Scrap the day!

I have made a start on my cover for Shimelle's scrap the day project, using her idea here on her blog. I have ordered a square punch so that I can cut my photo's according to her photo prompt, as the square punch I had was far too large! (Any excuse to buy more stash hey!) The large green window will have some photograph title in it eventually, maybe even the first photo promt! Each little square will have an index print from each month in it and then I will embellish it all with buttons etc when it is complete!I used another sheet of American Crafts paper and the contrasting side to cover the scallops. I inked the edges with a chalk eye ink pad. I trimmed the join with K & Co adhesive paper lace. The photo is taken in artificial light so the colours are not true to life, sorry!

I went to the hairdressers today and afterwards, I popped into the second hand bookshop close by and bought a few vintage books for a little project I am working on.

It included the GEC cookbook and a needlecraft book from 1941! An embroidery magazine from 1957 and a Tate and Lyle recipe book from the 1920's. I have been sat reading them for ages!

Some lovely little snippets in them! Today, I also received a pack of fat quarters of quilting fabric in lovely muted colours I ordered off e-bay! They arrived quickly! I can't tell you how many things I have bid 99p on recently!! I have become an ebay addict! Trying to get a bargain! Good job you don't win everything! All sorts of things! I have even been looking on ebay abroad!!! I am into selling things too, have sold some rubberstamps I was not using and an embossing board, both on one of my forums! Good news that the BIA has been dispatched from Craft Obsessions!!! Can't wait for that to arrive! And finally, I have been sewing!!! HOORRAAYYY! For the first time in ages and on my new desk!!! Fabby, fab, fab! Considering sewing was my first love, it is nice to rediscover it for pleasure rather than necessity! I have even reclaimed my old wooden sewing table for all my sewing bits and pieces that was being used as a TV cabinet!!! I bought it years ago at a church bazaar and striped it down from the black oak and re-varnished it! I think it was a piece of utility furniture judging by the handle that was on it. I re-lined it with some pink watermarked taffeta from my bridemaids dress, but I think I must have used rubber solution glue in my youth as it is all yellowing with age! Never mind! It adds to the character! Will try and photograph it tomorrow. TFL and Happy crafting! x

Storage

I love these ! Aren't they cute? If you have the new Scrapbook Inspirations magazine, just look at the back cover!!! The doctors bag and pink and black big shot are just my thing!!! Will have to start saving!
Is it storage or is it fashion???? I love these bags too!!! I don't even go to crop, but if I did i would have to have one of these!!!
No pizza boxes today :( was expecting at least one!!!! Sneaked a Bind It All machine last night! Can't wait for that to arrive and have a play with it! Feeling very frustrated, that since I got my new desk i have not had time to use it! Spent today doing more marking and then entering up results on spreadsheets until my eyes went fuzzy! Who says teachers have all these holidays!!! My parents came for tea tonight and DS2 won another silver medal today in his tap duet and got Honours in his tap solo! Not bad going as he has moved up a section for this festival! He even managed to squeeze in a Rock challenge rehearsal between his classes, so has been out all day!
DS1 has managed a couple of errands in the car for a bit more driving, just trying to do a little everyday, I must say he has improved greatly! Off to get my hair done tomorrow, then hope to get my reports written!!!!! Still no time to scrap! Never mind! TFLx
P.S. I'm in Scrapbook Inspirations magazine this month! On the letters page, clutching my mag in Venice!!!!

5am start!

Yes, it was that Studio Calico kit release day again and I had to set the alarm clock bright and early!!!! I still can't get over the fact that I have to be out of bed to snag an add on that I want, but sure enough, by the time I got up for breakfast, some were already sold out! I got up at 4.50am and came downstairs to order, went straight for Picket fence first - my favourite, paid and then went back for Tree house!! Was all a flutter and managed it all before the site even jammed up this time! Do find this time of day difficult! Anyway, went back to bed at 5.30am, mission accomplished and slept til 6 when we had a really loud thunder and lightning storm!!! Finally got back to sleep and woke at 8am!


Look here for a video of the Big Bite we have been waiting for this to arrive from America and finally it is here! Have not decided if I have to have one yet or not!!!!! I love my Cropadile dearly, but am not sure how often i need to set and eyelet in the centre of a 12 x 12 page!!
Went to Staples today for book rings and saw they had the really useful 12 x 12 boxes on offer in their clearance section! Hope this does not mean they will stop stocking them! The 7L 12" box comes with some smaller boxes inside that would be very useful too! They were £7.99 and not £12.99 like I have paid in the past at Hobbycraft! Not going there again! Anyway, I was very good and resisted! But, like to pass on a bargain! Hang on a minute!! Just found them here for £5.99! (But without smaller boxes included!!! (No connection!) Oh well, maybe a good job I did resist!
Been out and about today with hubby as he had a days holiday. Got our hanging baskets for the summer and even managed lunch out at the pub! They have nipped off to have a look round a gym tonight, so maybe we will be getting fit!
DS2 had his first success in the dance festival this afternoon, gaining a silver medal with his Russian Cossack dance. has gone back tonight to do his song and dance! DS1 has been to see the new Indiana Jones movie! Didn't even know Harrison Ford was the young ones cup of tea, he will always be Hans Solo to my son!!! He loved Star Wars so much when he was young! Mind you, I love Harrison Ford!!!! Lol!
Off to check out the design gallery over at Studio Calico now! (No connection, just one very satisfied customer!!)
Have won a Woodware scallop heart Supa Dupa punch today on ebay, so all in all not a bad days haul! Expecting a couple of stash deliveries too for my new projects, so looking forward to those pizza boxes!!!! TFLx

A vintage journal!

I have made this vintage journal for Judi in the USA as I wanted to thank her in a special way for my birthday card. It is made from a vintage navigational chart from the 50s/60s which I have torn and used to glue to paper bags from my Studio Calico kits. I made some tabs and glued some vintage postage stamps to them. I have tried to select the pages to have interest, as a background to whatever the owner decides to use the paper bag journal for. I used some distressed papers from Cosmo cricket, to make the title block and used my cropadile to punch holes in the spine for the American crafts ribbon. I hope she either likes vintage herself, or can used it as a gift for a friend that she knows likes vintage! Depending on the feedback I get, I have many of these charts, that were given to me that I could use to make similar items and I have ideas for several different models and sizes I could make. I think this would make a great scrapbook for heritage photo's and or a holiday journal.

This post has been brought to you courtesy of Barney blogspot!

"I have had a busy day today, as normally they are at work and I do a lot of sleeping and barking at the postman, however, I have not had a wink of sleep today, as she has been taking lots of stuff to the tip and the charity shop and I have had to check out lots of car and drive activity! Fortunately, she is now blogging, so I can sit on her knee and rest! Woof!" Barney xx

Today we did Ikea!!

Well, today was the day! We set off at 8.30am to get to Ikea in Leeds about an hour away, to beat the bank holiday rush! I had a major furniture remove yesterday, moving a cabinet to the cupboard under the stairs, so I could relocate a chest of drawers into my scrap room wardrobe, so that I could remove a bookcase to put where the cabinet was originally!!! Do you get that??? So that meant a three way shift and tidy, resulting in several trips to the tip and packaging things up for the loft and charity! Jonni realised we had to go to Ikea today, as he was in the dance festival the rest of the week! He is having a new desk for his birthday in a couple of weeks time, as he starts his GCSE courses in September, so decided to have a bigger work area and re-organise his drawers in the wardrobe! We had researched our respective desk purchases online, but are always afraid that they will be out of stock by the time we get there! Anyway, it was our day! They were all in stock, as we both changed our minds when we got there!!!! Lol! Jonni chose this one, and I got this one! We also got new desk lights and few other bits and pieces as you always do at IKEA! Lots of paper napkins and bulbs and batteries and Yorkshire pudding tins and.........etc....etc. Anyway, we are all poshed up now and raring to go! Two new workspaces in one day! No problem for the new SAAB estate!!!! Fitted in easily! Only one problem! You should see the dining room floor! Tomorrow is charity shop and the tip again!!!!!! TFLx

Today's the day!

To scrap your your day!!! For the class over on Shimelles's blog here! I remembered to charge my camera and take it to bed last night, so I could photograph what time I woke up this morning, but so far, my morning has consisted of tidying out the cupboard under the stairs and throwing away a lot of old paperwork!!! Fortunately I should be able to get the highs and lows of the football this afternoon!

Bits and pieces

Look what I got in the post! It is a birthday card from America! I was so excited to get this from Judi (mom2EE) over on the Studio Calico forum! I just love it and it made my day last week when she posted it in her gallery for me and now I have it in person! She included a sweet little stamp in the envelope too! I shall treasure it! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for being such a sweetheart! Bless you xx

A little craft project!

I finished this little mini album today, that was started a few months ago by DS2, then abandoned. It's made from a stepped chipboard album that I bought blank and covered in Basic Grey Gypsy papers. He had chosen a few photo's of himself and his brother and mounted them with all the embellishments. He had just not covered the back of each page to finish them off! I decided to ink the edges of each page and then added a few ribbons, buttons and fibres to the eyelets.

Here are a few of the pages, could add more to the other side later as we come across them.

Started today by marking more optional test papers! have been tidying DS2's room and gaving a clear out! Filled 3 charity bags! He certainly is growing!! We have had a major clearout!
Tomorrow is 'Srap The day' again for Shimelle's class as it is the 25th of the month. I will be visiting her blog first thing to get the prompt for what kind of photo's to concentrate on this month, also looking for continuity in some things I photographed last month, like the garden, to see how it has changed. There was a fact sheet on there yesterday, giving ideas for photographing still life and noticing the light changes in various parts of the house, so have been busy photographing my coffee cup all around the house!
Finally! The football! Hull City won the play-off this afternoon and are now going to be playing in the premiership for the first time in their history! The Tigers have managed to make it and the whole city was behind them, so many people I know went!! I think the city must have been empty! Congratulations to them! They deserve it! Could be tricky for me though, as DS2 dance studio is right next to the KC stadium and on big match nights we always have a problem with taking and picking up from dance class! With the likes of Man utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool visiting, it will be even more hectic!!!!
Tomorrow it is the turn of Leeds United! Lets hope they will be successful too! This is the team my husband has supported since the days of Alan Clark and Billy Bremner in the 1970's so I hope, they win too! TFLx
P.S. Sorry I did not post yesterday but had a migraine!

I've been blog rolling again!

One of my favourite thinks is chipboard and so I often check out the Maya Road blogs here and here so I was very interested when their new website finally went live here! Lots of inspiration in the creative corner including some templates to download to make pages for their chipboard books!! They have lots of cool shapes and I love the tins that some of them come in too!! If you are mad about chipboard too why not pop over and get inspired!!! (Not linked to this company.) (Bubbly Funk have a good range of chipboard shapes including some Maya Road sheers too! (Not linked to this company.))
This project is particularly sweet and I am going to give this one a go sometime! I like the idea of masking with rubber solution glue before painting and then rubbing back the paint to reveal the original card to give a worn aged effect. I also like the idea of snawiching felt between pages to create a frilled edge effect, another idea I am going to work on, when I have time! I HAVE ALL THESE IDEAS AND NOT ENOUGH TIME TO CARRY THEM OUT!!!
Building up to Shimelle's class on Scrap Your Day for the 25th of each month. She has posted the prompt to decorate the front cover of the album, so I have tried to make a start on it using another sheet of American Crafts A La Carte papers.


Bought these two little suitcases to alter from a local shop! I like them!!! I am going to use them to store stash! They may never get altered at this rate!!
I missed the craft sessions on QVC this week, but always have a browse through the products and came across a set of chalk eye ink pads, 30 of them in a platic pail. With postage it was going to cost £40!!! So, needless to say I surfed the net and found a store that was offering discount if you bought more than ten individually and free postage if you spent more than £20 so I bought about twenty two for about £27 - some of my birthday money gone!! And I can buy a nice jar from IKEA to keep them in!! Chalk eyes give a lovely subtle effect and they are very useful for inking the edges of chipboard, I find them the easiest to use as they are a raised ink pad. They also blend really well using the stylus tool! happy crafting!

Phew! The football's over!

For a couple of days at least until the play off finals this weekend, when I will have to watch Hull City and Leeds United!!! That's what happens when you live in a male dominated household! Actually, have just got back from a girly meal at the local pub to celebrate my birthday, again!!! I have Googled the Fiskars punch I was talking about yesterday, as someone e-mailed me and asked me what i was talking about!!! I can't wait until they get over here! Wish I knew someone who was going on holiday to USA!!! They get all the good stuff and very reasonably priced too! I keep hearing people talking about Pottery Barn and Target and Wall Mart and thinking, why wasn't I into scrapbooking when we went to Florida in 2005!!!! Lol! Good job I wasn't actually, as we would never have got to Disney!!!! Anyway, I hope to go go back sometime and craft shopping will be a priority next time.

We are coming up to half term now, I finished work today and am looking forward to a break, although as usual I have a list of school work as long as my arm!!!!

Another thing to look out for are new colours in Glitter Thickers from American Crafts and this yummy ribbon New for winter '08 can't wait!!!
Must try and get creative again!!!

Do we need one???????

I think we need "The slice" watch this demo and see what you think!!!! Having just ordered some punches and also debating the Big Shot - I now wonder whether to wait for this?????

I am getting bogged down!!!!

With marking!!! I hate this time of year! We move from one test to another and there is loads to mark and it's getting in the way of crafting!!!!!!! How dare it!!!! I have things to do!!!!! It's a busy time of the year too, beacuse DS1 is on with AS levels and DS2 is building up to the Hull dance festival in half term next week and will be dancing most days!!! Won one class this time last year for his song and dance, but then went on to win five cups in the October festival, so he has a bit to do next week if he wants to keep it up!!! My display cabinet will be groaning under the weight of cups!!! Anyway, that's all to come next week, along with a scheduled trip to Ikea for my birthday present - new craft desk!!!! Although - I have to say I was contemplating a Big Shot (Just missed out on one on e-bay, but love the fabby pink and black colour combo!!!) and Then a Bind It All, (Demo here)so I will have to make my mind up soon!

Saw this recipe journal in the Works last week (£4.99), my old recipe book is falling apart, so I thought I would get a new one and try to transfer all my faves!!!! I would not throw the old one away though, as it has my sons frist writing in it!!!! A bit of a tradition in our family! My mums recipe book has all my sisters first scribblings in which are 40 odd years old so I will keep my DS1 scribblings for posterity too!

I digress, as usual, it's like one of those Ronnie Corbett sketches!!!! Back to the recipe journal, It has a spiral binding which is covered in a duck egg blue bookbinding tape, and a lovely cover, which, at first I was going to alter, but now I am not so sure!!! I must admit, to start with, I thought there was a recipe pocket at the start of each section which was useful, as for some reason, I use my recipe book to store all my old well loved postcards from family members in the past!!! I use them as bookmarks and like to look at them from time to time as some of these members are no longer with us! Anyway, there isn't, so I will have to make each divider contain a little pocket! Not difficult!!!

However (I told you it was one of those Ronnie Corbett sketches!!) I saw this book on Amazon and it gave me an idea, How about I go back and buy another journal and alter it to one of these?????!!!!! They do a baby album version in the same series apparently, so either would do if I am going to alter it!!!! (Don't panic!! We've finished with babies in this house!!!!!)
This one has a 'kraft' type cover and the index tabs are labelled with days of the week, you could do it to whatever you like!!!! I thought about keeping an ideas book!!! When it was the Cybercrop, I made this mini album to keep by the bed, as I seem to wake up with lots of craft related ideas!!! But, it is not big enough!!
Anyway, sorry for the rambling post!!! TFLx

UKs weekly challenge

This weeks challenge on UKs is to use a layout sketch, some stamping, some ribbon and some doodling! here is what i came up with, albeit rather late in the day!! The stamping is an "elegant Flourish" from Autumn Leaves with a Brilliance ink pad, so it has a subtle watermark effect. I doodled with my white Sakura pen around the swirls. The journaling stamp is another favourite from Autumn leaves. I wrapped the ribbon around the photo for a different effect and trimmed it with a Prima flower and a button.

The alphabet stickers are a Doodlebug set called "Loopy Lou" which I love! Need to get more!

This lady Violet was my son's first babysitter and she was very important in their early lives. I wanted them to remember her and this photo of her on her 80th birthday is just right for the job!

P.S. UKs have just had an upgrade and I can't find anything! I had only just got the hang of it!!!

Baby projects!

I received a newsletter today from Papertrey Ink and it had the cutest baby card ideas to go with their new set of 'Baby Blessing stamps.' There is a girl leaving work this week to have her first baby, so I thought I would have a go at doing my own interpretation of their "Baby is Brewing" card, which included a little sachet containing a T-bag! I Googled apron template and came up with some fab free templates including this site here which had some links to other sites too. I printed off the free apron template and from another site a free baby shoe template as I have been meaning to have a go at one of these too! The third baby project I have made is a ring pull can covered and labelled "A spare Pair of hands!" This was a combination of ideas - the 'can' idea from blog rolling somewhere!!! and the idea that when you have your first baby you always feel as though you need a spare pair of hands!!! The can is a real can that I have cut off the bottom with a can opener that takes off the rim as well, then rinsed it out and added my "Spare pair of hands" and a little note! I then glued the base back on the tin, once I had filled it, using my hot melt glue gun. I then covered the tin with PVA and glued a strip off paper over the can, including the join. I left it to dry. I then prepared another strip of paper and added a label, stamping with a whispers stamp definition of 'wonderful' and individual alphabet mini stamps. The paper and chipboard star are Brenda Pinnick. The baby shoe was from a free template, which again I used two sheets of Brenda Pinnick paper for. I glue them togethr with PVA and left them to dry. I had a lemon pattern on the outside and plain lemon on the inside. I made a box from plain lemon Bazzill carstock and a lid from a sheet of acetate, using my scoring board. I added a few embellishments. The apron card is stitched from one sheet of BP paper, including the t-bag sachet holder in the apron pocket.
These projects will be part of her baby shower basket of fun things!!! One of the girls at work has bought a fab basket from Laura Ashley here to put all the fun presents in!
I don't often have chance to do baby projects, so this was great fun, hope you like them! My next door neighbour is due next month, so maybe I will be making these again! TFLx

P.S. Any idea what is in the can?????

Ten thousand clicks!

My counter just reached 10,000! Considering I only started this in November and wasn't sure anyone would be interested in my little bloggings! I am so chuffed!!!!!! Thank you to all who pop along to read and leave a comment! Posts have not been as regular recently, due to workload, but I am now on the case and have lots of fresh new ideas to share with you over the coming weeks, So, thanks again and keep blog rolling!!! TFLx

P.S. Barney on the do-crafts forum!

I'm very "Fawned" of this Sassafras!

Here it is! The piece of "Fawned of you" paper from Sassafras, that I thought I would never use when it turned up in my kit last month! I decided it would enhance this wooden wine box hubby got for Christmas a few years ago and I had refused to throw away! I cut off the shaped edge to use later, then cut a strip the depth of the box, except where the fawn was, I cut around it's head, to sit proud of the box edge and reinforced the back with card. I then printed the Sassafras logo off the internet to highlight the box and added the shaped trim to cover the seams where the paper was not quite wide enough!!! This box has always been used for craft storage, starting off with my stamps in it until I had too many, then I stored my punches in it and then I realised it was a perfect size for 'Thickers' and rub ons etc! So I arranged them neatly in each of the two divided sections. This sits on my windowsill directly infont of my desk and I can reach whatever I need! On the cybercrop weekend, when I was trying to work fast on several pages, I realised I could do with some sort of dividers in it, so I made some, by recycling the packaging from several Basic Grey pieces of stash! The chipboard and Rub ons have this fab floral pattern on the back on the packaging! Also the 'Say it with gems' have this gorgeous polka dot packaging! This made me think, now I had dividers, I needed to label them, so I cut the top off empty packs of each item and stapled them to the decorative card dividers for a rustic look! It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I love it and have recycled!!!! So, as you can see, I dont have too many cardstock stickers, journalling cards, Alphabets or rub ons! I think I need more!!! Lol! If I get bored with this paper, I can change it! Decided to glue it on with double sided and not PVA so I can change it if I want to! Let me know what you think! TFLx

Late post!

Wow! I've had a productive day today! It has been one of those days when I kept moving from one job to another, which sparked another, which led to another!!!! I walked the dog; did two loads of washing; dismantled the lock on the back door; that refused to work anymore, went to the DIY shop and bought a new one - took the old one with me to match for size!) fitted it; cleaned out the goldfish; did my online food shop; ironed last weeks ironing! unpicked the zip on my DS1's motorcycle jacket and fitted a new one - thank goodness for the leather needle on my sewing machine!!! Cooked the tea and then spent birthday money time and time again in cybershops!!!! (Not actually spent yet, just virtually spent!) So, hence the late posting on here!

Just been playing in the scrap room!

Years ago when I first got into card making, I bought this caddy of shapes, after searching for it for ages and decided it was something I must have - I love the vintage look. Anyway, how much have I used???? Absolutely nothing!!!! It is still sat there, full! An expensive mistake!!! (Now being sold off everywhere for about a fiver!!!)So I sorted it out to sell. But then never got on with it!

Last night however, I was surfing the net and decided I might like to buy some scallop punches, I filled my cyberbasket with 6!!!!! Nearly £50 later I decided NO! Then I remembered this caddy had some pre-cut shapes in it and why did I need punches when I could use these!! So, tonight I decided to make something from this!!

Two strips and four scallop squares about an inch and a half wide!

This is what I came up with - A little treasure and with the addition of a few embellishments, I think it is soooooooooooooooo cute!!!

Also finally used my sheet of 'Fawned of you' Sassafrass paper that I got in my Studio Calico kit!

Watch out tomorrow and I will share my altered offering with you! having started out hating this paper, I have decided I think it's cute and it is to feature in my scrap room re-modelling!!!

(Never got to the Range today! Still no birthday money spent! Have been tempted by a Big Shot on Create and Craft weekend with free p&p, but put off by people saying poor customer service!!) How many times have I virtually spent this money! Decided to postpone the Ikea trip until Spring Bank Holiday! Not going to rush it!

Humber Bridge

Happy birthday! Another year nearer those 'Sanadalised shoes' as a friend kindly pointed out this morning!!!! Lol!
Nothing you can do about it, but enjoy! Had lots of lovely cards this morning - mostly with shoes and handbags on the front! I can't possibly think why??????!!!!!!! Got some pressies from family including cash to go and buy new storage and a new craft desk from Ikea - hoping to go at the weekend!

Like this picture taken at hubbys leaving do last thursday! Can't get rid of the red eye though without turning his whole eyelid black! Looked like he had been in a fight!

Yesterday I had to bake a cake and take it to work for the staff to share (and healthy option fruit of course for those on a diet!) Thought you might like a slice!










I had a lovely card made by my DS2 using my stash of course!!!

Hoping to have my parents over for tea! The sun is shining, so off out with Barney for a walk, whilst DS1 finally raises his head out of bed, then we can get on with Maths revision for his General Studies AS paper this afternoon! That's the thing about Dyspraxia, he might have a C grade at GCSE in maths from last year, but all that info has now gone! Again! We need to rebuild! Have been working on it!


Thought I would share this photo I snapped on the way to OH leaving do last week! Welcome to East Yorkshire! I love the Humber bridge and its gracefulness! Have some other snaps of it too, that day the sun was hazy and behind it, I thought it looked beautiful! Hull gets a bad name but this is Hull! I think there are a lot of a of plus points for this part of the world!

Venice!

Another photo I took of Venice! This was for a challenge to scrap your favourite place and include some sewing! I decided on Venice as it is my newest favourite place after our visit last month! The mask is sewn by machine using textured paper and decorated with hand doodling and gems. I had to unearth my sewing machine and swing it into action here! I used a zig zag stitch to get an applique like effect to make it seem like material. The slide mount I made myself, from clear shrink plastic, after I came across this idea whilst 'blog rolling' I'm sorry I can't remember the link at the moment but will search it out! I had never thought of making my own slide mounts and have an abundance of shrink plastic in stock in various colours!! I chose clear here. It shrank like mad so you need a piece about 4" square. It did curl badly and I have a few marks in the palstic where it crease but I did not panic and kept my cool! It sorted itself out then I thumped it with an ink pad box to flatten it!!! I used it to frame a Vaporetto ticket. The acetate under the photo mount is stamped with a lace rubber stamp using Stazon. This was an extension of a technique I tried for one of the cybercrop classes. This lace stamp from "The stamp man" is so intricate and shows up well on the background calligraphy paper. Stazon ink is necessary to stamp on slippery surfaces! The 'Basic Grey' chipboard heart is inked and doodled using Sakura glaze pens. Hidden journaling on a luggage label. (My thing at the moment.) The papers are 7 Gypsies 'Napoli', the title is using foam thickers by American crafts. The ribbon is also American crafts. Another favourite thing at the moment are these journalling notebooks by Making Memories. Really hot right now!! You just tear out the one you want and as you can see, they don't have to be used for journaling! I just love the shape! TFLx

The Graduate!

This is the last LO from one of the classes on UKs cybercrop. It was to scrap a degree photo, so I dug mine and my husbands out of an album, having recently scrapped them and been unhappy with the result on the Basic Grey mellow papers! So, I had another go with this class and was much happier with the result!

Should I be broadcasting these 1980's hair cuts???? I think not! That aside, I have to say the class was fab! I altered it slightly to include some hidden journaling on a tag behind my photo and used some Brenda Pinnick paper instead of the one suggested in the stash list! I love how everything else came together and the Making Memories 5th Avenue Elizabeth Floral Die-Cut 12x12 Paper, which was in my Studio Calico kit is a great idea to work with. You have the opportunity to put different colours behind the cut out shapes! There was a lot of texture going on here and attention to detail, with the folded luggage labels, all in all, one of my favourite clsses of the whole weekend! Hope you like it too!

Today has been a good day for hubby in his new job! He thinks it's fab! How lucky he is! Must find a way to follow suit me thinks!!!! DS1 had his first AS level today, General studies, hopefully not gone too bad! DS2 off to dance class again, relieved to be over his year 9 SATs! We had Year 6 SATs at work today, those poor children and parents going through it! Glad we had a great weekend!!! TFLx

Lethal Weapon!

This is another LO from a class on the UKs cybercrop, which ijnvolved hand cutting and couoring as well as creating your own background using watercolour pencils. I had to make some changes to this class, as i did not have all the materials available, but I was amazed at the amount of detail involved. The heart was cut using a template from a Basic Grey infuse paper, outlined with a dooling pen and linked together. A piece of lined paper was stamped with the word 'love' and then coloured with watercolour pencils. This was glued behind the heart and added to the background paper. I hand doodles the 'love' title and doodled on the chipboard heart after colouring it with ink. I used Heidi Swapp butterfly maks and chalks to achieve my butterflies and then used a doodlebug alpha for the lettering. The photo's of DS2 early attempts at dancing were made into pockets to house tags with details about each picture.

Another mini tag was stamped with an 'I love you' stamp I added some American crafts chipboard shapes (bird and flower) for texture. I really like the effect of this LO and I have realise that you can add lots of tiny details and keep embellishing each layer to achieve an intricate effect.

Enjoying the sunny weather! had two BBQ's in succession!! It can't last! Better make the most of it, this could be summer! TFLx

Click!

This is a LO done for another class for the cybercrop called 'The Colour Purple.' It included a piece of velvet paper that you were supposed to make an impression on with an iron and a rubber stamp! Only one problem, I ended up melting my rubber stamp to the iron and the paper! Don't try this at home! My big mistake was not using a 'rubber' stamp but one made from synthetic rubber or acrylic or something! needless to say it did not work!!! I am now one stamp short! I put this class together with some of my own stash from the Basic Grey Mellow papers and then added the trims in the darker fabric and colours to compliment the whole photo. I took this photo in Venice when a gondola cut infront of ours and I noticed the shabby distressed building in the background. I love the colour of the canal water too! Reflected in the paint on the shutter. The chipboard letters were painted using a bronze 'Anita's' acrylic paint. The background cardstock is a sheet of Bazzill bling, so it has a slight sheen. I chose to write my journaling on a luggage label! TFLx

Weekly challenge LO

I have just completed my weekly challenge LO for UKs, to scrap a photo of yourself doing something!!!! I chose me modelling my new outfit I got for my holidays after a visit to the personal shopper at Debenhams! I can recommend it! After being off work 6 weeks and losing my confidence in clothes buying, I decided to take advantage of their service and it was a great idea! Not withstanding I could not face wlaking round the shop, I just had no idea what to put together and no confidence in my own decisions! So, I booked it and she asked the questions and did the leg work and I walked out with some new clothes and no hassle! Will be doing it again some time! So here is the result! I like this photo as it shows a new me, regained confidence and raring to go! Amazing what clothes can do!

The LO also had to include a bloom and ribbon and some journaling on show! I made the bloom by cutting a strip of Scenic Route paper and pleating it into a flower shape, I covered the centre with a felt and a flower from Making Memories. The butterflies are chalked using a Heidi Swapp mask. I stuck the ribbon on with glossy accents, but need to cover up the tiny dots, so will add buttons I think when it dries! TFLx

P.S. Big day today DH left his job yesterday and gets his car picked up today! He starts his new job on Monday (after 23 years with the same company!) Leaving do was good last night but emotional!!!

Autographs

One of the pre-crop challenges was to make an autograph book of your family members, where you put in one photo of each person and a journalling block about them and got them to sign it. This is a basic grey chipboard album I got in a kit from Scrummy Stash Cafe a while ago, which I covered in Brenda Pinnick papers. I inked all the edges. The lettering on the cover is from Doodlebug. I stamped a journalling block on each page using my Autumn Leaves stamps, then added a few K&Co stickers of words that suited each family member.
here is Barney's page! The most important family member!!!!!! I wrote his for him and signed it with a paw print stamp!!!! The book makes a great brag book for my handbag! I trimmed the book ring with some ribbons.



Yesterday was also a good day, because I got a stash delivery!!! My monthly kit came from Studio Calico - really early this month!! I love it all! Never thought I would say that about a kit including bright orange!!! I ordered one add on, a set of teeny tiny alphabet stamps and extra paper this month! Well, it is my birthday month!!! Worth getting up early for, they are all fabby fab fab! even the Sassafrass "Fawned of you" papers that I hated to start with and have seen on every magazine page since!!!! I now really quite like! Here is my haul! What I love about these kits are the unusual things they have in them, that I would not be able to find and they come here before things are released over here. They included a bonus mini kit free this month if you bought an add on and next month the bonus is a free stamp! I love the way it is all packaged so beautifully in the brown paper bags too and the label are applied with removeable tape so you can use then on a scrapbook page! (I have no connection with this company, just one happy customer!!!) Check it out in more detail here! I think there may be a few of the main kit left! The dollar is weak at the moment so it makes these kits from the USA even better value! Sorry ladies if you entered the free draw for a 6 month subscription, we did not win :( ! Worth a try though!
Momentous day in this house today! Not withstanding DS2 has had SATs all week and DS1 goes on study leave starting tomorrow for his AS levels, Hubby has decided to change his job, after 23 years with the same company! His leaving 'do' is tonight. How times are changing! I never thought we would be launching into the unknown at this time in our lives! But, who knows what challenges beckon and it is quite exciting actually! New pathways lie ahead! Sometimes it's just daring to go with your gut feeling that is the scariest! Your sensible head and your heart don't always agree! I know I'm struggling with this too, with my job! Only time will tell what decision I make, but I must admit to being quite envious of him! Dare to make that change! TFLx

P.S. QVC craft day today! Don't forget to watch!!!!!