Scrap-a-tabulous

Valentine's Day Baking

2012-02-14T16:58:00.003Z

"Happy Valentine's Day"

This morning Lara and I continued our tradition of baking some sweet Valentine goodies. This year we made mini heart shaped iced cookies.

Echo Park Birthday Layout

2012-02-13T14:57:00.004Z

It was my daughter's 9th birthday in December and I am quite chuffed that I have already scrapbooked photos taken at her party. I struggle with birthday layouts so for me to get one completed within 2 months of the big day is quite an achievement.

I used Bazzill cardstock, papers from Echo Park's 'Playground' and 'Walk in the Park' collections and cardstock stickers for Bella Blvd's 2009 'Sweet Celebration' collection. I used a white cardstock background and I matted all the photos, patterned papers and elements on black cardstock to make them pop and hopefully create a bright, fun layout.

Scrapology February Layout Challenge - P is for Patchwork

2012-02-02T14:10:00.002Z

This month on Scrapology we are scraplifting a layout designed and created by SJ for the Cardinal Colours Retreat last autumn and this month our technique is to use your papers to create a "Patchwork" background.

Some of my readers may remember this layout that I created last year using BasicGrey's Offbeat collection. I really liked the colour combo and the papers were perfect for a series of photos I took of my daughter playing in the snow, so I decided to use the scraps of paper I had left from my original layout to create this challenge layout.

Just as scraps of fabric are perfect for patchwork quilts, etc. , scraps of paper are perfect for patchwork layouts. I used a square punch to punch my 'patches' but could have easily just measured then and cut them with a paper trimmer. After sticking the patches to my background card (which I had punched a fancy border round) I machine stitched over the joins. I used snowflake embelishments from K&Co and felt snowflakes from Papermania. I added some unbranded silver alphabet stickers for the title, tiny alphabet stickers from Adornit and metal corner embelishments.

To add a bit of sparkle I sprayed the whole layout (except the photograph) with 'Spray and Sparkle' glitter varnish from Crafter's Companion. It really does Sparkle & Shine in real life.

This was SJ's original layout ....

... and this is Lynn's sketch.

Pop over to Scrapology to see all the design team Layouts and maybe have a go at the challenge yourself. There is a great prize on offer and as they say, "You've got to be in it to Win it".

Quick Birthday Cards

2012-01-23T15:03:00.003Z

Last week I suddenly realised two of my design team co-members on Scrapology were celebrating birthdays, so I quickly made a couple of very simple cards using some Craftwork Cards supplies that I had had for quite some time and not used..

I think the papers were from the Yummy Scrummy Range and I added some Card Candi and a sentiment also from Craftwork Cards.

Very quick and simple cards and not an original idea but I hope the girls liked them.

Scrapology - January Card Challenge

2012-01-16T20:29:00.002Z

This month on Scrapology, Ali from Craft Ribbons has sponsored our monthly card challenge. The team (and readers joining in with the challenge) are challenged to "Say it with Ribbons" by creating a 'Love' themed card incorporating ribbons - very apt with Valentine's Day just a month away.

I created a cute little square card with a 'Me to You' image.

To create the ribbon heart in the centre of the card I fixed pieces of ribbon to a piece of cardstock which I had cut roughly to the size of the finished heart. The size of the heart was the same as a White heart shaped paper doilie from The Hobby House which I trimmed to create a frame for my ribbon heart. The doilie edged heart was mounted on a square piece of red and white spotty paper which I edged with white lace. I finished the card by embelishing it with red Card Candi from Craftwork Cards, a ribbon bow and a pre-made 'Me to You' topper and tag from DoCrafts.

The prize for the winner of this month's challenge is a set of 16 'Valentine' ribbons so pop over to Scrapology and have a go.

Puppy update

2012-01-11T09:32:00.004Z

A friend asked me how Millie our Labrador puppy was doing so I thought I would post a few photos here.

The first couple of photos are of Lara with Millie and were taken a few days after Millie came to live with us. Lara absolutely loves Millie and to see them running and playing together in the garden is so sweet.

Christopher took the next few photos. Back in the summer my brother passed onto me a camera which he no longer used. It's an SLR and whilst I, much to Christopher's disgust, have only been using it on auto, he has been playing around with apertures and shutter speeds, etc. I must agree the photos are lovely and I really should be brave and take the camera off auto but that's so scary!

These last few photos were taken just last week in the back garden. Millie has learned that if she finds something tasty in the garden (ie, a leaf or twig) and takes it under the trampoline to munch on it is very difficult for us to get to her to take the tasty morsel off her. These photos were taken in that spot.

Tomorrow she is due to have her final injections and next week we are off to a puppy party! Oh happy days.

Scrapology January Layout Challenge - T is for Texture

2012-01-04T21:18:00.005Z

Over on Scrapology we have started the New Year with a challenge to use 'Texture' on your layout and also a double page sketch based on a layout by Stacey Hansen

I decided to use papers from the 'Year-o-graphy' line from Simple Stories to create a year in review layout. I am loving the collections from Simple Stories and they are fast becoming another of my favourite manufacturers.

I used 8 photos on my double page layout taken during the year on various occasions. Usually I find it difficult to use photos from different events on one layout because often the colours clash, etc but on this occasion because of the muted background I think the layout worked.

To add texture I embelished the page with buttons, machine stitching, stickers and created bunting along the top of the page with punched circles and scalloped circles which I stapled onto some bakers twine.

Looking at the layout I realise what an eventful year 2011 was for my family.

Here is the original layout by Stacey Hansen.....

........ and here is the sketch with Lynn created.

Pop along to Scrapology to see all the teams layouts and to find how you can win an amazing prize of one of each sheet of Bazzill Two Scoops - extra special, 12x12 premium cardstock!

2012-01-01T17:05:00.001Z

Favourite layouts of 2011

2011-12-31T22:49:00.005Z

Last year I did a review of my favourite 10 layouts of 2010 so I thought I would do the same this year now that its the eve of 2012. So, here they are:

1. Snow Day - I was able to incorporate Echo Park Journalling Cards in this layout I created for Scrapology. During the year Echo Park has firmly found its place in my list of favourite paper manufacturers.

2. c1915 - I rather surprised myself with this layout created for the March challenge on Scrapology. It was the first time I had scrapped a heritage layout and I was really pleased how the layout turned out, especially since I used very old supplies and handmade all the flowers.

3. Family - More Echo Park paper in this next layout. I love the photo and the bright zingy colours.

4. Sweet Child of Mine - I turned to my old favourite 'BasicGrey' for this layout of Lara. The photo were taken when she was really little and I just love the look on her face and the crochet flowers on the layout were gorgeous.

5. Flying Teddies - I rarely create layouts with card stock backgrounds but this year I have created quiet a few and actually like the look. More Echo Park papers on this layout - told you they were one of my favourites!

6. Ice Queen - Not an obvious choice of paper for this snow themed layout - BasicGrey's Offbeat. The colours in the papers matched the photos perfectly and were perfect. (Watch this space for another snow themed layout using those papers soon!)

7. Lets Go Fly a Kite - This year I became aware of Canadian Scrapper Stephanie Klauck and she inspired me to upgrade the software on my Craft Robo, get a new cutting blade for it and start using it again. This layout was inspired by one of Stephanie's layouts.

8. When Life Gives You Lemons - I think this layout is my absolute favourite layout I created this year. Inspired by Georgia K Keays and created for Scrapology I love the colour scheme and the doodling and was pleased to be able to use the crochet doilies bought on a greek island holiday many, many years ago.

9. Fishing With Dad - another Stephanie Klauck inspired layout using more Echo Park papers and a photo collage created in Picassa.

10. Flower Girl - This last layout was also created for Scrapology and I used some beautiful paper from Prima. The flowers were handmade as was the dress embelishment. I had an idea for making the dress in my head and managed to replicate it.

Happy New Year everyone. Hope 2012 is good for you and your families.

Lots more layouts (and cards) hopefully to come next year.

Introducing Millie

2011-12-27T21:10:00.003Z

Yesterday we collected our new puppy 'Millie'. She was very timid last night when we got home but after a good nights sleep (no whining or crying) she has really come out of herself today and is a welcome addition to our family.

Millie is an 8 week old yellow Labrador and has the sweetest, gentlest temperament. So far she has shown no interest in our cat Tux and whilst Tux is obviously curious about this new bundle of fur that has suddenly appeared he seems quite happy too.

I've lost count of the number of times the family have told me that Millie will be a good subject for my scrapbook pages so I guess she may well appear on a page (or two) in the future. Watch this space LOL.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

2011-12-24T16:38:00.000Z

Have a great Christmas Everyone.

I hope that it is happy, relaxing and peaceful and everything you wish for.

Christmas Eve Baking

2011-12-24T16:17:00.004Z

On Christmas Eve Lara and I usually do some Christmas baking. This usually means making mince pies. So this afternoon out came the ingredients and mince pies were made.

By the time we had finished it was starting to get dark so the colours in this photo of the finished mince pies is a bit off - they weren't this dark, honest.

The homemade 'Jammie Dodgers' that we also made using a recipe from the Morrisons magazine were also not as dark as they look in this photo either. Don't you just hate trying to take photos indoors at this time of the year when the sun keeps disappearing???

Handmade Christmas Cards From Friends

2011-12-21T15:14:00.016Z

I have received some beautiful handmade Christmas Card from my crafty friends this year and they have pride of place on display in our living room.

Alison (Ali) sent me this lovely monochromatic card. I'm not sure what she used to give the snowy effect on the strip near the bottom of the page but it's really effective.

Anita sent me this cute snowman card - such a clever idea. Unless I'm mistaken the background paper is a piece of Scenic Route (Loooove Scenic Route and really wish it was still around)

Deirdre sent me this lovely rustic style card. Spookily when I opened the envelope having not looked at the postmark, recognised the handwriting or read the inside of the card I instinctively knew it was from Deirdre. Deirdre's stamping is amazing and so precise.

Jackie sent me this stamped snowman card. Love that sentiment!

Joan who runs the monthly crops I go to gave me this lovely little contemporary card. I think it may be made from Stamping Up supplies (although I may be wrong).

Linda sent me this Forever Friends decoupaged card. Impressed by Linda's decoupage. I always struggle cutting out the intricate bits of designs but Linda has done an excellent job with this card.

The other Linda gave me this pretty little card. I told her at our crop in November when she was making cards that I liked it - so at our December crop she gave it to me. LOL.

Lynn sent me this gorgeous turquoise card using a Lili of the Valley stamp. It is absolutely stunning in real life - so beautifully embellished. Lynn, your cards are always beautifully made and must take you ages.

Marian gave me this very sparkly stamped card. It is very glittery and perfectly purple.

Maria sent me this sweet little gingerbread man card and a tiny handmade felt gingerbread decoration to hang on my Christmas tree. It is so sweet and now hanging on the tree right at the front where everyone can see it.

And finally Sandra sent me this cute teddy card. The background has been embossed and then highlighted in gold.

Thank you everyone for my cards. If I haven't thanked you personally I apologise. I love them all and it's nice to have such thoughtful friends.

Wedding Accordian Album

2011-12-19T20:31:00.005Z

In October we attended the wedding of my niece. I was a lovely day and I took lots and lots of photos. I decided that as an extra Christmas present I would make her a little accordion album using a few of the photos I had taken as well as a few taken by other guests. I gave her the album when the family got together this weekend for an early Christmas and to exchange presents so now I can post photos of the album here.

I made the album from 5 no. 5" x 7" white card blanks and also created a storage box from pearlescent card stock. I didn't have a template for the box and just made it using 2 no. 12" x 12" sheets of card stock.

Throughout the album I used K & Company Elegance papers and embelishments as well as some ribbon and scatter crystals saved from the actual wedding day, various self adhesive rhinestones (bling) and on the cover of the album I used some very glittery letters from American Crafts Thickers.

I used 6 no. 4" x 6" portrait format photos of the happy couple.

The layered flower accents had clear sparkly centres but I replaced them with some of the scatter crystals to match the teal colour scheme of the wedding.

I also used some heart pins in the album which I added some beads to. The pearl bead was originally part of one of the flower arrangements on the tables at the wedding reception.

The lovely Jill at Cardinal Colours kindly helped me to get the right colour Bazzill card stock (Blue Oasis) to mat the photos on. (Thanks Jill - what a star!)

On the reverse side of the album I used 5 no. 4" x 6" landscape format photos from the wedding day.

The Words used throughout the album were K & Company Elegance Wedding Embossed Stickers.

Instead of using complete Prima bling swirls and Heidi Swapp bling frames, I cut them up into smaller pieces to make them go further.

This was the reverse.

My niece was very pleased with the album which was nice as it's the first album/mini book I've ever made and I so wanted her to like it.

Christmas Cards

2011-12-17T13:57:00.007Z

This year I made a few handmade Christmas cards for my crafty friends.

The first batch I made were made using the 'Tiny Trees' digital stamp set from pinkpetticoat.co.uk .

I printed the image onto some patterned paper which I mounted on a rectangular card blank and then embelished with self adhesive gems and machine stitched round the edge.

Next, I made a batch using my Craft Robo.

I cut the Christmas Blocks from bright Christmas coloured cardstock and then mounted on a square card bank. Then I made a pastel set using pastel pink and blue patterned paper and cardstock.

Finally I made a set again with the Craft Robo using some Scenic Route ledger paper and cardstoock. The bauble was embelished with a self adhesive gem and some bakers twine.

The cards have now been posted to all corners of the country with Seasons Greetings and Best Wishes to my crafty buddies.

Scrapology - December Card Challenge

2011-12-17T13:30:00.006Z

This month on Scrapology Chrissy from Merly Impresssions is our card sponsor. She challenged the team (and readers also joining in) to create a card using the theme of 'Leaves, leaf shapes & leaf colours'.

It took quite a while for inspiration to strike, but finally one weekend I saw some sparkly leaves on Ebay and I came up with an idea.I think the leaves were intended to be used on floristry but thought one would looked lovely mounted on the front of a card.

I used some papers from Cosmo Cricket's 2007 Be Good Christmas collection to mat and layer and added some ribbon (saved from a toiletries set last Christmas) , some self adhesive pearls from The Hobby House and a peel off sticker. A very simple A5 size card but I quite like it and it's so sparkly in real life.

Please go over to Scrapology and look at the rest of the teams cards and have a go at making a card yourself using the theme of 'Leaves, leaf shapes & leaf colours'. You could win a lovely set of paper and embelishments from Kaisercraft's Cockadoodledoo range.

Book Review - The Magic of Christmas by Trisha Ashley

2011-12-16T17:00:00.004Z

Fantastic Fiction Review: In the pretty Lancashire village of Middlemoss, Lizzy is on the verge of leaving her cheating husband, Tom, when tragedy strikes. Luckily she has welcome distraction in the Christmas Pudding Circle, a group of friends swapping seasonal recipes -- as well as a rivalry with local cookery writer Nick over who will win Best Mince Pie at the village show! Meanwhile, the whole village is gearing up for the annual Boxing Day Mystery Play. But who will play Adam to Lizzy's Eve? Could it be the handsome and charismatic soap actor Ritch, or could someone closer to home win her heart? Whatever happens, it promises to be a Christmas to remember!

This was the second of Trisha Ashley's 'Christmas' books that I read this winter and was expecting it to put me in the Christmas mood as her previous book, 'Twelve Days of Christmas' had. I was however rather disappointed. Only a small section of the book was set at Christmas and whilst Christmas preparations (making Christmas cakes, mince pies, the annual Boxing Day Mystery Play were mentioned throughout, the book didn't really live up to the promise of a good Christmas read and did not make me feel particularly Christmassy like her other book. Well written book but a bit of a let down.

FAILED!!!

2011-12-11T13:17:00.002Z

So, after posting three days of my Journal Your Christmas pages I am now 8 days behind and after suffering a minor injury yesterday whilst roller skating at my daughter's 9th birthday party which has resulted in what I hope is just temporary restricted use of my left wrist, I am going to have to throw in the towel and accept that this year there will be no Journal. It simply isn't going to happen. So gutted. I'm not a quitter and the 'don't give up' attitude is something I have always tried to instill into me children. But sometime time is against us and so I will call it a day on Journalling My Christmas this year and maybe try again in 2012.

Scrapology December Layout Challenge - F is for Filter Paper

2011-12-04T21:41:00.009Z

Over on Scrapology this month we chose a layout by Pamela Young which she created for Miss Fancy Pants on Scrapbook.com.

My layout featured photos of my daughter taken recently when she was a flower girl / bridesmaid at my niece's wedding.

I used very little to create the layout. I just used a sheet of patterned paper from Prima's Madeline collection, a chipboard body form, some tulle, satin fabric, adhesive gems and some handmade flowers.

The Scrapology design team challenges you to use Filter Papers in your layout. Several manufacturers (for example Fancy Pants) have produced filter paper products but I decided to use the type of filter papers used in schools and laboratories to make my handmade flowers.

I took the filter papers and punched lots of scalloped circles.

The circles were then put into groups of 5 and I pierced a whole through the centres.

I then pushed several artificial stamens through the hole in the centre of the circles.

The filter paper circles were then lightly sprayed with water and the layers were gently teased apart. This was the only tricky part of making the flowers because once wet the filter paper is very delicate.

The flowers were then placed some where warm (I put mine in the airing cupboard) until they were dry and could be used on my layout.

Here is Pamela's original layout...............

.......... and Lynn's sketch.

Do pop over to Scrapology to have a look at all the design team's layouts and have a go at creating your own layout based on the sketch and featuring filter papers.

2011-12-03T17:37:00.002Z

Our first Christmas card arrived yesterday. I haven't written any of mine yet but I have made the few handmade cards that I usually make for my crafty friends.

2011-12-02T18:24:00.003Z

It doesn't feel at all wintry at the moment. Apart from a light frost this morning we have had sunshine most of the day. A little bit of snow would certainly make it feel more like Christmassy but with so much still to do before the big day I guess it would be better it the weather stayed like it is for a few more weeks.

Journal Your Christmas - A Christmas Manifesto

2011-12-01T19:22:00.009Z

As time is in short supply, I decided to use the Manifesto as provided by Shimelle. I am also going to have a go at using Shimelle's 4x6 Quickpages with a view (if I manage to complete the project) to having them printed at the end. I'm not a digital scrapbooker but hopefully with the little knowledge of have of PSE I'll manage to create something vaguely pleasing to the eye.So, here's day one.

Journal Your Christmas

2011-11-30T14:32:00.005Z

Many years ago I signed up for Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas online class but have never managed to take part due to other commitments, lack of time, etc. This year I have decided to make a concerted effort to take part by blogging daily, hopefully following the prompts and trying to take photographs daily to illustrate my posts. We'll see whether I manage to keep up!

Book Review - Twelve Days of Christmas by Trisha Ashley

2011-11-24T22:05:00.004Z

Its been quote a while since I last wrote a book review so I thought I would make amends and write a review of the book I've just finished - Twelve Days of Christmas by Trisha Ashley. Over the last few years I have acquired quite a collection of Christmas themed books and try to read some of these in the lead up to Christmas. As I'm a relatively slow reader (I read about two books a month) I thought I would start this years Christmas reads in November LOL.

Fantastic Fiction Review: Christmas has always been a sad time for young widow Holly Brown, so when she's asked to look after a remote house on the Lancashire moors, the opportunity to hide herself away is irresistible -- the perfect excuse to forget about the festivities. Sculptor, Jude Martland, is determined that this year there will be no Christmas after his brother runs off with his fiancee and he is keen to avoid the family home. However, he will have to return by Twelfth Night, when the hamlet of Little Mumming hold their historic festivities and all of his family are required to attend. Meanwhile, Holly is finding that if she wants to avoid Christmas, she has come to the wrong place. When Jude unexpectedly returns on Christmas Eve he is far from delighted to discover that Holly seems to be holding the very family party he had hoped to avoid. Suddenly, the blizzards come out of nowhere and the whole village is snowed in. With no escape, Holly and Jude get much more than they bargained for -- it looks like the twelve days of Christmas are going to be very interesting indeed!

If you want a feel good book to put you in the Christmas mood this is just the book and I loved it right from the beginning. Trisha Ashley has a great writing style scattered with humour and wit. The main character, Holly was very likeable as were the other characters. I loved the descriptive text. I could image the rambling house in the middle of nowhere, taste the food as it was described and loved all the detail about the Christmas preparations and the quirky characters. Most of my books are quickly passed onto others to read but this one will certainly be a keeper.

I have decided to continue with the chicklit challenge during 2012 so hopefully lots my book reviews to come.

Scrapology November Card Challenge

2011-11-16T19:04:00.003Z

I saw a mouse! Where? Over on Scrapology!

Over on Scrapology we have gone mouse mad this month. This months card challenge has been sponsored by Joanna Sheen who challenged the design team to create cards using the well known 'House Mouse' images.

I used an image from the 'Birthdays - Cake' rubber stamp collection.

I coloured the image with promarkers and added stickles to make the icing on the cake sparkle. I used very, very old papers from Bella Press and Rhonna Farrer (thinking of making a New Year resolution next year not to buy any more patterned papers because the amount of 12x12 sheets of paper I have is truly obscene!), some Just the Edge cardstock strips from Bazzill, some beautiful paper flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and punched leaves. The sentiment was a good old gold peel off.

Pop over to Scrapology to see the rest of the teams cards and to also find out how you can take part in this months card challenge

Crop Day

2011-11-13T12:12:00.008Z

Yesterday was crop day at Stamp Addicts.

I made three layouts.

The first layout 'Fishing with Dad' used photos taken during the summer when Wayne took fishing for an afternoon. It was a glorious hot, sunny day and she really enjoyed it.

The layout is in the style of Stephanie Klauck. I used Bazzill cardstock and patterned papers from the Echo Park Playground collection and a small piece of Scenic Route ledger paper. The 'Gone Fishing' embelishment and title were both cut on my Craft Robo (still loviong the downloads available from the Silouette online shop). I had fun putting this layout together.

The second layout used pictures taken last month when Lara was carving her Halloween pumpkin. Its based on a layout by Jana Eubank.

I used Bazzill cardstock and patterned papers from Fancy Pants Trick or Treat collection and small piece of text paper from October Afternoon. The journaling card was also from Fancy Pants and the pumpkins, bats and title were again cut on the Craft Robo. The pumpkins and bats were flocked using Queen & Co Flock and I also added a dot of stickles to the bats.

The last layout is of Lara (again!). The photo was taken October 2010 when we visited the seals at Donna Nook beach in Lincolnshire. Lara wanted to take some photos of the seals and I snapped this photo as she was getting ready to take her own photo.

I used very old patterned papers from Dream Street Papers , Crate Paper and BasicGrey. I also used scraps of ribbon, buttons and BasicGrey letter stickers.

Scrapology November Layout Challenge - F is for Fabric Flowers

2011-11-06T20:46:00.006Z

I can't believe it's November already - where has the year gone?

Over on Scrapology this month the theme is 'Fabric Flowers' and the team choose a layout by Hannah Young of Handmade Hannah as inspiration.

With Halloween only a week ago, I choose to use some photos of my daughter taken on Halloween last year on my page.

I used patterned papers from Basicgrey's Eerie Collection and cardstock from Bazzill. The lettering was cut on the Craft Robo and stickled to add lots of sparkle.

The fabric Flowers were made using a tutorial from Gabrielle Pollocco's blog. The purple fabric flowers was made from ribbon saved from a box of chocolates and the black and silver flowers were made from a pair of my daughters Halloween tights! Just proves that most things can be used in scrapbooking to good effect. I punched some leaves from cardstock and stickled them and also made an extra paper from patterned paper which I cut on the Craft Robo and also stickled. Lots of sparkle on this layout which unfortunately only shows in real life.

Here is Hannah's original layout ..................

............ and the sketch prepared by Lynn.

Please pop over to Scrapology to see all the team's layouts and to join in the fun by creating your own layout using the design team's pages for inspiration and the technique of creating flowers from fabrics.

My Little Flower Girl

2011-10-31T16:09:00.004Z

Some of my friends who follow my blog will know that this weekend we've been to a very special wedding. On Friday my niece was married and Lara was her flower girl / bridesmaid.

I don't feel it's my place to post too many of the wedding photos online but I'm posting a few of Lara so you can see what a sweetie she looked.

This photo was taken in the church as the bride and groom were signing the register. There were 6 bridesmaids in all including two flower girls.

Here she is outside the church. It was a gloriously sunny day (really lucky for this time of the year) but in case it was a little chilly the little girls had cute little sequined cardigans to wear.

Here she is minus the cardigan waiting to shower the bride and groom in rose petal confetti. The confetti had all been hand made using rose petals collected (and dried) from family gardens and bouquets people had received over the months leading up to the wedding.

And finally, here's a photo of Lara on the double decker London bus which transported all the guests too and from the reception venue/church. I love this photo - so dreamy.

Scrapology October Card Challenge

2011-10-20T16:02:00.003+01:00

This month, Sue Roberts (AKA Doogle007) challenged the team on Scrapology to use eyelets on their cards.

Although I own quite a few eyelets they are not something that I use very much in my crafting - either on scrapbook layouts of cards, so it was indeed a challenge to come up with a card which incorporated them in an imaginative way.

After two attempts I came up with this card using some very old papers from the BasicGrey 'Colour Me Silly' collection which was released in 2006 (wow 5 years ago!!!) and has now been retired.

I decided to accentuate the circles on the frogs bodies with eyelets and also added some wobble eyes. I layered the frogs on 3D foam to add some depth and also machine stitched round the outside of the card.

Before making the frog card I had a go at a card using a digital stamp called 'Ladybug Flower Tower' from Pink Cat Studios.

I coloured the image using Promarkers and then accentuated the spots on the ladybirds with eyelets as well as adding eyelets to the corners of the image. The papers were from a DCWV 'Scrapbook Kit in a Stack - All Occasion'.

Do have a look at the rest of the team's card on Scrapology and if you have a go yourself at making a card incorporating eyelets you could be in with a chance of winning a whole heap of eyelets kindly supplied by Anita.

Scrapology October Layout Challenge - B is for Borders

2011-10-02T14:15:00.008+01:00

On Scrapology this month the theme of our challenge is 'B is for Borders'.

The team chose to take inspiration from a layout by Georgia K Keays and I had so much fun creating my layout. I love Georgia's style and the colours in my choice of photos meant I also chose similar papers to those that Georgia used in her original layout. I decided to rotate the layout as it better suited the portrait photos I used.

Over the summer I developed a taste for homemade still lemonade and Lara was happy to make a jug of the drink for me each week. My layout documents this.

For my layout I used cardstock from Bazzill (black and white), patterned papers from Cosmo Cricket (Blue), Crate Paper (Yellow) and October Afternoon (Text), Leaves and title cut on the Craft Robo, Flat Backed Pearls from Quixotic Paperie, Paper Flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and crochet doilies which I bought many years ago whilst on holiday on one of the Greek Islands.

Here is Georgia's stunning original layout.

And the sketch drawn by our own Lynn.

Hop on over the Scrapology to see all the team layouts and then why not create your own layout based on the sketch (and using borders).

Book Review - The Sweetest Thing by Cathy Woodman

2011-09-18T16:41:00.002+01:00

Fantastic Fiction Review: If only everything in life was as simple as baking a cake...Jennie Copeland thought she knew the recipe for a happy life: marriage to her university sweetheart, a nice house in the suburbs and three beautiful children. But when her husband leaves her, she is forced to find a different recipe. And she thinks she's found just what she needs: a ramshackle house on the outskirts of the beautiful Talyton St George, a new cake-baking business, a dog, a horse, chickens...But life in the country is not quite as idyllic as she'd hoped, and Jennie can't help wondering whether neighbouring farmer Guy Barnes was right when he told her she wouldn't last the year. Or perhaps the problem is that she's missing one vital ingredient to make her new life a success. Could Guy be the person to provide it?

I really, really enjoyed this book. It was the first Cathy Woodman book I've read and I really liked her style of writing. Right from the start I liked the main Character, Jennie and was willing her to succeed in her new life in the country. Cathy Woodman's descriptions of Jennie's new cottage and life in the country were well written and really enjoyable to read.

I loved that the title of each chapter was the name of a cake mentioned in the chapter and the descriptions of Jennie's cake baking were delicious.

Thoroughly enjoyable read and kept me turning the pages late into the night.

Scrapology - September Card Challenge

2011-09-17T11:35:00.003+01:00

This month Sue from Craftwork Cards has set the monthly Card Challenge on Scrapology and wants us to make cards with BUNTING on them.

For my card I chose to use papers and die cut bunting from Craftwork Cards Sweet Meadow collection, a cute die cut pre coloured image from their Warren collection and a foiled birthday sentiment.

The scalloped circles used to mat the image and the sentiment were cut on the Craft Robo and I hand drew stitching round the edges to match the Sweet Meadow Paper. I also drew stitching on the bunting which I hung from the top of the card. Pink flowers from Hobbycraft were added to the bunting to add some dimension.

Do pop over to Scrapology to see the rest of the design team's cards and don't forget if you create a card yourself incorporating bunting you could be a winner. The Closing date for entries is the 15th October and full details can be found on the Scrapology blog.

Nichol Magouirk - From Start to Finish video

2011-09-13T16:32:00.003+01:00

This week I thought I would have another go at one of Nichol Magouirk's 'From Start to Finish' classes from Two Peas in a Bucket. The class I chose was from 16th February.

I used the Echo Park Life is Good collection. I also used American Craft Thickers, some text cut from a sheet of Scenic Route paper and also a sheet of Scenic Route Ledger paper. I changed the design slightly by adding a title rather than the tags which Nichol suggested.

The photos are some of my favourite photos of the children with their cousin. They were taken in the garden by my sister-in-law a few years ago.

Back to School

2011-09-07T07:38:00.002+01:00

The school holidays are over and the children are all now back at school.

Lara went back yesterday and is at the same school but now in year 4 with a new teacher. We have a three tier school system here and so this will be her last year at this school. Next year she will be off to the Middle School which means her catching the school bus to a nearby town.

Steven started at the Upper School (Community College) in a nearby village today in year 9. He's quite pleased that after wearing a shirt and tie for the past 9 years of his schooling his new school uniform consists of polo shirts and sweatshirts. His uniform is black whereas previously it's always been red.

Christopher also returned to the upper sixth today. He and Steven are now at the same school. No photos of Christopher though - I did unsuccessfully suggest taking some!

Lets Go Fly A Kite

2011-09-03T17:02:00.004+01:00

Today I went to my monthly crop at Stamp Addicts. I worked on three layouts but as two of them are design team projects I can only show you one.

Recently I came across the blog of Candian scrapper Stephanie Klauck. Stephanie is on design teams from Jillybean Soup and Elle's Studio. I just LOVE how she incorporates so many photos on her layouts and am inspired by her clean style of scrapping. I decided to create a layout in her style and came up with 'Lets Go Fly A Kite'

I used patterned papers from My Minds Eye (clouds) , Simple Stories (green spot, stripe and red) and Scenic Route (ledger). I also used a few buttons and some bakers twine.

The title was cut on my Craft Robo which since I recently downloaded (rather belatedly) the Silhouette software for it and bought a new blade is cutting so well and I can now see me using it much more.

I think this style of layout is the way to go if I want to incorporate lots of photos from a specific event or day out

Scrapology September Layout Challenge - E is for Embossing

2011-09-02T19:01:00.005+01:00

Over on Scrapology this month the team choose to scrap lift a layout from one of my all time favourite scrapbookers - Kelly Goree. I have been a huge fan of Kelly's work ever since I started scrapbooking and find her work so inspirational.

The technique for this month is Embossing - dry embossing, wet embossing and any other type of embossing you can think of.

I choose to use a sheet of Core Impressions BasicGrey Ornate 12" x 12" card stock as a background for my layout. The cardstock is embossed with a BasicGrey design and sanded to make the image more distinct. The patterned paper and border sticker are from BasicGrey's Olivia collection. The chipboard flowers were from a Little Leaves Cardmaking Kit, lace from The Hobby House, gems from an old bracelet and the concertina flowers were made from scraps of Olivia patterned paper.

The little girl in my layout is me. The photo was taken either at Christmas or on my birthday when I was given a huge doll. She was almost as tall as I was. I can still picture the doll - short blond curly hair, peachy coloured dress and eyes that closed when she was laid down. She was made from really hard plastic (not at all cuddly) and I used to play 'tea parties' with her. I also remember the little chair I was sitting on in the photo. You can't see it well but if it's the one I think it is, the back was a furry black and white panda face.

Here is this months sketch based on the original layout ..............

........... and Kelly's gorgeous original layout.

Do pop over to Scrapology to see all the design team layouts and play along too. You could have a chance of winning a beautiful tamps set and ink pad donated by Jill of Cardinal Colours.

Fifth Day of the Sixth Week of the School Summer Holidays - Paper Bead Bracelet

2011-09-02T18:48:00.007+01:00

Today we turned to Lara's Klutz Paper Beads book which one of her friends gave her one year for her birthday. She had made beads from it before and was, I think, a little disappointed that I hadn't anything 'new' for her to make today but I was short of time to supervise craft time today and thought it was something she could do without any adult help.

The Book came with precut strips of patterned paper, glue, elastic and a tool for winding the paper into beads.

Some of the beads drying.

Finished bracelet.

Fourth Day of the Sixth Week of the School Summer Holidays - Beaded T-Shirt Bracelet

2011-09-02T18:29:00.005+01:00

As promised here is the second canvas Lara created on Wednesday.

Yesterday Lara made Beaded T-Shirt Bracelets. The idea came from the This Mama Makes Stuff blog.

She used an old white t-shirt, some pony beads and a crochet hook.

I cut 1" strips of fabric parallel to the bottom of the shirt.

Lara then threaded 14 pony beads onto the fabric strip.

She then crocheted a series of chain stitches incorporating a bead into each chain. Instructions for this can be found here. Lara had never crocheted before but found this quite easy to do.

When she had crocheted all the beads she finished off, tied the ends together around her wrist and snipped off the loose ends. The end result a funky bracelet.

She enjoyed making it so much that she went on to make LOTS more. Here are three of the finished bracelets.

Third Day of the Sixth Week of the School Summer Holidays - Canvas Art

2011-08-31T21:21:00.003+01:00

Today out of the cupboard came another £2.99 Faber Castell kit from The Works (tee hee)

This kit - Tuscany Landscapes Canvas Art Gallery kit - contained everything needed to make 4 mini canvases of Tuscan scenes.

The mini canvases were pre-printed with pictures which were coloured using the water colour pens (also in the kit). Lara had never seen water colour pencils before and loved how the colours blended when she added water.

When the pictures had been coloured and allowed to dry, she then drew round the outlines using the pen which was also included in the kit ..........

....... and finally mounted the canvas onto the foam mounts provided. Even the double sided sticky squares were provided and hangers to go on the back.

I only managed to photograph one canvas before it got too dark but she did complete another one so I'll try and photograph that tomorrow. As Brucie would say "Didn't she do well!"

Second Day of the Sixth Week of the School Summer Holidays - Exploding Box

2011-08-30T19:04:00.004+01:00

As yesterday was a bank holiday there was no craft time for us as we were out most of the day. But today was different. Today I showed Lara how to make an Exploding Box. I'm sure most of my blog readers will be very familiar with Exploding Boxes but for the uninitiated step by step instructions can be found here.

I printed Lara some mini wallet size photos of our recent holiday in Devon, helped her with the measuring and cutting of the cardstock (it's important to get that bit right) and between us we came up with some suitable titles for the photos which we printed onto paper and then I left her to assemble the box and add the photos and embelishments.

She really enjoyed making the box and sticking all the photos and buttons, etc onto it.

She made good use of a huge bag of themed shaped buttons I've had ever since I started scrapbooking.

Fifth Day of the Fifth Week of the School Summer Holidays - Wet Felted Beads II

2011-08-27T17:26:00.004+01:00

Today our felt beads are dry. We've strung them onto elastic thread and here's the finished bracelet. Quite unusual and we enjoyed making it.

Fifth Day of the Fifth Week of the School Summer Holidays - Wet Felted Beads

2011-08-26T14:53:00.005+01:00

Our activity today was a new craft for both Lara and I - wet felting. I saw some lovely felt beads and a tutorial on this blog and also a 'how to' video on You Tube.

I bought from Ebay some Merino Wool Tops/Rovings. A 50g pack cost just over £3 including p&p. The colour I bought was called Wildberry - a mixture of purple shades.

We cut off small pieces and teased the fibres apart slightly before roughly forming i into a ball in our hands.

We then took a tiny bit of liquid soap and some hot water and started to roll the felt ball in our hands - like you would roll a ball of play dough.

We continued doing this, rinsing the ball and our hands under the hot water from time to time and gradually the ball became thicker and smaller.

Once the balls were fairly hard we then started rinsing the balls in cold water too. This had the effect of shocking the wool and made it shrink even smaller until we had a bead.

After making a dozen or more beads these are now drying in the airing cupboard and tomorrow if they are dry we'll thread them onto some elastic thread to make a funky bracelet. Hopefully I'll be able to show you that tomorrow.

Fourth Day of the Fifth Week of the School Summer Holidays - Messy Canvas

2011-08-26T14:34:00.003+01:00

Today's project idea came from a post on Pinterest.

We started with another one of those cheap blank canvas from ............ yes, you guessed it ....... The Works. LOL.

Lara then choose some letter stickers from my scrapbooking stash. She choose some tangerine orange coloured stickers from Pink Paislee that had been languishing in the cupboard for ages. She stuck the stickers to the canvas and then using various colours of acrylic paint she painted (splogged) the different colours on the canvas covering the letter stickers.

The canvas was then left to dry.

When the paint had dried she peeled off the stickers and ta da ....... a cute little canvas.

If we had a craft room I think this would probably have to be hung in there but as we don't we'll have to find some where else for it.

Third Day of the Fifth Week of the School Summer Holidays - Kusudama Flowers

2011-08-25T16:14:00.003+01:00

Today's craft project started with some humble post it notes

Earlier in the year whilst cropping with some friends, Sue made some gorgeous origami flowers. A quick google search will show different variations on those beautiful flowers which I discovered during my search are called Kusudama Flowers.

I thought Lara might be able to manage the folding and after showing her how to make one off she went and created a whole rainbow of flowers - far too many to photograph in fact. As I am posting this she is STILL making more!!! Hopefully she will remember the instructions and be able to make more in the future.

They are really dinky and so pretty in the pastel colours of the post it notes. I think they would look really nice as part of a table setting at a girly party.

Second Day of the Fifth Week of the School Summer Holidays - Decoupage Balls

2011-08-24T10:10:00.005+01:00

For today's craft activity we used a pack of Polystyrene Balls from Papermania........

...............a pack of patterned paper tissues.........

............... some tissue paper scraps .........

............ and some PVA glue.

We peeled off the top layer of the tissues and cut out the individual butterflies printed on them. Then using the PVA glue we stuck small pieces of the plain tissue paper to the balls and then on top of that we stuck the butterflies. We finished off by giving the balls a final coat of PVA.

First Day of the Fifth Week of the School Summer Holidays - Windowpane Cards

2011-08-23T13:23:00.005+01:00

First day of crafting after our two week break in Devon and so I thought Lara could do something which didn't involve too much adult supervision so that I could get on with washing, ironing, tidying, etc.....

Whilst away I bought a cheap Faber Castell Windowpane Notecard set from The Works (I should have shares in that company the amount of stuff I buy from them! LOL)

The box contained everything needed (apart from a few peel offs which we used for added embelishment) to create 6 notecards with vellum designs.

Lara carefully traced, with the pens included in the kit, the designs and lettering from the booklet .....

and then coloured them in and mounted them in the cards provided.

Voila! Cute little notecards.

Scrapology - August Card Challenge

2011-08-20T21:00:00.003+01:00

This month;s card challenge on Scrapology is sponsored by Barbara Gray of Claritystamp Limited. Her challenge is to create a Landscape using a Brayer and a Sun.

Prior to this challenge I had never used a brayer before but not wanting to be defeated I gave it a go and with some instruction and advise from a few ladies at my local crop and Vicki from Stamp Addicts, I came up with this card.

I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Dried Marigold and Fired Brick. The stamps used were Paper Artsy Hot Picks 1008, Paper Artsy Hot Pick 1005 and Darkroom Door - Butterflies.

Please pop over the Scrapology to see the other cards the design team have made and maybe have a go at making a card for the challenge. Your card must be a landscape card and be created with a brayer. It must also include a sun and you must post a link to your card in the comment box on Scrapology blog before 15th September. The prize is a years subscription to the New Claritystamp Design Club!

Scrapology August Layout Challenge - R is for Ribbon

2011-08-20T20:25:00.004+01:00

After a couple of weeks break, I am now back and hopefully kids crafts will resume on Monday.

Meanwhile, here's a reminder of what's happening on Scrapology this month. For the month of August the design team decided to scraplift a layout by Ingrid Gooyer.

Here is my layout.

I used cardstock from Bazzill Basics, Patterned Paper from BasicGrey, Card Candi from Craftwork Cards, Bling from Prima, crochet flowers, punched leaves, Prima flowers, decorative pins, brads, tag from K & Co and of course ribbon.

The ribbon is stitched in place in a circular shape.

Here is Ingrid's original layout which I think is amazing!

Here is the challenge sketch.

Please do pop over the Scrapology blog to see the other design team layouts and why not join in the challenge by creatingyour own layout based on the sketch. Post a link to your layout in the comment box on the Scrapology blog before midnight on 5th September and you could be in with a chance of winning a 12" x 12" DCWV Cardstock Stack called Immortal Love (48 sheets of white core cardstock - 4 foiled, 8 glittered and 36 textured) kindly donated by Jill of Cardinal Colours.

Fourth Day of the Second Week of the School Summer Holidays - Owls

2011-08-04T21:21:00.006+01:00

Today's little craft project was courtesy of Card a la Carte. As soon as I saw these cute little owls I knew they were a great little holiday craft project for Lara.

I bought some pillow box die cuts from Ebay and gave Lara my bag of paper scraps, circle punches and a few gems to make the owls with.

Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the finished owls until this evening so the photo isn't the best but you get the idea.

After two weeks of daily craft projects we are going to take a little break now from crafting and blogging to recharge our batteries and to come up with a few more projects but we will be back soon.

Third Day of the Second Week of the School Summer Holidays - Printable Paper Models

2011-08-03T22:00:00.005+01:00

Not much time for crafting today as the children spent part of the day out with their Grandad, but we did find time to make some paper models from http://toy-a-day.blogspot.com. The website is full of free, downloadable, printable models of well known characters.

Unfortunately, our printer isn't behaving itself at the moment so instead of the colour copies we had hoped to print we had to make do with black and white copies.

Lara made models of various character including The Cat in the Hat, Pingu, The Simpsons, Bugs Bunny (although she claimed to not know who Bugs Bunny was. Huh?), Miffy and Hello Kitty. Of course her favourite was Sponge Bob Square Pants.

Perhaps if we manage to sort out the problem with the printer we'll have another go with some colour copies.

Second Day of the Second Week of the School Summer Holidays - Paint Chip Notebooks

2011-08-02T16:07:00.005+01:00

Today's idea for cute mini notebooks made from Paint Chips came from an old tutorial on Whimsy Love's Blog.

The materials were ........ Cheap as Chips (excuse the pun). We used some of the paint chips left over from last weeks butterfly garland.

Some scraps of plain paper which we cut into small pieces. Ours were 8cm x 5.5cm and were super quick to cut using the paper trimmer.

Using Wimsey Love's tutorial we folded the paint chips like a matchbook and then stapled a bundle of the paper pieces inside.

We then used a variety of old scrapbooking supplies to decorate the covers.

Lara really enjoyed this activity (I think because it was easy) and she created 16 (yes, 16!!!) tiny notebooks to fill with notes and drawings.

First Day of the Second Week of the School Summer Holidays - Button Bracelets

2011-08-01T15:01:00.006+01:00

Today's craft idea came from a bracelet I saw on Folksy.com. I saw it and thought ' we could do that'.

So, I bought a couple of charm bracelet blanks........

........... and on the advice if my friend Anita ( an amazing scrapbooker, card maker and fabulous jewelery maker) I bought an assortment of different sized silver jump rings.

Lara went through my button box and choose an assortment of buttons in three different colours. She choose lime green, aqua and tangerine.

Then we fixed the buttons onto the bracelet using the rump rings to connect them. We used round nosed pliers to ease the jump rings apart and this was quite tricky for Lara's little fingers. Whilst she managed quite well with most of them, she did need help with the bigger buttons.

Here is the finished bracelet. It is really pretty and after removing a couple of the links to make it a tiny bit smaller it fits Lara perfectly.

She then went on to make another bracelet in girly pink, purple and white.

Here's the two bracelets

This was a relatively cheap project - 2 x bracelet blanks from Ebay @ £1.85 each (free p&P) and 700 assorted jump rings from Ebay @ £3.99 (inc p&p). The buttons came from my scrapbooking stash.

Fifth Day of the First Week of the School Summer Holidays - Felt Cats

2011-07-29T17:14:00.006+01:00

Todays craft idea came from a photo on Flickr. These cats were so cute but at the same time quirky and I thought Lara would like trying to make some.

So we assembled a few scraps of black felt, some bright sewing threads, buttons and stuffing and after cutting a template from some paper away she went.

By the end of this afternoon four little moggies had been made.

Fouth Day of the First Week of the School Summer Holidays - Butterfly Canvas

2011-07-28T16:21:00.006+01:00

Today's craft idea came from Meg Duerksen's Whatever Blog. I love that blog - lots of great ideas.

First Lara painted a cheap canvas from The Works (I think it cost £1.99) with acrylic paint. Lara chose pale blue.

Then, she painted patches of coloured acrylic paint onto a sheet of A4 copier paper.

The canvas and the sheet of paper were then left in the sun for a hour or so to completely dry.

Then, using the same butterfly punch which Lara used on Monday to make her garland, she punched lots of butterflies from the sheet of paper. Some were two tone and some just a single colour.

These were then randomly struck onto the canvas using hot glue.

The result, a pretty butterfly canvas for one little girl's bedroom wall.

Not sure which way it will be hung - portrait or landscape. I think it looks cute either way.

Third Day of the First Week of the School Summer Holidays - Page Corner Bookmarks

2011-07-27T16:42:00.006+01:00

Today with the help of a tutorial and template on the I Could Make That blog Lara made Page Corner Bookmarks.

With just scraps of card stock and patterned paper she made bookmarks for the whole family plus one extra.

I think she has now cottoned on to the idea that I may have some craft projects planned for the holidays because this morning when she woke up she asked 'What can we make today?'.

Second Day of the First Week of the School Summer Holidays - Beanie Buddies

2011-07-26T16:39:00.004+01:00

Many years ago I picked up the following book from a discount book shop. It has sat in the cupboard ever since.

Last month however, after much searching, I managed to buy from Ebay (at a fairly good price) a bag of fleece fabric offcuts and some plastic beans. So, this afternoon we decided to have a go at making a beanie toy from the book. The only proviso was that it had to be simple!

Lara choose an alien which we made from some bright red fleece. I did the sewing on the machine and Lara turned the toy the right way out and filled it.

That should have been the end of our craft time today but somehow I was persuaded to also make an octopus! So as well as the red alien we also made a blue Octopus.

And.............. because Lara knows how to wrap me round her finger..... we also made a rather cute pink cat.

Couple of hours of sewing = one happy girl.

First Day of the First Week of the School Summer Holidays - Butterfly Garlands

2011-07-25T16:25:00.005+01:00

Today is the first proper day of the school summer holidays (if you don't count the weekend) and for the last month or so leading up to the holidays I have secretly been scouring the internet for crafty projects to keep Lara busy when she has a 'Mum..... I'm bored moment' and I've been buying little bits and pieces to complete those projects.

I wasn't expecting to have to produce one such project so early in the holidays but when at lunch time Lara said 'Mum .... I want to make something. What can I make?', I felt the time was right

So for today's project was to make a garland using paint chips free from the DIY store. The idea came from the Grace and Light website.

I had already collected lots of paint chips in a rainbow of colours.

Using my Tonic Studio Butterfly Punch, Lara punched lots and lots of butterflies from the different coloured paint chips. We found that by lining the punch up with the end of the paint chip we could punch out butterflies with white bodies and coloured wings.

She was then left with lots of these ............

........... but more importantly lots of these ...........

The good thing about the Tonic Studio Punch is that the punched butterflies have lots of detail including holes on each wing which are perfect for threading onto thread. Lara used gold thread to make her garlands.

We've hung them across the patio doors. Impossible to photograph but I'm sure you get the idea.

Scrapology - July Card Challenge

2011-07-22T19:11:00.005+01:00

This month's card challenge on Scrapology is set by S-J creator of Little Musings. The challenge is to make a card which is any shape except square. The Design Team used images created by S-J which are available from the link above.

For my card I used 'Whoo Me?' images.

I also used papers and embelishments from a Little Leaves Cardmaking Kit which I was given as a gift a few months ago.

To create the card I printed three copies of the chosen image onto sheets of three different patterned papers.

I then cut the individual pieces of the image out ........

............. and then layered them together to create the finished owl which I embelished with chipboard flowers and gems and mounted onto a round easel card.

Please do go and see all the cards created by the design team. The card challenge will run until the 15th August and the winner will be announced shortly after. S-J has kindly offered the winner of the challenge three of the digital stamp sets of their choice from her shop.

Book Review - The Desperate Diary of a Country Housewife by Daisy Waugh

2011-07-16T12:26:00.006+01:00

Fantastic Fiction Review: If you've ever dreamt of a new life in the country, this highly entertaining and candid account of country living might make you think again...Fresh air, rolling fields, Cath Kidston tea towels and home-baked cake -- isn't that what Martha's new life will be? Apparently not. Having upped sticks and moved her young family from the gritty city to Paradise, she discovers things aren't quite that easy. Collapsing kitchen ceilings; a plague of slugs; coffee mornings with Stepford mums and garden warfare with the neighbours are just a few of the trials. And with her husband away working in London, Martha just can't stop thinking about the sexy builder who's meant to be turning the house into her dream home!

I found this book on the shelves of the library and it was the first by book Daisy Waugh that I had read. I have mixed feelings abut the book. I found the format of the book hard to get used to. The book is written in a diary style but is interspersed with newspaper columns written by the main character Martha.

Whilst in some ways I enjoyed the story, as a reader who her self is a country housewife and has always lived in the countryside, I found the picture it painted of country life somewhat unrealistic and rather patronising. Yes, I could relate to some parts but others were alien to the countryside I know.

Probably not an author I would read again.

Layered Card Stock Embelishments at The Works

2011-07-07T15:20:00.003+01:00

Look at these beauties that I picked up at The Works the other day. Packs of layered card stock, glittered embelishments for just 99p. How much would they have cost if they had been branded by one of the big scrapbook manufacturers? £2? £3? More? A real bargain and I think they will be just perfect on cards or scrapbook pages. I do love a bargain.

Scrapology July Layout Challenge - M is for Masks

2011-07-02T11:07:00.006+01:00

The July layout challenge on Scrapology has now been revealed. This months challenge is all about using masks and the design team choose to scraplift a layout by Liz Qualman.

This is my layout of my gorgeous puddy tat - Tux (Tuxie).

To create my layout I used two different shades of Cosmic Shimmer Mist - Golden Mint and Aqua Lagoon...........

......... a sheet of yellow and a sheet of black card stock ................

........ some die cut flowers ..............

......... and some scraps of patterned paper from Echo Park, October Afternoon (I think) and Fancy Pant, ribbon, a fancy metal brad, Flower Spacer, Thickers from American Crafts and some other very, very old alphabet stickers which I recoloured with ProMarkers.

I started by placing my yellow card stock in a pizza box to act as a spray studio and arranged the die cut flowers randomly on the yellow card stock to act as a mask.

I then sprayed both shades of Shimmer Mist over the yellow card stock. Obviously where the flowers were laid the mist didn't colour the card stock leaving yellow flowers on a green/blue misted background.

When putting together my layout I decided to use the previously white die cuts (now a nice green/blue colour) as embelishments on my layout and fixed them to the page with a fancy metal brad and Extra Large Flower Spacer from The Hobby House.

This was the first time I had used masks and mists and I was a little nervous about using them but I actually quite enjoyed putting this layout together and was pleased with how it turned out.

Here is Liz's original layout..............

......... and the sketch.

Do pop over to Scrapology and see all the layout and perhaps join in with the challenge too.

Hama Beads

2011-06-30T18:59:00.005+01:00

Lara has been home from school today. Her school was closed for the day due to the teacher's strikes.

Yesterday I bought her a few more bags of Hama Beads to top up the some what depleted box we have. She spent a good part of yesterday evening and this morning creating small square pictures which she mounted in a 9 x 9 panel onto some of my Black Bazzill card stock (reinforced with mount board) to make a really cute, colourful picture which she intends hanging on her bedroom wall.

It kept her quiet for several hours and she was really thrilled with the finished picture.

Birthday Layout

2011-06-27T16:39:00.004+01:00

Scrapping time at the moment is very limited. I'm sure it's just as busy for all parents when it gets close to the end of the school year - sports days, school trips, concerts, shows, etc, etc, etc. and the weekends are no less busy either. At the moment I don't know which way to turn.

A few weeks ago I started a layout at my monthly crop and it wasn't until yesterday that I managed to find a few minutes to finish it.

The layout was of Lara's birthday last December.

I used patterned papers from October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket and Jenni Bowlin, Thickers from American Crafts, ric rac, Stickers from Bella Blvd, metal rimmed tag, buttons and brads.

Scrapology - June Card Challenge

2011-06-17T16:52:00.003+01:00

The card challenge over on Scrapology has this month been set by Laura from That's Crafty.

For my card I used a Ching Chou Kuik Rubber Stamp from Sweet Pea Stamps called 'Purple Comfort'. I coloured the image using Pro Markers and shaded around the outside of the image with some chalks.

I also used some patterned paper from a very old collection from Prima, blossoms also from Prima, self adhesive pearls from The Hobby House, Bazzill Tulle and a sentiment from Craftwork Cards.

This was Laura's original card.........

and the sketch it was based on.

Please hop along to the Scrapology blog to see the rest of the team's cards and maybe have a go at creating a card based on the sketch yourself.

Scrapology June Layout Challenge - What a Hoot

2011-06-02T10:00:00.005+01:00

This month Scrapology are hosting a Blog Candy Hop so if you have arrived at my blog either from Anita's blog or under your own steam - hello! If you arrived here under your own steam and would like to join in the Blog Hop then why not hop to Scrapology to start at the beginning.

For June the Scrapology design team chose to scrap lift a layout by Cindy Tobey and decided on stitching as our theme/technique.

I used some quite old papers from Three Bugs in a Rug's 'What a Hoot!' collection which I thought perfect for a scrapbook page about the cuddly owl I made last month. Apart from the patterned papers the only other supplies I used were some Bazzill Card Stock and some buttons. It doesn't show awfully well in the photo but I layered up images cut from the paper to add some dimension and also machine stitched around the page and edges of the photos.

Here is Cindy's original layout which uses gorgeous papers from Fancy Pant's 'Beach Babe' collection......

......and, here's the sketch if you want to play along and have a go at creating a similar layout.

If you would like to be in for a chance of winning some blog candy leave a comment below, become a follower of my blog and then hop onto Jill's super blog - A Calendar of Colours to continue the blog hop.

So what needs using up this week???

2011-05-27T16:47:00.004+01:00

After having to think what to do with the huge amount of grated cheese I found myself with last week (thanks for the ideas - in the end I froze most of it so that the pressure to use it all up quickly wasn't so great LOL), this week I found quite a few carrots in the bottom of the fridge which whilst still edible were getting to that stage where they needed using.

So, today I made Carrot Cake with scrummy frosting on top. Yummmm. I'm not sure that the kids will eat it (the idea of carrots in a cake doesn't appeal to them) but that's fine 'cos it just means all the more for me.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.....

2011-05-18T20:46:00.003+01:00

This post has nothing to do with lemons but please bear with me.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade ........ so ........ when your husband brings home from work a 2kg bag of grated cheese which is almost on its sell by date ............ make cheese scones.... make cheese straws ..... and .....

Yep, tonight in an attempt to use the huge bag of grated cheese currently sitting on the top shelf of the fridge Lara and I made cheese scones and cheese straws (very 1970s cocktail party).

They both came out of the oven looking very tasty and having tried them I can vouch that they do taste as good as they look.

So tomorrow what should I make? Cheese & Bacon Flan? Cheese Souffle? Macaroni Cheese? Cauliflower Cheese? All suggestions gratefully received.

Pinks and Lilacs

2011-05-16T14:35:00.005+01:00

A couple of nights ago I stumbled upon The Ribbon Girl blog. The blog provides lots of inspiration as well as challenges, giveaways, etc. I'm really pleased I found the blog because it is overflowing with inspiration.

This month they are running a 'pinks and lilacs' colour challenge and as those colours are right up my street (I blame my daughter LOL) I thought I'd have a go.

I came up with this little birthday card using a gorgeous girlie Lili of the Valley stamped image which I coloured as usual with Promarkers.

The papers were from the Papermania Henbury Lane Collection. I also used lace from Hobbycraft, beautiful Pink Organza Roses from MeiFlowers, Heart Pins from Ebay, Self Adhesive Pearls from The Hobby House, lace and ribbon from my stash and some leaves punched with a 3 leaf punch from L.em.

Scrapology - May Card Challenge

2011-05-15T12:26:00.009+01:00

This months card challenge on Scrapology has been set by Zoe Pierson.

For my card I using a cute Lili of the Valley 'Thomas - Letter For You' stamped image which I coloured with Promarkers.

The papers are from BasicGrey's Nook and Pantry Collection. I also used Bazzill cardstock, ribbon, flowers and brads from my stash as well as some very old letter stickers from K&Co which I recoloured with Promarkers to get the right colour.

Here is Zoe's original card......

..... and the sketch.

Please do have a look at the other Design Team cards over on Scrapology and enter the challenge.

Book Review - Mum on the Run by Fiona Gibson

2011-05-06T20:41:00.005+01:00

Amazon Description: Laura Swan was dreading the school sports day Mum’s race - but whoever would have thought it could be quite so life-changing?

Sports Day at her children's school is a nightmare for Laura because of the event she dreads – the Mums' Race. She knows the other mothers have been in training for at least three months – even though they're trying to pretend that they haven't. Laura's vowed never to take part, but the morning of the School Sports Day she makes a fatal error and promises her daughter that if she eats her Rice Crispies, she will run. With no escape, Laura is forced to take part and as she moves towards her inevitable humiliation, she is horrified to spot her husband Jed flirting with Celeste the delectable French girl who works with him.

Determined to put up a fight and to show Jed there is still plenty of spice left in their marriage, Laura decides it is time to give her body the work out it has been desperately crying out for. But when Laura makes a special new friend at the running club that she has joined, she gets much more than she bargained for.

From buying sexy lingerie displayed alongside the gherkins at Tesco to struggling into the last playsuit in Topshop, this novel is full of humour and Laura is a true heroine for our times. A sparkling, witty novel, that fizzes off the page.

This was the first book by Fiona Gibson that I've read and I really enjoyed it. Mind you I've said that about all the books I've read recently! LOL. Fiona Gibson's style of writing really made me want to keep reading and I found it hard to put the book down.

Full of humour the book had me chuckling and also cringing as the main character Laura went from one embarrassing situation to another like making a fool of herself by spectacularly falling over in the parents race at her children's school sports day, being caught rifling through the bedroom of Celeste the beautiful woman who works with Laura's husband to try and find a hairdryer to dry her wet dress after not quite making it to the toilet in time at Celeste's birthday party, getting stuck in her stomach reducer girdle thingy and having to get husband Jed to cut her out of it with a pair of scissors.

I really liked Laura and loved how her character evolved through the book. This really was a great read and I can't wait to read more of Fiona Gibson's books.

Scrapology - V is for Vine

2011-05-05T13:12:00.004+01:00

As promised yesterday, here is my May Design Team layout for Scrapology.

The layout for this month's scraplift challenge was created by Liberty Chance.

I used patterned papers from Bo Bunny's Peacock Lane collection, Bazzill cardstock, flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, Letter stickers from Adornit and some lace.

The Vine was handmade using this tutorial from Gabrielle P. It was incredibly easy to make using some paper flowers and some florist tape.

Here is Liberty's original layout and sketch.

Do pop over to Scrapology and see all the Design Team's layouts and perhaps have a go yourself.

Scrapology - April Card Challenge

2011-05-04T20:58:00.005+01:00

Over on Scrapology we have a card challenge going on at the moment. As many of the Design Team are also card makers it was decided to introduce a monthly card challenge to the blog too.

Elaine from Quixotic Paperie set the challenge which is to incorporate charms into a card design, either as a focal point or to accent the design. The challenge is running until the 15th May when Elaine will choose a winner. The lucky winner of this challenge will win a £10 voucher to spend at Quixotic Paperie.

I decided to make an Easter Card using an image stamped with a Magnolia Tilda Bunny Stamp. I used Papers from Basicgrey, Flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, punched leaves, a scrap of purple trim leftover from another project, A 'Happy Easter' sentiment and of course a charm. The stamped image was coloured with Promarkers and stickled.

Do pop over to Scrapology and see all the cards created by the Design Team and maybe have a go at designing a card yourself. The closing date for entries is 15th May which gives you plenty of time to get creative.

Our new monthly scrapbook challenge was launched on Sunday too ...... but more about that later.

Book Review - Paradise Fields by Katie Fforde

2011-04-28T18:29:00.004+01:00

Fantastic Fiction Review: It's not as if Nel hadn't enough on her plate already: organising a farmer's market in the beautiful Paradise Fields and sorting out a house full of animals are quite enough to keep her busy. But then her old friend Sir Gerald dies, and soon afterwards his son, accompanied by his glamorous but eccentric American wife, takes up residence in The Big House. Distressingly, it seems that preserving the meadow's way of life is not on their list of priorities. Nel takes up arms, determined to fight for the meadow and the market she loves. But whom can she trust? She's pretty sure her friends Sacha and Vivian are on her side. Her sensible boyfriend Simon, a real estate agent, seems to want to help, but something tells Nel there's a conflict of interests. And then there's Jake, the infuriating yet attractive stranger who kissed her under the mistletoe. Maybe she's been a celibate widow for far too long...

For my 9th chic lit challenge book I turned again to one of my favourite chic lit authors, Katie Fforde. I've never read one of her books that I haven't liked. I enjoy her style of writing which is witty and easy to read and every time I read one of her books I can imagine it as a screen play. Yes, her books have predictable 'Happy Ever After' endings but, I like that. The only disappointment with this book was that I found the ending very rushed - the main character, Nel , went from despair to happiness in one final hapter. That aside, all in all this was a thoroughly good read and highly recommended.

Hoooo Ray!

2011-04-25T16:08:00.005+01:00

Last week whilst blog hopping I saw some amazingly cute felt owls on the Anj's Snowy Bliss blog. They were so sweet that I quickly popped along to her Etsy shop and bought a copy of the pattern. Yesterday afternoon after our Easter Egg hunt I set about making my owl and a couple of hours later 'Hoot' had been created. Needless to say he wasn't MY owl for long as he was soon adopted by Lara.

Here he is in all his glory - Really cheap and easy to make and one little girl is very pleased with him.

2011-04-24T12:11:00.000+01:00

Book Review - A Place Called Here by Cecelia Ahern

2011-04-21T21:25:00.003+01:00

Fantastic Fiction Review: Since Sandy Shortt's childhood schoolmate disappeared twenty years ago, Sandy has been obsessed with missing things. Finding becomes her goal - whether it's the odd sock that vanished in the washing machine, the car keys she misplaced in her rush to get to work or the graver issue of finding the people who vanish from their lives. Sandy dedicates her life to finding these missing people, offering devastated families a flicker of hope. Jack Ruttle is one of those desperate people. It's been a year since his brother, Donal vanished into thin air and the sleepless nights and frantic days aren't getting any easier. Thinking Sandy Shortt could well be the answer to his prayers, he embarks on a quest to find her. But, when Sandy goes missing too, her search ends when she stumbles upon the place - and people - she's been looking for all of her life. A world away from her loved ones and the home she ran from for so long, Sandy soon resorts to her old habit again, searching. Though this time, she is desperately trying to find her way home!

I loved this book. It was so different to other chic lits I've read - it wasn't a boy meet girl love story. It was an original and imaginative story about being lost and being found. I really liked the main character Sandy Shortt (who was very tall) and sympathised with her obsession with things that go missing. A great read from Cecilia Ahern and thoroughly recommended.

Book Review - A Valentine's Kiss by Lucie Hart

2011-04-08T17:10:00.004+01:00

Fantastic Fiction Review: This Valentine's day Imogen is going to meet the man of her dreams. If only she can discover who he is...At a gloriously over-the-top house party in the balmy South of France, British trainee chef Imogen finds herself playing blind man's buff with a host of impossibly handsome men. And then one of them kisses her. It's the most perfect kiss she's ever experienced in her short - and frankly, to date romantically disappointing - life. Sweet, sexy and full of promise. Imogen wants more, but by the time she recovers her wits sufficiently to remove her blindfold her mystery kisser has disappeared. Could her Prince Charming be one of her fellow-chefs, Dimitri or Bastien? Both are clearly interested in her. But there's also enigmatic Latino hunk Enzo, good-times-guy DJ Cheyenne, aristocratic Amaury, and the American visitors - Archer and Everett...So many men, so little time. And Imogen can't just keep kissing men until she finds the right one...can she?

This was another debut novel mentioned on the Chick Lit Plus website and having throughly enjoyed 'Postcards from the Heart' which was also another debut novel mentioned on that website I decided to give this one a try. I'm glad I did.

The story was set in France with a culinary background to the story which made a nice change to the majority of novels which I've read lately which have tended to be set in the US or UK. The book was quick to get into and I liked the main character Imogen and like how her personality developed and grew throughout the story. Once the 'Valentine Kisser' had struck I was eager to find out who he was although the blurb on the back cover did kind of give it away.

A really good read - marks out of 10! 9/10

Scrapology - B is for Bunting

2011-04-07T07:47:00.005+01:00

For April the Scrapology design team choose to scraplift a layout by the scrapper Sarah Youde. The layout featured bunting so that was our theme. My layout featured a family photo taken a few years ago, shortly before my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary.

I used patterned papers from Echo Park, some letter stickers from K&Co (which I recoloured), some string and to make my bunting I used the Technique Tuesday's 'message in a banner' stamps.

The spiral flowers on the layout were made from scraps of Echo Park paper. There is a tutorial for making those flowers here on the Technique Tuesday website. This was Sarah's original layout.

And this was Lynn's sketch.

Those Technique Tuesday stamps are great to use and so I went on to create another layout using them.

I used more Echo Park patterned paper, Bazzill card stock, flowers from Petaloo, buttons, American Crafts Thickers and made more of those spiral flowers.

Do pop over to Scrapology to see all the gorgeous layouts the team have created. This months layouts are all so different and real feast for the eyes.

Crop Day

2011-04-02T17:19:00.003+01:00

Today was my monthly crop. I hadn't actually been to the crop since January due to other commitments so it was nice to go today and spend a day scrapbooking and catching up with the others. I managed to complete two layouts and part finish two more.

The first layout I actually started at Debden but it needed to be finished.

I used white Bazzill card stock, patterned papers from Scenic Route and Echo Park, ribbon, buttons, self adhesive badge from Flair Designs, a piece of a very, very, VERY old Creative Imaginations transparency and alphabet stickers. I've made several layouts with white card stock backgrounds recently and quite like the effect.

The second layout I put together was based on a layout by Gabrielle Pollacco. I used Patterned Papers from Cosmo Cricket's DeLovely collection, Bazzill card stock, ribbon, a paper doilie (thanks Anita), brads, blossoms, unbranded chipboard accent and Heidi Swapp bling. The title was cut on the Quickutz. The frilled border was cerated by pleating strips of white paper which was punched using a Martha Stewart border punch. It took 8 x 12" strips of paper to go all round the edge! After pleating an sticking the first two strips and realising how much more I had to do I did wonder whether it was worth it, but I do like the end result.

Lulworth Castle

2011-03-29T21:10:00.002+01:00

Another layout from Debden.......

Last summer whilst on holiday in Dorset we spent a day at Lulworth Castle. The castle was built in the early 17th Century and has changed little over the years.

During the summer visitors to the castle can watch dramatic battles on horseback at the spectacular summer jousting contests held in the magnificent castle grounds and whilst at Debden I created a layout of a couple of the photos I took of the horse display.

I used some very old patterned papers from Scenic Route and I think 7 Gypsies, a scrap of vellum for the journaling, card stock flourishes and title cut on the Cricut and stickled, a making memories metal frame, photo turns and brads. You can see more of my photos of the castle. park and horses here on my photography blog

Funny Faces

2011-03-28T19:42:00.003+01:00

Another layout from the Debden weekend this time using photos of Steven taken nearly 7 years ago. In just over a fortnight this little boy will be a teenager. Yikes!

The layout was based on a layout by Davinie Fiero and I used squares of BasicGrey 'Lucky' paper which were all machine stitched round the edge. More scraps of BasicGrey were used for the title which was cut on the Cricut and to make the concertina flowers

Gibraltar Point

2011-03-27T21:20:00.006+01:00

Another layout from Debden.

For this layout I used some photos of Lara taken at the Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve in Lincolnshire last October. I used a sheet of Prima's My Mommy and Me - North Park paper. I didn't feel too much embelishment was needed so I just added some buttons in co-ordinating colours, layered up some images of the owls cut from a second sheet of the paper on 3D foam and added journaling along the bottom on a transparency.

Ice Queen

2011-03-26T20:15:00.005Z

This layout, which I put together at Debden, was based on a layout I saw on Lisette Gibbons blog. When I saw that Lisette had used papers from the BasicGrey's Offbeat collection with an icy layout I realised what a perfect colour match they would be to some photos I had of Lara playing in the snow on Christmas Eve.

I had intended using several sheets of paper from the collection but in the end used just a tiny piece of the sheet called 'unexpected'. I teamed this with white and pale blue Bazzill card stock, ribbon, lace, 'Swell Noel' Layered Glittered Snowflakes from K&Co (which I seem to use on EVERY snowy layout!) and some unbranded silver alphabet stickers.

I have lots more photos of Lara taken on that day whilst she was playing in the snow so I think the Offbeat collection will come in very useful when scrapping them. Not a collection I would have instantly thought to use with snowy pictures but in this instance they are perfect.

Just the Girls

2011-03-25T16:03:00.004Z

Here's the first of the layout I created at last weekends retreat.

As the journalling explains, being the photographer of the family means I don't have many photos of myself and have even fewer photos of myself and the children. This photo however of Lara and I, which was taken over four years ago at Bideford in Devon, is one of my favourites and I've been meaning to scrapbook it for ages.

I have been following Nichol Magouirk's weekly 'From Start to Finish' videos on Two Peas in a Bucket since the beginning of the year and when I saw her 'You and Me' video a few weeks ago I just knew it would be great for this photo. Do check out Nichol's videos - I love here style and the videos are excellent with lots of tips and design ideas.

I used patterned papers from Cosmo Crickets Girl Friday Line, Bazzill Card Stock. Date Sticker from October Afternoon, Title cut on the Cricut and various little embelishments (buttons, brads, punches, charms and rub ons). I don't use Kraft card stock very often but I kinda like the look and may try using it more.

Blossom Babes Debden Weekend 2011 - Part III

2011-03-24T12:20:00.004Z

Having shown you yesterday the gifts I made for my friends at Debden, I thought today I would show you some of the lovely gifts I received. I'm only going to show you the handmade or hand decorated gifts because the other gifts (sweeties, chocolates, soap and stash) although equally lovely have all been eaten or part used! Sorry but chocolate eggs and Haribos were just too yummy to resist. LOL.

This yummy cupcake in a box came from Gilly. Every day whilst I was away I intended eating the cupcake but the food provided at Debden is so filling that I could never find room for the cupcake. I soon remedied that when I got home though and shortly after taking this photo - the cupcake was no more. It was delicious.

Anita gave me these two cuties. A sweet little flip flop shaped decorated box and matching chocolate bar. The sweeties in the flip flop are also no longer with us! LOL

Sue gave me this beautiful heart which she had deco-patched and embelished. So very pretty and I'm sure took a long time to finish. If I had a craft room I would have it on display in that room but as I don't, I've hung it on the inside of the door of my scrap-cupboard so that every time I open the door I see it.

And finally Lynn gave me this teeny, tiny personalised storage box full to the brim with pretty, pink embelishments. A few of the embelishments found their way onto the layouts I created whilst away so thank you Lynn. (Oops just realised I've photographed the lid upside down)

Thank you too to everyone else who gave me a present. I really do have the most thoughtful crafty friends ever.

Blossom Babes Debden Weekend 2011 - Part II

2011-03-23T21:51:00.004Z

Today I was going to show you one of the layouts I created last weekend at Debden but instead I've decided to show you the little gifts I made for my friends. We often swap little presents at Debden. Sometimes those presents are homemade, sometimes edible (yum yum), sometime useful and sometimes just pretty.

This year I decides to give something edible in a pretty package.

The square acrylic boxes were from Denami Designs and after decorating them with ribbons, a punched butterfly and a scalloped circle stamped with a 'for you' stamp also from Denami Designs I filled them with mint imperials.

I think the girls liked them and they certainly looked pretty altogether.

Blossom Babes Debden Weekend 2011 - Part I

2011-03-22T19:51:00.012Z

Last weekend I spent a few very happy days in the company of some of my crafty friends. We scrapbooked, made cards, ate, drank, chatted and laughed. Boy did we laugh.

We spent the weekend at Debden House in Loughton, Essex. This was (I think) the fourth or fifth time I had been at Debden with my friends and this years visit was slightly earlier in the year than previous visits.

Signs of spring were already visible with a blanket of small blue flowers beneath this tree.

Not sure what the flowers were but they were really pretty.

There were also daffodils in bloom and tiny narcissus

Primroses were dotted through out the garden.

And on some of the trees blossom was already on show.

I'll be back soon with more photos of the layouts I created whilst at Debden.

Book Review - Spellbound by Jane Green

2011-03-22T19:35:00.007Z

Fantastic Fiction Review: Alice knows she should be happy. After all she has a handsome husband, a beautiful house and membership to all the most exclusive clubs in London. So what if the rumours about her husband's skirt-chasing are becoming harder to ignore? When Joe's indiscretions force a transfer to New York, Alice hopes it might be a fresh start. And when they find a beautiful old house in Connecticut Alice is overjoyed. For a while she and Joe seem as happy as newlyweds. But then the late nights and unexplained absences start again. What should Alice do? Stay and fight for him? Or leave with her head held high?

I've had this book for sometime and decided now was the time to read it. Jane Green is a writer I am familiar with and whose books I usually enjoy so I was expecting to enjoy this one. The book, Jane Green's sixth book, didn't fail to meet my expectations. It was a real page turner and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen to Alice and whether her suspicions about Joe's infidelity would be confirmed. Predictably it all turns out good for Alice in the end, but when alls said and done ...... we all like a happy ending.

D is for Dimension

2011-03-06T22:33:00.007Z

This month on Scrapology we have scrap lifted a stunning layout by the very talented scrapbooker Gabrielle Pollacco. I have followed Gabrielle's blog for sometime and am in awe of her layouts and especially her handmade flowers and other embelishments.

Here is my layout.

The young woman in the photo is my paternal grandmother - Fanny Hills (Née Ansell). This was the first time I had scrapped a heritage layout but I felt the style of Gabrielle's original layout lent itself to a heritage layout.

The papers were really, really, REALLY old K&Co papers. The lace was stained with coffee (LOL) and the flowers were handmade using this tutorial by Gabrielle herself. I used a variety of re purposed buttons for the centres of the flowers and I was really pleased how they turned out and I am already planning to make more.

This was Gabrielle's original layout and sketch.

Please visit Scrapology and see the beautiful layouts created by the other members of the design team and to be in with a chance of winning a prize.

Book Review - Postcards from the Heart by Ella Griffin

2011-03-06T22:18:00.002Z

Fantastic Fiction Review: Life is looking up for Saffy. She has a great job, a gorgeous flat in the most desirable part of Dublin and - after six years - it looks like her boyfriend, Greg, is going to propose. Greg (just voted the 9th most eligible man in Ireland) is on a high, too - he's about to swap his part as a heart-throb in an Irish soap for a break in Hollywood. His best mate Conor wakes up every morning with Jess, the most beautiful woman on the planet but, even after seven years and two kids, she won't get married. He spends his days teaching teenagers and his nights writing the book he hopes will change everything, including Jess's mind. But their happy endings are playing hard to get. It seems everyone's keeping secrets - one night stands, heartbreak, grief and loss are all in the mix. It's going to take some tough questions and even tougher answers before anyone's being honest - even with themselves. POSTCARDS FROM THE HEART is a book about four friends in their thirties. It's about love, lust, life, death, balloon rides and missing hamsters. But most of all it's about figuring out how to stop saying 'I don't' and how to start saying 'I do'

This debut novel was recommended on the Chick Lit Plus and whilst I have a tendency to read books by authors who have a proven track record of writing good stories I was interested to read Ella's first book.

It did take me a while to get into the book but this may have been due to my lack of reading time in recent weeks rather than the story line because once I did got into the story I really enjoyed it. I loved the characters - Saffy who was certainly too good for the ultra-vain Greg, and hard working Conor and Jess who were so right for each other were believable characters. The humour written into the story was witty and had me laughing. Ella Griffin is a great story teller and I look forward with anticipation her next novel.

Book Review - It's a Kind of Magic by Carole Matthews

2011-02-12T22:19:00.006Z

Fantastic Fiction Review: When Emma's boyfriend Leo turns up at her special birthday dinner unforgivably late and horribly drunk, embarrassing her in front of her family, she decides enough is enough. Why can't someone just wave a magic wand over him and bring him back refurbished as a proper boyfriend and save her the trouble? But when Leo meets Isabel and starts changing before her very eyes, Emma realises she should be careful what she wishes for...

Before reading this book I had only read one other book by Carole Matthews and that was some time ago so wasn't entirely familiar with her books. The inclusion of magic and fairy in the story made for a very witty, fun, light hearted read. The characters were likable and believable. Reading the book was, I felt, like reading a screen play and could easily imagine this book being made into a film.

Stamperama - Retail Therapy

2011-02-07T13:18:00.003Z

Yesterday, despite suffering from a heavy cold, Lara and I popped along to the Stamperama Rubber Stamp Show at the Stevenage Arts & Leisure Centre. Although advertised as a Rubber Stamp Show there is always loads of other paper crafting goodies for sale and yesterday was no exception.

Having tightened my belt and bought hardly any scrapbooking goodies for ages, I had a little splurge yesterday and came home with some nice bits and pieces.

I particularly liked these packets of Organza Roses from Mei Flowers at only £1 a pack. What a bargain.

These charms, also from Mei Flowers, were also a great buy and I plan to use these on cards. The enamel handbag charms are gorgeous.

On The Hobby House stand I picked up these lovely teeny crochet flowers and more charms. The die cut flowers are from Craftwork Cards .

Having new stash makes me want to get crafting!

P is for Punching your 'art out!

2011-02-04T21:03:00.005Z

This month at Scrapology we scraplifted a layout by English scrapper Laura Buckingham. The layout featured lots of punched paper strips.

Here's Laura's layout and the sketch.

And, here is my layout. I used papers and stickers from the Echo Park 'Summertime' collection, some punched butterflies and BasicGrey letter stickers.

You can see all the design team layouts at Scrapology and if you have a go at scraplifting Laura's layout you could be in with a chance of winning a prize. Also, if you visit this post and leave a comment and follow the blog before 12th February you could also win some amazing blog candy.

Book Review - The Rose Revived by Katie Fforde

2011-01-19T20:19:00.007Z

Fantastic Fiction Review: When May teams up with Sally and Harriet it is the best day's work she's ever done. Each of them needs money, badly. Which is why they are reduced to working for Quality Cleaners under the watchful eye of 'Slimeball' Slater. When they discover it is them being taken to the cleaners, they set up as an independent team. And that is when things really begin to take off. With more lucrative jobs coming in, they soon find that they are able to take the first steps towards freedom and independence. For May that means paying the mooring fees for her adored houseboat. Harriet can take art classes and reveal her gift for painting, and Sally can save up for a place of her own. But while they are making a success of their working lives, they risk overlooking the romantic possibilities they have created...

This is a nice easy read and easy to get into from page one. I warmed to the characters and the humour Katie Fforde includes in her books is an added bonus. Lots of feel good factor and happy endings although rather predictable.

Chick Lit Reading Challenge for 2011

2011-01-07T21:01:00.004Z

Because I don't have enough to do (LOL) I've decided to sign up for the Chick Lit Reading Challenge for 2011. I enjoy reading 'light' books. Books that I can pick up and put down. Books that I can read without needing a dictionary to check the vocabulary! Books with a feel good factor. So when I saw the Chick Lit Reading Challenge that requires participants to read 12 chick lit books including 2 books from debut authors throughout 2011 (plus any other genre that appeals) I thought "Why not".

You can keep track of what I'm reading from my list on the sidebar on the right and any recommendations as to what i should read next would be appreciated. having said that I have acquired quite a few books from Read it Swap it that I already have quite a few books to read.

D is for Double Page Layout

2011-01-03T19:05:00.006Z

This week a new challenge was launched on Scrapology. We chose a super two page layout by Jana Eubank whose scrapbook pages I have admired for some time.

This was Jana's original sketch and layout.

I used some Teresa Collins and Adornit Christmassy papers for my festive layout which seemed fitting in the week after Christmas. The only embelishments I added were some poinsettia flowers (I think from Papermania), some brads and some BasicGrey letter stickers.

Do pop along to Scrapology to see all the other gorgeous layouts the design team have created and if you send in a layout of your own based on the original sketch you could win a super prize.

2011-01-01T12:15:00.002Z

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE

New Year Resolutions

2010-12-31T16:51:00.006Z

Yesterday I found a note on my ipod of the resolutions I had made at the start of 2010. How did I do?

1. Clear the clutter and make some money in the process - We sold so, so, so much stuff on Ebay during 2010. You name it - we sold it. It was a bit of a joke in our house that if something didn't move it got sold! Seriously though, we have got rid of lots of unwanted 'stuff' and made quite a bit of money in the process but where the money went or where the space created by selling the stuff is I don't know

2. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle more - Yep, I have been doing this. Our recycling bin if used far more than the general waste bin and I have been taking glass bottles, etc to the bottle banks and clothes (that can't be sold on Ebay or passed onto friends) have gone to charity shops. I have swapped 16 books on Read It Swap It this year and made good use of the library rather than buying books.

3. Scrapbook more e.g. one page per week - Hmmmm. I failed on this one. I'm not scrapbooking as much now as I used to but when I do get time to scrap I enjoy it and that's the main thing. Being on the DT for Scrapology is making sure that I do find time, at least once a month, to scrap.

4. Pass my CiLCA (Certificate in Local Council Administration) - I managed after two years of hard work to finally pass my CiLCA in March. A relief to get it out of the way.

5. Remember to take reusable shopping bags to the supermarket - Hmmmm. This is another where I have failed more than succeeded. Even putting a supply of reusable bags in the boot of the car hasn't helped because I still forget to actually take them into the shop! Having said that, I do my grocery shopping online a lot and have it delivered and by handing the plastic bags back to the driver when he next calls I feel I'm doing my bit

6. Bake every week - Unfortunately another failure. I do bake - but not every week. It a shame I failed on this one because everyone loves homemade cake. I will try harder next year.

So, 3 out of 6 resolutions kept. LOL

Favourite layouts of 2010

2010-12-31T16:25:00.005Z

As 2010 is almost at an end I thought I would look back at the layouts I have created this year and do a 'top 10 layouts'. Coming up with 10 favourite layouts wasn't actually that difficult because as my scrapbooking has slowed down quite a bit recently there weren't that many layouts to choose from. Anyway, in no particular order, here are my favourites:

1. Introducing Tuxedo

2. Naturally Pretty

3. When You Photograph In Black And White (a rare photo of Christopher)

4. Smile

5. The Great Escape

6. You Are So Beautiful To Me.

7. Snow Day

8. Just Add Water

9. 10 Things I Love About You

10. Victorian Day

2010-12-24T20:13:00.001Z