Hello guys and girls and men and women and every one else!
 First of all... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I hope your day is brilliant where ever you are!! Iv been really busy in the last week and our schools did not finished until the Friday 21st and we only have two weeks off to celebrate Christmas and New Year. I do not think this is fair when we have such long summer holidays, although I would complain about school in most situations anyway. But its Christmas so YAY!!
   Last year we put the tree up on Christmas eve... Oops! This year though we put it up about a week before, which I think is the right time to put it up. We have had the same tree for at least 17 years if not more. Here are our Christmas tree decorating stages

Step 1. Unravel the tree. I was helping but that's my mum doing the back while I took a picture!

  Step 2. Put all the layers of the Christmas tree together (and attach any missing bits) She does look a tad bare but shes part of the family and shes not going anywhere.

Step 3. Is putting the lights on but sometimes step 3 is bombarding her in tinsel to cover up her bald patches, but this year tinsel was step 4. but I forgot to take a picture of her with just tinsel, sorry!

Step 4 & 5. Add tinsel and hang as many decorations as possible on her without her looking tacky! But we have some really nice little hanging  things so she will never look tacky!

Step 6. Put the fairy/angel on top... there is also not a picture with our Angel Gabriel (who until a few years ago I thought was a woman!) And thats it!  Merry Christmas Have a lovely day ansd I hope Santa has been good to every one!

   Hello! I hope you will except my apologies for being away a wee (that means little or small in the Scottish vocabulary) while. I have no real excuse bar being at my grandparents for a weekend and school lots of horrible school things going on. Oh and getting ready for that thing that comes up just before the end of the month, whats it called?? CHRISTMAS!!! Yes thats it! But I am not one of those people who goes completely over the top with tinsel and sparkly things every where, but I do like to be festive. I like decorating the tree, buying presents, helping mum make dinner, putting on our very very old (some may call vintage) Christmas CD but most of all I love giving out presents, mainly to friends and family not just random people.
   Today I was in the lovely city of Edinburgh at a craft fair in an old church called St Columbus its near the Castle. The castle on a nice day is beautiful, don't you think?

So we had a wonder round the craft fair. I bough a Christmas card for my family and some raspberry marshmallows for my sister, I hope shes like raspberry! Then we went to have a nibble in a lovely little place called The Hub. It is also a refurbished church, a very very pretty one at that! I had an ice coffee and we both had a scone. Not just a scone (and no I am not copying the marks and spensers advert,) this scont was special see for yourself.

MMMMM, right?? And I will leave you with these yummy pictures and dreams of crafty things and if you are like me then you will be happy with that! Good night or day depending on where you are. xx

MERLIN

Hello people!
  IM FREEEEEEEE!!! Yesterday I finished my prelims, it was such a relief. Although now I have my actual exams to look positively forward to... Or dreading, but that's a whole six months till then, so I will be fine, YES FINE!! But now its back to normal work, ughh.
   Now for the shocking (SHOCKING!!) news: MERLIN IS ENDING, ENDING FOREVER!!!!!! This is horrendous. We used to watch Robin Hood and really enjoyed that, we like period dramas, but they cut that too. It also had a lot of viewers still watching at the end and I am sure there could have been quite a few more story lines, although they had killed off Marion a couple of series ago and I don't remember Marion being killed in the book. But still it could have gone on longer but no. And now Merlin. BBC what are you doing?? Where am I going to get my Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Angel Coulby, Katie McGrath and Richard Wilson fix?? Huh, See what you have done?!? Although I do know I could buy the box set, but that's besides the point.

Where am I going to see these beautiful faces together again (apart from if they make a movie or I buy the box set or I get a poster or any way using the internet... Still not the point.) And to the saddest point of all, its ending what made me realise want I want to do with my future. However that has not made me change my mind, I still want to make costumes. And I really wanted to be part of this crew but I knew it probably wouldn't last another five years or more on top of the current five years it has all been running just to wait for me. But hopefully by then something just as good will come along (never better though) and they will need costumes made and I will come along and say " Hey I can make costumes!" and they will say "When can you start??" Well thats my dream so far, and if any of the current merlin cast are in it then that would be a massive plus side!!
   The other Tv dramas that the costumes look really good in are A Game of Thrones, which I really like, although my parents think have a few too many "adult" scenes, which they are glad the tv controller has a fast forward button. I think this is really funny as they are the adults.

   There are two more I like watching for costumes mainly but stories too, no actually three, are Downton Abbey, The Paradise and Larkrise to Candleford. I will do my next blog on them and why I like them.
   See you Soon xx

Craft Fair

   This week has been pretty good and then there was Saturday. Saturday was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!! I was at a charity craft fair, standing on my feet from 9am to 4pm but all for a good cause. We were representing the PYT (or its proper name is The Peeblesshire Youth Trust ) selling my hand made collection of jewellery, Christmas decorations, hair clips and badges and then there was a raffle and sweeties for the little ones. It was a really good day and I cant wait to do another one, which is good as I have one on Friday night!! Its in Peebles again, advertised as a "Ladies Christmas Shopping Evening" although I highly expect there to be men there. And children ( I am going after all and I wouldn't exactly call myself an adult, nor a child really... Does that mean I am an adolescent AKA stroppy teenager??) So Friday should be good and then theres one on the 1st of december and my friend has also invited me to join her at her local market to sell some things with her. As you can see I really do like craft fair/markets! We made these chocolates to sell for PYT as well.

   But inbetween I have my prelims. Yes those dreadful mock exams schools do. I think they are a bad idea when through out the year we do end of topic tests but I suppose they lett us know how stressful the real exams are going to be and also let us know if we are failing so far or not, hopefully not. I am actually not too stressed although my first one is two days away and my mum thinks I am revising. But it is english and this is writing so its not that different. Then theres physics. Thats a totally different (Ahh quick click onto bite size, someone is coming!)  Oh yes physics is my third least subject. Most hated subject is maths then chemistry (although I kind of like my sciences I just wish I didnt take three) then physics followed by biology. English is Ok as long as I like what im writing or reading about and history is easy-peasy and my favourite subject is fashion and textiles (if you knew then that would be obvious.) But sadly you dont do a prelim in textiles but you do a ten hour (TEN HOURS!!!) exam instead. Nearly everyone then says "Ten hours... In one go??" No dont be so stupid, that would be child abuse making a child sit an exam  for ten hours with no breaks. I get to do it over a couple of weeks, I can start it when ever I want as long as I finish it by the hand in date I will be fine.
   Oh and that craft fair I went to last week that I was all excited about... Well there was some nice things there but not what I was expecting at all. But I met a really ( I appologise for the amount or "really"s in this post, I need to widen my vocabulary) lovely lady who was there selling her mums things  because she was at another craft fair. They had some nice jewelery and leather books. I bought a leather book. Mine is orange. Bright orange. I thought I would never lose a bright orange book and so far this is true, but its only been a week. There was some really nice scarves too but quite expensive and I have a quite a few scarves all ready, always room for more though, just not that day. The other thing that interested me most was the ceilings and light switches. That sounds odd I know but it was a very old house, like Downton Abbey, a fancy manor house surrounded by fields and posh gardens. What im really saying is I would like to live there if someone would pay the bills for me. I couldn't take a picture of the ceilings subtly but I could of the light switches so here they are.

I want some like this, with the old flicker things, I was so tempted to try them but I couldn't, there was too many people! So that was my week and my week to come of prelims and craft fairs, but now I really must go and start revising. See you soon xx

  

Autumn

   Hello people! How have you been this week?? My weeks been full of pastpapers,when I say full I have done one and looked at an other, but it is only tuesday!
   In this post I will promise more pictures than previously. I went out with the dogs yesterday on a mission to take photos, it was very very cold and it looks a bit miserable outside but my mission is complete! Hopefully my photos don't look miserable though.

      The left one is at the beginning of our walk and the right one is on the way back. Its fairly close to our house and really nice, the dogs love it and I love the changes the seasons bring. Right now I would have said its nearing the end of autumn. Some trees still have leaves and if they do they are orangy yellow, apart from the evergreen ones which happen to be forever green. But from a far there is more naked trees and grey than colour and leaves, so  I went to find Colour, shes so pretty and not seen enough, but I found her.

   This isn't much but I love the red leaves and the sun was in the perfect position to shine a little but not too much. I really think the sun makes you happy, or for me it does.

   

   Also clear blue skies make me happy, as do skies with bright white cotton wool or pale pink candy floss clouds.  This sky is beautiful, and the tree, if it could speak, would be saying
   "Hey, look up here, don't you wish you could be up here in this amazing bright, open space, where I can see the world?? You should be jealous." 
   If trees could speak and I could speak tree I would reply "YES!" but back to the world of non-talking trees, here are my two trusty companions.

They are both beautiful but sometimes smelly, but I love them both equally!  Heres one last picture before I go.                                                                                                                                                   

This is my current project that I am actually working on. I have lots of projects on the go, lots of christmas presents in the making, and I will finish them one day, preferably before christmas! The rest of my week is a lot more exciting, I am going to the rugby  on saturday, playing with LittleBadIdea on friday and CRAFT FAIR  on thursday! YAY I cant wait for thursday! I love craft fairs and seeing peoples home made wonders and I often get innspiration to get more creative too. Oh and hair tomorrow, I think I will get a big chunk off, but not too short some where beween my neck and shoulders I think. I'll update you later, Good bye for now.

  

Hello again! Todays post will mainly be about The Young Apprentice. I really like watching it but its one of those programs which releases my bad habit of a running commentary. Also my running commentary would make anyone listening think I hate the bloody program, I dont I just like a rant! I also think its because, not going to lie, my future business that currently lives in my head is waay better than anything they ever come up with!! Too much credit to me there maybe, sorry. But also they are so bitchy when it comes to any disagreement over tiny stupid things! Things I have shouted at the tv so far:

"STUPID!" "Stop talking!" "I dont like her." " Mum, did you hear what that sexist bast*** said" "Oh I LIKE what she is wearing, she should win" "Oh hes a bit weird, I like him, he should win!"


Although its only the first episode so it highly unlikely any of them will win now. Moving on tomore me subject, I am trying crochet a Christmas tree, my progress is slow. I cancrochet and quite quickly if I dont get distracted, which is my issue: Procrastination. This is how far im up to.

And yes that is a Caravan Club magazine in the backround. Dont worry though its not mine! Im also trying to get ready for my three (THREE) craft fairs which sit the weekend before my prelims, the weekend inbetween my prelims and the weekend after my prelims finish, I think someone hates me. So I have been dreaming of getting crafty while attempting to revise. My revising is going better than my crafting but neither is brilliant, Luckily I have my mum!! Thank You mum!
      Today we went to two fabric shops, so I was happy, extreamly happy! Also Merlin is on now so I am very very very happy! Anyway back to the fabric.We bought quite a bit of fabric, I could have bought a lot more easily, but I held my cool, as they say, don't they?? Well im saying it now. But I did find a beautiful ribbon.

  The price was writen on the cardboard front but I couldn't tell if it was 15 or 75p, saddly it was 75p and not 15, although i didnt get any I am searching for it on the internet, if any one comes across any please let me know! I am off now to finish my crocheting, I am up to a triangle. YAY ME!!
  See you next time. 

   Hello People of mars, I mean the the world, but mars would be cool. Although people don't live on mars (yet) but what would you call things that live on mars?? Beings, creatures, ALIENS... No I think I would try and befriend them so the don't kill me, so I'll call them Friends (with a capital F!) Thinking about it I'm sure one of my friends is from mars... Oh no, wait maybe shes just from England. Hahahaha!! Joking, I have nothing against England, I'm half English half Scottish, not sure which half is better though... But that depends if you say what nationality you are by where you were born that would make me Scottish but my parents are from opposite ends of Britain, so I would say I'm British (but sometimes Scottish as that's where I live.)
    Yesterday I was at a meeting about the new Sick Kids that's being built at a place called Little France, its where the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary is at the moment. Iv been on this group for young people to be involved with the build and decisions since I was nine, it was meant to be built by now but lots of things have changed and now its due to be built by 2017. I will be long gone from the sick kids by then and into my second decade, AHHHH cue scary thought!!! OK actually more of an excited thought. Any way I met my good friend Miss H there yesterday. She has also been involved since the beginning, and we went for hot chocolate after, it wasn't as good as Spoon hot chocolate but that's a lot to live up to. It was still really good though!! It was really nice to have a good catch up. Miss H was telling me about her friend who has just finished doing a costume design course which is what I really really want to do once I have left school, well I would do it now if I could, but I will wait a year  and a bit and then go to collage or uni and hopefully some amazing company will realise they are missing me in their team... Well I can dream until then can't I?? 
     Any way her friend has been picked up by the people who make the TV series A Game of Thrones, their head costume designer is a lady called Michele Clapton, and the costumes on the show are pretty cool! I can't imagine my response if I got offered such a phenomenal oppertunity. Actually I do, first I would run round with a fit of excitment, then I will flop unbelievingly into a chair (or a dead body shape on the floor) and finally I would phone every one I know and tell them my life is complete!!
    Oh and before I go I have to mention last nights Merlin!! I love Merlin, no matter how good the actual episode is or not. This weeks ending was hard for me, especially after seeing the trailer for next weeks episode and knowing I have to wait a whole week to watch it. This is one programe I would love to work on, King Arthur has been one of my favourite tales forever and I really do love the cast in this version!! Im watch the end of My Week With Marilyn. It is an amazing film I deffinetly suggest you watch it.
                           See you next time.

   Welcome to post Two of Two!! Question: Do you ever ask a question that if you waited just two minutes and thought about what you were going to say, you would know the answer and wish you had never had asked the question in the first place?? Well thats how my morning started.

Then my mums friend came, we'll call her Mrs J, as her name begins a B... Joking it's a J... Or is it??? Yeah it is, but thats not the point she came when I was in my jammies/PJs/jimjams!! Not that I'm bothered but I could have been warned at least so I could have look semi-presentable...ish but  NO! Hours later once I resembled a human again Friend Two came round with her mummy Mrs A. She is called Betty. She has four legs and a really really soft sandy coloured coat (yes my new friend is a dog) shes a cockapoo and so beautiful dont you think??
    Then I went up to Edinburgh with LittleBadIdea, what a name to call your child, but other people call her Grace! We got off the bus at Armstrongs a supposedly a vintage clothes shop but some of the stuff is just peoples donations thats previously been hanging around the house in attics or at the att the back of wardrobes unwarn for years, some of the stuff is vintage-ish though (you can tell the real ones by the smell..) Heres what LittleBadIdea found amusing:

   There is some very funny things in there! Good for fancy dress!! And there were thouasands (maybe not that many but there were alot!) of gloves hanging from the ceiling in an upside down cone shape.

   Ok not so cone shaped more caged shaped but you get my drift. Then we decided we had had enough of the old cat lady/great granny smell and left. The next shop smelt much nicer, it should do as it was a cake decorating kind of shop. I bought cookie cutters for making... clay tags with, obviously thats what there for. No? Why not?? Oh well thats what I bought them for, the cake/cookie making shop keeper was probably quite shocked, but at least I made her a small profit. She should be glad!!
   Our next stop was a haberdashery shop. I cant help but think of Arthur Darvill (wow two blogs and two mentions of him, this is going well!) In The Paradise the other day saying it in Ruby Bentalls (Minnie from lark rise to candleford) ear ''Haberdashery.''  The phrase ''kid in a candy store'' comes to mind whith me in a haberdashery/fabric shop. I wanted to buy the whole shop, but I stayed calm and decided it was much more realistic to bring my mum back and make her part with her cash than me part with mine (especially on the run p to christmas.) So I left Heaven, I mean the shop, with out buying a thing.
    We wondered into a few more shops looking for some more things, for what I am going to call Project G. I'll let you know more on that later. At the end of our meandering, LittleBadIdea and i went to a wonderful cafe callled Spoon. If you like Chocolat by Joanne Harris, you will like spoon. YOU WILL I TELL YOU, WILL!! Ok. Well I like it, they make real hot chocolate, with real dark chocolate and ot smells soooo good!! The  restaurant has lovely mismatch furniture and candles in teacups. I think its fair to say I am in love with this place nearly as much as the fabric shop, and thats saying something!!
   Then our non romantic date ended and we got the death bus home. I calll it that due to the horrible blue lights they insist on putting on in the evenings and they make every one on the bus look dead or ghost like. There was a ghost like couple sat across from us who might as well have been sat on one seat instead of two, we thought they should of got a room not a bus. That made LittleBadIdea laugh out loud, and the man sat next to her probably thought she was insane, but so do I, but thats ok because so am I. I think every one should have a bit of insanity or craziness in them. All my best friends and family do. On that ponder I shall leave you, until next time good buy xx