Maya mist

I have had a couple of Maya Mists lurking in mu supplies, but so far have hardly ventured to experiment with them!! I am trying to use them, as I like the effects when I see them on other peoples layouts, particularly when I view the design team gallery over at Studio Calico. April over there is a whizz with them!! Anyway. The other weekly challenge over on UKs this week was to use some paint on a layout, so I broke out my Tim Holtz mask and my brown mist and used them for the title. "18 holes"

I used some photographs from our holiday, of DS2 and hubby playing a great mini golf course and blocked 4 photo's together across the page. This was another part of the challenge, to use a different number of photos to your normal ones. I also had to use an embellishment I owned and have not used, so out came the Fancy Pants bag of tags that I have had for ages and not opened. Another part of the challenge was to do something from someone else's layout that you never normally do yourself, but really like. I always like it when some random journaling tags are positioned off the edge of a layout, but have not done this myself. An SC stamp in brown and the score card on a tag under a photo complete the layout. (Sorry about the flash glare on the gloss photo! Must remember to photograph in daylight!!!!)

A weekly challenge!

What a rare thing! I finally completed both of the weekly challenges, over on UKs. A challenge is as good a place to start as any if your mojo has deserted you!

Happiness / What makes you happy = 10pts - holiday coffee stops!!

Chocolate (colour or food) = 10pts background cardstock

Buttons = 5pts on the stamp

Stamp = 5 pts "Tradition" by Studio Calico

I used some of the pixie sticks glitter I got in a kit too along with some Papermania scrolls that were self adhesive for the glitter and the flock for the title. (I don't do glitter or flock very well as you can tel but I tried!!!) Used some of my Bakers Twine from SC too.

Hubby enjoying a Cappuccino on holiday in Italy, in a lovely old coffee bar that my friend had recommended in Bardolino. From the photo's on the wall in side it had been there since Victorian times. TFLx

Another Award!

Thanks to Susie J for the above award!

The conditions of the award are:
I must post it on my blog

I must continue to make people smile

I must pass it on to 5 friends and notify them

I must say who awarded it to me

I must list five things you don't know about me.

Five things you don't know about me, hmmmmmmmmm! I can't remember what I wrote the last time I was given an award so here goes, hope there are no duplications!

I can play the clarinet

I always fancied learning to tap dance!

I can't stand mushrooms or beetroot come to that!

I find it hard to eat a meal without having a napkin on my knee (its just how I was brought up!!)

I went to college in Newcastle at the same time as Steve Cram.

Right need to think of five people!!

Sue Bubbles definitely, she makes me laugh out loud! (Plumbrella!!) Stash shopper extrodinaire!!

Ann C who does some fab photography and scrapping (multi talented)

Kirsty W who can make you laugh and cry in the same blogpost

Dyan who has such a talent and a fab sense of humour

Annette the BIA queen!

There 5 people who inspire me in various ways, I am sure the famous amongst them will not have the time to do this as they must get tagged so often, but if I have pointed you their way, then you will feel as I do the visit was worth while!

Thanks Susie J x

You're going to be amazed!

Well, it took me until yesterday, but I finally did some crafting!!! It's just drying at the moment, but I will upload some pics later. The boys went out to a football match last night - Leeds Utd V Watford, and I was home alone (apart from Barney), so I decided to take the plunge and begin my holiday album, using the paper bag album I made before I went. This post here shows the paper bag book before it was full. Now it is full to bursting! Each page has some photos and journaling and then there are extras in each pocket, maps and tickets and postcards etc. Just need to do the "twiddly" bits of embellishing each page now! Will hopefully take pictures and upload later in a slideshow. TFLx

Sorting photographs

I have been sorting photographs from our holiday. I had quite a few printed but have been sorting them into sets that I want to make mini albums of. Yesterday I also finally loaded a new keyboard and mouse set I bought in Curry's sale as I have been having problems with my keyboard. It is a cordless set and I will have to see how I get on with them! I am already realising that the letters on the keyboard are very small!! I may need to wear my glasses!! As a lot of the letters had worn off my old keypad I was struggling a little but these letters all look the same without glasses!! Not something I had forseen as a problem!!

Started making a few lists of things to get for DS1 for Uni and been thinking about the time scale of doing it all. Tin opener and bottle opener top of the list!

Nice sunny day here, hoping to have a BBQ later whilst its still nice. TFLx

He's off to Uni!!!

For all those left in the lurch yesterday, wondering how we got on, the wait is over! We logged on to UCAS at 8.30am to find out he had been confirmed his place, so going to school for the actual results was a formality. Him being him though was still disappointed he had let his teachers down!!! Honestly, the fact that he got better grades than me or my husband, as I pointed out, was immaterial!!! Anyway, it has taken a while to sink in! I keep looking and thinking, 'he's off to Uni' and I still can't believe it! I am so proud of what he has achieved! I am already mentally making lists of what I need to buy for him, bedding, cutlery, toaster etc! You go from one thing to the next!

Yesterday was spent at the hairdressers, getting my hair sorted out and reshaping in my new style again, then back home for usual fish and chip tea with FIL. DS1 then went off around town with his mates, so we grabbed a bottle of bubbly from Sainsburys and headed around to our friends to celebrate! I just could not sit at home on our own, we needed to share!

The mini book I have planned with fave recipes in needs to be started, but I dare not tempt fate before results day! I wonder if I will make it into the craft room today???

What is to be will be!

That well known phrase that my mother says is more appropriate than ever tonight as we wait with baited breath (along with many other parents) for the A level results tomorrow! I have been in full "nesting" mode today, busying myself to take my mind off it all, I have hoovered and washed the kitchen, utility and garden room floors, I have washed the dogs basket, I have put back the furniture in the hall and study after Vaxing the carpets yesterday, I have ironed, washed my hair and walked the dog. I have baked buns and made a pasta dish for tea and still find it impossible to settle!

It's not that I am concerned about his results, as I never even imagined him taking A levels in the first place, it's all a bonus! I just don't want him to be disappointed for his sake and not be able to get away and start a new part of his life as all his other friends hope to do. When he was first diagnosed with Dyspraxia, and I have mentioned this before I am sure, I was told he may only be able to sign his name on a cheque! Little did they know then that cheques would be obsolete now anyway!! I am happy if he is happy, fingers crossed he gets what he wants! I am like this swan I photographed on holiday in Italy, trying to look serene whilst paddling frantically underneath, is that a good analogy??? We will soon know! TFlx

Published! 'My James Dean'

Apart from being a scrapbook apprentice and having my work scrutinised by the judges and published on the internet and in Creativity life, I have never been moved to submit my work to a magazine before. When I was voted off Scrapbook Apprentice, I decided it was worth a try and my first submission was taken up and has been published today in Scrapbook Inspirations. It's three months ago since I submitted and I must admit I had almost forgotten about it until the magazine dropped through the door today.
I know some people find submitting work a form of showing off and I don't understand this at all. When I scrap, I mostly scrap for myself, but if you want to share it with others why not? Affirmation??? Well maybe it is, maybe there was a bit of "am I any good???" in there when I submitted having been voted off the first competition. I like to pick up a magazine and see ideas I had not thought of and why shouldn't anyone else? If no- one was prepared to put themselves out there, there would be nothing to see.

This page was really about recording my son at age 14. A lovely photo taken by Kirsty Wiseman when she visited and a true record of him as he was going from boy to man. I don't know what made me use the scallop Pink Paislee paper as a stencil and ink over the edge with Tim Holtz distress ink and a foam pad, but I liked the effect. Punching holes in some of the scallops and backing with contrast paper was another thing that just happened. The layout was done with my Studio Calico kit 'playground' and I have to say it was not one of my faves colourwise with the reds and yellows. Having said that, I think it was perfect for the retro feel I wanted to go with the "James Dean" type photo. At a tricky teenage time "rebel without a cause" seemed fitting! I also liked the rub on that said "dare to be different" this fits him down to a T! Already he is fifteen and does not wear his hair like this and has grown again. I for one am glad that we have this to look back on and maybe this is just what I need to get my Mojo up and running! TFLx

P.S. My holiday snaps arrived in the post today too, so I have no excuse!

Paper Bag Album

I made this album the day before we went on holiday, from four 12 x 12 paper bags from my kit club. I folded each bag in half and then laid them on top of each other alternately so that the open end was not always at the same side.

A couple of the bags had tatty edges, so I decided to shorten these bags and make the book more interesting.

I covered each page with patterned paper in an "Italian" style with a faded appearance. I used a combination of 7 Gypsies and Daisy D's papers. I attached the papers with double sided tape around the edge and glue stick in the centre.

I punched holes down the centre of the book using my Cropadile and stitched the book together using two strands of narrow ribbon in matching colours.

I continued to cover each page, sometimes all in one sheet of paper and sometimes using pieces of several patterned papers.

To each page, I added a journalling spot, using various tags, left over packaging and journalling pages from a spiral notebook.

I fully intended to take this on my holiday and fill it in as we stayed there. However, due to my weigh allowance, it was one of the things that got left at home!

I bought a selection of postcards to use alongside my photos to complete the project and any other maps and receipts etc can be placed in the open ended pages to keep them safe. I am sure this will be just one of many albums I make about this holiday! ordered my photographs online today! TFLx

Catch up!

Wednesday already and I have hardly had time to breathe! All the ironing is now complete and put away, apart from DS2 who is off on hols again on Saturday with his grandparents, so need to recommence packing! Today I have the unenviable task of doing the food shopping and seeing as we are out of everything, it is going to be a big job! You always seem to run everything down to go away and then when you get back there is an enormous task, just when you are spent up! never mind, everyone else is just the same, I am sure!
I missed the last Studio calico reveal when I was on holiday, quite a good thing actually, as I am sure I would have been tempted to spend. My recent stash spending has been limited to two packs of Foof-a-la buttons so not much! Normally I buy bits and pieces on holiday for crafting, but I limited myself to a few postcards this time as I have loads of stuff I have still to use!!! I tried to buy a few unusual sized postcards to put into my paper bag book that I made for this holiday. I made it before I went away and left a journalling spot on each page for the days activities and thought I would fill it in whilst I was there this time. However, when I was chucking out unnecessary things to get my case under my weight allowance, before we set off, it was one of the things that had to be left behind as it was quite big! I used 12x12 paper bags from my monthly kit and covered them with some daisy D papers that had an Italian feel to them! I am sure there will be many mini albums about this holiday, judging by the number of photo's I have taken!!

The Wanderer returns!

Back from my fortnights holiday on Lake Garda in Italy, with a zillion photo's and a complete lack of mojo at the moment! The washer is on it's second load already despite getting home from the airport at 10.30 last night and we have done a quick resume of the house and garden and found a total lack of food in the fridge - it's amazing what an 18 year old can eat in a fortnight!!! Ironing to do, parents to visit and need to get DS2 turned around quickly for his next holiday next Saturday!!

Sad news to report - RIP Fred the fish :( He has gone to the great fish bowl in the sky, but considering he was about 15 years old that is no surprise! Remember this layout I did of him? For those of you interested in the poem I wrote for it a few years ago, here it is.

I sit there on the kitchen side
Mouth closing, then it opens wide
I hope they’ll somehow notice me
Zoom to the top, so they will see –
‘Of course I’ve not been fed today!’
Yes! It worked! I got my way!
Another pinch of food is popped
Into the bowl – I haven’t stopped –
Eating since the break of day,
I’d eat lots more if I had my way!
I’ve lived here since the boy was five,
I can’t believe I have survived!
I did have friends, just one or two,
They came and went, I don’t know who
Has bothered with me recently,
I’ve lived alone, a year or three.
I had a super large size bowl,
Until an Iron mad a hole,,,
Into the glass! All hell broke out!!!
I shot down the worktop – heard a shout….
Of ‘HELP!’ my owner catching me!
As I flipped about – I could not see….
The water spilling on the floor,
And all the gravel! Maybe more..
than four or five pints of water gushed..
And out the bowl I was flushed!!!!!!
I lived for days in a Pyrex dish
Until I got my new home wish,
Another bowl, now number 4.
I hope this wont smash like before!

My age is 12 or there abouts,
I’ve moved from place to place, no doubt-
you want to know what they moved me in?
A plastic Tupperware cereal tin!!!!!!
They go away – they leave a block,
To feed me – it’s like eating rock!!!
A longer spell – I have to stay
With grandparents many miles away!
I must be the most travelled fish!
But most of all I have one wish,
To sit here quietly day by day
And eat to pass the time away!!!!!!

RIP Fred - what a character! TFLx