Signpost Friday

Just a quickie message today for signposting purposes!  I blogged my book cover from last week's Andy Skinner class over on The Scrappy Tree blog -

...and I've also posted my DT project at The Stamp Attic - here comes Christmas!

It's been a busy crafting week but a busy study week too - pleasure and pain!  I have an assignment due Monday and an exam Thursday so they're keeping us busy :) I'm looking forward to getting the assignment done so I can play some more with the goodies I had last weekend at The Stamp Attic! Plus I really want a bunch more stuff with that gesso carving technique on it ;) lol!

It's getting chilly here now ready for the traditional autumn celebrations at the end of the month :) it's not Halloween or Bonfire Night if you don't need to wear a scarf and gloves to go out, and you should be able to see your breath in the air!

I made pumpkin walnut loaf and a carrot cake in the past week, so there have definitely been autumn smells and flavours in our house :)

It's been very windy though, so the trees are already starting to look more like winter than autumn already!

I am going to crack on with this assignment so I can get my life back sooner rather than later ;)

Happy Friday! Have a good weekend

Gayle xx

Monday catch-up

What a busy week! I'm not sure how many photos I can share but I'm feeling like waffling anyways so here I am :)

This week was my last at my current placement, and I worked an extra shift to compensate for some sick time on my previous placement - 4 long days? Ouch!  By the end of the week I didn't know if I was coming or going.

On Monday last week my stepdad's mother passed away, and Tuesday was his birthday so it's been a week of ups and downs for him especially.  I made him a birthday card steampunk style which I shared last Friday at The Scrappy Tree.  For his birthday gift we clubbed together and bought him a telescope; I have never in nearly 20 years of knowing him seen him so excited and happy about a gift!  I guess he really wanted one for a looooong time.  It was nice that he was able to enjoy something about his day during such a sad time.

On Saturday I went to The Stamp Attic for Andy Skinner's gesso carving class - SO enjoyed, but am blogging about it Friday at The Scrappy Tree so won't share that here now, except to say that I've found another technique that I adore and want to put on everything :)  thank you Wendy for a lovely day, hope to see you again soon!  This pic was at the start of our day before things got messy :)

The sky on our drive home was so beautiful, this picture really doesn't do it justice.

I already have my eye on my next Stamp Attic class at the beginning of December; if I could wangle going again so soon I would be there again next weekend for Hels' classes too!

I've been doing some knitting this week with some wool my mum was intending to turn into a scarf - I am getting there slowly!  It's very fluffy indeed and reminds me of the mome raths from Alice in Wonderland :)

I have worked on a few things this week that I can't share, most recently a DT project last night, but just to prove that I have been busy, here is a snap of my inky Smurf fingers :)

Have a great week :) 

Gayle xx

Ten things on the 10th

So a lot of my time at the moment is being taken up by placement, so my ten things this month will be ten special moments :)

1. Talking rubbish to my mentor on the drive home from night shift, and finding out later she got home and was wondering what I'd been talking about and what I was laughing at! (yes I really don't need anyone else to have a fun conversation LOL)
2. I got to see the inside of a lung and a colon on the same day (via those very clever cameras on long bendy sticks, thank you nameless patients for letting the student come in too.).  Absolutely fascinating.
3. I've learned what to do in some emergencies (believe me, this is a source of great comfort for us student nurses who worry that they will miss something important and not know what to do!)
4. Seeing one of the staff shake a large bottle of milk of magnesium with the top not on properly (this has actually happened on quite a few of my placements, but still funny).
5. Seeing a chest drain inserted, and watching what happens next (genuinely, it is AMAZING the things that can be done when someone is unwell).
6. All the smiles and good wishes from wonderful patients who are really unwell, but are still cheering you on because you're a student and they want you to do well.  Very special people.
7. The honour of looking after patients in their final days - this is such a privilege, and a humbling part of being in this profession.
8. Being able to wave off the patients who got better and left us to go home :) such a sad feeling to say goodbye, but so very happy to see them get better :)
9. Being told that my manner of being a bit hyper and full of beans when I'm working cheered someone up :)
10. Last but by no means least - being slightly taken aback when an older chap told his neighbour 'I wouldn't kick her out of bed'.  Nice. But very very funny.

Can you tell I love my job :) happy days!

Ten things on the 10th is courtesy of Shimelle, who will be running a post today :) check it out at her blog here.

Gayle xx

They go up tiddly up up...!!

So I've actually managed to do quite a few tags lately (I have a pile of about 10 from the past week!) but I can't share most of them because they're either Christmas themed (I refuse to start posting Christmas just yet) or they're for someone that hasn't received them yet!  I did make this tag to share at The Scrappy Tree - really love this balloon stamp :) must think up a project to have on my wall somewhere!

I'm working on a project for Halloween so I'm hoping to get it finished soon. I want to decorate our front room for Halloween and it would make a nice addition I think :) watch this space!  I'm looking forward to us having a 'grown-up' Halloween party again this year; last year it was all us adults carving pumpkins and playing games - lots of fun!  No children in our family so we just indulged ourselves instead with spooky sweets and cupcakes :-D

My weekend ahead is to be devoted to critiquing a research study, quite interesting really but it's always hard to keep yourself out of the craft room isn't it ;)  Am counting the days til my next Stamp Attic visit for the Andy Skinner workshop!  15 days to go :)  Woot!  Such amazing techniques, I can't wait to learn a new one.

Just wanted to mention that tomorrow is World Cardmaking Day - I'm not much of a card maker but The Scrappy Tree is inviting people to share their cards over at the TST Facebook group, so if you've got one to share or are looking for some card inspiration, call in there tomorrow :)

Have a great weekend!

Gayle xx