Living Life One Blessing At A Time

The Ups & Downs of Day-to-Day Life!

2012-02-09T20:19:00.001Z

I had no sooner finished posting about how disappointed I was not to be having my shoulder surgery last Friday, when I heard from the lovely Sandra over at ‘Gotta Craft’ to let me know that I had won the recent Prize Draw for a pack of American Craft ‘Flutterbys!!

it was just what I needed to make me smile!…& not only that, but they arrived in the post the next day!! So I got to play with them straight away!! Thank You so much Sandra!

I had been working on a ‘Grandma’ LO challenge, set by Jami over at ‘Soul Scrappers’ & had no trouble incorporating them! In fact the whole colour scheme ended up being built around the colours of the bunting!! What a pleasure the ‘Flutterbys’ are to work with & I’ve barely made a dent in the pack so look out for them in forthcoming LO’s!!! & on the subject of LO’s, this is the one I mentioned earlier…

This photo of ‘Nanny’ Pat (MIL) & the boys was taken back in 2002, when they still could be described as Nanny’s little angels!!

Like most parts of the country, we woke to a white world on Sunday morning…

I was glad that I wasn’t expected at work as I detest driving in icy weather conditions. But I couldn’t resist getting out for a walk around the village & even persuaded the ever reluctant Alex to leave the sanctuary that is his tech’ filled bedroom & come with me for a breath of fresh air!

We were only out for about half an hour but both of us glowed when we returned to the warmth of home! Nathan, on the other hand, was out all day! Sledging, building snowmen, snowball fighting!! He came home for regular changes of clothes & finally for a hot shower to regain feeling in his fingers! I’m informed that to make the best snowballs, gloves are a no-no!! Boys!!

I had a trip to the cinema & to be frank, I rather wish I hadn’t! We went to see ‘The Descendants’ starring George Clooney. This is the second film I’ve seen with Mr Clooney that has been a real disappointment.

I always think if the cast is good, the film will be too & this film had had rave reviews on everything from it’s storyline to it’s location & was nominated for no less than five Golden Globes! In fact the only negative thing I’d heard was that George didn’t wear a Hawaiian shirt too well!!!

So, forgive me if I say it did not live up to my expectations, it was depressing & just didn’t get off the ground! Yes, it was a sad story, but I was far from moved to tears & I am by nature such a sentimental blubber. All in all, it left me cold! Sorry George!!!

My trip to the nurse on Thursday held good news! My BP had reduced from last week, my Diastolic reading was down from 103 to 93, so almost there!! Apparently, once it’s under 90 & stabilised, she’ll call the hospital so that my Op’ can be rescheduled! Yay!

One thing that might amuse you…someone mentioned that Kiwi Fruit contain an anti-oxidant called Lutein, which is supposed to help reduce blood pressure, so I have been eating at least three every day this week!!! I don’t often buy them, but they are quite delicious!!

I’m also on yet another Pain Relief medication & so far, so good!! I can only take two a day & nothing else (other than the BP meds) so there are ‘gaps’ where I really feel the pain, but it’s amazing what a hot water bottle can do to mask it for a couple of hours!!!

A sad thing happened on Tuesday. Mr Nibbles, Alex’s Guinea Pig, died. He seemed fine in the morning, eating & drinking as normal, but by the time we got home from school at 3.30pm, he was dead.

RIP Mr Nibbles!

So we are down to just one piggy, Nathan’s…called Jamie & seen here >

We have brought him indoors as Piggies are social creatures & I didn’t like to think of him all alone in that great big hutch at the bottom of the garden! However well insulated & sheltered it may be! So he’s in an indoor cage, situated in front of the French Windows in the living room & seems to be enjoying our company…although the cat’s nose is well & truly out of joint!!!

Well, that’s me done for today! We’re waiting on more snow tonight…& the boys are again hoping there’ll be enough to close school, but I’ve told them not to hold their breath!! Keep warm, wherever you are! Thanks for stopping by & do come back soon! :)

Storytelling Sunday…A Tale of Consequences!

2012-02-05T17:00:00.001Z

I don’t normally get to join in with ‘Storytelling Sunday’ (hosted by the lovely Sian over at ‘From High In The Sky’) as Sunday is the one day of the week when I go out to work! But, as today see’s me resting at home, & as Sian’s prompt of a ‘story about chocolate maybe?’ struck a chord, I thought I would play along today!

Christmas 1996 is where it all starts! Alex is 4 months old & his first Christmas gift to me was a 10lb Toblerone! Yes! you read that right!! I think he had a little help from his Dad, but the boy got it right!! I LOVE Toblerone & was delighted, when I opened the box to see it was actually a solid bar with ten triangles, each weighing 1lb!!

Now, any normal person would think ‘My goodness, this will last me until next Christmas!’ but me? No…with a little help, it was all eaten by January 31st!! Five weeks to eat 10lb of chocolate! Now that is what some would call excessive…& they’d probably be right!!

Moving forward a couple of weeks & it’s the day before Valentines Day & I wake up with a grumbling pain in my abdomen. By 11am I have severe pain & can’t even sit up! The Dr is called & I’m sent to hospital straight away & kept in overnight. The problem? Gallstones!! I wonder why! I guess they’d been there a little while but the excess of all that chocolate in such a short space of time must have been the final straw!! Believe me, passing a Gallstone is the MOST painful thing EVER!!

My Gall Bladder was removed a few months later & I still have my Gallstones in a little pot to remind me of the consequences of gluttony!!!!

Do I still enjoy Toblerone? Of course, but just a small one please!!

Thanks for stopping by & I hope you’re all keeping warm & safe in the wintry weather! :)

So Disappointed!

2012-02-03T13:06:00.001Z

Today I was supposed to be having my shoulder surgery but it has had to be postponed because my blood pressure is currently too high to undergo a General Anaesthetic.

I’m no stranger to moderately high blood pressure, for most of my adult life I’ve been advised to keep an eye on it. My reading is usually around 140 over 85, but at my pre-op assessment the best reading they could get was 167 over 103!! It is so scary because my last BP test was only six months ago, so that raise is very recent & with no symptoms at all!!

I guess that even though I am now losing some weight & have been taking more exercise through January, the last few months, with the car collision, Alex in Hospital & my very painful Christmas have all built up my stress levels to this end!

I am now on medication & I’m feeling a bit woolly headed & ‘top heavy’!! I have stopped drinking coffee & am diligently checking all food labels for salt content! I’ve been told to rest & report back to the nurse on Tuesday for a progress check. As soon as they are happy that it's stable at a more acceptable level, they will reschedule my surgery.

Meanwhile it’s plodding on with the painkillers, following Dr’s orders & wishing I was here…

…on a beach in Turkey, soaking up the sunshine…what better way to relax & de-stress?!! **Sigh**

Keep everything crossed for me, I would so love to be able to enjoy a pain free & active Summer, but I need that Op first!! I’m off now to chill!!

Thanks for stopping by! :)

A Quick Bit Of Scrappiness….

2012-02-01T20:37:00.001Z

Here we are…the FIRST of February!! Where did January go? I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the new prompts for ‘Move More Eat Well’ & I’ll share January’s progress as soon as it’s documented!

But for now I can share two projects with you. The first is this months challenge over at ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’ where the inspiration comes from the movie poster for ‘Valentines Day’. The added criteria for this one was a) a black background, b) two hearts & c) use at least ten small photo’s.

I wanted a romantic theme to fit in with the film, but what did I have ten photo’s of that fit the bill? Then it it me! The garden party that Karen held to commemorate both the Royal Wedding & her own Silver Wedding Anniversary! What’s more romantic than That?!!

So, this is what I put together…

…do you know, that really was a truly wonderful day! Thanks again Karen!!

Why not play along with us over at ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’ this month, you have until the end of the month to link up your project. As always there are some great prizes on offer & I’d love to see you there!! :)

Secondly, my LO for the lovely Dawn & her Chinese Whispers!! What a great idea this is! On the first of January, a group of us, organised by Dawn, chose a sketch, created a LO from it & then emailed that LO to the next person on the list. Dawn will keep the original sketches & a copy of each persons LO each month & at the end of the run, put them all together so we can see how each sketch ‘evolved’ with each persons interpretation! I love it!!

For this months inspiration I received a LO from Jacky (her interpretation of her chosen sketch) & did a near total ‘lift’ from it!

I particularly liked the two photo’s set off-centre, the wording strip at the bottom, the journaling tag & the bunting, so all of those are included in my ‘lift’.

That’s it for today, well I did say it was a quick bit of scrappiness!!

Thanks for stopping by & come back soon! :)

A Daily Round-Up!

2012-01-23T20:13:00.001Z

This week was one of those that had something on the calendar every day! The only clear day was Monday until my good friend Amanda asked if I could lend a hand die-cutting some shapes for her sons Art homework! So my housework was put on hold while we searched for the right kind of images & Amanda had a ‘quick’ tutorial on how to reassemble the cut pieces!!

On Tuesday I worked all day reorganising my scrap space…Lee had moved my tall bookshelf into Alex’s bedroom in preparation for the arrival of an additional ‘Expedit’ bookcase from Ikea (they really must have been designed by a scrapper, they’re so perfect for a scrap room!) & moved an unused computer desk from his study into my scrap room too. The cat supervised as I rearranged books, boxes, gadgets, tools & stash! But he waited until my waste baskets were back in place before claiming the ‘Rubbish’ one as his chosen place to settle!

Wednesday was a bit of a worry! Alex had a dental appointment & was to have ‘Happy Gas’ (basically good old gas & air) for the first time. Because of his Diabetes & ADHD he’s always had work done with a General Anaesthetic, but his excellent dentist suggested we try this method to administer a local anaesthetic, as the work needed was just a couple of fillings!

He always gets so anxious about anything new, but settled quite happily once he was in the chair & although he was fully awake & kept saying he still felt the same, it was easy to see that his body was getting more & more relaxed! Before long Helen was able to administer the local anaesthetic & Alex was totally oblivious that any needle had been near him!!!

She managed to get most of the drilling done, but once she started using the vibrating drill…I’m sure you know the one I mean!…Alex began to protest! So the job was completed as best she could & it was decided that he will be needing a ‘G.A.’ for the rest of the work after all! :(

On Thursday I set off to meet a friend for coffee. We have been texting one another for almost twelve months saying ‘let’s get together soon!’ & at last we did!Robynne looked so well & it was so lovely to hear how well her kids are getting on & just to generally catch up on each others news!

I’d even done my homework so that I wouldn’t be tempted ‘off track’ by all the goodies Starbucks have to offer! I chose the ‘Light’ Lemon & poppy seed muffin with my black Americano!!! Delicious & very ‘affordable’ in Weight Watchers Pro-Points value!!!

On Friday my car had to be left at the garage for a new hose to be fitted to the radiator, so I dropped it off after the school run & walked home! It took me half an hour & it’s mostly up hill, so I was glowing nicely when I got through the front door!! One thing I’m enjoying on my daily 30 minute walks is seeing more closely those things seen fleetingly while driving!

Late last summer, a cottage in the village was re-thatched & the Thatcher left his trademark pheasants on the roof.

I’ve admired them ever since, but as it’s a busy stretch of road, never stopped to photograph them. Well, I snapped one on Friday!

Saturday was blissful! Off I went to the ‘Merly Impressions’ crop at Renhold from 10am –5pm!

This was my first real crafty day this year & it felt so good! I caught up with the lovely Dawn & Sharon, & although I declined the kit, I managed to complete my LO for the Soul Scrappers ‘Sound of Summer’ challenge! I went armed with a sketch from ‘Creative Scrappers’ & a pile of stash & just went with the flow! The criteria to include were… 1. paint… 2. sewing… 3. distressing…4. fussy cutting… 5. tree(s)…6. cloud(s)… 7. strip journaling & 8. Rub-ons!

I managed to tick all the boxes & here’s my end result…

I went with that lovely sound of honey bee’s buzzing on a lazy, hazy, sunny summer afternoon!! Strange to think that the sound of those little guys working so hard to collect nectar can be so relaxing!!!

Finally I’ll leave you with this weeks cinema visit! We chose to see ‘W.E.’ which is the film co-written & directed by Madonna, about Edward Vii & Wallis Simpson. I had my reservations about it, not sure how Madonna’s style would come through, but all I can say is ‘Way to go Madge!!’

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the story unfold alongside a modern day relationship drama! It cut easily back & forth between the 1930’s & the present day, wasn’t sugar coated in any way & really gave a different perspective on what is often thought of as a fairytale romance. Think again!!

Thanks for stopping by, do check out my ‘365+1in 2012’ collage for the week via the tab at the top, or go to Suzie’s blog via the link above to see everyone’s! I’m really enjoying my daily prompts & checking out how everyone interprets them so variedly!

Hope you can pop back again soon! :)

Friday the 13th?…Who’d have thought!!

2012-01-16T18:34:00.001Z

If I’m honest I am a tad on the superstitious side & given the option, don’t arrange to do stuff on Friday the 13th….well there’s no reason to tempt fate is there?!! But last Friday, I had been given an appointment with my Consultant, to discuss my frozen shoulder.

After the debacle of the cortisone injection pre Christmas, I was expecting to be told that it was just a matter of tweaking my pain relief….BUT…joy of joys, he sent me off for an X-ray & declared that he will be performing keyhole surgery to release the joint & ‘needle’ the calcification on February 3rd!!! I am so pleased I cannot tell you…to think that I may be fully mobile & pain free in time for summer is just amazing!! So not what I expected on Friday 13th….I left the hospital with a spring in my step & a smile on my face!!!

…& it doesn’t end there!!

When I got home, Lee showed me a text he had received, informing him that he had won a trip to China!! Ever the sceptic, I asked if it was one of those holiday Timeshare scams, but no! It is a bonafide prize
from a draw at University & he HAS won a place on an organised trip to China!! I am so thrilled for him! I’m beginning to like Friday 13th!!!

The rest of the week was pretty good too! On Tuesday I set off to the hairdressers. Because my shoulder & arm has become so painful I’d been finding it impossible to blow-dry or style my hair properly, so off it came!!

I haven’t worn it this short since the boys were babies & I must say I’m loving the fact I can be showered & dried in less than half an hour (yes Karen, you read that right!!). A quick blast with the drier & a bit of spray wax & I’m done….anyone ‘blessed’ with thick hair will understand!!!

On Wednesday I had a lunch date with three lovely ladies…Hilary, Ann & the aforementioned Karen. In the spirit of ‘Move More Eat Well’ I had arranged to meet up with Karen at 11am & we set off on a pre-lunch walk. The weather was glorious & we followed a lovely route into almost open countryside. We walked briskly (to keep up with the energetic Teddy, mostly!) but still managed to chat the whole way, for about an hour! Then we set off to ‘Yuva’ to meet the others!

While we waited we had an impromptu photo shoot & the photo above of my ‘new do’ is one of Karen's works of magic!!

Lunch was such a treat, we all laughed & caught up on each others news. The food was delicious, as always. I chose a sizzling Chicken Tikka with steamed basmati rice & salad…so tasty & quite innocent without the marsala sauce!! LOL!!

As Alex had been in hospital, I had missed the pre-Christmas lunch we had arranged, so I took along the girls Christmas gifts & Karen gave me the most amazing personalised hardback notebook from ‘Paper Coterie’! I am thrilled with it & now have to decide exactly what I will use it for…maybe I’ll just sit & stroke it for a little while longer!!!

The cold snap we’re having at the moment has put a smile on my face too! Am I mad? I hear you ask!! No…I just love the combination of frost & sunshine…wrapping up warm to walk is the cold is such a pleasure & then coming back into the warm for tea & crumpets!! (BTW crumpets are very low fat if you skip the butter & just have a smidge of jam, so I’m not cheating!!) I took my camera out with me this morning…

The frost looked just like fur on the wooden surfaces & every blade of grass stood out! The ice in the water butt was at least 1/2” thick & hasn’t melted all day!! As long as I don’t have to drive far I’m happy…oh & as long as the sun keeps shining!!!

I’ll leave you with my latest movie experience! Last night we saw ‘Sherlock Holmes –A game of Shadows’…just fabulous!! Anyone who follows me on Pinterest will know I have a soft spot for Robert Downey Junior & he did not disappoint!!!

As full of action as the first film & featuring some very clever special effects, I was immersed in the plot from start to finish. Of course RD Jr made it all the more enjoyable…gotta love a bit of ‘bad boy’ in my old age!!!

Thanks for stopping by, stay warm, & I do hope you’ll come back soon! :)

…& Normal Service Is Resumed!

2012-01-09T18:09:00.001Z

Never has the ‘same-old same-old’ felt so good!

I cannot believe how good it felt to do the school run, come home to make beds & generally tidy up the place & do laundry, after a week of feeling like a limp lettuce!! How sad am I?!!

The weekend was good too…a leisurely day on Saturday, topped off with a visit to the pantomime at the ‘Gordon Craig’ theatre in Stevenage. This is such a lovely intimate theatre…wherever you sit you can see & feel part of everything. The ‘Dame’ is Paul Laidlaw & he has played that part for the past 25 years in this theatre! He is a true master of timing & the ‘ad-lib’, so had the whole place in total uproar!

This years story was ‘Beauty & The Beast’ & starred Bernie Nolan, but every member of the cast from the headliners down to the smallest chorus girl were on top form & I laughed till I cried, sang along to ‘Wiggly Worm’, shouted ‘Behind You’ & ‘Oh no it isn’t’ ( & Oh yes it is!!), booed & hissed & cheered along with the best of them!! I even had a tear in my eye when Beauty & the Beast had their romantic dance scene & actually flew!!! (yes I know they were on wires…but it was impressive all the same!).

I returned to work yesterday, straight into the January Clearance Sale, & apart from sounding a little hoarse, it was business as usual! So nice to catch up with all the Sunday girls & hear all their Christmas stories! Business was quite brisk too, so my sales target was easily achieved & then the lovely Karen called in for an impromptu visit!! A good day all round!!

Of course, after work it was off to the cinema…to see the new Mission Impossible film ‘Ghost Protocol’…a thoroughly enjoyable film from start to finish….Simon Pegg is totally awesome & I have to say that Tom Cruise is definitely improving with age! He was always too smooth for my liking in his ‘Top Gun’ days, but now he’s getting a bit craggy, I can see the attraction!!!

Fast moving & highly entertaining throughout I’d recommend you see this one…just leave logic & common sense at the door & you’ll really enjoy it!

My guys have all been enjoying their Christmas gadgetry this weekend too! The only sad thing is they all enjoy it in different rooms!

Alex simultaneously playing on the X-Box & his laptop in the lounge…talk about multi-tasking!

Nathan, plugged in to X-Box Live & shouting strategic instructions to his on-line team mates…sometimes I think if he just opened the front door he wouldn’t need to be electronically connected…I’m sure he can be heard for miles!!

…& then there’s Lee at his desk in the study…surrounded by tech & gadgetry! Funny how he goes in there to ‘do college work’ & yet when I pop in with a coffee the screen shows either Amazon or a game of some description!!!!

And I had a new piece of gadgetry for Christmas too! Lee bought me a Kindle & I’m absolutely thrilled with it!!

It’s already been loaded up with the next three books in the ‘Ice & Fire’ series by George R R Martin! Such a relief as they’re all such fat paperbacks with the most miniscule type ever! Now I can enjoy them all with the font as big as I need & turn over the page at the press of a button!! Perfect for my nightly bedtime reading!

To finish today, I will just mention that, although I am taking part in both the ‘365+1 in 2012’ and ‘Move More & Eat Well’ I won’t be posting too much about them here on the home page, instead my updates can be found HERE & HERE or by clicking the tabs at the top of this page!

Thanks for stopping by & I do hope you’ll pop back soon! :)

A Little Delayed But….Bring It On 2012!!!

2012-01-06T17:54:00.001Z

The new year saw fit to kick off pretty much as the old one left us…hence the delay in this, my first post of the year!

My Christmas Eve post reported on how Alex had needed hospitalisation & how we were still trying to stabilise him…well that is still ongoing but he’s back at school & much more his usual ‘grouchy-teenager’ self!

What I didn’t mention in that post was that I had also had a trip to hospital, albeit for an appointment, not an admission! I had accepted a cancellation with the Consultant re my frozen shoulder.. BIG mistake!! He decided that the two Cortisone injections I’d had by my GP weren’t done in the right place & proceeded to try again in his chosen spot! I’m ashamed to say that I actually screamed, it was SO painful….& it stayed painful…right through Christmas!! Oh Joy! One silver lining…Lee brought home these gorgeous flowers to try & cheer me up!!

I managed to get an emergency appointment the day after Boxing Day & the Consultant & his nurse were both very sympathetic & said that this wasn’t unheard of, sending me off with Tramadol for the pain & a return appointment. I managed two doses of Tramadol before taking to my bed with dizziness, nausea & a fearful itching all over!! Add to this the continuing pain in my shoulder & I was not a happy bunny!!

We cancelled our New Years Eve plans & spent a very quiet time, not even venturing out for our usual New Years Day ramble! Then, because things always happen in three’s…I developed a cough which turned into a full blown chest infection & today is my first full day out of bed since Tuesday!!

So here I am, with sore midriff muscles from coughing & a very croaky voice BUT at least my shoulder pain is settling & I’m feeling in a much better place!!
I have been doing a bit of housekeeping today…just here in blogland, of course! I’ve set up some new pages where I’ll update my two, year long projects (& possibly a third to come?!!), hoping it will encourage me to blog more regularly…I’d become a very lazy blogger last month!!

To those of you also taking part in ‘Move More Eat Well’ & ‘365+1 in 2012’ I’m looking forward to checking out your posts too!

I’ll leave you today with just a little scrappiness…this months challenge over at ‘From Screen To Scrap’ is the movie poster for ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ & the added criteria was 1- include a Santa on the page 2- use brown/orange/yellow hues & 3- use your house number in the title. This one took a bit of thought & with everything going on in the run up to Christmas, I’m afraid it maybe wasn’t as elaborate as it could have been, but this was my finished LO…

I used a photo I had ‘composed’ via the ‘Capture The Magic of Santa’ website a couple of years ago, where you can put Santa anywhere in your own home! This photo had actually freaked Alex totally, it looks so convincing!! It worked well with the required colour scheme as the walls on our landing were a warm ochre colour!! I included a big chunk of verse from ‘Twas the night before Christmas’ as my journaling. I’m afraid I wasn’t very imaginative with the title though!!

Thank you so much for stopping by & I do hope that 2012 is getting off to a good start for all of you! Now that I’m up & about I mean to get caught up with everything as soon as I can, & that means stopping by to visit everyone’s blog too!

Come back soon! :)

Just to wrap it up!

2011-12-31T22:40:00.001Z

It’s now less than two hours till we welcome in 2012 & I just wanted to wish all my friends in Blogland a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

While December has been a bit of a challenge for us here in the Robinson household, I’m hoping that 2012 will bring reports of improvement all round!

I am looking forward to some exciting year long projects & to getting back into a more regular blogging routine!!

May the new year bring you all what you could wish for & may all your goals be within your reach!!

Love & {{hugs}}

Sandi xx

‘twas the night before Christmas…

2011-12-24T16:12:00.001Z

…& all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse!

But if you’d been here last week it would have been quite a different story! We had the scariest experience we’ve had in many a long time!!

Alex has lived with type 1 Diabetes since age 4, & apart from the initial few weeks of adjusting to injections & food choices, we have always maintained good control, meaning he suffers minimal ‘hypo’s’ or diabetes related issues.

Last week he had a head cold & took two days off school. His blood sugar numbers spiked, as they always do with a cold, & then he felt better & returned to school. When he came home that third day, he said he felt a bit sick, but had no temperature & as he & Nathan were their usual sparring selves, I just thought it was the tail end of the cold. At 2am the next morning he woke me to say he’d been sick & then he proceeded to be sick every two hours. He couldn’t even keep water down & despite this his blood sugars were sky high!

It was at this point I sought professional advice & a locum doctor called in to see him. Even this guy felt that all he needed was some fast acting insulin & offered to arrange a prescription. As he was just a locum at our surgery, & not familiar with Alex’s medical history, he decided to double check with the Diabetes team at the hospital first & they told him that Alex had to go in to them straight away!….Panic!!

Alex was actually suffering with Ketoacidosis, a condition I am aware of, but not something we have had any experience with. I remember being told if Alex had a high temperature or if his breath smelled ‘chemically’ to check his ketone levels. But as neither of these applied, I had not even considered it might be an option!!

So, within the hour, Alex was in hospital & (his worst nightmare!) had a Cannula inserted & was wired up to multiple drips! he was so dehydrated his veins had collapsed & even trying to get a blood sample was a battle.

I am happy to report that after three days & two sleepless nights (for me anyway!) we were allowed to bring Alex home, as long as we promised to monitor his levels every 4 hours around the clock. His ketones are now back down to 0.1 & his blood sugars are settling, but we still have more insulin adjustments to make. In the main he is his old self & I don’t even care if he’s argumentative & stroppy…seeing him so very poorly was such a scare & quite frankly , his full recovery is all I need for Christmas!

On a lighter note…some very nice things to report! Nathan cam home from school with two of the cutest Christmas cakes he’d made in his Food Tech lesson…& kept secret for the last three weeks!!!

Of course, I got it wrong again when I commented on the lovely yellow flowers, only to be informed “they’re not flowers, they’re stars!”…oops!

I took part in the Soul Scrappers SSQ#10 & received the package of goodies pictured right!

The challenge is to use all of the items in a project…this one was obviously to have a Christmas theme.

It looked like such a lot of bits & bobs, but when I actually sat down to work with it all, I actually found that it all fitted quite nicely onto a 12x12 LO…

I also took part in another Soul Scrappers challenge ‘texture of Summer’ & chose the ripening wheat crop in a local farmers field, The ears of wheat always feel so silky & I love the way the whole field shimmers when the wind blows…

I’m proud to say my LO was the winner of this section!

I also had another lovely surprise this week when I received an email from American Crafts to tell me I had won their Thickers contest on facebook!

I had entered this card I made for a friends son, back in the summer, after spotting the contest details on the pack I’d used to make the card!

My prize arrived yesterday & is a fabulous AC ‘Cut Up’ paper trimmer with three interchangeable blades! I am thrilled!!

There are always lots of opportunities to win fabulous AC prizes, as well as loads of inspirational ideas to be found over at the American Crafts Studio Blog, so I’d highly recommend a visit!

Well, I guess that’s all from me for now!

I’m all prepared for the big day tomorrow…are you? After losing three days last week, some serious prioritisation took place & to be honest, we’re not missing anything!!

I’d like to wish you all a very merry Christmas & I do hope all your Christmas wishes come true!

Not forgetting to mention 2012…may it prove to be the best year yet & full of good health & happiness!

Thanks for stopping by & come back soon! :)

Feeling Festive!

2011-12-05T20:51:00.001Z

O-M-Good Golly Gosh!! Another two weeks passed & not a Christmas card written or a gift wrapped!!

But that’s OK…I’m staying calm & prioritising!!

Christmas has definitely arrived!

It was all kicked off with a visit to the ‘Oh so secret’ shopping location (Karen says if I tell you where it is she’ll shoot me….& I don’t think she means with her camera, so best not eh?!!) with the lovely Hilary!

They were holding a Christmas Evening & the setting was just perfect with a brass ensemble playing carols & the scent of mulled wine in the air! After a good mooch about & a couple of selective purchases, followed by mince pies, coffee & a couple of succulent sausages (they were just tasters on sticks, not great big ones!!) each… Christmas had begun!!

Not long after this I hopped aboard a National Express coach & headed off to meet these two special people for a browse around the ‘Frankfurt Christmas Market’ in the streets of Birmingham city centre.

It was a dull damp day, which only added to the atmosphere! there were so many goodies to look at, but I didn’t actually buy anything at all!!

I was amazed that even at lunchtime on a Thursday there was quite a crowd at the ‘Bier Cellar’….all that was missing was an Ooompah band!!

We shared a lovely lunch in the Chinese quarter & then hit the rag market for some haberdashery bargains!!

With barely a pause for breath, 48 hours later & I was on a train heading north to York! This time with my long-time friend Amanda to soak up the atmosphere of the annual St Nicholas Christmas Fayre!

Of course our first port of call was Betty’s…
…we joined the queue that snaked around the building & 45 minutes later were seated in the oh-so elegant Art Deco Tea room, enjoying a brunch of Rosti with cured bacon, poached egg & mushrooms! Yum!

The world & his wife seemed to have descended on York this day. The Christmas Fayre is only there for four days & make this particular weekend the busiest of the year! Walking up into York from the railway station there was not an inch of pavement spare as trains & coaches deposited ever more eager visitors into the city!!

Once we’d emptied the teapot & our plates were clean, we set out to explore the street stalls for gift ideas!

I would love to have been able to share lots of photo’s of Yuletide York with you, but to be honest there was such a throng it was impossible to actually see what each stall held until you were right on top of it & it was like swimming upstream to try & break off to actually step into one of the stalls!! However we both managed a few purchases of some unusual crafty gifts!

After the market we headed off into the maze of narrow streets that make up the historic centre of York…along ‘The Shambles’, where, while still very crowded we were able to get into some of the most beautiful shops…

…Amanda fell in love with this dress & was considering it for her Christmas Party…until she saw the price tag!!

There was a wedding taking place in the Minster & we waited a while hoping to get a glimpse of the happy couple…

…but it was too cold & damp to wait for too long & besides, Betty’s & afternoon tea was beckoning!!!

We timed it just perfectly & the queue was not so long! We were soon ensconced in the upstairs suite, awaiting the arrival of our Tea!!

It did not disappoint!! Elegant sandwiches of chicken, beef, egg & cress & salmon & cucumber. Freshly baked fruit scones with strawberry jam & clotted cream, A selection of tiny delicate cakes…all washed down with lashings of (no not ginger beer!!) special Christmas blend tea!!

Amanda experienced her first ‘Pikelet’…when she asked the waitress what they were she pronounced it ‘Pikilit’ which raised a smile!!

One of my favourite features at Betty’s is the mirror, situated in the corridor outside the loo’s in the basement. It bears what is basically graffiti written by servicemen stationed in York, during the second world war & makes very poignant reading. I tried to get a good shot of both the mirror with its etchings & the plaque…but with my little point-&-shoot this was the best I could do!!

The plaque reads…

The Betty’s Mirror 1939-1945

This mirror bears almost 600 signatures, most of them airmen – British, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, who were stationed in this area during World War 2.

We were proud to offer them hospitality during those dark days when, for the Canadian bomber crews in particular, Betty’s Bar was York’s unofficial ‘Ops’ room, where amidst the rumours & speculation about impending bomber sorties, friendships were made & absent friends mourned.

Each year many veterans return to Betty’s & we invite them to make themselves known & to sign the visitors book.

If ever you do ever find yourself in the vicinity of Betty’s, be sure to pop downstairs & check out the mirror for yourself!

As we left to make our way to the station for the homeward journey, the Christmas tree in the square was fully lit & a choir was singing carols…it has to be said, six hours was not enough time to make the most of what York has to offer…

…& that means we’ll just have to go back another day!!!

That’s almost all from me for today…I’ll leave you with a bit of festive scrappiness & a challenge! It’s a great movie poster for inspiration over at ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’ this month…’White Christmas’!

The added criteria for extra points are:

1. use white cardstock
2. A two tone title
3. Christmas hat(s)

So with that in mind, my submission used a photo (& not a very good quality one at that!) of Alex talking to his Nanny on Christmas Day last year. Because of the snow & icy weather conditions she wasn’t able to join us for Christmas, for the first time in years!! Alex was wearing a ‘Santa Hat’ but as well as being a bit blurry, the photo also cropped his hat, so I reconstructed it with felt!! That’s all three criteria checked for me!!!

If you can find a little time, why not play along with us with this one? There are some great prizes up for grabs!!

So, Thanks for stopping by…I hope everyone is staying calm for the festive season!…& I do hope you’ll drop by again very soon! :)

Missing In Action?!!….

2011-11-21T18:17:00.001Z

It has been 19 days since my last post! Photo’s have been building up in my ‘To Blog’ file & scribbled notes now cover three pages of my ‘To Blog’ notepad!!! I have no excuses to offer other than ‘Life’ has just taken over & I’m only now able to pause for breath!!!

The main event to report has to have been a collision in my car! :( I hasten to add that I was stationary at the time & the person who drove into me was an elderly lady…a mobility driver…who insisted on regaling me with the details of her previous accident, earlier this year…does she make a habit of it?!! My poor ‘Ruby’ was left with a damaged headlight, shunted off centre bumper/skirt, a dented side panel & various bits of chrome trim short!!

She’s been with the repairers this past week & we’re having to pay the excess to get her back tomorrow! :( To my mind there is no question at all that liability rests with the other party & that the excess will ultimately be refunded, but there are no guarantees either…just what we needed so close to Christmas!!

I seem to have spent so much time on phone calls recently, to insurers, solicitors, repairers etc & will just be glad when it’s all over!!

The silver lining to all this though, is the support I have had from family & friends…facebook messages….emails….offers of loans to cover the excess…one even arrived with flowers!!

It all overwhelmed me at one point! Whatever did I do to deserve all this?!! I am truly blessed! Thank you to you all…you know who you are :)

I’ve also had three visits to the cinema…

…’Tower Heist’ with Ben Stiller & Eddie Murphy is so funny & very clever!! I was a bit disappointed with ‘The Rum Diary’ (not with Johnny Depp…he could never disappoint!!!) as I’d expected a stronger storyline & it just sort of rambled!! Then of course part one of the final ‘Twilight’ episode ‘Breaking Dawn’…I’m surprised I’ve enjoyed all of the Twilight films as much as I have & this one was very engrossing! It left me wishing that we didn’t have to wait till next year for part two!!!

On the creative front, I took part in an online class over at ‘Get It Scrapped’ & put together a ‘Trivia Journal’ for 2012, using a paper weave technique & scrap PP’s!

In this same class, with the challenge of repurposing old bits of puzzle & toys I came up with this LO…

I also liked the idea of using leftover alpha’s to create a tone-on-tone textured effect in one of the earlier lessons so I incorporated that technique into this LO as well!

As part of this class we looked at our stash storage systems & one thing that always bugs me is ribbon!! How to store it so that I can see what I have, so it doesn’t get all creased & tangled & that I can grab & go if needs be??!!

I’m happy to report my ‘Find Of The Week’!!! Taking a short cut through Primark, I spotted this in the accessory department…

...at only £2.00 & available in Pink or Lime Green, this velvet covered jewellery hanger, with it’s loops & hooks makes the perfect ribbon store!! Nothing Slips & it’s hung in plain sight at the end of my shelf unit so I can see what I have & grab it with no hassles!!!

On the subject of creativity, I attended my first ‘Merly Impressions’ crop on Saturday. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day spent with ‘old’ scrappy friends Dawn & Sharon…while making new ones…

The shop was fabulous! Lots of Kaiser Kraft & Tim Holtz goodies!!

Here’s Dawn rummaging through the clear stamps…because of course she doesn’t have enough already!! :)

Although this crop is very local to me in Bedfordshire, there were ladies there from as far afield as Leicester & Watford!! As it’s a new Saturday crop & there were to be 28 of us, Chrissy had set us a challenge to make a name badge. There were some fabulous entries…

I had great fun taking apart an old greeting card to repurpose the fibre optic light thingy so that my badge flashed!!

You can’t really see it here, but trust me…those little blue dots on the dark background are indeed flashing fibre optic tips!!! :)

The sneak peek for the two class LO’s in the fabulous kit was this…

Mainly featuring the new ‘Madame Boutique’ range from Kaiser Kraft & with the theme ‘Me’ I decided to go with sepia & use the photo that Karen took of me last month!

There was so much fussy cutting & using ‘glossy accents’ to create the beautiful rose embellishments, that I only completed the first one!!! (some of you won’t be surprised by that…I am, after all, a self confessed ‘slow’ scrapper!!)

The next ‘Merly Impressions’ Saturday crop is on 21st January 2012 & I highly recommend it! Maybe I’ll see you there?!!!

So that’s me for today….I’ve a busy week ahead so I’ll be back soon to report on my adventures…they involve both coach & vintage rail travel as well as lots of Christmas retail opportunities!!!

I do hope everyone is keeping well & staying ahead of the festive preparations!! Only 34 more days!! I’ll try to get round to visiting everyone very soon…I have neglected you all very badly these last three weeks…SORRY!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by & come back soon! :)

A Little Homesickness!!

2011-11-02T18:52:00.001Z

I left my childhood home in Hereford back in 1983…to move to Bletchley & set up home with Lee. We married soon after & have since lived in St Albans, London Colney, Brunei & Welwyn Garden City before ending up here in ‘Darkest’ Bedfordshire, but when I refer to Hereford, I still call it home!!

This weekend we made a rare trip ‘home’ to see Mum-In-Law on her 80th birthday. She has recently had knee surgery so there was to be no party, but we really wanted to see her ‘on the day’. We set off after breakfast for the three hour journey & the closer we got to Hereford the more familiar the scenery became…

I know it just looks like more English countryside, but every turn in the road holds a memory of growing up & venturing further afield once I’d learned to drive!! We passed the village church where I used to go bell ringing as a young teen…my boys were amazed…see, there’s a lot they don’t know about me!! Before long we were coming into Hereford itself & along the road I grew up on…

We passed my old school…& the pub where Lee took his last drink as a single man…& of course the house I grew up in.

I think part of me has always assumed that at some point in time we’d move back that way, but we never have & I have to say, I’ve not yet completely given up hope that one day we might!! I guess you can take the girl out of sleepy old Hereford (quite willingly at the time I might add!!) but Hereford will always be in the girl!!

Anyway…more on the reason for our visit home…

…this lovely lady’s 80th birthday!! I have been so lucky with my Mum-in-Law, when I listen to tales of friends relationships with theirs, I count my blessings!! Pat is amazing, she takes great care of herself & is in complete denial of her age…& very convincing she is too!!

The boys were pleased to see Nanny, but soon settled themselves on the sofa with their laptops & left us to chat!!

Even Lee took some time out for a quick check of his emails…

What is it with the male of the species & tech?!!! They can’t get through a day without it!!! But Pat didn’t mind in the least..I had taken my vintage copy of ‘Woman’ home for her to see & she was soon engrossed & enjoying all the memories!!

We sat a little while on her balcony…she overlooks some allotments & it’s so peaceful & there’s always someone doing something, so perfect for her now she lives on her own.

We did have one cause to laugh when Nathan reclined his seat & we caught sight of the soles of his feet…

…now I know money is tight at the moment, but we’re not so strapped for cash that we can’t afford socks!!!

Pat said not to worry, it must run in the family & she lifted her feet to reveal…

…but then hers are surgical stockings & are meant to have holes in the bottom!!

I’m pleased to report she is recovering well from her knee surgery & is walking short distances, albeit with a crutch, & having regular physio sessions. So we’re hoping she’ll be joining us here for Christmas as usual , this year.

We got back to our house that evening, tired from travelling both ways in one day, but glad to have shared Pat’s birthday & knowing we’d be getting an extra hour in bed that night too!!!!

On Sunday I saw an amazing film…’The Help’

It saddens me that in such recent history, such prejudice was the norm, but this film presents the story frankly & with such good humour that the message comes across without being too distressing, although I did shed a few tears & laughed out loud too!!

I’d recommend it!!

I’ll leave you with a little creativity…

This month over at ‘From Screen To Scrap’ the movie poster inspiration comes from ‘Home For The Holidays’ & the added criteria is to 1. Use the word ‘Home’ in the title 2. A photo of a family gathering & 3. use white pen journaling.

I’ve also been taking part in an online class this week over at ‘Get It Scrapped’ & wanted to try the mosaic technique on a LO, So with all that in mind this is what I came up with…

The photo is of us all singing in the New Year/Decade 2010…I had fun using up all those bits & bobs to decorate the mosaic squares!!

So that’s it from me for today…I hope you all survived Halloween!! I’m glad to report that Karen is through her first phase of surgery & is posting on facebook, so check her comments out there if you’re a friend!!

Thanks for dropping by & do pop back soon! :)

A Trip Down Memory Lane…

2011-10-27T16:05:00.001+01:00

I recently spent a lovely day out with these two lovely ladies…

…Karen & Hilary. We enjoyed a fabulous lunch at a Thai restaurant just outside Cambridge & then Karen set about working her magic with her camera!!! For someone who a short time ago proclaimed that she wasn’t technically minded & just wanted to shoot good pictures, she now knows her way around a camera & all it’s knobs & buttons like a pro…which to my mind is what she now is! She talked non-stop (no change there then!!) about ‘f-stops’ & ‘ISO’s’ & ‘over exposing’ & ‘catch-lights’…but boy! Does she ever take a mean photo!!!

At a time when my self esteem is at a low ebb & I’m struggling to lose weight I’d like to say a huge ‘THANK YOU’ to Karen for making me look this good…& how fabulous is the photo of Hilary’s smile?!! See what I mean about magic!!

After our lunch & impromptu photo shoot, we headed off to a secret location!!! It was somewhere I’d never been, but can’t wait to get back to again!!! A small collection of old farm buildings that have been converted into a range of unique shops! Here’s just a taste of what was on offer…

I managed to pick up a few small Christmas gifts, but my favourite purchase of the day was an original copy of ‘Woman’ magazine, from April 1960 (the year I was born). I think I may have got my love of polka dots from being born at a time when they were obviously so much in vogue!! Check out the offer of a complete ready cut out shirtwaister dress for just 21 shillings & sixpence!!! That’s £1.07 in today's money!!!

I have had great fun reading through every article, advert & short story! It is so politically incorrect by today's standards…the letters page alone had me in fits!! Some of the articles still apply…look at this one about creating workspace within the home for all the family…could that be a scrap desk do you think?!!!

Forgive me, but I’m going to share a few more double page spreads with you…they’re just too good not to! Do you recognise any of the products in the ads? How young does Angela Lansbury look in that photo top right (below)?!!!

My Mum always had Handy Andy in the kitchen cupboard…it was the most disgusting shade of bubble gum pink!!

Fig Rolls are still a family favourite with us today…they cost a bit more than 5p (one shilling) a packet now though!!

There are so many ads & tips on losing weight through the magazine…it seems all you have to do is cut out starch…oh & wear a tighter girdle!!

I remember ‘Unox’ luncheon meat too…my Mum used to make fritters out of it! How healthy was that…not?!!!! Good ol’ Colmans mustard is still around!

I’ve had another visit to the cinema this week, to see ‘Contagion’…

…what an amazing cast! It is the first time I have ever been in the cinema & there has been utter silence…not a rustle or a cough!!! This story just grabs from the start & really brings home how fragile human life really is!!

Amanda didn’t even give me the usual goodnight peck on the cheek when we left to go home!! How funny!! Go see it!!!

To finish, a bit of scrapping!!! I’ve been playing along with the ‘Summer Sense-ational’ contest over at Soul Scrappers & this months challenge was ‘Sight’. The criteria for extra points was to use handcutting, 2xPP’s, a banner (bunting!!) & a two word title! I saw Dawn use a technique at the ‘3 Jolly Scrappers’ crop that I really wanted to try, so I did!! It’s the circular frame with the punched border edge…

The photo’s are of my boys paddling in the river to cool off while on a trip to Bourton-On-The-Water in August 2006!!

So that’s me for today! It’s Mum-In-Laws 80th birthday this weekend, so we’re back to Hereford to help her mark the occasion. She recently had surgery to replace one knee cap, so it will be a quiet affair, but will be so nice to see her.

Before I go, I’ll ask you to pop over to Karen’s blog & leave some love!! She goes in to hospital for her back operation on Monday & although she’s being all big & brave, I’m sure all the moral support you can offer will be appreciated!! She’ll be out of action for quite a while, but if I know her she’ll find a way to blog her experiences & keep us all updated!!

Thanks for stopping by & come back soon!! :)

My Guilty Pleasure!!

2011-10-17T17:07:00.001+01:00

Can you guess what that might be? Well, it’s the second series of Downton Abbey, currently screening on Sunday nights! As I’m not home in time to watch it (& I suspect because it means he doesn’t have to!!) Lee records it for me & it’s become my Monday morning ritual to return from the school run & settle down with my breakfast & immerse myself in the plotlines! I love history, especially social history & this story, set during the First World War is so absorbing! There’s not been one episode in this series were I have not been reduced to tears…this morning was no exception!!! I love watching something that can hold my attention so totally & don’t want it to come to an end!! Is anyone else a fan?

On the subject of viewing pleasure, I realise that I haven’t reported any of my recent cinema trips!!! I had a few weeks break during the summer, but have been catching up recently…

…I was surprised at how convincing an actor Justin Timberlake is… ‘Change up’ was an amusing take on the old body-swap storyline with some wonderfully cringe worthy moments for any parent!…‘I don’t know how she does it’ was OK…but it just sort of bumbled along!! ‘Midnight In Paris’ was my sort of story & it had a fantastic cast headed up by Owen Wilson & Kathy Bates…Rowan Atkinson was as good as ever in his return as ‘Johnny English’ the bungling MI5 Spy!! This one had some bad reviews but it had some truly laugh-out-loud moments!! Finally, last night ,we saw ‘the inbetweeners movie’…this was Amanda’s choice as I’ve never seen the TV series! It took me (waaay) back to Club 18-30 holidays in Ibiza & all that that entailed!! Very enjoyable & totally non-PC!…& it’s always good to see the geek get his girl!!

So…to a bit of scrapping!….& this time a sketch challenge over at ‘Dixie Pieces’…

…I do like a good sketch to work with & headed off for a thoroughly enjoyable evening at the ‘3 Jolly Scrappers’ crop in Brampton. I spent most of my time catching up with Dawn & getting to know a new lady, Joanne, but I did get a LO done for the challenge!!

This is a photo of Alex at 4 months old, enjoying a cuddle with his Grandad, who is sadly no longer with us, so it was lovely to document the moment. I also managed to use up some odds & ends of stash that have been lingering a while…always a good thing!!

Creativity of a different kind now…a bit of baking & a recommendation!

If you shop at Aldi look out for these cake mixes that they have at the moment…priced at about £1.39 & in a choice of Ginger, Chocolate Fudge, Carrot or Madiera. Such great value & just need oil & water added for a delicious cake!

This one was the Ginger mix & I topped it with chocolate spread & sprinkled it with crushed Ginger Nut biscuits…it went down very well with everyone!!

A friend at work left me a parcel of goodies this week too…half a dozen eggs from her own hens (all double yolks & so yummy!) & a bag of walnuts, fresh from a tree in her garden!

The boys have had a great time cracking (& eating) them, although I did manage to rescue some to bake into some date & walnut cookies, which in turn lasted all of five minutes!! Alex particularly set himself the challenge of shelling as many whole as he could & did very well!! The cat thinks the shells are the best toys ever…so all in all a great gift!!! She had left me another bag of walnuts yesterday so I’m going to try out a recipe that Karen shared with me for savoury cheese & walnut thins…watch this space!!

I’ll leave you today with a photo I took out of Nathans bedroom window last Monday! It was such a gorgeous sunset, I stood there for the twenty minutes it took for the sun to disappear completely!!

Thanks for stopping by & I wish you all a great week, whatever you may have planned! :)

Only TEN weeks!!!

2011-10-11T23:19:00.001+01:00

Well, ten & a bit…till Christmas that is!! I hate to be the bearer of such news but I started my Christmas shopping today….just a few stocking fillers, but Christmas shopping nonetheless!!!

It seems strange that it’s already ten days into October & I’ve not been on here sharing scrappiness with you! It’s been a strange two weeks…I’ve been logging on erratically, scrapping sporadically…but you know that feeling when real life just needs to take priority?…well that’s been me!!

I had a few days of overtime to work, which always throws my whole routine into chaos & the house even more so!! My shoulder is soooo painful, even though the Cortisone injection helped for a couple of weeks, the pain is back with a vengeance & I see my GP again tomorrow!

So, what about scrapping?!! Firstly, the movie poster challenge over at ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’ this month is ‘Psycho’ & for some reason I really struggled with this one. The added criteria was to incorporate a ‘spooky’ house, a split-in-half one word title & a silhouetted figure.

My problem was to dig out photo’s that came even close to tying in with being ‘spooky’…I eventually plumped for some night time photo’s of the boys, taken last year while they were playing with Sparklers & I was playing with the settings on my Canon!!

Here is my layout for this challenge…

It’s one of those where I can see things I could have done better, but without pulling it all apart, can’t change! So I’ll live with it!!!

If you feel inspired by this movie poster & challenge, do jump in & play along! Just link your entry to the post over at ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’ by midnight on 29th October!

I’m also taking part in the ‘SENSE-ational’ contest over at ‘Soul Scrappers’, which started in September & is running over five months. The first challenge was the ‘Smell of Summer’ & I chose the smell of line dried washing…one of my all time favourite smells! Added to the fact that I had photo’s taken of my full washing line that I’ve been intending to scrap for literally years!! There was added criteria, to earn extra points, Sewing, ribbon, string, 2 or more photo’s & a journaling tag! All of which I managed to include…

I’ve also had my first commissioned work since my last post!! A keepsake Birthday card for a friend-of-a friends, Mum-In-Laws 80th Birthday! I was supplied with a photo (of not very good quality!) & a list of things the MIL was ‘into’…namely the sea, playing bridge & roses. This is what I came up with…

I edited the photo in Picassa to greatly improve the quality, which took ages, but was well worth it!! (of course I have blurred the dear lady’s face here for obvious reasons!) I used a sunset over the sea image, printed onto acetate as the background & made a frame for the photo from chipboard, painted & misted. I built up the card using rik-rak ribbon & Bazzill ‘Just the edge’ CS strips, lace, pearls, paper roses, leaves, seashells & seahorse, & of course, the four suits from a deck of cards, which I think covered everything! Those shells were a horrid yellow plastic to start, but a touch of paint & ink did the trick!! Finally I added the number 80! I printed the required words on an inner vellum sheet & made a box, lined with tissue & tied up with sheer cream ribbon.

My ‘commissioner’ was thrilled with the finished result & was very generous with her payment!! I guess, as crafters, we all assume that everyone is creative & can often be over critical of our own work, when there are lots of people who simply can’t create what we do! I really enjoyed working on this project & as well as being financially rewarding, I’m also happy to know that it will be a valued keepsake!

I’ll leave you with an image I captured the day after my last post. We had had a terrific storm & while the sky was still slate grey, the sun broke through & we had the most perfect rainbow I’ve ever seen

It had an echo too & you can just make out a second, less well defined rainbow, to the left of the picture.

I’m not an overly religious person, but a rainbow always takes me back to childhood Sunday School classes. The story of Noah & the flood…

Noah looked up. The storm clouds were drifting away, the bright sun was shining against Noah's back. And against the dark grey sky, God made a brilliant rainbow appear. God said to Noah,

“You see, I have set my rainbow in the sky. This will be the sign of the covenant I have made with you and all creatures, never again to destroy the earth by a flood. It will always remind us of the promise between you and me.”

So, the next time you see a rainbow, think of Noah and the flood. Remember that God loves you, and that no matter how bad the storm, there will always come a bright new day.

Thanks for dropping by & come back soon! :)

Better Late Than Never?

2011-09-26T14:22:00.001+01:00

Whoops…I promised to tell you about our family day out to mark our anniversary, what seems like an AGE ago!! So, I thought I’d better get it sorted before September was over (Imminent!!).

Our original plans for celebrating had been a party, inviting family & friends who were at our wedding & those we have met since, for a knees-up! Then as budget restrictions became apparent, we considered a weekend trip to Amsterdam (where we spent our honeymoon!) but again, even though the rail & ferry was easily affordable, the hotel costs were very scary! Bearing in mind that the boys would have to come too…no romantic getaways for us!…they’re still not old enough to leave home alone just yet!!!

So, we finally decided on a day out to somewhere we’d not been before, somewhere with something for everyone! Hmmmmm? We took advantage of good ol’ Tesco’s vouchers & headed off to Warwick Castle for a day submersed in medieval activities! I love history & am fascinated by how people lived in past times. Lee & the boys love weapons & anything interactive, so it ticked all the boxes!!!

The castle is awesome….& unlike theme parks, is a genuine relic of days gone by! Of course it’s now a business & tourists are well catered for but fundamentally it’s a castle which has been lived in for centuries & it’s walls have been touched by hands of people who played a big part in early British history.

From the moment you arrive the staff, or players, are incredible! Totally in character, all the time…Walt Disney would be impressed!!! The choreographed jousts & swordplay are amazing & being able to climb towers, walk ramparts & explore the dungeons kept us all entertained for the whole day!!

I took almost 600 photo’s during the day….& Lee another 200!! But don’t worry, I’m only going to share a selection of those here & now!!

Such an impressive place!… I’d like some of these stocks at home!!!

550 spiral steps up….& back down again!!

It was very blustery ‘up top’…I did a ‘Marilyn’ more than once!! Oh the shame!!!

The arrival of the bad guys!! Boo! Hiss!! Followed by Jousting & falconry!

The views over Warwickshire from the castle ramparts were breathtaking!

Nathan made friends with ‘The Dragon slayer’! I held onto my hem for dear life!!

England's ‘True King’ to be revealed? Not this time!! LOL at this sign…

Inside the Great Hall..lots of armour, weaponry, lots of portraits & Elizabeth the First’s saddle on display!! Nathan was convinced a Dwarf lived behind this door & yes!…he did buy that jesters hat!!!

So, that’s it….it was a fabulous day out & I would recommend a visit to anyone! Just be prepared to be on the move all day & take a good head for heights with you!!!!

Thanks for stopping by! Normal updates will be resumed soon!!

For my UK visitors, enjoy the predicted heat wave midweek…but take a brolly…just in case!! :)

Let’s do the time warp….!!!

2011-09-17T19:23:00.001+01:00

Well, that’s how it feels to me…’a step to the right’ & a whole week & a bit has flown by!! I am waaaay behind in blogging, as well as a few other things!! But the good news is that I’ve had my first Cortisone injection into the offending shoulder & while it still aches & is still limited in its rotation, that awful intense pain has been tempered somewhat!! :) Being forced to ‘take it easy’ for three days, too, was a blessing! I pottered around the house, doing everything I could manage with one hand, so everything is relatively tidy & up to date….except the ironing (no change there then!) & the garden!!

On the subject of the garden, as well as the usual ‘end of Summer’ pruning, re-potting with winter bedding etc etc…there is indeed a whole mess needing repair out there! The culprit? Hurricane Katia!!…or at least the tail end of her, as she swept across the UK last week!!

The corner of my garden where I like to sit with my coffee & where, over the last seven years, I had trained an arch of rambling roses, that used to look like this…

Now looks like this…

So, there’s some serious cutting back involved there! Lee will have to get out his power tools & lend a hand with re-attaching the trellis!

I’ve not really done much in the way of scrapping since my last post! I’ve been checking out the daily prompts for Shimelle’s ‘Learn Something New Every Day’ class, with a view to picking up where I left off last year…on 16th September!! So hopefully I’ll be sharing something of that very soon!!

I did put together a LO for a lyric challenge, posted by Shazza over at Soul Scrappers. The song was ‘Who’s gonna drive you home?’ by Cars. I used the first two words & added..’always be there when you bite off more than you can chew?’ This one is for Nathan & the photo’s are of Lee rescuing him at ‘that tree’ in Hyde Park last month!!

I also bagged an absolute bargain via ‘Crafty Steals’…do check out this website for their daily deals…

They have some amazing bargains & they do ship to the UK, unlike many other scrap deal websites, & they only charge shipping by weight, so it’s very affordable!

My bargain was two packs of ten Thickers Alpha’s…TWENTY packs!!! (it would have been thirty but one bumper pack sold out before I got there!!)

Anyone who knows me knows that I go weak at the knees when faced with a new pack of Thickers & even with P&P they worked out at £1.75 per pack!!! A steal indeed!!

I put them to immediate good use, as I needed a birthday card for my friends son & this is what I came up with…

…the boy in question recently started playing for the National Baseball youth team & spent his birthday week in Chicago at Baseball Training Camp, so it seemed appropriate!

I spent a very pleasant Monday morning with two friends…totally unplanned…I give a lift in the mornings to one friend who lives in our village & works near the boys school. When I dropped her off she suggested I came in for coffee & a catch-up with our other friend who is her business partner.

They run a very successful child minding service & I spent a happy time getting down & playing with some awesome toddlers! Then while they napped, we had coffee & caught up on each others news!! I left loaded down with apples & blackberries…all grown in the garden & picked the day before!!

My freezer is now stuffed with stewed apple & blackberries, all ready to be ‘crumble topped’!! Aren’t friends great?!!

Then the Postie brought me a lovely surprise! Do you remember I told you about the ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’ Birthday Challenges in August?

Well, you may also remember that I entered three of the challenges…

… & my ‘In the Pink at 50’ LO won a prize!!

An awesome kit…

Some really lovely double sided PP’s here & some gorgeous fabric elements…I’m looking forward to playing with this prize!!

Thanks Shazza!!

I’ve just realised that I haven’t even mentioned our recent Silver Wedding Anniversary!!! It was all very low key…but we did have a fabulous day out to mark the occasion, more on that next time. Lee sent me some gorgeous flowers & excelled himself with the ribbon!

He always signs cards to me with ‘Love You Billions, Squillions…or Gazillions’

But this time he actually had the ribbon on the flowers printed with ‘Love You Googolplexions’ which apparently is the name given to the highest recognised number!!!

Does he know me or what? How perfect is that ribbon for scrapping?!!!

We had some amazing cards in the post, as well as many emails, e-cards, texts & good wishes left on facebook & of course right here too! Thanks so much!!

Finally, my term on the Dixie Pieces DT is coming to an end! :( I’ve had a great eight months working with their awesome kits, setting challenges & taking part in all of the forum activity. So now there’s a DT call out for a new team…

Dixie Pieces is a monthly kit club looking for design team members! This call is open to US and Canadian designers; deadline for submission in September 26th, 2011. This will be a six-month commitment, starting October 1st, 2011. Each designer is expected to:

* Submit two to three layouts from each monthly kit; 12x12 preferred
but 8-1/2x11 are acceptable
* Create a project or two cards each month
* Meet all assignment deadlines
* Be active online - facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.
* Promote yourself and Dixie Pieces by posting your work on blogs,
facebook, and manufacturers' facebook pages; identifying the Dixie Pieces kit whenever possible.
* Remain positive, excited and supportive to others in the Dixie
Pieces community
* Actively participate in the Dixie Pieces community by promptly
completing daily and weekly tasks assigned by the design team coordinator.
* Add the Dixie Pieces link to your blog and in your signature line for
other message boards or groups as allowed.

Your monthly kit is free and shipped free to you as a member of the design team. The kit and the designs you create with it are yours to keep; we only need crisp, clear and color-true photographs of your work for the gallery. By participating as a Dixie Pieces design team member, you are giving Dixie Pieces the right to publish and promote your work in the course of its business. Your photo and bio will appear on the Dixie Pieces site. You will receive a 30% discount on purchases you make from or through Dixie Pieces. If there is something you want that we do not have in our store, you are welcome to request it; if we can provide it, we will.

To apply, email sherry@dixiepieces.com before 5pm PDT, Monday, September 26 2011:
* Name, address, phone, and email.
* Short bio explaining your style and why you would like to be a part
of our team.
* Provide links to your blog, online galleries, and other sites where
we may view examples of your work. If your work is on facebook, please friend Dixie Pieces
* If you are currently on other design teams, please list those.

So, if you’re US or Canada based…what are you waiting for? Apply now!! I look forward to seeing some familiar names on the new DT next month!!

So I’ll leave you with that for today! I’ll be back to share photo’s of our Anniversary Family day out with you soon.

Thanks for dropping by & I hope you’re all having a great weekend! :)

It’s been confirmed!

2011-09-08T18:06:00.001+01:00

I’m sorry friends….but I’m going to have a bit of a whinge!!! I guess I’ve been in denial for a while, but I cannot delude myself any more!!

OK..I know you’re now thinking ‘What the heck is she talking about?’ so I will explain!

Back in the days before I blogged, there was a period of time when I lived with pain on a day to day basis. It started at Easter 2007 with sharp pains in my neck & right shoulder & so began months of blood tests, physiotherapy, X-rays, Ultrasound Scans, an MRI scan…I even had my right ear syringed at one point…just to eliminate the chance of any blockage in that area!!!

The pain was centred in my shoulder joint but radiated out into my neck, jaw & down into my chest & bicep! I was referred by my GP to one consultant after another, was given steroid injections & FINALLY someone gave my condition a name…a Frozen Shoulder!! By Easter 2008 I was signed off work, was sleeping upright on the sofa every night…& believe me, sleep deprivation is the worst!!…& relying on Morphine patches for my pain relief, such as it was!!

I was finally given a date for surgery in November 2009 & after 20 months of constant pain it could not come soon enough! Although I have some amazing friends who stepped into the breach to taxi me around & one who even collected my clean washing every week & returned it the next day ironed, it was the most debilitating thing I have ever lived through!

Once the surgery was done I had more physiotherapy to do & as I failed to wean myself off the Morphine patches correctly, even had a phase of going‘cold turkey’. Then my hair started to fall out as a result of the long term Morphine…so you see, not the best time of my life!!!

This brings me to the denial bit…for a few months now I’ve had a niggly ache in my left shoulder & I’d convinced myself it was just Arthritic pain (the MRI scan I had showed Arthritis in both shoulders).

BUT in the last month I’ve had horrible pain when I stretch in the morning (something I do without thinking!!), or putting on a jacket…unfastening a bra is murder!! So I took myself off to my GP yesterday & she has confirmed it IS the dreaded ‘Frozen Shoulder’ all over again!! So I start with a Steroid injection next Wednesday & a course of physio as soon as they can fit me in! She has already requested an MRI date & we’re off!! At the moment Ibuprofen is hitting the spot & I just hope it can all be sorted before I need to resort to the patches again!

On the bright side…I don’t need all those investigative procedures & hopefully, knowing what it is will mean it can be dealt with relatively quickly (well as quickly as anything can in the NHS!!) & as it’s my left side (I’m right handed) it shouldn’t be as restrictive as it was last time!

So, thanks for letting me get that off my chest!! Sorry this post is totally photo free (I know you hate that Karen!!) but I’ll be back with another photo heavy (& whinge free!) post very soon!

Thanks for stopping by! Come back soon x

A Day Off Work & Another Challenge!!!

2011-09-04T17:53:00.001+01:00

Sunday is usually my day to go out to work, but in honour of our forthcoming Silver Wedding Anniversary, I had booked it as a holiday! This was back in January, when I held out hope that we might even enjoy a long weekend away or plan a party to mark the occasion!! As it’s transpired, with Hubby now being a full-time student until next summer, we are being extremely wise (!?!) & adhering to a tight budget, which meant that neither a long weekend away nor a party were going to be on the cards!!

We did however, have a fabulous family day out yesterday (more of that to follow in a later post!) & are planning a romantic dinner for two on Tuesday evening at a favourite restaurant. So while it may not be all bells & whistles, we are marking the occasion in our own way!!

As it turns out, we did the right thing, taking our day out yesterday, as today we have had torrential rain from early morning until about an hour ago! The neighbours cat came in at 9am & after allowing me to towel him dry he settled on the guest bed!! He’s still there now!!

I have another challenge to share with you today, from ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’…

This months Poster Inspiration is ‘Rio’ & the added criteria are as follows…

1) Use Blue, Red & Yellow cardstock

2) Use a one word title

3) Add a bird in somewhere!

Here is my LO for the ‘Rio’ movie poster challenge…

…another photograph that I’ve been wanting to scrap forever!! When I read the ‘include a bird’ criteria I knew this one was perfect!! This is Nathan, aged two, at his playgroup Christmas party. He loved being dressed up as a pirate & let me draw on a moustache, drape him in pearls, pin a felt parrot to his shoulder & tie a red sash around his middle to hold a scabbard & sword!! He even started off wearing a clip-on earring & an eye patch!!

The eye patch was soon lost, the earring removed because it pinched, the scabbard & sword abandoned because they got in the way of playing…but…the moustache & the pinned parrot were still in place right up to bath-time that night!!! The icing on the cake was that he won first prize for his costume!!

Why not join in with us for this months challenge over at ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’? It would be so nice to see familiar names among the entrants!! There are some very desirable prizes up for grabs this month too!!

I’ll leave you with something that made me smile today!

Question: What do you get if you leave a fifteen year old boy alone to fix himself his idea of ‘The Perfect Lunch’?

Answer: >>>>>

Can you believe it?! A mini pepperoni pizza surrounded by BBQ Pringles!!! Not a vegetable in sight!!! Ah well, at least he cooked the pizza without setting fire to the house & he did arrange it quite artfully, don’t you think?!!!

Thanks for stopping by & I do hope you’re having a great weekend! :)

A New Kit & A Nice Surprise!!

2011-09-02T21:42:00.001+01:00

It’s the beginning of a new month & time to share a fabulous new kit….but before I do, I’d like to tell you about a nice surprise I received on Monday.

I logged on to find an email from Jessica Acs, author of “Outstanding Mini Albums” telling me that one of my mini albums had been featured on the ‘Outstanding Mini Albums’ website!! It was actually the ‘Journey’ page of my ‘Explore’ playbook that was featured with a link back to my blog! So Thank You Jessica for that honour & this will be just the thing I need to make sure I actually complete this project!!!

So, back to introducing the new kit for September from Dixie Pieces!! Called ‘A Birds Life’ this one is a real treat…when I opened it, Mum-In-Law was here & we ooohed & aaaahed together at all the goodies inside! This is what Sherry Grove, co-owner of Dixie Pieces, has to say about the kit…

“The September Dixie Pieces kit, called "A Bird's Life" transitions us from summer into fall with bits of summer sky blues, oranges and yellows which flow into the greens and golds of fall. "A Bird's Life" flies away from the conventional and into the whimsical; it's perfect for capturing your summer or fall memories. You'll find your favorite manufacturers here – American Crafts, Bazzill, Basic Grey, Lily Bee, and Maya Road; plus a new one for Dixie Pieces, Harmonie from Montreal. We can't wait to see what you create with this kit!”

…and here is what it looks like… I had great fun working with everything in this kit…especially the alpha’s…the ‘Paper House’ white rub-ons are to die for & the Thickers puffy letters…well I think you know I never met a Thicker I didn’t love!!!

The papers are amazing & the mix of embellishments offer up all sorts of creative uses!! Just check out those gorgeous little felt tree’s too!! Full details on exactly what’s in this highly recommended kit can be found HERE….do pop over & check it out, as well as the DT gallery for some extra inspiration too!

So, what did I do with this awesome kit? Well, in spite of being pressed for time, I wanted to keep going until I’d squeezed everything out of it!! So first up….a layout… See what I mean about those rub-on alpha’s? So effective & such a dream to use!!! This LO features Alex at a favourite pub of ours, the playground has an adjoining meadow which Alex loves when the grass is long & he can hide from his brother!!

Next…another layout…This time Lee, trying his hand at Field Archery! Love those puffy alpha’s & little felt trees!!

How about another layout?Alex again..this time at Brighton, throwing pebbles into the sea!! Look how effective those mosaic tiles are & I covered the chipboard clouds & sun with CS & PP from the kit & inked the edges. That twine was so easy to manipulate & stick too!

One final layout to share…The boys & I at Santa Pod raceway back in 2005!! This was their first visit & in spite of the ear defenders we bought for them, they were still taken aback by just how loud those Drag Cars engines are!! Love it!!!  There are those mosaic tiles again…very versa-tile (see what I did there?!!) & just cutting strips of that corrugated white card makes a very effective & tactile border!

Now, you’d think that was enough, wouldn’t you?  But no!…I squeezed a couple of cards out of this kit too…



I still have plenty of alpha’s, ribbon & PP scraps to be going on with!! A great kit indeed!!

This month over at Dixie Pieces all the challenges will all earn you merit badges for ‘Dixie Camp’! Each merit gives you an entry into the final prize draw!

The first challenge went up today, so why not pop over & check it out…you have until the end of the month to play along & you don’t need to use the kit for your entries…your own supplies will be fine! I do hope to see you in the forum over at Dixie Pieces very soon!

I will just add in here that I’m having some issues with Blogger/Livewriter at present, so apologies if this post looks a bit ‘gappy’…it’s the best I can get at the mo!!!

Thanks for stopping by & I’ll be back soon with some more scrappiness to share!

Have a great weekend & enjoy the last few days before school starts again!! :)

Living The High Life…Again!!! (Photo Heavy!!)

2011-08-31T13:44:00.001+01:00

Earlier this month we were lucky enough to be given the use of a London apartment, currently being rented by one of Lee’s friends. You may remember we had this privilege last year, when we stayed at his flat in Belgravia. Well, he sold that flat, but found that he still needed a London base so took out the lease on this apartment.

It is in the very salubrious Arlington House which stands back to back with The Ritz, just off Piccadilly!!

We arrived on the Tuesday to find that the apartment was on the top floor & overlooked Green Park from one side & we could glimpse the hustle & bustle of Piccadilly through the trees at the other!

The boys were very impressed that we got to use our own private lift!!

We were just as impressed that over the road was the historic pub ‘The Blue Posts’….I remember coming here for ‘after work’ drinks in those far off days when I worked in Harrods Perfumery Halls.

It’s close proximity meant that we could leave the boys in the apartment & enjoy some time soaking up the atmosphere (& a few beers) knowing they were quite safe!! The restaurant ‘Le Caprice’ is also in Arlington House, but sadly was closed during August for refurbishment!!! :(

Once we’d settled in we set off for a walk through Green Park & ended up outside Buckingham Palace.

The boys had a great time exploring the statues & fountains…

…although Alex did point out to Nathan that if he sat there too long, the lion might just pooh in his head!! Ugh…boys!!

I was glad that it was as quiet as it was, as Alex doesn’t cope well with crowds & he got to enjoy it all in relative peace…

…as did we!!

Walking back through Green Park the boys were astonished at how tame the squirrels were, coming right up to us to see if we had anything to eat! Alex was particularly taken with this one, who followed us for ages as we walked home!

On the Wednesday morning we set off to Olympia for the ‘Dr Who Experience’…as a family of Sci-Fi fans this was a real treat!

We got to ‘help’ the Doctor save the Earth!!! There were plenty of special effects & a fabulous 3D screening! Then it was on to the exhibition & a chance to ‘meet’ all of those weird characters past & present & to explore the inside of the TARDIS!!

It was surprisingly un-crowded wherever we went & Alex coped remarkably well…even when we got on a tube heading East instead of west!! It helped that a lot of the track in this area is above ground!!

I had thought that after all that excitement, Alex would just want to go back to the flat & chill, but no! As we came up out of Green Park tube station, he asked ‘Can we go for a walk through the park again?’ So we did!! In fact we walked right through Green Park & into Hyde Park, heading for the Serpentine.

Before we got that far though, we came across this tree! I don’t ever remember seeing it before but it was certainly proving popular with kids & adults alike…there were already several people in the process of climbing it when we arrived!

It was like a green cave under those branches & Alex made us smile when he picked up a sign that had been laying face down in the leaf mould…it read ‘For Your Own Safety, Please DO NOT climb this tree’ hee hee!!

Well, never one to heed a warning it didn’t take Nathan long to live up to his nickname of ‘Monkey’ & start doing just that!!

He was soon at the top & not content with that decided to climb back down…on the outside!!

Which of course needed a little help from Dad!!

That tree gave us almost two hours of FREE entertainment! Then it was on to the Serpentine, where Lee & the boys took out a pedallo & I retired to the lakeside cafe for tea & cake…& to play with my new camera lens!!

I love this shot I got of the three of them walking back to meet me, totally oblivious that I’m shooting them!! They were some 200 yards away & I’m pleased with the quality of the shot!

Thursday was a grey day, but we sallied forth never the less!! Once more on the tube, but this time heading for the Thames!!

First stop HMS Belfast…

…right up Alex’s street with guns & militaria…& great for Nathan too…he shimmied up & down those ladders between decks with no problem!

…& just in case we ever wondered what Alex would look like with a full beard & moustache….?!!!!

Me? I was impressed with the laundry room…now if I had kit like this, the ironing would be a doddle!!!

…& of course I loved the ships cat!! Even though he was stuffed!!! How cool that he has his own little hammock…

…apparently he did when he was alive & the Belfast was at sea…I’ll bet he needed a bit of helping getting in & out though!

Then we were off to Tower Bridge…

…we were there to see the bridge raised & lowered, something I’ve not witnessed before…impressive!!

Then we took the lift up to the walkways as the heavens opened!!

I found the whole story of how the bridge was built & how the mechanism to open it works fascinating. The visit to the engine room Is so impressive…all of that original machinery still working like clockwork!!

You’ll be pleased to hear that my saga is nearing its end!! I’d like to be able to tell you that on Friday morning we watched the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. But,in truth, it was absolutely packed…the sun was shining & there were HOARDS of people in Green Park & outside the palace!! So Lee & Nathan headed into the throng, while Alex & I stayed with the squirrels & just listened from a distance!!!

Lee & I did spend a very enjoyable early afternoon without the boys!! We window shopped our way along Piccadilly, stopping off at Fortnum & Masons, Brompton Arcade & Simpsons for a browse!! We had lunch in the National Geographic restaurant on Regent Street & then wandered back in the sunshine to pack & head off to St Pancras!!

A thoroughly enjoyable few days in the Capital…& considering we’re on a tight budget at the moment, a very comfortable one too!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by & hanging in there till the end!! Can you believe it’s September tomorrow? If you’re taking part in Shimelle’s ‘Learn Something New Every Day’ this year…see you in the forum! I’m planning to pick up where I left off last year & complete my mini book!! Watch this space!!! :)

Back in the Saddle!!!

2011-08-26T21:45:00.001+01:00

No! I haven’t taken up Horse Riding!! (OMGosh!! the very thought of torturing some poor Equine Creature so!!) I mean that after an absence of more than two weeks I finally got to spend some serious time at my scrap desk this week!!!

Sadly, my ‘Explore’ playbook remains uncompleted (go on…you’re not surprised are you?!!) & with September looming I may even get a chance to complete the ‘Learn Something New Every Day’ project I started last year!!!

But this week I have been working on meeting deadlines for my September DT submissions, which of course I can’t share with you until the first…& my entries for the ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’ 2nd Birthday Celebration challenges, which of course I can!!!

So…First up is the ‘Children On Their Birthdays’ challenge…to include 1) Blue & White background 2) Photo of a child celebrating their birthday & 3) an Umbrella!!

Immediately I thought of Nathan’s third birthday & a trip to Disneyland Paris to celebrate….it rained, so an umbrella fitted in quite nicely!!

Next was the ‘13 going on 30’ challenge, with the criteria to 1) Use Polka dot PP 2) Use numbers in the title & 3) Make it girly…Pink, Frills, Bling!! That last bit was a real challenge…I’m not really a pink & frilly person, but I stepped out of my comfort zone & did my best!!!

I did indeed have some pink polka dot PP!! I also found pink blooms, pink gems, pink ribbon bows, pink foam alpha’s (I really didn’t know I had those!!!!) & a pearl swirl!! I even printed off the photo in a pink tint!!! I think that’s pretty girly don’t you?!!!

Lastly was the ‘Marie Antoinette’ challenge. This required 1) A cluster of flowers 2) A close-up photo & 3) A title including the name of the person in the photo.

I knew straight away the photo I wanted to use…& that Cosmo Cricket word spinner has been in my stash forever!! I set the arrow at ‘Smart’, even though all the words actually apply to Nathan! I think it’s still quite masculine, even with a cluster of flowers!!

So that’s it! There have been some awesome entries over at ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’ for these challenges, not to mention those for the fourth ‘For Gillian on her 37th Birthday’ challenge & also the standard August Challenge using ‘Holiday Inn’ for inspiration!

Do drop by & check them out & it’s not to late to play along…the deadline is the 28th August & there are some fabulous prizes up for grabs with great odds!!!

May I take time to say that I know some of my US visitors are going through challenging times as a result of some extreme weather conditions at the moment. I’m reading about extreme heat & humidity, Earthquakes & Hurricanes, to name but a few. My thoughts & prayers are with you…stay safe!

To my UK visitors…enjoy the Bank Holiday weekend & let’s not complain if it rains or it’s cold…it could be SO much worse!! Wishing you a good one whatever you have planned!!

Thanks for stopping by…I’ll be back soon to tell you all about our recent few days in London! :)

Sharing something healthy….& FREE!!

2011-08-24T14:30:00.001+01:00

Just a quickie today! This is something I saw on the lovely Mel’s blog months ago & thought at the time ‘what a great idea!’ but like most things that don’t get written on a list, it slipped my mind!!

Today I received my first box from Graze.com..& it was FREE!! Lee received an email from them offering a free first box & the second one for half price…so we both signed up & I must say I am impressed!!!

While Lee’s was all hot & spicy, chilli nuts & Bombay style mixes…I opted for more seeds, nuts & fruits. I must say they all look delicious & come with all the information I need to be able to ‘point’ them for my Weight Watchers plan!

From box three onwards they’ll be just £3.49 per box…that’s great value & we will now both be receiving one very week!! Well worth it if it gets us away from the habit of a biscuit (or worse!) with every cuppa!!

So…if this grabs your interest & you’d like to try a box yourself (sorry to all my overseas visitors, it’s only UK delivery!) just leave me a comment with an email link & I’ll send you a code for the FREE trial offer. I have eight codes on offer this week, but will have more in next weeks box!! Just a note that you can cancel registration at any time, so it’s worth just trying a freebie!!

Just before I go…something that made me smile…regular visitors will know that we have been adopted by our neighbours cat, & while he goes home for his meals & leaves us at about 10pm each night, the rest of the day he is usually to be found somewhere in our house!!

On Sunday morning I looked out of our bedroom window to see him lay on top of the car…he didn’t see me, so I grabbed my camera…

…& yes, he fell off! Of course he landed on his feet & did that thing that cats do so well, walked elegantly off with head & tail held high as if to say ‘I meant to do that!!’

Thanks for stopping by! Only 12 more days till the kids are back to school…scary eh!! Hope you’re all making the most of the holidays!! :)

More Than A Little Bit Spoiled!!

2011-08-19T22:44:00.002+01:00

Firstly, a big THANK YOU to all of you that left Birthday Wishes for me here…I was blown away this year by the sheer volume of greetings I received via texts, on facebook, emails, conventional cards in the post, & last but by no means least, here!! I feel very privileged to know that so many people took the time to remember my birthday!!

The sideboard in the lounge was groaning under all the cards, & a huge bouquet of gorgeous white Lillies, blue Thistles, white Roses & Snapdragons delivered by my good friend Sue!

I unwrapped so many wonderful scrappy goodies…a fabulous pack of monogrammed ‘Post-It’ type notes from the lovely Karen…perfect, as I’m such a ‘list’ person!!…two sets of Sizzix dies, glue dots & a Martha Stewart butterfly punch from the boys…& just look at the amazing ‘Little Bag of Happiness’ that arrived from my good friend Hilary…it contains: an eraser, so I can rub out my mistakes…a coin, so I never need to say I’m broke…a marble, in case someone says ‘You’ve lost yours!!’…a rubber band, so that I can stretch myself beyond limits…a piece of string, to tie things together when it all falls apart…& a kiss (an X) to always remind me that someone loves me!!! How gorgeous is that?!!! I love it!!

In amongst the pile of goodies from Lee was a selection of books to replenish my depleted bedtime reading stocks & the ‘piece de resistance’….a new lens for my camera!! Yay!!!

My sister had excelled herself & had knitted me a ‘curly’ scarf…such fine yarn & almost 5’ in length…must have taken her an age to knit!! She also had framed one of her pastel paintings of ‘Lilly-of-the Valley’…she is quite a skilled artist but is very modest about her talents!!!
I also received cash in some of my cards & that has been tucked away for future enjoyment!!
Then, at the hairdressers I was treated to a complimentary ‘Chocolate Hand Mask’ while my blondeness was being assisted!!!
It smelled good enough to eat, but as it’s based on a paraffin wax treatment with added cocoa butter & stuff I didn’t risk tasting it!!!

Of course, it was also Alex’s birthday, & he had a nice pile of parcels to open too!
But to be honest, he would have been happy if he’d just had this one!! It’s a game he has been waiting for & talking about for what seems like forever!!
We had to tear him away from the X-Box so that we could go out for our planned trip to the cinema & for Pizza!!
We saw ‘Rise of The Planet Of The Apes’…such a great film…I’ve not been in the cinema when the film got a round of applause for some time!!

Then it was off to ‘Pizza Express’ for supper…I was very righteous & chose the most delicious salad…but I did succumb to a ‘mini’ dessert with my coffee, which was supposed to be black, but I didn’t like to complain!!!! LOL!!!
Then finally, it was back home to chill & do ‘the candle thing’…

We shared the cake & as Alex had 15 candles, it was quite handy for my 51!! I’m not going to say what I wished for…but I’ll let you know if it comes true!!
So that was my birthday!! (& Alex’s too!) We had a really chilled & lovely day…& we still had our family break in London to look forward to!!
Thanks for stopping by…I do hope you’re all set for a wonderful weekend!!

More Than A Little Behind!…

2011-08-10T19:02:00.001+01:00

It won’t surprise any of you that I well over a week behind with Shimelle’s class ‘Explore’ right now!! What with birthday gift shopping, baking birthday cakes, having a day in bed yesterday feeling yuk!! (I’m OK today though!!) & general day to day chores, the prompts have backlogged, as is usual for me!!! It also hasn’t helped that I’m finding this class a bit random! It isn’t really gelling for me, but I’m sure it will all come together in the end…when I get there!!!

So..this is what I have so far…following on from week one’s prompts & pages in my playbook HERE…

This week was all about observing our daily routines,where we sit, stand & sleep….looking around at familiar surroundings & trying to recall relating memories & jotting them down.

Not surprisingly, my favourite place to sit is at my scrap desk…

But I am often to be found sitting at my computer desk….on ‘my’ sofa to watch TV (less often than elsewhere!!) & in the sunshine under a shady tree in the garden. usually with a cuppa in hand!!

That Acer tree I sit under triggered a memory….I bought it when we first moved in in 2004…in fact there are two of them & they were no more than twigs…dried out & in the sale at £7.50 each!! They are both now well over 9 feet tall, bushy & healthy, so a good investment for £15.00 I’d say!!

Two places I stand regularly are in the kitchen…usually preparing one meal or another, baking etc etc…

…& of course at the ironing board…too much time spent there!!

Where I sleep is probably my second favourite place in the house…in our King size bed!!

I can often be found here curled up with my latest book, so not just the place I sleep!!

Still on the memory exercise… the basket in my scrap room that I use to collect the recyclable bits reminded me of the day I fell over on St Albans High Street!! The stall holders were so kind helping me up!!

Shimelle asked us if we are spontaneous Or more into routine? I have to say I like routine…I may have been a lot more spontaneous pre children, but having an autistic child does limit spontaneity!!

She also asked us to think about our scrapping style…

…I included a sample of my LO style! I must say…scrapping at 5”x3” is a challenge!!

Finally we documented ‘a day in the life’…I chose to use photo’s as well as my jottings!

I prepared the journaling pages & just jotted down, on the hour, what I was doing. This meant that the writing is all over he place!! But I think I can live with it!!!

And that was the end of week two!! I did play with some digital TTV photo effects, but then discovered the transparency film I had wasn’t meant for an inkjet printer, so I’ll have to add in those pages later when I get some proper film & can print off my overlays!!

Week three was all about colour & I WILL be catching up with those prompts soon, as well as opening up the week four prompts…

… but I’ve signed up for this free class over at BPC, which starts on Monday, so it may have to wait a little longer!!

Thank you so much for stopping by!! I hope your week is going well…it’s half way through already…& guess what? It’s my birthday tomorrow!!!…& of course my number one son’s…he’ll be 15…which coincidentally is what I will be…backwards!! How cool is that?!! :)

P.S. I’ve had real problems with this post, so apologies if it looks a bit ‘gappy’ it was the best I could do!! Blogger it!!!

(I was) Loving The Sunshine!!!

2011-08-06T14:55:00.001+01:00

This week has been what summer should be….hot, sunny & with a thunderstorm thrown in to dampen down the humidity! I have loved it…however, this morning is dull & decidedly cool!! Still, it means I can be indoors, catching up here, & with other indoor pursuits, without feeling that I’m missing out on something that may be going on ‘out there’!!!

Last Monday, I set off aboard a National Express coach to meet my sister & her hubby for a day out in Birmingham. I had some gift vouchers that were burning a hole in my pocket & with the sales still on I felt sure I’d grab a bargain or two!! As it was, I ended up spending the whole lot on a pair of ‘new season’ black suede ankle boots in Dune…

…I’m usually a ‘flats’ girl, but with a concealed platform, these boots look quite high, but actually, once they’re on, feel like a flat platform, if that makes sense?!!!

They have been liberally sprayed with suede protector & I shall look forward to wearing them once I have to put the sandals & flip flops away for Autumn!!

Birmingham city centre looks nothing like I remember it from my teens! Growing up in Hereford, ‘Brum’ used to be a Saturday shopping haunt…& once I passed my driving test at 18, a regular Saturday night Clubbing trip too…those were the days!!!

My favourite place there now is Selfridges!! I love the architecture…just look at that exterior…so sleek & shiny!!!! Inside is just as appealing & I’d go as far as to say I prefer it to the London store, where I once worked!!

The best bit of the store is the basement…a fantastic Cath Kidston department…a gift section with so many really unusual items…Confectionary, where I fell in love with this guy…

…a larger than life size bull (in honour of the Bull-Ring shopping centre) covered entirely in ‘Jelly Belly’ jelly beans!!

If I had a small fortune, I could have spent it on this floor alone!!! But I had great fun just touching & feeling & making mental notes for Christmas! (Aaaaargh…I can’t believe I used the ‘C’ word & it’s only just August!!!)

It was a gorgeous day & we wandered around the now pedestrian-ised city centre, which was bustling & felt more than a little continental!!

There were some amazing wicker sculptures on display, all planted up with flowers & greenery.

I particularly like this hat & this handbag! They were getting a lot of attention from my fellow shoppers & tourists alike!

We ate lunch ‘Al Fresco’ & caught up on family news. The last port of call was the famous indoor ‘Meat Market’ where you can buy bits of animals I didn’t even know you could eat!!!! I played it safe with Lee’s favourite…Pork Chops!!! Massive ones & as it was late in the day I secured 3 trays (18 chops) for just £10.00…bargain!!…& my freezer is now well & truly stocked!!!

I have been to the cinema twice…both times to see the final Harry Potter movie…Brilliant!!! I had been a bit disappointed with ‘The Deathly Hallows’ part one…but seeing part two, I understood where it had all been leading!!

My first viewing was with Amanda & we saw it in 2D ( the 3D screen being completely sold out!!) so when Lee suggested we went to see it in 3D I agreed & have to say that there were one or two places where, although I knew what was coming, still made me jump!! I shall miss waiting for ‘The next one’…!!

Somewhere else we’ve been twice this week too….is the pub!!!

Our current favourite is adjacent to a local park that has a large adventure playground & a lake, so the boys can go & run themselves ragged, popping back for a swig of coke & a handful of crisps, & we can sit in the sunshine & put the world to rights!! We have some of our most productive conversations over a pint of ‘ale’ (Lee) & a diet coke (Me)!! Cheers!!

Apart from all of the above, life goes on as normal…a bit of scrapping…a LOT of laundry!! I was rather hoping for a good weather week next week so that I could get some more much needed work in the garden done! But I guess I’ll have to wait & see!!

Before I go I’d like to share some information that came my way from the lovely Marie over at ‘Sky Blog Pink’ this week. She is hosting FREE Artists Playgroup evenings in the Cambridge area…the venue is The Missing Sock…so if you’re in that area & fancy an evening with like minded creative types, dabbling in a bit of mixed media art…for FREE…give it a go!!

Alternatively Marie also teaches a whole range of workshops incorporating mixed media & bookbinding techniques…full details here…

I attended one of Marie's classes a little while ago & produced an amazingly professional looking bound book which I now cherish!! It was a great opportunity to try out techniques I hadn’t even known about & certainly pushed my boundaries!! She is an awesome teacher & such a creative talent…check out the classes now!

That’s it from me for today! I am still a week behind on Shimelle’s ‘Explore’ class, but I’ll be back to share my week two efforts soon!! The sun has just broken through…so I may just have to adjourn to the garden in a moment!! Yay!!

Thanks for stopping by & I hope you’re enjoying an awesome weekend, whatever you might have on your agenda!!! :)

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY FS2S!!

2011-08-02T16:46:00.001+01:00

Hot on the heels of yesterdays post I bring you details of a month of fun challenges & awesome prizes to celebrate the second birthday of the ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’ challenge site!

Not only is there the usual Movie Poster Challenge, but the DT has been divided into four teams, each setting a challenge of their own, along with inspiring example projects & prizes!!

First up…the August poster challenge, which this month is a Golden Oldie ‘Holiday Inn’

The criteria you need to include are…

1. Use sheet music on your page.

2. Use a two-tone title

3. Use Navy & Red on the page.

So, what are you waiting for?!!! Get creating & upload your entries via the inlinkz in THIS POST.

Here is my take on the poster…

Another photo from Lee’s graduation day!!! I was inspired by the navy & red theme & the two-tone title especially! I have to own up to an oops!! When I noted down the criteria for myself I wrote ‘map’ instead of ‘music’ PP…so the PP pleated around the journal block & on the bunting is map PP not music PP…Pure blonde moment!!! (blush blush!!)

Then we move on to the DT Teams Birthday Challenges…

BIRTHDAY CHALLENGE 1

Using the film poster for ‘to Gillian on her 37th birthday’ as your inspiration…include the criteria…

1. Use a house or home on your page somehow.

2. Use sand/sandpaper/sand coloured fabric

3. Use green paint

For DT inspiration & details of prizes go HERE….as this is my team, here is my example…

BIRTHDAY CHALLENGE 2

This time the movie poster is from ‘Children On Their Birthdays’ & the criteria to include are…

1.Use white & blue for the background

2. A child or children celebrating their birthday

3. An umbrella

Full details of prizes & DT inspiration for this challenge can be found HERE

BIRTHDAY CHALLENGE 3

Great movie!!…& great poster choice for this challenge from ‘13 going on 30’…the added criteria are…

1. Use polka dot PP

2. Use numbers in your title.

3. Make it girly! Lots of pink, bling, froth & bubbles!!!!

For DT inspiration & details of more fab prizes go HERE.

& Finally…

BIRTHDAY CHALLENGE 4

Another great movie poster…this time from Marie Antoinette. Add in the following criteria…

1. Use a cluster of flowers

2. Use a close up photo

3. Use a title with the name of the person in the photo, in the title!!

More great inspiration & prize details to be found HERE!

The closing date for all of these challenges is 28th August…Please send all entries to Shazzaalleyes@ hotmail.com.

Winner will be selected by Random Draw

So that’s it!! I do hope at least one of those has got your creative juices flowing & that I’ll be seeing some entries from familiar names appearing in the challenge threads over at FS2S!! Tell them I sent you!!!

Thanks for dropping by…I’ll be back with an update on my ‘Play Book’ for Shimelles ‘Explore’ class soon…I’m almost caught up!!! :)

I Love The Simple Life!!

2011-08-01T15:30:00.001+01:00

Here we are again…another ‘First Of The Month’!! That can only mean one thing….time to introduce you to a new Dixie Pieces Kit…’Simple Life’.

I only recently discovered ‘Simple Stories’ & have already invested in their ‘Destinations’ & ‘Life Documented’ collections…when I saw that the August kit from Dixie Pieces contained items from the Life Documented collection I knew it would be a pleasure to work with…& it was!!! Of course the fabulous American Crafts alpha’s, Jillibean clear stamps, Maya Road chipboard & Ginko Paper Japanese Masking Tape went along way to helping too!! A gorgeous kit…& you can find all the full details HERE.

I got a bit carried away as it happens…

Three LO’s…

Two Cards…

…& One altered notebook cover!!

All in all A kit with endless possibilities!

There will be some fabulous challenges posted over at Dixie Pieces in the coming three weeks, with a deadline of August 31st. So why not play along with us this month…there is some amazing inspiration to be found in the Gallery & for kit inspiration, check out the DT projects section.

I’ll keep an eye out for you in the forum!!!

Thanks for stopping by…I’ll be back later with some exciting news about an August birthday celebration!!…No…not mine!!! LOL!!

Exploration & Perspective!

2011-07-28T12:14:00.001+01:00

Phew! School breaks up….a girl takes on a couple of days overtime…plans a day out with family…& before you know it she’s almost a whole week behind with the prompts in Shimelle’s latest class ‘Explore’!!!

But I’m not overly worried!! I’ve been reading the prompts through & jotting down my notes…I’ve even taken a few photo’s…so all that’s required is some time at my scrap desk to catch up & that should be a distinct possibility from Saturday onwards!!

So, to share what I have actually done with this class so far!! Week one was all about perspective…

For my class ‘Playbook’ I chose to use the same format as suggested by Shimelle, namely a 6”x4” flip over ring book, so that there was plenty of scope for ‘adding to’ as we went along!

I chose a pad of K&Co 6”x6” ‘Life's Journey’ PP that I’ve had sitting dormant for months & that dictated my choice of brown Bazzill CS as the basis for the book & my colour scheme!!

The first prompt dealt with taking a self portrait photograph which actually included whatever camera, phone or gadget you used to take the photograph…then write a note to self to comment on how taking that photo made me feel…do I include myself on my LO’s…& why I signed up for this class?!!

It’s taken me years to be satisfied with seeing my own handwriting on a project…something my good friend Karen once said made me persevere. She pointed out that we scrap to preserve memories & maybe future generations would get more of a feeling for who we were & that we were really here if they see our handwriting & not just the printed words! Can’t argue with that!! I just hope my albums will be around that long!!!

Anyway…I digress!!! Back to prompt two..which asked the question ‘Am I Adventurous?’

Then we had to write ourselves a postcard to record what we felt was the most adventurous moment of our life so far!!! I actually had two ‘Adventures’ during one holiday, so I made & wrote two cards, using photo’s from those moments, & mailed them back to myself!!!

The moments in question were on my first visit to Turkey in 2005…planned as just a beach holiday, we ended up submerging ourselves in the mud baths at Dalyan & jumping off the top of a VERY high mountain to parascend to the beach!!! I’m not usually a thrill seeker so that second one particularly was a BIG adventure!!

Prompt three involved a bit of blog hopping, looking at all sorts of creative ideas involving maps. We also got to work on cutting out circles of various sizes to make our own embellishments in readiness for prompt five!! This is still a work-in-progress, so I will share that one later!! However, I did complete prompt three’s page in my ‘Playbook’! Inspired by some map covered letters on one blog, I followed suit & used the word ‘Journey’ on a favourite photo, taken locally, along with an appropriate quote!!

Prompt four was about the perception of perfection! There was some advice on taking the perfect photo…lighting & angle being two areas to experiment with. There were questions to ponder…Am I a perfectionist? What is perfect in my life right now? I didn’t take any new photo’s to illustrate the answer to Q2…I used a recent far-from-perfect one & added it to my Playbook!!

Finally, Friday brought prompt five!! This involves working on a full size project incorporating this weeks themes & of course those map circle embellishments! There were sketches provided for inspiration…BUT…as I had two DT deadlines to meet by Sunday night, I put this one on the back burner, just for now!!!

Prompts six through nine are all digested & saved, to be caught up on in, hopefully, the very near future, & when that’s done I’ll be back to bring you up to date!!

Thanks for stopping by & if you’re a fellow Explore classmate, I look forward to seeing your work in the forum once time permits a good old browse!!! :)

Typically English Sunday Day Out!

2011-07-23T14:07:00.001+01:00

On Sunday 10th July (one of my rare Sundays off work!) we woke to blue sky’s & sunshine! What would we do today to make the most of this glorious weather? A quick look in the local paper told us that the ‘Bedfordshire County Show’ was taking place this very weekend…& not half an hours drive away!!!

In the Grounds of the stately Shuttleworth College there were all sorts of stalls, activities & shopping marquees. In the main show arena there was a programme of demonstrations taking place & as we arrived it was the hounds from the local hunt being put through their paces! The sun was still shining!!

The first thing Lee & Alex made a bee-line for was the clay pigeon shooting. Lee has had a go at this once before, but Alex never has. It is not usual for Alex to ‘put himself out there’ preferring to blend into the background…he hates being the focus of attention, but in this instance I think he was there before he knew it & he really enjoyed himself!!

As an avid player of X-Box shooting games, but never having fired a ‘real’ gun, he amazed us all by hitting three out of his five clays…not bad for a first attempt! He was thrilled to beat his Dad, who managed to hit one & just clip a second!!! He’s is also very proud of the bruise on his shoulder from the recoil of the gun!!!

Not to be outdone Nathan not only took a turn at the ‘Sniper’ air rifles, but proved to be a natural with a bow…hitting a bull's-eye with his first arrow!!

Maybe there is something to be said for all those hours playing computer games after all?!!!

After all that excitement we stopped for an ice cream & a wander around the stands…

…we met this lovely little guy, scampering around on the end of a leash…

…which he almost slipped out of so the lady from the ‘Ferret Society’ had to grab him quick…great photo opportunity!!

Then we met these guys…they were so aloof!!

Alex & Nathan both reverted to ‘Toddlerdom’ & insisted on having a go at hooking a duck…winning two toy sniper rifles!! They then proceeded to re-enact their successes of their earlier shooting prowess!!

There were several vintage cars doing the rounds of the show…this was my favourite…doesn’t it just show that originally cars were just ‘horseless carriages’ & it took a while for the design of motor vehicles to get away from actual carriages!!

The boys spotted some enormous inflatable slides & headed off to play…

There were twenty two inflatable steps up that steep inflatable ramp!

It took a fair amount of time & energy to get to the top of that steep ramp…& only seconds to slide back down again!!!

They had six goes for their money & at first I thought that seemed a bit mean but believe me…it was enough!!

Alex’s Diabetes always means we need to watch his sugar levels when he exerts himself…& I can safely say that they were both exerted!! So much so that not only Alex had to have a lie down in the shade of a tree & a Glucose drink when they’d done on the slide!!

We decided on some lunch & headed off to the food area…Pat moved a chair into the shade of a tree as the sun was now really fierce…but just look at that sky!!

I commented to Lee while we queued for our hot-dogs that it looked a bit stormy & he agreed that we may indeed get a shower!!!!

After eating, Lee & the boys headed off to the ‘Army’ exhibit & assault course while Pat & I went to check out the Craft Tent…as you do!! We had not been in there for five minutes when we heard the unmistakable sound of rain beating down on canvas!!!

A quick phone call let us know that Lee & the boys were sheltering in the Army trailer & would join us as soon as the ‘shower’ had passed by!!

Well…in typical English fashion, that shower didn’t stop for an hour!!! After ten minutes we left the Craft Tent & joined the boys, as somebody (yours truly) had had the foresight to bring an umbrella!!

We all decided to head off back to the car, agreeing that we’d all seen & done what we wanted & that the sky still looked full of rain!!

As we walked past the show arena, the Pony Club were bravely continuing with their demonstration…British stiff upper lip & all that!! Those poor ponies..not to mention the little girls were all soaked to the skin!!

Once home & out of our wet things we settled down to tea, scones & a Victoria sponge sandwich cake…the perfect way to round off an English Sunday outing!!

Thanks for stopping by…I’m almost up to date now…will be back to share week one of Shimelle’s ‘Explore’ class very soon! I hope you’re all having a great weekend! :)

A Whistle-Stop Catch-Up!!

2011-07-18T19:06:00.001+01:00

Now that the excitement of the past week has died down & Mum-In-Law has returned home, I can update you with what else has been making me smile!!

Before Mum-In-Law arrived, I set about preparing her room, which is actually half of the room my scrap space is in!! I try to keep the two areas separate & it all as prettily coordinated as possible, in my favourite shade of blue…& of course there has to be polka dots!!

As my scrap space has grown & developed, I’m aware that the view from the bed is what you might call a bit busy, so I went into the loft to retrieve an MDF folding screen, bought years ago & never put to good use!!

I started off by painting white emulsion on all of the edges & a good brush width in from those edges.

While that was drying & using a template I had cut earlier, I cut the six pieces of wallpaper I was going to use to cover the screen.

Then I pasted each piece in turn & applied them to the panels, trimming as I went!!

What I ended up with was a room divider which screened off my scrap desk while not actually blocking out any light from the window…

I am so pleased with the end result & to think that it’s been sitting in the loft for more than ten years!!!

Another thing that made me smile last week nearly saw me rear-ending a Sainsbury’s delivery van!! While negotiating the many roundabouts in Milton Keynes I spotted said van ahead of me…

…I didn't really pay much attention to it’s stickers at first, thinking them to be the usual hazard warning signs. Then, at a particularly congested roundabout the penny dropped & I scrambled in my bag on the passenger seat for my always-close-at-hand point & shoot camera!!!

Believe me, it’s not advisable to try & take photo’s while also trying to keep up with moving traffic…albeit very slow moving….but these really brought a smile to my face…way to go Sainsbury’s!!!

After what has been far too long a time, I managed a cinema visit!! We saw ‘Bridesmaids’ & it made me laugh till I cried!!

Irreverent, totally non-PC & in places downright crude, it is still such a funny, heart-warming story of friendship & sisterhood. If you’re easily offended, don’t go see it, but if you don’t mind bad language & cringe worthiness in equal measure I highly recommend it for it’s entertainment factor!!!

I received an email last week that had me laughing out loud too!!!

There seem to be plenty of emails doing the rounds at the moment that are nostalgic & celebrate those of us ‘of a certain age’…

… this one pondered what happened to all those hippy chicks of the 1960’s who embraced free love, smoked pot, got tattooed with emblems of peace & love & generally thumbed their noses at the establishment & the strictures of their parents upbringing?!!!

All will be revealed at the bottom of this post!!!!

One more thing to smile about….Shimelle has a new class that started today!

Called ‘Explore’ it promises to be a journey of self discovery!!! I must admit that I resisted this one at first because as you know I have the ‘When I Grow Up’ class to enjoy, courtesy of the lovely Mel, but I figured that ‘WIGU’ will still be there once ‘Explore’ is done & I do enjoy the forum while a class is in full swing!!!

I still have one more catch up post to bring me up to date, so I’ll be back before the week is out!

I hope you are all well & happy & finding lots to smile about!!

So…whatever happened to that 1960’s Hippy Chick I mentioned earlier?

Well…she still looks like a free spirit to me!!

Thanks for stopping by & come back soon!! :)

Such A Proud Day!!

2011-07-12T18:29:00.001+01:00

It’s amazing, but another full week has passed by!! Where does the time go?…& I’ve not even been on-line every day, so I can’t blame the internet for once!!!

I have so much to share with you from the past week, but today I have to focus on the amazing day we had yesterday!! It was of course…Hubby’s Graduation Ceremony!!

Now I know I’ve already said how proud of him we all are, but I have to say it again!! When he walked up to us in his cap & gown, it sort of polarised the appreciation of his hard work & dedication over the last three years…can’t you just see how he was enjoying his day…it’s written all over his face!!

Before the ceremony, we all gathered in the square outside of the venue in Bedford…the sun was shining & everyone there was either sporting a cap & gown or in thier ‘Sunday Best’!!

One elderly lady…a complete stranger…came up to Lee to tell him how wonderful it was to see a ‘Mature Graduate’ & heartily congratulated him…we guess she was probably a retired teacher…but how sweet to take the time to speak to him. He didn’t stop beaming all day!!!

I felt he looked very smart in his cap & gown, but he now has a new nickname…Mr Chips!!! Don’t you think he looks like Martin Clunes when he played the role in the 2002 remake of the classic 1939 movie ‘Goodbye Mr Chips’…..

Of course Mum-In-Law Pat enjoyed every moment too…

…& I did step out from behind my camera to get into the picture as well, for posterity…

…but under much protest, I hasten to add!!

The ceremony itself was very grand…lots very theatrical robes in the procession & lots of ‘academic speak’…

I learned a new word…’Graduand’…it kept coming up in the speeches & I thought at first it was ‘Graduate’ being pronounced softly, but when all four speakers used the same pronunciation, I realised it was something I needed to look up….& here’s what I found…

“Graduand refers to the status of an undergraduate or graduate student in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United States of America, or the West Indies who has finished his or her studies at university, but not yet graduated in a formal ceremony.

After the ceremony, the graduand becomes a graduate.”

…Can you tell I was a ‘Tech’ College girl?!!!!

Then it was home for high tea with the obligatory celebration cake…& it had to be chocolate, of course!!!

Thanks for stopping by & allowing me to ‘show off’ off my Hubby’s big day!!

Fingers crossed that this time next year I’ll be doing the very same thing again for his ‘Masters'… ; )

Oodles of Thank You’s!

2011-07-05T17:50:00.001+01:00

It feels like I’m composing a ‘Thank You’ speech for an awards ceremony!!!!

Firstly…Thank You so much to everyone who left congratulatory words for my Hubby! He has been blown away by them all! I’m sure he thinks that me blogging equates to ‘chatting over the garden wall’ but now & again I think he realises that it really is much more!!

Secondly…A very appreciative Thank You to the lovely furrypig who left this comment on my last post…

Hi Sandi I had the same problem with leaving comments for ages, Rachel B posted a few different things to try on her blog, the first being to uncheck the 'keep me signed in' box and it seems to have worked. Will watch to see how you get on

…well…doing just that one thing has allowed me to comment freely again!! So…a MEGA Thank You there I think!!! : )

Finally a special Thank You to a group of ladies who made me very welcome when we moved to this village over seven years ago & who, once a month on our ‘PTA Mums Night Out’ (bearing in mind that all of our kids left the village school eons ago!!) have my sides aching with laughter & who I know will always ‘be there’ for me & mine!!

Cheers! Julie, Kali & Sue…

…& Donna too…I know that work comes first, but we miss you on our monthly jaunts!!

Thanks for stopping by…I’m off to make up the bed & prep the room for Mum-In-Laws visit this weekend. She’s coming for Lee’s Graduation Ceremony & staying the week. The boys are so excited to see her & with Alex on work experience for the mornings only, he’ll get to spend some quality 1:1 time with her too!

Come back soon! : )

Playing Silly Bloggers!!!

2011-07-02T11:41:00.001+01:00

Hot on the heels of yesterdays post….so if you missed that one, just keep scrolling!!!!…I would just like to say that recently Blogger has been a right pain in the bum!! For some reason that no-one seems able to fathom, I’m unable to post comments on a random selection of other blogs!! There seems no obvious common denominator at all!!

It’s not until I try & leave a comment that I find the problem…it takes me to the google sign in window…I sign in…I’m back at the comment window & it shows my comment as from ‘Anonymous’…I enter the security word, hit submit & I’m back at the google sign in window again!! Aaaaargh!!!

So, if you’ve not had a comment from me in a while…I am still dropping by on a regular basis…I’m compiling a log of those blogs I’m having no joy with & hopefully some simple solution will present itself…if you have any suggestions, all are welcome!!!

So, back on to the post ‘proper’!! July’s challenge inspiration over at ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’ comes from the movie poster ‘All About Eve’…

As a lifelong fan of Marilyn Monroe I love this film…it’s where she got her big break & you can really see what a natural talent she was!

As usual, when I like a movie poster, my interpretation of it is quite literal!! I particularly liked the white background & the graphic ‘feel’ of the blocked colours & arrows against the black & white photo’s.

The added criteria for extra points this month are…1) use four colourful arrows 2) use hearts & 3) use half or quarter of a face somewhere on the LO.

So here’s my take on this months challenge…

Why not play along with us this month? I’d love to see some entries from you in the ‘Linky’ over at ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’ & there are, as always, some awesome prizes of scrappy goodies up for grabs too!!

Thanks for stopping by again!…& I do hope you’re all enjoying a sunny & restful weekend!! :)

All Downhill From Here?!!…

2011-07-01T17:50:00.001+01:00

Can you believe that we are already at the halfway point of 2011?!! Six full months behind us & the remaining six start right here…today!!! Just thought I’d point that out in case you hadn’t noticed!!!!

As it’s the first of the month I have a lot of creativity to share, so I’ll keep the chat to a minimum (if at all possible…you know me!!!)

I thought that this would be my last month on the DT over at Dixie Pieces & therefore my last time of sharing my kit submissions…but no!! Sherry has kindly offered a three month extension…of course I readily agreed!!!

The Dixie Pieces kit for July is called ‘Tropical Paradise’ & is a dream! Bright colours, varied textures, interesting embellishments & a wonderful array of alpha’s…something (if not everything!!) for everyone!!

So…what did I do with it all?!!!

Firstly, a few LO’s…

Hi! Ann & Hilary…hope you don’t mind being featured!! I love this photo!!!

That polka dot tissue paper is wonderful to work with & adds such texture!!

There’s Hilary again!…she’ll be charging me royalties if I keep this up!!! Check out those zipper flowers…I’ll be raiding my sewing box to make some more of these!!!

Then I struggled with how to use that Maya Road Watermelon chipboard mini…

...& decide to bind it into a mini memory book for my recent trip to Mallorca!!

…& finally…with the wonderful news I shared in my last post! I had to make a card for Hubby…

…the inside reads “ with love from your very own Mrs Robinson!”

The silhouette was cut…funnily enough…on my Silhouette!!

You can check out all the Dixie Pieces DT kit examples in the Gallery & every day through July there will be a scrap lift challenge in the forum. The first one is up already, so get over there & check it out now!! I do hope I’ll see some of you playing along with us this month!

That’s it from me for today…I’ll be back soon with another LO & the latest challenge from ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’…Thanks so much for stopping by & I hope you’re all enjoying ‘That Friday Feeling’!!! :)

What a week that was!!

2011-06-27T22:36:00.001+01:00

It has been one hectic, productive & joyous week!!

I’m not sure if it’s a story I’ve shared here before, but a little over three years ago my Hubby was made redundant, after 30 years in the finance industry. He made the decision to take a complete change of direction & embarked on a three year, part time, teaching degree course.

This week he learned that not only has he achieved a 2:2 grade on his degree, but that he has also been offered a place on a one year Masters degree course…full time, this time…starting in September!

I am so proud of his achievements…not only has he been studying for three years, but also working as a part time teaching assistant & taking various freelance work at all hours of the day, to ensure that the bills get paid!!!

So, on July 11th, at age 53, he will don a cap & gown for his Graduation Ceremony!! You can be sure there will plenty of photo’s to share of the event!!

We’ve also been working hard this week to get Alex’s ‘work experience’ two weeks organised! It has been a real issue as there seemed to be no local employer willing to take him, even with a teaching assistant in attendance. I can understand why, but it has been stressful!

But…the SENCO at school has been marvellous & has arranged for Alex to work within the administration dept at school, with particular involvement from the IT guys, who have already put together a sequence of programmes for Alex to work on. It is such a relief to know that he will be able to get a valuable taste of a working environment, albeit a very familiar one!

Nathan came home proudly bearing his latest DT project…a mirrored wall decoration…

…”that’s lovely” I said “but isn’t ‘MOM’ a little American?”

“Oh Mum” he said “it’s not MOM…it’s WOW…it stands for ‘World Of Warcraft!”…Silly Me!! It’s obvious really isn’t it?!! I guess I should have known!!!
Anyway…Whatever!!…I think he’s made a good job of it!!

Also this week I’ve been up & down the loft ladder more times than I can count! I’ve cleared a space (mainly by relegating to the tip a load of empty cardboard boxes that Hubby always thinks may just come in handy!!) large enough to work in, sorting through our accumulated ‘Stuff’…mainly with a view to listing on eBay or car-booting! But now at least my scrap room isn’t piled high with said stuff!

Today's project was to complete the smartening up of our wheelie bin store! A space we created to house two of our three bins, which, although totally necessary are a bit of an eyesore!!

Some time ago, we laid some slabs & put up some posts & trellis & that was how it stayed…project incomplete!

Over time the trellis fell apart, so something had to be done!!

Yesterday, while I was at work, Hubby attached a reed screen around the two open sides, & today I have removed a strip of turf (established turf & very stubborn!!) & laid gravel up to the slabs to make a standing for two very old but much loved terracotta troughs! I’ve planted them up with Nicotina & Busy Lizzies & now the whole area is much easier on the eye!

I can tell you it was very warm work…but on the plus side I’ve topped my holiday tan up very nicely! We are now waiting for the promised thunderstorm to commence! It is so hot & humid & it will be bliss to have some rainfall to take the temperature down a notch or two!

I’ll leave you with a new sign I have above my computer desk in my scrap room…it says it all really…..

I’m working overtime for the next two days, & the boys are off school on Thursday, owing to teachers industrial action, so this week will be gone in a flash! Can you believe it’s the 1st July on Friday?!!!! I’ll be back then with some creativity to share!

Thanks for stopping by & I wish you all a great week! :)

Getting Back Into Routine!…

2011-06-19T15:13:00.001+01:00

I must admit I almost feel like I’m still on holiday!! Apart from the housework that is!! But…once I regained control in that area & Lee headed off for his extended Golf weekend, I decided that some serious scrapping time was in order! So on Friday I opened my Dixie Pieces July kit…Yum!! Obviously I can’t share what I got up to with that just yet, but suffice to say I’ve had great fun with it so far!!

Then, yesterday I decided to take up the challenge thrown down by Karen Findlay over at Soul Scrappers. I was lucky enough to be one of the first 20 to respond & was sent a kit of scrappy embellishments with which to complete the challenge.

The theme for this Quest is ‘Nautical’ & the idea is to use all of the above in your project & add anything else you like! There are also chances to earn extra points along the way for added criteria. So this is what I came up with…

Alex in June 2009 on the ferry between Dover & Calais…it was an extremely blustery day but he spent the entire crossing on deck, enjoying the motion of the ship & having his breath literally taken away at every turn!!

I managed to incorporate every last item sent in the kit…in fact I was amazed at how easily they were swallowed up in this LO!! I had a go at another ‘page burst’..a square one this time & pleated, rather than rolled my cut pieces. I embossed the metal star to add a bit of texture & used one of the DSPP scraps to cover my chip alpha’s. The only thing I’m not happy about is my handwriting on the stamped tag, but then I never am!!

Today has gone much in the same vein…house tidied…crock pot on with a casserole for this evening meal…cake baked for dessert (well it is Fathers Day after all!) & I’m having some more ‘ME’ time at my scrap desk & PC!! Lee will be home later this evening & I’ll be required to listen to a hole-by-hole account of the tournament, so I should sleep well tonight!!!!

Can I just mention my good friend Karen…if you’ve not already read about it on her blog HERE…had the awful experience of being burgled last Friday!! Do pop over & leave her some love…she seems to be taking it all in her stride but you can never have too much moral support!!!

Thanks for stopping by & I hope all those Fathers out there are being thoroughly spoiled today!! :)

Ola!! I’m back & in one piece!!!

2011-06-16T23:46:00.001+01:00

I’m happy to report that I’ve returned from my week away without incident, injury or ailment…a first for me in quite a while!!!

I actually arrived home on Tuesday afternoon, but as you can imagine, having left Lee & the boys at home, it has taken me two full days to de-crumb the kitchen & blitz the bathrooms!!! Not to mention unpack & clear the backlog of laundry as well as my own suitcase full!! But it feels good to say that the house is straight, the fridge/freezer & cupboards restocked, all that washing dry & awaiting it’s appointment with the iron!!! Lee headed off for his annual Golf tournament this lunchtime & will be away till Sunday night, so I’m planning some serious scrapping time this weekend…oh & of course that ironing….maybe!!!!

Now…the holiday! We left Birmingham Airport in the early morning sunshine & enjoyed a turbulent free flight & easy landing, only to discover as we headed out of Palma Airport that while we had been collecting our luggage, the heavens had opened!!! All I can say is that I’m glad I always carry an umbrella!!

We had an hours drive to our resort & I took the opportunity to sleep….when we arrived the rain had stopped & the sky was blue!

We were pleased to find our Aparthotel was set in a very salubrious residential area & was very well presented. The reception staff were very efficient & it took only a few minutes for us to be checked in & allocated our apartment.

We set off past the large swimming pool & it’s literal maze of sun loungers…I couldn’t help thinking how, if every bed was occupied, just how crowded & noisy it would be!!

We soon found our apartment, on the first floor of the far corner block, with it’s balcony facing the right way to catch the early afternoon sun. Looking out of the bedroom window we saw another smaller pool, which we decided would be our choice!!

We also noticed a HUGE covered area, which turned out to be the ‘Show Tent’ & as we unpacked we heard the ‘In House Entertainment Team’ rehearsing their musical numbers for that nights show. On checking our welcome pack we learned that the programme was DAILY…& EVERY night from 7pm there was a Kids Disco, Bingo, Karaoke…& from 10pm till midnight a musical extravaganza!!! Oh Joy!!!…& our apartment not even 50 yards away from the stage!!!!

Once unpacked, we set off to explore the local terrain! There was a complimentary land train running between the hotel & the Sa Coma seafront & we hopped onto that to get the lie of the land!

Rosemary & I holding on tight during the very bumpy ‘train’ ride!!

Rosemary’s friend, Carol kept asking ‘Are we there yet?’…it did seem like quite a way! We later learned that it was actually one & a half Kilometres, & we ended up walking that, sometimes four times a day!!

As I mentioned before, we were right at the top of a very respectable residential area, with lovely gated villas. Everywhere was landscaped beautifully with architectural plants & a riot of colour…

These home owners must have cringed the day they found out what was planned for their neighbourhood!!

There was constant traffic, both vehicular & pedestrian, not to mention the regular promoters of various clubs & bars standing at each corner handing out flyers!…& that was before we discovered just how loud that show was each night too!!

We were amazed at how many families with children were there, in term time. Mainly UK northerners, judging by the variety of accents from Yorkshire, Newcastle & Manchester. I have never seen so many tattoos & piercings in one place…& if I had any qualms about my size in a swimsuit, I need not have worried…there were too many women of indeterminate dress sizes to count, in bikinis too… without a care in the world!!

But hey!! We were there to chill & enjoy ourselves, our apartment was really only a place to sleep & prepare breakfast…we weren’t going to be around to witness the great unwashed playing Bingo or singing Karaoke..were we?!!!

After stopping off at the supermarket for supplies & at a restaurant for a light meal that first day, we walked back to the hotel…along this long road……

…around the corner & along this long road…

…up as hill, across the road & up another long stretch of road & back into our hotel complex!!

We decided to catch the evening rays on the balcony, before getting an early night to be fresh for an early start the next morning…well, it had been over 36hours since we’d all last been to bed!!!

All I can say is that at 10pm when the show started, the windows in our apartment were vibrating & no earplugs in the world would have silenced the sounds of the Michael Jackson Tribute show that was happening right outside…& I love MJ’s music, but I was so glad when midnight came & there was relative quiet again!!

The next morning, we set off to the beach, bright & early at 8am. The sun was shining & we walked briskly, looking forward to our first full day at the beach. The sand was clean, the water azure & we’d been told you could walk out for 100yards & still be only waist deep…I love the sea!!

We walked along the seafront until we found a nice looking spot….an unusual landmark in the shape of this tree caught my eye…

…& we made our way down the boardwalk to the waters edge, choosing a parasol & three sun beds at the edge of the ‘block’, so as not to be in the middle of things!!!! How little we knew!!! While Carol stayed with the beds & our belongings, Rosemary & I ventured in to the sea for a glorious swim…it really was lovely!!

When we got back to the beds, Carol told us that the guy had been to collect payment for the bed/parasol hire…€18.50 for the day!!! That’s £6.00 each just to lie on a bed under a single shared parasol!!!! Daylight robbery!!…but, as we’d paid, we settled down to enjoy our investment!!

I dozed off as I dried in the sunshine….when I awoke, you could barely see a patch of sand between the bodies, tents, inflatable's & beach paraphernalia. Nor could a word of English be heard!! We had obviously chosen the ‘German’ end of the beach!! By midday the weather had turned & we beat a hasty retreat into a nearby restaurant to shelter from the storm & ended up taking three hours over toasted sandwiches, pecan waffles & several bottles of San Miguel!!! Well, sometimes these things just have to be done!!!

With valuable lessons learned we soon established a routine that meant we sunbathed ‘rent free’ by the small pool at the hotel…visited the beach to swim/paddle without needing to hire sun beds…ate later in the evening so that by the time we returned to the apartment the evenings entertainment was winding up & we were able to avoid the drunken masses & get to sleep!!

The whole week went smoothly from there on in…the weather alternated between scorching sun accompanied by a cool breeze & humid sticky thunderstorms, but we all came home with respectable suntans & with all that walking I’m happy to report that in spite of eating some amazing dinners…all followed by lush desserts…I gained only 3lbs!! Add to that the fact that although we window-shopped each evening, I bought only a small gift each for Lee & the boys & for the first time ever, came home with a generous portion of my spending money intact!!!! Result!!

To wind up, I’d like to share some photo’s I took out of the window of the airplane on the return flight. Now I am not a good flyer…just climbing inside the metal tube of an aircraft makes me nervous & I will never argue with anyone who wants a window seat…quite frankly I’d prefer not to know how far off the ground I actually am. So when it was unavoidable that I sit by the window I thought I’d spend the entire flight with the blind drawn!!

BUT…it was such a gorgeous morning that I soon became mesmerised as I watched Majorca growing smaller..

Just look at the blue of that sea….sitting just behind the wings meant that there was heat haze from the engines but everything was just so visible!!!

We were soon over the snow tipped Alps….just so beautiful!!

Then over the south English coastline & pleased to see that the sun was shining to welcome us home!!

And finally, we were descending over the Warwickshire countryside for a very bumpy landing which made me so glad to be back on terra firma…but for the first time I can remember I actually enjoyed the view from my seat on a plane!!!

So that’s it…a non eventful holiday for a change!! Not a slip, trip or tumble to report, nothing lost or stolen & no confrontation with anyone at all!! But as much as I’m chilled & rested, I don’t think I’ll be hurrying back to Sa Coma anytime soon!!

Thanks for stopping by…I’m hoping to get around to everyone over the next couple of days for a spot of catching up & commenting! I hope you have a great weekend wherever you are!! :)

The Only Way Is Up!!!

2011-06-03T21:49:00.001+01:00

But First…a blessing!! One that came my way earlier this week…

Shimelle had blogged about a Charity she feels strongly about…’Because I Am A Girl’ you can read all about it HERE. She asked for all our support in spreading the word & for 24 hours donated 100% of her class sales to said charity.

Mel of ‘I Speak Melsh’ fame decided to offer one of Shimelle’s classes as a giveaway on her blog & I was lucky enough to be selected by the random selector thingy & so have a brand spanking new ‘When I Grow Up’ class all ready & waiting for me when I get back from my holiday!! Even better news is that in that 24 hour period Shimelle raised £1200 for ‘Because I Am A Girl’ & you can read all about that HERE! Thank you Mel for that opportunity & for your generosity.

Now, back to ‘UP’…

…this is the movie poster which is the inspiration for the June Challenge over at ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’…

…the added criteria are a) to use clouds b) to use balloons/hot air balloon(s) & c) to use/make a 3D embellishment.

I loved this film & as it was a Disney/Pixar movie I decided to keep the cartoon feel. I took further inspiration from a LO featured in the Pencil Lines Sketch book & this is how my LO ended ‘up’…

The photo is of Alex looking ‘up’ whilst riding the London Eye on St Valentines Day 2008…so long overdue for scrapping!! I had fun with paint & a piece of punched plastic…lots of pop-dots to create a 3D effect & so many bits & bobs that have been languishing in my stash for far too long!! It felt good to get them onto a page!!

So why not join in with us this month? There are already some awesome DT submissions up for your perusal & some gorgeous prizes up for grabs this month too! Go check it out now & tell Shazza I sent you!!!

It’s now only three days till I head off to Majorca!! It looks as if you might be getting a heat wave here in the UK while I’m away, so I’m hoping it doesn’t rain over there!!! I’ve been steadily getting the house all in order, cupboards stocked etc…there’s an apple crumble in the freezer & I even baked a cake yesterday, thinking it would last through the weekend. But no!!! Nathan had a friend for a sleepover last night & by the time I got back from my trip to Tesco this afternoon every last crumb had been devoured!!! Not even a single white chocolate button left! So much for that idea!!

As well as the house, I’ve been trying to keep up with what’s going on in the garden. The roses have gone mad, the Aquilegia have excelled themselves & don’t get me started on the Jasmines!!!

The sweet peas are showing promise & I’ve planted up pots with Busy Lizzies for a bit of colour. Now all I have to do is hope that the boys remember to water everything for me while I’m away or it could all just be brown & crispy when I get back!!

Finally…can anyone explain to me why… when there is a whole King sized bed at a cats disposal, does he see fit to curl up on my laptop cover?!!!

He’s obviously a Cath Kidston fan!!!

Thanks for dropping by & I hope the sun is shining where you are…have an awesome weekend! :)

School’s Out!!

2011-06-02T12:46:00.001+01:00

That’s the name of the latest monthly kit from Dixie Pieces & I have to say this has to be my favourite kit EVER!! As soon as I opened that pizza box I was itching to get scrapping…so many possibilities!

As the title suggests, there are items in the kit that are school related, such as the sheet of alpha’s & quotes from the ‘Elementary’ range by Simple Stories & the ‘Time Cards’, but the selection of PP’s is stunning & all double sided!! I love the chipboard alpha’s & buttons especially…all in all a FABULOUS kit!!

Here is what I did with mine…

Another of those long overdue to be scrapped photo’s! Nathan, aged two at Legoland…he kept going back to this little fella…I think he liked that he was the same size!!!

Here are those alpha’s…an idea borrowed from someone in Shimelle’s ‘Something From Almost Nothing’ class, a while back, but the idea stuck with me!! Another overdue photo of Father-In-Law, Murray, who sadly passed away four years ago & is missed so much by all of us, especially the boys.

My first attempt at a ‘Shadowbox’ LO…inspired by one created by the lovely Jocelyn! I used a photo that was less than perfect, with us all squinting into the sunshine…it’s been one I’ve always liked but wished we’d not had our eyes closed!!..& that is one of my June challenges over at Dixie Pieces….to embrace those flaws & scrap the moment…picture perfect or not!!!

There had to be at least one on a school theme!!! Fist day back at school last September & the first day having both boys back in the same school. They always look so smart heading off in their uniforms…but how long does it last?!!!

Finally, two cards! I had fun using the Kaiser Craft grid stamp & the glossy accents to create the flowers centres over a punched circle (used a normal paper paunch…perfect!!)

So that’s it for today…I highly recommend that you get on over to Dixie Pieces & visit the gallery to see all of the DT creations with this fabulous kit……& grab one for yourself before they sell out!!! There are some great challenges to take part in this month too, so check those out while you’re there!!

Thanks so much for stopping by & those of you with kids at home this week, I hope you’re surviving!! At least the sun has decided to shine for a few days!!

I’ll be back soon with some more scrappy stuff & news of a blessing I received yesterday!! :)