Metal 'scraps' tin

Look at this cute enamel tin I bought and covered in some great Cosmo Cricket papers! I love these, with a fifties feel! I even used the co-ordinating cardstock stickers! The title has been punched from a vintage set of "Kan-u-go" cards I bought and some of the card frames that were left after the punch outs have been mounted on the back of the tin as slide mounts! A few extra embellishments of eyelets, using the cropadile of course!! And a few buttons and a tag with ribbon, just finish this item off! I like metal objects, they have that country, shabby chic, shaker style feel that I love! The vintage papers, just add to that! I coated the finished project in a layer of PVA and water so create a sealed surface. I am going to put some of my vintage scraps in it and put it in my shop. I am sure any scrapper would be delighted to receive this full of vintage goodies!!! TFLx

New from old!

I have made a range of cards from a well loved childhood annual of mine. Some of my favourite TV characters are here! The Herbs, Ivor The Engine, Hector's House, Hatty Town, memories just come flooding back!!! I have left the inside of the card blank so they can be used for different occasions or big birthdays, for big kids! The card contains the first paragraph of the story inside the lost leaf. I used American Crafts double sided card and embellished with various chipboard elements!

Had a great day yesterday and today, but very tired now!!! Back to work tomorrow, counting down the weeks until the holidays!! TFLx

Today's a big day!

(Thanks Scarlet for permission to use this photo)

Well, it started with my 4.50am alarm call to get up for the rush to buy Studio Calico add on's - they are soooooooooooooooooooo worth getting up for! (no connection - I just love their stuff) Yesterday I was umming and aahing about which add ons to get. This morning I went mad!!! I got London in the bag first as I really, really love that stamp! Then went back and got Stockholm, then had to decide between Venice and Tokyo and I plumped for Tokyo as it goes with my vintage advantage theme and I will be able to make loads for my shop with that! At the last minute I added extra paper!!! The exchange rate is so good at the moment!!! i could not help myself! I have worked hard all month to save for this and I did not go over my budget so I feel very happy! Will be a few weeks before they arrive but, something nice to look forward to! I also purchased a ribbon kit here this morning as I missed out last month - they sell like hot cakes! So, all in all not a bad start to the morning, went back to bed about 5.50 and got up at 8.15!
Today I have to split myself in two! It is my SIL's 50th birthday party and my sisters silver wedding party. Just got back from the hairdressers and going to my SIL this afternoon and my Sisters 'do' tonight! Will be ready for my bed tonight, but, lots of photo opportunities today!!! Made something for my SIL but can't share 'til tomorrow!
Only one piece of Ebay mail today, another pack of 1930's playing cards! No time to craft all weekend so I am frustrated craft wise!
Off to peg out the school uniform washing - bought some old fashioned 'dolly pegs' yesterday, cant wait to use them!!! Lol! Have a nice day!!!

Happy Mail RAK!

I got this, this week, sent from 'the polka dot house' RAK, thanks sooooooooooo much akaliz! It was very sweet of you!!! Can't wait to use it!!! Hope I can get more pages over here!!! Will have to go check!!!! Included were some cute tags from her Etsy shop!

So what does today hold?????

Off to the doctors, got no voice AGAIN!!!!!!!! Wont have any trouble getting up for the Studio Calico reveal at 5am tomorrow! I was up coughing again this morning!!! Mr 'Covonia' to the rescue again!! Apart from feeling like I have an elephant sat on my chest aswell, I'm sure I'm fine!

Could not believe the weather yesterday, the second load of washing was just hung out when the heavens opened again and that was it-full on deluge until about midnight last night!! I am applying waders as we speak to take the dog out his morning!!! It is only a year ago on the 25th we had those awful floods in Hull and some people are still living out of their homes, my hairdresser included! They must have been anxious last night! Anyway, the sun is shining (loosely) at the moment, long may it continue!!

Off to do something wonderful with a piece of Cath Kidston fabric toady if I get chance!!! Been meaning to do this for a while!!!! Intrigued??? Wait and see! Will post later if I am successful!!!

Wonder if I will get any happy mail today??? Got to go to the PO with some parcels I sold on ebay so there is money coming in too!!!! Lol!

Barney, topping up his tan!!! If ever I saw a brassed off dog, this is one!!!! Not walking far today then! Huh! (Can bearly catch my breath!) OH took him out early this morning!

Got to tackle M&S later for a touch of food shopping, as I have a voucher to spend!!! Something lucious for tea tonight!!! (Note to self - don't forget reuseable carriers!!! Not got the hang of this yet!)

Ok, back to my main task of the day. Venice? Tokyo? or Stockholm? What do you think??? Already decided on London, but which other one too????? Let me know!

By the way, these are add on kits from Did you think I had won the lottery?? Really want them all, but got to be good. Only got til 5am tomorrow to make up my mind!!!! AAAAHHHHHGGGGGG! I hate decisions!

UPDATE! Yes I do have a chest infection! More antibiotics!!!! No I did not get time to play with my Cath Kidston fabric, nor will I all weekend, as I have a very busy schedule lined up! No, I did not manage to walk the dog a second time, poor Barney! Yes I did manage to get the food shopping and Yes I did get happy mail!!!!! A 1943 'Make Do and Mend book' and a child's wooden book to alter!!! I love Ebay!!!! Yay!

Lastly I have updated my avatar over on the Studio Calico forum, ready for reveal night! It is their first birthday, so they decided we should post first birthday pics! I don't have my first birthday, but I found one of me at 4 so that will have to do! Just lovin' the handbag with the matching brolly!!!!

By the way, I still have not decided which add ons!!!!!! Help!!!

Altered items

Morning all! or is it afternoon! Had a rubbish night, sneezing and coughing, so gave up at 2.30 am and got up to try and find "Covonia" cough mixture (in the dark!!! quite tricky!!! was worried what I was swigging out of the bottle, could have been anything!) Anyway got up at 6.30am to take more Mucron and feeling a little more human now!

Put on some washing and then just got it pegged out on the line and the heavens opened!!! So I left it there! The sun is coming out now, so hopefully it will dry - eventually!

Been busy this morning altering a couple of items. One is a wooden pen pot that I have covered in my usual vintage scraps of paper mixed with modern papers and the other is a clock canvas. I have had the little 8x8 canvas a while and when I saw the mini vintage style clock the other day in a shop, it just clicked and I took a chance and had a go! The papers are old receipts and maps and advertisements and recipes etc and there is even an old stamp or two on there too! To add texture, I added a little of my vintage cotton lace and some buttons. My last playing card from my original 'change for a shilling' card game is on here too! I love the way the wooden pot has a plastic liner, so if any pens leak, it wont get ruined. I have coated both projects with a coat of PVA and water to seal them, afetr they were completed. See what you think! TFLx

Scrap your day!

I have been scrapping my day today! I have photographed loads!!!
Guess what? I have a cold! How can you get a cold on top of another cold???? I don't know, but I have! My nose is like a tap and I am on the Mucron again!!! My tooth broke when I was driving to the dentist this afternoon and he found another cavity too! Might just fit me in before my summer holiday!! I think today is a day to forget!!! That will be an expensive bill the day before we go away!!!

More vintage purchases! I think it's time I did more manufacturing and less shopping!!! This shop has a negative cash flow at the moment!! Not the intention at all, but I realise this is how you have to start!!! It's like Christmas everyday!! lots of post arriving! But also, spending my time parceling up things I have sold!! I have become recognised in the local post office!!! I think there are millions of people all over the country doing this too! Holding Royal Mail together!!! Recycling goods!!! Raided mums needlework drawer today for old patterns and things. Tomorrow is going to be a big day for vintageadvantage, I may get some stock made again!!! Lol!

Who is my era and remembers, Ivor the engine, Larry the lamb, Hatty town and Hectors house??? I have some vintage card ideas based on these characters, from a book I had as a child! Hoping to do something with the Monopoly cards too! Picked up some great wooden utensil pots and have coated them with gesso, so thinking a little altered art is in the offing tomorrow. Also started an altered canvas with a clock movement!!! Seem to start projects but not get them finished!!! Still need to make myself some business flyers too!

Having reminded everyone about QVC today, I forgot to watch!! TFLx

Tomorrow is the 25th!

Get your camera charged!!! Over on Shimelles blog there is a fact sheet to help you shoot your day! It will be the first time I have been at work so that will be interesting! And I have a visit to the dentist!!! And it's my turn to take to dance class so all those things are new for the album!!!!

Rosemary Merry is on QVC tomorrow I think, at 5pm, so there should be a few scrapbooking goodies to resist!!! I can't believe I was in the Range tonight, with a Cropadile big bite in my hand, and I resisted!!!!! I must be ill! Sue!!! Help!!!!!! Still managed to buy other goodies though!!!! Sssssssssssshhhhhh!)

Here's a little cooks scrap book I made using chipboard covers and book rings to bind it together. The pages are a mix of new and old and I have included a few tags and flaps for storage of magazine cuttings too.












I have even scanned some of my Great Aunt Gadd's recipes from the turn of the century!!! And included pages from vintage recipe books - a 1931 GEC electric cooker recipe book!!! And some adverts from the turn of the century! It's so cute all mixed together!! Very shabby chic! I have a busy day tomorrow. Three parcels to pick up from the post office, work in the morning and dentist in the afternoon. Off to finish another little project!!! TFLx

Cute Notecards

I just made some cute notecards using the leftover strips of my June kit papers, together with a scanned picture from my vintage french cross stitch book and some vintage cotton lace trimmings. I just love the 'October Afternoon' papers from the detour range. I have been looking for a uk supplier, but have not found one yet!! need some more! I particularly like the Fruit Stand, paper!! Must find a way!! I'm working on it!

Originally when I bought this little french book I was going to cut it up, but when it came to it! I couldn't! I loved both sides of the papers!!! So I found a way to combine it with pages from a 1941 needlework book on embroidery instead!

More happy mail today!!! Some gorgeous Anna Griffin vintage french papers, I bought from QVC (waitlist only now I'm afraid!) and another pack of vintage playing cards!! I won two more last night too! This one has cities on it and they will be useful for travel pages. Another great piece of mail was a second hand book I bought on the UKs marketplace! Decorative Journals by Donna Downey! Can't wait to read this!!!

Opened my new copy of Scrapbook Inspirations mag to read in bed last night (makes a change from Practical Motorist 1955!!!!) and there was my fellow teamy from the Musical Memories cybercrop staring at me as a comp winner!! Well done Michelle! I love her style!! Will ask permission to post it on here if she will let me it is fab!!!

Working on a small canvas for my Etsy shop, using some gesso, so off to have a quick play, before prparing for tomorrow's lessons. Ds1 gone off to do some extra driving with his dad and DS2 gone to dance class, so maybe could snatch a quiet few minutes!!!! TFLx

Forgot to mention, my page I did the other day is on Shimelles blog! Along with about 30 others!! Check them out using the link from my new blinkie on the right here!!!

'Shimelle' scrap the day album

I finally scrapped my photo's from last months 'Today's the day project' over on Shimelle's blog, just before we get to the 25th of this month!!!!! I took a few photo's and tried to stick to the LO she suggested, although I used my large Woodware punch in the end as I found my smaller one was cutting too much of the detail from my shots! I appear to have a problem with the ink on the top right hand photo - it has started to all rub off on the page???? I don't know why?? But it has left a nasty grey smudge on the paper and I wonder how to cover that up! I may also have to replace the offending photo with a new copy, although all the others seem fine. I have a couple of strategically placed embellishments to cover some smudges too!!!

Tomorrow is the start of healthy week at school, so it is a good job my voice is now hopefully on the mend!! Although, we went to a silver wedding party last night and simply talking for a few hours nearly finished me off! The weather in Bridlington, by the way, on midsummers day, was absolutely rubbish!!! A fab garden and a hog roast and we were all inside because it was raining cats and dogs!!! I had to rethink my outfit, as I thought we were all to be outside and would freeze on midsummers day!!!!!! It was a great evening catching up with people from school I had not seen for 20 odd years, quite scarry too!

Been scanning some of my vintage cards today, inbetween catching up with housework and schoolwork. The weather here has been extremely windy and I can't tell you how many power cuts we've had, needless to say the PC and Router are not happy at all!!!! Off to wrap up my latest sale item and continue scanning, lovin' every minute of this vintage stuff, just won some more auctions on ebay!!!! Bought a few items yesterday to alter too, so full of inspiration at the mo!!! TFLx

Acrylic album

I finally scrapped some Venice photo's in an acrylic album I got a few months ago in an add on kit from Studio Calico. I know I keep mentioning them, but they put together such fab kits, with such a great variety of makes, I think it is just gorgeous!! I have used the papers and embellishments from this months 'Picket fence 'add on, which included some of the Basic Grey papers and Sassafrass button flowers, soooooooooooo cute! These photo's are a selection I took on a Vaparetto journey we made at dusk, in Venice. Our guide book suggested it as a thing to do, to sit in the fron seat if you could get it and travel the Grand Canal as the light fades. It was a bit of an experiment with the camera for me, as I have not taken photo's at dusk before, but I was so pleased with them, I thought they merited their own album. I finished it off last night.

For those of you who have not used acrylic albums before, it is kind of tricky!!! You have to make sure your backing papers and photo's line up on each side or use double sided papers so the back looks nice too. I used some 'Zip Dry' that was included in the add on kit, to stick it all down with and it was fab! I love the way that the back of the double sided paper seen through the acrylic adds depth to the whole page and the glue is almost invisible. If a back of a photo was going to show, I glued a pretty paper on the back of it before I glued it in position. This way, even if it was seen it added to the LO. The remarks stickers did not show up too well on the Basic Grey Cupcake paper on the front cover, so I outlined them with an American Crafts Slickwriter, that works on glossy finishes as well as paper. The lace cardstock looks great on here too. If you have not tried it, why not have a go, most places sell acrylic albums on the net now, some very reasonable, so make a clear album for a change! It's great fun! A slideshow of all my pages is below this post. TFLx

Venice At dusk acrylic album

Update!!!!

My apple pie order notebook already sold!!!!! Seems popular that one! Will have to get it shipped out pronto!!! TFLx

P.S. My OH is worried about my sudden interest in Practical Motorist 1955!!!!!! We have had two delivered in the last two days and I have been reading them in bed!!!!! Lol! Watch this space!!!

Apple Pie order????

Are you in apple pie order???? Well this little baby might just help you!!!! I don't know where this phrase comes from, will have to look it up, but this is the title of my latest project, using my new Studio Calico (no connection) kit from June! I have lost my scrapping mojo at the moment and am preferring to concentrate on my mini books, but love the idea still, of combining new with old! I found this retro fabric from a store on ebay and used it to cover my BIA chipboard covers. It combines beautifully with the 'Apple Orchard' kit I got this month, so made this little book that has a million uses!!!! I combined it with some pages from a 1940's cook book, recipes like 'Marrow and Apple Pie' and 'Economical Farmhouse currant cake' and 'Yorkshire Old Wives Sod!' I love reading these old recipes, although I have deliberately mixed them up in this book and not always put the whole recipe in. It is just for amusement really, not to cook from! But you could if you wanted to!!!!! Apple and grapefruit marmalade sounds delicious!!!! I didn't want to get too precious about the pages as I wanted people to feel they could stick things into these mini books! 'Steamed chocolate cake without eggs!' is another that sounds interesting!

Getting the hang of my BIA machine now, altough still have problems sometimes lining up the punched holes!!! Have thrown a few pages in the scrap bin!!! The vinyl poolside thickers are stuck on with glossy accents, as they have a habit of falling off otherwise!! The ribbons are from a Brenda Pinnick kit. I love these October afternoon papers and rubber charms, they give it a naive feel which I love! Patterned Papers:Dirt Roads (October Afternoon)Fruit Stand (October Afternoon)Picnic Basket (October Afternoon)Walk in the Park (October Afternoon).

Treasure!!!! Here are some of my ebay finds!!! I promised to show you these yesterday! 39 assorted cards, from the 30s to the 50s. have been sorting these to get some ideas and see what I can use them. I also bought a french embroidery booklet from the old bookshop in town. It is dated 1955 and will be great to use on cards. Lots of brightly coloured cross stitch patterns. The third thing I got yesterday were my 10 vintage french sewing magazines. This one dates from 1919. I really enjoyed sitting down with these last night, I made a cup of coffee and just sat and read them! In french of course!!! Having revitalised my french last year, whilst tutoring my son for his GCSE, it was not too difficile!! (My sister and my dad are both french teachers and I did do A-level, so I should be able to grasp most of it!!!) It made me giggle yesterday when i received two embroidered french cards I bought on ebay, as one was listed as an anniversary card and of course anniversaire is french for birthday!!!!!) That reminds me, forgot to photo those!!! It's all go! Lovin' my craft at the moment, just not enough time to do it!! Off to play! have a good day!!! TFLx

A small travelogue

I made a small travelogue to go with my large travel journal. It is made from one paper bag folded into eight, I then trimmed the edges so the pages would open and stitched some together with my sewing machine to form pockets. I covered each page with another of my vintage nautical maps, torn into sections and inked with a chalk eye ink pad. I used my cropadile to make the holes and threaded it together with ribbon. I made a bookmark for it from a reclaimed tag, which I stuck more map paper on to, so that it co-ordinates. I used some 7 Gypsies travel stickers to a few of the page edges and one on the front cover. This would make a great journal to pop in your pocket or bag on a journey to keep all your tickets etc safe until you return home. I used a small bulldog clip to keep it together at the edges. It's for sale in my shop on Etsy, Vintageadvantage.

I included tome making memories journaling pages to keep notes of places and times and prices of things, to write up later. Hope you like it! Somebody very kindly commented on the way I stage my photo's with some of my treasures! I just like to play and it pleases me, but I am not professional at all!!!! Just use my little Sony Cybershot and still cant get my light right!

I got happy mail today, but you will have to wait until tomorrow to see it as i forgot to photograph it!!!! I got some French vintage sewing magazines from the same place as last week and some vintage greeting cards. Got to work out what I am going to make with them!!!! Sold a few clothes today on ebay, so at least I am getting money in as it is going out! I won a couple more auctions today so more happy mail to come!! The postman was laughing at me again today!! I have increased the weight of his mailbag single-handedly!!!! Got excited when the UPS van drew up too, but it was only cooffee pods for my Dolce-Gusto machine!!!! (Hid a delivery of American Crafts albums that came yesterday from QVC!!!! Great value! Still in stock if you're interested, sold out last time around and I missed them!!!! (No connection))

Been out and about today having a look around the charity shops for old books, not much luck. This is the first time I ventured out since my voice went, has appeared now slightly! Finally got the ironing done this afternoon and got two loads of washing dry, it was so windy!!! Got my Shimelle project mounted up yesterday, but forgot to photograph that yet!!! Had a bit of a problem with one photo, all the black ink suddenly began to rub off and smudge everywhere! had to have some subtly place embellishments! Ah well, just call it a happy accident! TFLx

Why is it........

.....that everyone whispers to you when you have lost your voice??????!!!!!! It makes me laugh, people just can't help it, they talk slowly too, as a friend pointed out, but I had not noticed until she mentioned it!!!! Was sent home from work yesterday with no voice and it still has not returned. Got antibiotics until tomorrow and then will maybe have to go back to the doctors if I am still struggling! Lots to keep me busy anyway, including the ironing!!!!!! Did not get to it last week, so must do it or I can't wash this week!!!!! It's a rule I have, no more loads of washing until the ironing basket has been emptied!!!!!

Put finishing touches to a secret project last night with my SIL, over from Germany on holiday, will be able to share more later!!! Completed another paper bag book, using large paper bags and a couple of vintage nautical maps. It is bound together with

four book rings and trimmed with ribbon. The title is using a Chatterbox set of cardstock stickers - I love this font! Each page of the album is blank, ready for the owner to decorate with photo's and postcards of their holiday - keep having to think as in America that means Christmas so I have to say vacation!!!! It's like the spelling of the word colour, I had to spell color and it was hard to do!!!! This book is quite large but you could make one with any size paper bags, just check if you want them to be acid and Lignin free or not. I am not too bothered, but some people are. I don't want my work to last hundreds of years!!!!!

Think I should make one of these for my Venice photo's, which, incidentally, have still not been scrapped!!!! This old world feel would suit them perfectly.

Off to source more materials and hopefully complete a few more projects!!! TFLx

P.S. It is very quiet around here!!!!! It must be me who makes a lot of noise!!!!!!!

Playing card book

I made a little vintage playing card book with scrapbook papers interleaved, as a present for my Aunt's 80th birthday the other week. I took photo's of the celebration and this is the little gift, a handbag keepsake, mini brag book to share with her friends.

I used some vintage playing cards and I could not resist the phrase on the side of the packet "tends to sharpen mental faculties!" The cards were of old money in 'd' so I though it fitting to use this for a little handbag book.
I used a sheet of American Crafts A la carte papers to inject a bit of colour into the mini album, then trimmed each page with a flower, button or piece of decorative ribbon.
This is a photo of my gorgeous pudding!!! And this is me! at the very same function!
There is room for my aunt to write on the pages if she wants to add anything. I love these little books and I love these vintage cards!!!! I have used this one as my prototype to show people how they can decorate the empty books I am selling in my Etsy shop! I enjoyed making this and think it makes a fab gift! Watch out for more of these!!! TFLx

Pop over to Brenda Pinnicks blog and see the new kit she launched on QVC in the US yesterday? I wonder if we will get it????? Also heard a rumour that the Cropadile Big bite is arriving at QVC UK shortly!!!

I had the dreaded Lurgy!

I have been poorly for a few days, didn't you notice how quiet it was???? I lost my voice. The swollen 'uvula' in the back of my throat caused me no end of trouble! (please note the proper technical term rather than hanging down thingy in your throat, like I called it last week!!!) I have officially got uvulitis! Been interesting today trying to teach with no voice! I should not have gone really but you tend to think you are indispensible and when you only work part time you feel even more guilty being off!!! Anyway, got through today and a staff meeting so the worst should be over for the week now!
Well what news????? I have opened my shop!!!! Yes, can you believe it! Not a real shop, but a cyber shop over on Etsy, called 'Vintage Advantage' and even more big news - I made my first SALE!!!!!!! I was so excited, I could have screamed - if I had any voice!!! It has been such hard work getting it off the ground, but, nothing ventured, nothing gained!! I am so pleased with myself that I actually did what I said I was going to do! I often have ideas and they don't get any further! Just planning the name and the logo and the headings and then making stock and collecting vintage things, it has been a lot of hard work and probably explains why I have been distinctly lacking in my presence on the craft forums! Many thanks to those few I did tell who gave me support to continue and I hope to continue to increase my stock levels! Keep your fingers crossed! Recognise these? TFLx

Happy Mail!!

Yesterday was DS2's 14th birthday!! He had a great day, as he was chosen to go around all the feeder primary schools with the Rock Challenge trophy, to tell them about his experience. Better than doing lessons all day!!! We went out for tea last night to the local pub, then cam ehome for birthday cake! Had a problem with my cake icing earlier in the day, made it too runny, so was having difficulty keeping it in the cake!!!! Had to send DS1 out to the supermarket to get more icing sugar to thicken it, either that or put it in the freezer to keep it in!!!!!! Lol! Anyway, got it sorted eventually, then struggled to find 14 candles - could only find 13! Then could not find any matches!!!! What a palava!!!!!

I was not feeling well yesterday, woke up to find I was choking! The thingy that hangs down in the back of your throat (technical term!!!!) had all swollen up and was just about blocking my throat!!! Quick trip to the doctors and £23 later at the pharmacy and I was about sorted!!!! Keep taking the tablets! Felt really rough all day and was trying to keep going for his sake, gave up and went to bed with a temperature at 10pm!

Anyway, it was also our old babysitters 83rd birthday, so popped round to see her with a card and a hanging basket. Bought a hanging basket too for dad for fathers day tomorrow!!!

Won another set of vintage cards on ebay, that arrived yesterday and some old magazines and my Studio Calico kit arrived!!! Happy Mail!Got two add-ons as well as the main kit, so I am 'well chuffed' as my kids would say!!! The main kit is top right, one add on is at the bottom and the other on the left! Lovin' it all as usual ladies!!! Such a variety of things! Last night was sneak peek night for next months kit, so off over there shortly to check it out!!

Must get my Shimmelle project printed up and then scrapped as I will be approaching the 25th again before I have done last months! So much to do and so little time! So many ideas wizzing round my head! Off to craft! ( and cook as I have a bbq for Jonni's friends, and tomorrow, a big lunch for the family to prepare for!!!!)TFLx

Vintage Scraps

Here is a mini book I have been working on to sell on Etsy! It is made using my new BIA machine and some vintage papers, interleaved with a few scrapbook papers and luggage labels. The chipboard covers are covered in a scrapbook paper with a worn vintage look and the pages are a mixture of vintage papers I have been collecting. This mini book could be used to display heritage photo's, or be a place to keep treasured momentoes as a keepsake book. It could even be used to tear out the vintage papers to use on a scrapbook page. Some of the old documents I have collected date from the 1890's, some are some old nautical maps I have been lucky enough to come across! Watch this space and you could give your crafting a 'Vintage advantage!'

I lost a friend

Found out today my dog walking friend has finally lost her battle against cancer. I cannot tell you how sad I am, that such a lovely person, who battled so hard, has been taken from this world. Again and again it reared its ugly head and she fought each battle bravely and without losing her kindness and spirit, right to the end. We met by chance walking our dogs seven years ago and struck up a friendship that was to last. Our dogs got on so well we met everyday and talked about life. She was always so positive and caring, thoughtful and kind, such an inspiration to anyone else who has had to go through this. Even towards the end she was always concerned about me and my health and told me life's too short to be unhappy. She was instrumental in me cutting back my work hours and following my heart and love of craft to persue a dream. She took my Park buddies minibook into the hospice and the ATC wallet with the language of flowers, to show to everyone. I am so pleased to have known her. I will miss her greatly. May she rest in peace now. Bless her. XXX I dedicate this layout to her.