Holiday Blues

I am very lucky not to have returned to work after the New Year holiday.  By using 2 days from last years holiday entitlement I have managed to get a full week off.  It's complicated but believe me it's all above board.
Unfortunately this doesn't mean I have escaped the post Christmas blues and yesterday wasn't great I can tell you.
As you know I decided to go to Meadowhall to source the highly coveted Cath Kidston wallpaper. BIG mistake.  I am so glad I didn't order it on line.  It was horrible.  There was not one pattern that grabbed me.  I really wanted the Birds and Roses design which, when I saw it did not float my boat.  The pattern was splodgy and quite frankly, ugly. 
Now I know this will cause controversy as I am aware that Cath Kidston is the epitome of style and good taste.  I'm sorry but I was unimpressed.  I even looked at the clothes as I would have loved a t-shirt in one of the floral designs I have seen on the Internet.  The only one they had looked like one of those thermal things Grandad wears in the Waltons. I have read a few reviews from people who have bought her clothes and some of them are quite damming.
After a good two hour traipse and a brain numbing visit to Laura Ashley where the assistants were bored and unhelpful I managed to find a gorgeous neutral polka dot in the Next sale.  Not quite what I thought I wanted but perfect as it turned out.  The girls there were lovely and I got the whole lot for less than two rolls of the Kidston stuff.
OK rant over, take a breath and keep calm.
I promised to show you a couple of things once the light improved and here goes.

First up is a birthday card I made using a free stamp set I got with one of my craft magazines.  If ever you see these kind of freebies please buy and try.  I wasn't convinced that stamping was for me but after watching a few Create and Craft features on Free View TV I am hooked. 
I stamped on to spare card first, then painted them using a fine brush and a couple of stamping pads.  You could use felt tips or watercolour paints as an alternative. I also highlighted a new areas with the odd dot of glitter glue. 

I love cutting and sticking, I think it puts me in mind of being a little girl again.  I was always cutting out and colouring and I have never lost the fascination for it. Steve has been known to buy me a colouring book for a little present, bless him.

The other thing I made on New Years day was lavender soap.  When I first started trading on my stall I made little heart shaped soaps and put them in organza bags with my contact details.  I gave them away as  free gifts and they went down a storm.  I haven't made soap since then but this method is really easy.  I just used a solid base soap, melted it down in an old pan and added a teaspoon of cosmetic quality essential oil fragrance and colouring.  All bought off the Internet of course.  I used a  plastic container as a mould and popped a couple of dried sprigs of lavender on top for decoration.  The only problem now is it's too nice to use.