden.

Well we sort of had to let everything go when Gordon took ill and i had to stop all prospetive buyers coming to the house and had the for sale sign taken away and our details left at the estate agents.

To cut a long story short somebody asked to buy our house in June and we put in a bid for the house we wanted.

Alas after the surveyors report the house we wanted needed to much doing to it and we were told to just stay put so everything was stopped .

In August we were driving home and took a wrong turning and noticed a 1930s style house for sale.

It was completely empty so we went and had a look in the window and we liked what we saw.

The back was open so we went and had a look there too.

I fell in love with the garden before i even looked through the back windows.The kitchen was still original in every way and when we went to the bottom of the garden there was a small river running through it we were HOOKED.

The house chose us i am sure of it and we couldnt get it out of our heads.

There was a lot of work involved as our surveyor told us which included having the whole downstairs gutted and damp proofed but apart from that the house was solid and steadfast with great potential.

On the 1st October the house of wishful thinking ( my name for it all the way from the beginning as i didnt think we would ever own it even though we loved it ) was ours and ever since we have been bringing it back to life.

So far we have took it right back to its bare walls, had doors removed and had walls knocked out.

But now each day as we go in we can see it starting to take shape.

We have lived on a really busy main road for all these years with loads of noise and now we are moving into a country village just a 25 minute walk into the grounds of Newstead Abbey (one of our favorite places.

We go to the house every evening after work and on our days off to see how the builders are getting on and doing what we can to help the process along as we know we have to have the main bits done before the bad weather arrives.

There is still a long way to go but we are both really happy and excited and Harry loves it too.

Here are a few pics and i hope you like them.

This was how the kitchen looked and i loved it.

Sadly only the 1930s table and the old clothes airer/pan holder above it remain.

This is how the back reception room looked like but now

the wall on the right near the window has gone and joins onto the kitchen.

The rest was gutted right back to bare walls.

A view of the front garden and countryside over the road.

We are taking the hedge at the top out as you cant see oncoming traffic so it is dangerous and we are going to have a small wooden fence and gate instead.

I cant wait to get cracking on this space.

I want to make a vegetable patch in the island as we get sunshine on both gardens all day.

This is the back porch which is a little sun trap and look

at all those Bramley apples picked straight off the tree.

This will have to be all re pointed and maybe rebuilt next year.

Here is a pic of the back garden a couple of days after getting the keys.

I have already started getting it into shape but im not doing anything else

now until spring as there are lots of bulbs in the garden and i need to see

what and where they are before going further.

At the bottom of the garden are some steps that lead to a small river.

It is full of wildlife including Ducks,Kingfishers, Brown Trout and our very own

Moor Hen who i have christened Hilda.

In the garden so far we have seen a male Pheasent, a family of Partridges, a Heron, a Spotted Woodpecker and the most friendly Robin who isnt one bit scared of harry.

We know its going to take some time to get it all as we like it but the main thing is we are going to love it here and are so very happy.

We are going to open up the house now for the men with the radiators and finish stripping the upstairs rooms ready for painting.

Will post more pics when i have a minute and i hope i havnt bored you to tears with my ramblings.

Please leave a comment as i love to read them.

Love and Smiles Rob Gordon and Harry xxxxxx

Back Online Yippeeeeeee with a Massive Catch Up

Hi Everyone.

I know i was supposed to post 2 weeks ago but im afraid our modem thing died while we were at the N.E.C.

The Sky man came and changed it last Saturday and it worked for literally 10 minutes after he left and died again.

Hes been again today and has done loads of geeky things and fingers crossed it will work at least until i have got this blog post up and running.

Anyway the N.E.C was fabulous as usual and heres a pic of us on the Thursday just before they opened the doors.

Karen Me Gordon and Michelle

It was great meeting old customers and new and although we were so busy we still had time to chat and have fun.

While i helped Gordon on the till and re stocking Karen demonstrated the new Sizzix Vintaj machine and all of the Vintaj jewellery products and folders that go with it, while Michelle demonstrated the different Scor-Pal boards.

We had sold out of all of those products by the end of the show which made us all really happy.

On Thursday and Friday evening i met up with some old pals from my younger days in Birmingham.

Thursday evening i met Karen who had to come without Roz and Kath this timeas they were working but we had a good old chin wag and catch up. It was great seeing you Kaz and cant wait for you all to come and see us next year.

Friday evening was very emotional for me as i met up with Lorna who was my closest female friend in Brum. She was on holiday with me back in 1993 when i first met Gordon and i hadnt seen her for 16 years. Not only that she bought along another old buddy Chris which was such a wonderful surprise. Lorna and Chris its been too long and we have to stay in contact now and again cant wait for you to come and see us next year.

Heres a couple of photos of us.

Myself Chris Lorna and Gordon

Lorna and I = Double Trouble

Now then i bet you are wondering what was so important that i had to come home on the Saturday of the N.E.C.

We have been waiting for the main part of our new products to be delivered and they will be available in January, so i had to be home for the delivery.

Oh woweee i couldnt resist opening one of the boxes and when i did i had to go straight up to my craft room and play.

So for the next 2 months the girls and i will be busy making samples for the launch of these products on Ideal World Create and Craft Channel in January.

Just before we went to the N.E.C, Harry had his last haircut for the year so here is a before and after shot of him.

Harry Before his haircut.

Harry after his haircut.

Honestly everything is happening all at once here and Gordon and i are up to our arm pits with another big project that hopefully will be ready for February. It started on the first day of October and is sort of taking over our lives at the moment ( but more of that tomorrow ).

Heres a little clue of what is taking most of our time up .

If you can guess what we are doing do leave a comment and all will be revealed tomorrow.

So i have caught up a little now and will be back tomorrow.

Love and smiles Rob Gordon and Harry. xxxxxxxxx

See You At The NEC

Hi all.

Just a quick blog while Gordon is at the shop getting more stock to take back with us to the NEC tonight.

We have spent all day setting up and the stand looks fabby.

Gordon, Karen,Michelle and myself will be there tomorrow ( our stand is number E 17 ) with some wonderful new demonstrations and some great new products to show you.

I am there for the first two days and then the lovely Sandra takes over from me for the weekend.

WHY am i coming home on Saturday ?????

I will let you all know on Sunday and you will know then why i havn't been blogging much for the last few months.

Tomorrow night and Friday night i am having reunions with friends i havnt seen for 15 years and will put some pics up for you to see.

Right i will get all our clothes and toiletries ready to go and if you are at the NEC this week please stop by and say hello.

Love and smiles Rob Gord and Harry xxx

Busy Busy Busy

Hi Folks
              I know i havnt blogged for ages but we are just so so busy here in Once Upon A Stamp world and when i get home i just want to flop out as i am sure you can all understand.
I am also working on a new line of rubber stamps and digital images to go with our unique NEW PRODUCTS which hopefully we will be launching in the next couple of months and we are so excited about it and cant wait to share with you.
The summer seems to have gone too quickly this year so we are so happy that we are having this beautiful Indian Summer weather right now.
Gordon is still doing brilliantly well after his aneurism earlier this year and gets stronger every day. Harry has had a great summer and is ready for his autumn hair cut ( this will be his last cut now until the end of February and he will get really fluffy and curly and look like a yeti for Christmas which i love.).
As for me i have been off the ciggies for 6 months now and still cant believe it. I dont miss them at all now and just hope that this time i manage to quit FOREVER.
My younger brother had a triple heart bypass yesterday so that puts me off smoking even more.
He is doing well but obviously in a lot of pain today and i just want to say I LOVE YA Bruv and hope its not to long before you are singing with your band again xxx ( I know he reads this ).
The Show at Harrogate was fabulous again and Gordon and the girls ( Karen and Jean ) would like to thank all our customers old and new for coming to our stall and saying hello.
I will close now but dont forget to look at the Design Team Blog which consists of Di, Jean, Michelle and Karen as i know they will be putting up some of their new samples some time this week.
I will try not to leave it so long before i post again and thanks to everyone who sends comments as we love to hear from you all.
Love and smiles Rob Gordon and Harry xxx

Stevenage Tomorrow and Catching Up

Hello folks.

Gordon has set out for Stevenage this morning and Sandra and her husband are going to help him set up.

I cant go as i have to be at home this weekend for various reasons (all will be revealed soon i promise ).

It has been a very busy time for us all in Once Upon A Stamp land with so much going on its like being on a roller coaster.

The No More Shims Mat has really taken off in the U.S.A and Canada and now the Stay Put Mat is on its way over.

The workshops at the shop are going so very well and are all mostly full before we get chance to put them on the blog, Please give us a ring to see what we have available.

We are pleased to say thaat we now have the multi talented Mixed Media and Stamp Artiste Claire Towle ( who used to have the Card Fairy ) joining us every few weeks to do some wonderful full day Workshops.

The last two have been sold out before we have had time to announce them as everyone knows how fantastic Claires classes are.

I am doing some design work at the moment for some new products which i hope will get your crafting juices going.

We hope to launch these products on CREATE and CRAFT late September or Early October and we are all really excited about it here.

So that is what is taking most of my time up at the moment as these products have to be up to my standard and be really versatil too.

In between all this we are in the middle of something else which is really exciting for us and i will share this with you as soon as i can.

Gordon continues to go from strength to strength and we are all so proud of him.

I have been Nicotine free for nearly five months now and still dont want another cigarette EVER.

And Harry is getting all excited because his best friend Bob comes to stay next week for two whole weeks YAY.

Will post again in the week to let you know how Stevenage went.

Love and Smiles Rob Gordon and Harry xxx

Cooling down but still HOT

Saturday was another day up in the 90s so we decided to do something indoors again.

We went to the Field Natural History Museum and again the place was so big and so interesting we were there until 5.00.

It did get scary towards the end of the day in there as we started to walk through hall after hall of stuffed animals from all over the world and we couldnt find an exit.

It started to get really freaky when you passed people you had passed 10 minutes earlier and they couldnt find a way out either.

In the end there must have been about 12 of us all staying in a group and laughing nervously trying to find a way out but not doing too well.

Eventually just passed molluscs of Australasia and Dung Beetles of North Africa we found the all importantant Exit sign and everyone gave a big cheer.

Came back to the hotel where we heard the sad news of Amy Winehouse.

I think everyone knew her life would end tragically and too early but i hope her spirit is at peace now and her songs will always be played.

We didnt do much just went for dinner and then had a night watching American TV or should i say adverts and then fell asleep.

Today has been a lot cooler so we have been out hitting the shops and going to different neighbourhoods to have a nosey around. I have bought some craft books and art materials that i cant get at home and Gordon has bought some shoes and jeans.

THis evening we went down to the Navy Pier and had dinner at Bubba Gumps and then went and watched the last ever Harry Potter Movie in 3D on an Imax screen ( Fabulous )

Yes i shed a tear at the end and thought the whole film was brilliant.

Got back to the hotel at around 12.00 am and have got everything packed and ready so we can have a last look around Chicago in the morning and then we will make our way to the airport around mid day.

Have had a great time but cant wait to get home to our little Harry and find out whats been happening at home.

Cant put any photos up as i have packed the cameras away but will post some when we get back.

Thanks for dropping by

Love and Smiles Rob and Gordon xxx

Some like it HOT

It is really really HOT here in Chicago with warnings of not to go out if you can possibly help it and if you do to use high factor sunscreen and drink plenty of fluids.

Thursday was 101 degrees so we decided to go to the Planetarium as i have never been to one and Gordon says this is one of the best in the world.

I thought i would be bored but found it all fascinating and loved the three dimensional films and how our universe came about.

It was 5.00 pm when we came out and i couldnt believe we had spent a whole day in there but the time did go so quickly.

After a quick look round the shops and a bite to eat we went on an Architectural boat tour along the Chicago river ( it was 8.00 pm so no worries of getting sunburned ) with a lovely lady telling you about the history of Chicago and about all its famous skyscrapers and buildings.

It was 9.30 when we finally came back to shore and after a stroll around the Magnificent mile we came back to the hotel and had an early night.

Friday was in the high 90s so we went to the Chicago Art Institute as we both wanted to go here and it would be nice and cool with the air conditioning on.

Again A full day of taking in the arts from the pre raphaelites right up to the modern arts of today by the time we had looked around at all the fantastic art it was 5.00 pm again before we decided to go back to the hotel and rest our legs for a while.

Later we went for dinner and a walk down to the Navy Pier and then went to a late night movie showing of Transformers 3 in 3D.

Why did we go and see this you may be asking ???

Well last year when we were here we actually watched some of this being filmed along the Chicago river so when we saw it was actually being shown we just had to see it and i must admit we really enjoyed it.

When we came out of the cinema at just gone midnight the sky was full of lightning and just as we reached our hotel the heavens opened and i have never heard such loud thunder in my life.

We sat up in our room 18 floors up with a coffee watching the fantastic light and noise show for well over an hour before we went to bed with lightning still lighting the room and thunder still gently rolling in the distance.

I will leave you with a little video i took of the Chicago Skyline on Thursday and will write again tomorrow as i am so tired right now and must get some sleep.

Love and smiles Rob and Gordon xxx

Hello From Chicago

Yes i know

One minute we are saying hello to you at the Summer Crafting show at Doncaster and then we had to zoom off to Chicago for the Summer CHA show to promote the No More Shims Mat to our friends across the pond.

We arrived in Chicago on Monday afternoon and at the moment they are having a freaky heatwave with temperatures into the high 90,s and even up to 101 degrees yesterday pheweee.

Tuesday and Wednesday saw us on Diana and Roys Scor-pal stand promoting the No More Shims Mat.

It was great seeing Diana and Roy again and we all had a real good time and we got lots of interest and orders for the No More Shims and lots of interest for some of our other products too which Diana and Roy will hopefully be taking on board for us.

We met some absolutely wonderful people at the show and want to thank you for your kind words and interest in our products.

We also want to thank Diana and Roy for giving us the chance to promote our products on their stand and also for being our distributors across the pond.

Heres a pic of Myself ,Diana, Roy, Gordon and Sheila just before we said so long on Wednesday

evening .

Thanks for a wonderful two days guys and we will see you again in Anaheim next year xxx.

On Wednesday evening after something to eat we just fell asleep for around 12 hours as i think time caught up with us.

I will write later on today about what we have done since the show as Gordon is getting itchy feet to go somewhere.

Now where is that sun screen

Smiles and love from Rob and Gordon xxx

All Ready For Doncaster Show

Hello everyone.

Hope you all enjoyed the videos Gordon and i have made for the No More Shims Mat and if there are any more things you would like us to try just let us know and we will do a video.

We have just finished setting up for tomorrows stamping show at the Doncaster Dome and Gordon, Karen and Michelle will be there to help you and show you some of the latest tricks and techniques with our products.

I am real busy at the moment working on my projects for college and when they are finished i will put some pics up to show you how i am getting on.

I have not had a cigarette now for just over 11 weeks and must admit have found it a lot easier than previous attempts i just need to work out a way to lose the excess weight that has appeared since stopping ( diet will start when i am ready as i can only cope with stopping one thing at a time )

Its been a bit of a sad couple of weeks too as my uncle passed away and my sister in laws father was found dead on the day of my uncles funeral and he was a fit 66 year old , so not a nice time really at the moment.

The garden is also keeping me busy as many of you know i absolutely love my garden and am sooooo happy with it this year as Gordon and i have transformed the front and the part next to the kitchen over the last couple of months and i keep having to go and have a look even when its dark haha.

Tomorrow i will be picking the first of our Strawberry's and will make something nice with them for when Gord comes home from Doncaster.

If you come to Donnie tomorrow please say hello and if you liked the videos please send in some comments as we have had none on the blog for them yet.

Going to close now and thanks for dropping by.

Love and smiles Rob, Gordon and Harry xxx

Embossing Fresh Leaves with No More Shims Embossing Mat &the Big Shot

Embossing Dried Leaves with the No More Shims Embossing Mat and the Cutt...

Using Lace Mesh Hessian etc with No More Shims Cuttlebug & Big Shot

Flattening 6 Bottlecaps using Sizzix Big Shot and No More Shims

Flattening 6 Bottlecaps With No More Shims And The Cuttlebug

No More Shims Mat With Big Shot Impressabilities And Plastic Stencils

Hope You Like The Videos

Hi everyone.

I havnt blogged for ages so Gordon and i thought it would be a nice idea to do some No More Shims videos on the Cuttlebug and the Big Shot so that you can see how well it works on both machines.

The first three are an introduction to the mat and then basic embossing with a nestabilities die on both machines.

Tell all your American friends that they will soon be able to buy it too as Diana and Roy Crick who own Scor-Pal are going to launch it over there in the next few weeks and we are all really excited about it.

Tomorrow i will put a couple more videos up one showing how to use your impressabilies with the No More Shims and another using the plastic stencils.

Gordon and Jean would like to say a big hello and thank you to all the people who came and said hi and bought things from our stand at Port Sunlight just over a week ago.

Thanks for popping by

Love and smiles Rob Gordon and Harry xxx

Using The No More Shims Mat with Nestabilities and the Sizzix Big Shot

Using The No More Shims Mat With Nestabilities And The Cuttlebug

Once Upon A Stamp Present The No More Shims Embossing Mat

Catching Up

Hello Everyone.

It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks here and i am so sorry for not getting here sooner but life has been keeping us really busy what with one thing and another.

Before i go any further though i must tell you that Gordon has been given the complete thumbs up by his surgeon and he has not been stopped from driving or flying as he is one of the very lucky 10 % of people who go through what he did and come out perfectly fine with no cause found and no long term damage and for that we are sooooo extremely greatful.

The N E C was fantastic and it was so lovely to meet friends and customers both old and new and have a little natter.

My reunion with my old pals was wonderful and we had such a fabulous evening together reminiscing and catching up with each others lives. I felt on cloud nine for days after and just kept smiling to myself because i was so happy to have my old friends back (Thank You Facebook) and heres a pic of us all below. Thats my sister on the far right and her two children on the far left.

Another good thing to come out of the reunion was that i have quit the weed (3 weeks and a few days now and not missing the cigs too much ). I was the only one of us left who smoked and it didnt bother me until the day after and i started feeling like an old dinosaur still plodding on with a smokestick in my hand while everyone else has stopped, If you cant beat em join em.

I have stopped loads of times before and thats the easy part but the hard part is staying stopped so i hope i do it this time forever.

The week after the NEC was manic at the shop what with back orders and deliveries and we werent getting home until gone 9.00 pm for the first four days .

We both were starting to feel done in so decided to go to Norfolk the next week with Harry and it did us the world of good aand Harry loved it.

The highlights were sitting in the garden of the little cottage we hired just before dusk and seeing a Barn Owl fly right past us and Harrys face when he came head to head with a pack of seals on a remote patch of golden sand near Stiffkey. Im sure he thought they were mer-dogs and i dont know what they thought of him haha.

Heres a pic of one of the seals having a little swim.

Have not had such a fab break for ages and we feel great for it too.

At the moment we are all getting ready for the next ideal world tv show and we will have some fabulous samples and demonstrations featuring some of the new dies from Marianne as well as some of our own products to tempt you with.

Tomorrow is Good Friday and we will be open from 11.00 am until 3.00 pm and some of my pals from the Monday Class i go to incuding Clare and Diane from America are coming too to have a play day so it should be fun.

Well thats about it for this post and i will try and get back sometime next week for a natter.

I will post our holiday snaps on flickr to sometime next week so you can see what a great time we all had.

Thanks for dropping by.

Love and Smiles Rob, Gordon and Harry xxx

From Harrogate to the NEC

Hi All

Had a fantastic time at the Great Northern Paper Show last weekend and it was great to say hello and have a natter with everybody who came to our stall.

The show was a great success for us and we are really glad that you loved our demos and liked our prices.

Gordon had so many people wishing him well and nobody could believe the progress he has made in the last couple of months and we really do cherish your good wishes so much.

Well on Sunday i took part in the Ready Steady Craft Challenge and am so amazed that i actually won.

It was so much fun and honestly the maddest thing i have taken part in for a long time.

If anyone has any photos or movies they took of it i would love you to send them and then i can put some up on the blog for people who werent there to see.

I am writing this from our hotel room in Birmingham as tomorrow is the opening day of the Hobbycrafts and Stitch show at the N E C and we are really looking forward to meeting all our customers old and new.

Karen will be showing you new ideas with the Scor-pal, Scor Buddy and Scor Bug and i will be demoing some amazing dies that allow you to make big cards with your cuttlebug and big shot without having to upgrade to A4 machines and dies. I will also be showing you how you can make beautiful cards that are cut and embossed in 8 seconds using some new dies by Marianne and i think you will be very impressed.

Tomorrow night i am having a reunion with some fantastic friends that i lost contact with over ten years ago and cant wait to see them and share our stories and also talk about old times i am sure its going to be a hoot and this time i have made sure my camera battery is charged up.

If i dont get back to the hotel too late tomorrow i will put up some pics for you to see and tell you how the show and reunion went.

Going to get some sleep now so i am ready for tomorrow ( Gordon snoring already haha )

Love and smiles Rob and Gordon xxxxx and a big one for Harry X

See You At Harrogate This Weekend

Hello Everyone

Just to let you all know that Di, Karen, Gordon and myself will all be at the Great Northern Papercraft Extravaganza show in Harrogate this weekend.

If you are going please come and say hello and have a natter with us as we really love meeting you all.

We have some fab demonstrations for you and loads of good price deals too and im sure we will all have lots of fun.

I have been signed up for the Ready Steady Craft challenge on Sunday afternoon and i really havnt a clue what its all about but im sure i will end up in a mess and laughing as i love a bit of fun.

Harry is staying with his best friend Bob and Aunty Michelle and we are missing him already.

Better get some sleep now as we have an early set off tomorrow.

Thanks for dropping bye and hope to see some of you over the weekend.

Love and Smiles Rob Gordon and Harry xxx

Gordon On Create and Craft today and a pic of Harry Too.

Hi everyone.

I know i havnt posted for a while and i am so sorry.

You know how it is one thing leads to another and another and there just isnt enough time in the day.

It has been a very busy few weeks for us as we are ordering things for the big paper craft shows which are getting nearer every day, making samples for T V , the shows,and the shop with all the new products coming out

(all very exciting ) and getting all the classes at the shop sorted so they are ready to start again inApril.

Gordon has really improved dramatically over the last few weeks and today i was so proud of him watching him back to himself on Create and Craft and him and Karen did an excellent job and done us all proud.

We have been inundated with calls to the shop and e.mails saying how fab it was to see Gordon looking so well and back to normal.

Heres a picture of Harry to finish with and as you can see he has had a good hair cut.

I wanted to put this pic up because this is how he goes to sleep sometimes while watching the TV. He sort of stays in the position he is in and just nods off and it is so funny to see.

Yes he does like television especially anything with dogs and cats.

His favorite programme is In The Night Garden and he has watched it all the way through since he was a puppy, he even has an Iggle Piggle that sings and it is his favorite toy and is always near him at home.

Anyway

I will close now and speak to you all again soon.

Thanks for dropping by.

Love and Smiles Rob Gordon and Harry xxx