The end of an era

I posted off a completed circle journal yesterday. Gave me a bit of a pang! I'm excited for Net whose journal it is but it feels funny now we have reached the end of the circle. Mine won't arrive back today but Sue W who has it now, not only does splendiferous pages but also is super speedy! So it won't be long.
Net's CJ was called "Did you know" - a crafty way to be nosy if you ask me (and i just wish i had thought of it first!) Most of the interesting things about me I share anyway so I decided to put 6 truths and 6 fibs and you have to work out which are which. Net also wanted the CJ to be "purty" so i was very brave and broke out my fave BG Phoboe papers. Oh they are even nicer to use than to look at!
There will be a big reveal so I can't really share but I will give you the tiniest peek!

I then used the same papers to make a Carole Janson style birthday card. I showed people how to make these at the cardmaking club at church and they went down a treat. The funny thing is that i suggested inking the edges first but they prefer not to do that (wastes too much time) and my hands then itch to get at the paper and ink it myself. Oooh I am such a tyrant! There were 10 of us there and they all have so much fun. I end up shattered though!
Anyway this card is for a lovely lady at Church. Numbers were die cut as I was trying to robo something for someone else at the same time. I have tried to make my own mat for Jimbo out of laminating sheet and repo spray but it has not been successful so far. Stems were hand drawn although i could have used my stamps. Just didn't have time as I needed to get to the post office!
One day I will get a good close up of these flowers. Still haven't got the knack (must read camera manual)

Last night we watched the remake of the Poseidon Adventure. Carys was on the large sofa with Emrys and I was enjoying a rare snuggle with H. I looked at Carys and her face was a bit drawn "Do you need a cuddle?" (there were lots of dead bodies). She practically leapt into my arms, it was so funny. Today she declared that although she hid her face for some of the film (more dead bodies) she really enjoyed it.
I entered calmer waters later with my LO of the walk at Maldon.
I'm still trying to things the Ali Edwards way and mix up papers from different companies but it isn't half messy! and I had just about decided on the papers and was seeking letters when my eye fell on these Fancy Pants scalloped stickers. So all the little bits I have already punched out of three different papers will have to be saved (yup I will need to take a photo to match!). Other paper is Chatterbox and Feb SA kit which I can't remember the name of, for the journalling.
Here is the journalling close up - it is not very erudite but I love to have a nose at what people have written on their LO's and I'm just thinking of your eyes!
I'm still shattered after a long weekend of work so i am having a night off tonight too. But my brain will be stretched by the current DCM dare! They are getting harder and harder!

Oooh nearly forgot Gillian sent me a fandabbidozie (!) RAK which will be great for Mothers Day cards. smooches Gillian!

PHEW!!!!!!

Got the letter today and Carys has got into Gaynes. I cried with relief. It is so stupid because as long as the application form was in there was almost no chance of her being sent anywhere else. But there was that lingering doubt - what if I hadn't sent the form after all and was put down as an uncaring parent?
I'll find out about everyone else at home time today. it is quite hard for Carys as we didn't get into our catchment area primary school so most of the Year 6 will go to a different secondary school. But I'm sure she will make new friends. Emrys has a great set of friends now at Gaynes that he didn't have at Junior School. He had a postcard today from the Geography Department to say well done on getting a level 6c in his exam. I think that is a brilliant idea!

Here are my Daring Cardmaker cards this week. I did two - similar in style as I used up the black cards with the Jan SA kit but using different out of my comfort zone techniques. The one on the site uses some rather strange peel offs that I bought ages ago and hadn't used. All black plastic bits. I think they are Francoise Read. I meant to use the more normal type of peel off but just was not inspired. It isn't a criticism of those who use peel offs because they can look great, but they are so not me any more!
The head, hat and little black flowers are peel offs
KI memories paper, Prima flowers, brads from Carolyns shop, safmat sentiment (love that word that the Americans use. Greeting sounds so much colder doesn't it?!). Both the ribbon and the mat for the head are actually pale blue!
This one uses some papermania stickers that I have had for ever and never used. They are very sweet but I obviously wasn't as inspired as I thought I would be when I bought them! Stripy paper is from SA Jan kit (one of the best ever!); ribbons and brad from stash; safmat sentiment; Auntie Sarah's bloomer.

Right off to the Traidcraft coffee Morning at church now to celebrate Fairtrade fortnight!

"It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining

I think I'll go and see my friend Big Ears!"

One of those things I say on a lovely day like today and part of a joke that is just a little too rude for this blog (not crude for a change, just sweary) but that will keep me snorking to myself all day in boring meetings (most aren't but anything involving numbers makes me light headed) (and snork is the noise I make when I laugh at rude stuff)

Anyway the sun is shining and I so love getting up in the daylight again. Clocks go forward soon (on Mother's Day which is so wrong. That should be lie in day not get up extra early day). Busy day but wanted to catch up with the blog as
1: I have monogram cards to share. i tried to put one on the Daring Cardmakers blog but it ate Jo's and as she is well scary in real life I took mine away again quick!
If I am honest I didn't make them this week. One was as part of the card making Club at Church and the other was for Hywel's birthday. But I think they are good, if simple ideas of how monogram cards can work.
This is a cereal packet "t" which has utee triple embossing on it. I think chipboard would have held the powder better as I didn't intend quite the shabby chic look! It was outlined with krylon pen. "hankyou" was printed on card. Add one strip of stripy paper, and 5 eyelets added with a cropodile (got to love its action!) and theres your card.
3 Bugs H and stripy paper. Opened up my dictionary and found lots of words beginning with H which i wrote on with white pen. Attached with big green brads. don't you love it when you find something JUST the right colour in your stash?

2: Here is the LO I was struggling with. And it is pretty simple really! As I put it out again to assemble the BG Scarlet Letter paper fell in a different place and I thought - that's it! The blue I needed has come from a strip of blue vellum which I doodled white flowers over and attached with brads. The little white dots are... little white dots with my precious white pen too. I printed "party @ 10" on to card using 2 peas wild child font and left a small outline round each letter. The index card comes from here such a fun idea! And I struggled to attach it with the clip until I realised I could use it as a highlighting circle. Sweet! Circle clip from Carolyn's shop
absolute bargains and so versatile!

3: Carys wanted me to take her photo with a straight banana. It is a real struggle for a mother with a filthy mind I can tell you. I think this one is innocent enough anyway.
And she does have an orange moustache. It is from peach and carrot smoothie.

4: It is St David's Day. Hurray! "Every day when I wake up I think the Lord I'm Welsh" as Catatonia will tell you.
BUT it is also the day that every mother in the land dreads.
World.
Book.
Day.

"dress up as your favourite character from a novel" AAAAAAAAAAAaaaargh.
I finally remembered to ask Carys on Tuesday morning what she wanted to be. "Alice in Wonderland". Great. Anyway with a bit of ingeneious thinking on my part I came up with something rudimentary that might work. I was just about to proudly share my news with her when she said "I've changed my mind want to be Pinocchio". She saw my face and sia d rather hurredly and in a slightly scared voice "it's ok I'll be Alice"
She is wearing a dress worn by a bridesmaid at my mother's wedding and a pinny worn in the 50's by a friends mum working as a waitress. Please let it come home ok.

5: I cut the boys hair last night (they refuse to go to the barbers. I am NOT a v. good hairdresser though) . Managed to give Emrys a little bald patch behind his ear. well when i say little, it's not really. He hasn't noticed. yet.

6: Tomorrow we should find out about senior schools. Carys has two siblings in the one just around the corner so should be a shoo in. But what if Carys didn't hand in the form? And the school just thought I wasn't bothered? And she has to go to one of the ones with spaces because no one wants to go there? For those who dread tomorrow my prayers are with you cos it is so hard when it your children's future education is at stake.

crafty catch up

Cos if I don't now it will be about Thursday again. And although I don't blog every day myself I do think if you are going to blog you ought to post every couple of days. even if life is boring. Looking back over the weekend although I had a lot of work on I also managed a fair bit of craftiness as well. AND put the washing away. Though strangely there is oodles of clean washing once more... Oh I would love to be a domestic goddess i really would. But I am a slattern. still someone once told me it was my gift not to worry about how clean and tidy your house is - and she truly meant it as a compliment as she and her daughter were more concerned with keeping their places in tip top shape than playing with their children and allowing them to have wild times.
Ok what I really need is a housekeeper but I won't be getting one! And my kids are normally v. healthy which i put down to the influence of germs in the house at all times.

Anyhoo. Saturday night I set myself the challenge of making 10 cards before I could do a layout. And somehow I managed it!
using my SA January kit. The cards are just perfect with the papers so it made making coloured base cards a joy - I am much more of a white and cream person now. After Easter I will be getting more white and cream square cards cos I am really into those now.
Here is a close up of just oneInspired by the wonderfully talented Sue Hyde. She made a little paper sailing boat. Hers are neater than mine but then she is neat and I am scrappy in style! I thought it was a great idea for men's cards so repeated it several times in different ways. i find it really hard to make cards the same so I tend to take one or two ideas and adapt them in different ways.
So my reward was doing this
I had all these awesome photos of nature on the beach and was stuck on how to use them on a 8x8 page. Ali Edwards style came to the rescue again. And I have finally managed to use paper from more than one company on a page. It makes researching tiny squares of paper longer but the result is quite pleasing.
Here comes the credits bit
papers: Basic Grey (Stella Ruby and Phoebe); American Crafts (darkened with brown distress ink); Cosmo Cricket wanted (almost exactly the same colour palette as Stella ruby I notice. Hmmmm)
Purple Onion letter stamps (I have now coloured the B's red and it looks better); Bazzill Buttons; Be Blessed rub on (heart in top corner); my beloved pink square punch.
loves my punches i do.
Yesterday Anita came to play. Sue H couldn't come as her dad is very ill (get well soon Mr H!). we popped in to Imagine That and it was sweet torture as Emma told me about all the things she is getting in soon from the trade shows. I am going to start a wish list I reckon for when Lent is over! We made some more cards. Then I ahd to work in the evening (boo hoo) but wanted to finish a birthday card for a sweet little girl and make a layout. Took ages over the card (kept telling myself she is only 4 and not that bothered but that didn't work!) then the layout went to pieces.
I have yet more gorgeous photos of Carys dressed up for a party on Saturday.
Black and white flowery dress with a Wedgwood blue background (bathroom door - one of the only places you can take photos in the house. I am standing on the bath). I have 3 photos like this, a note generated about how she doesn't wear frilly dresses to parties anymore and black and white lettering for the title. I decided to go 8x8 but i have the perfect blue 12x12 paper. I didn't want to cut it up. The photos look good on black but then I couldn't find any paper with blue in Then I thought I would punch blue flowers to match the black and couldn't find my flower punch even though i had put all my punches away. I went into scrap meltdown which is quite funny really. Fancy having a major tantrum over paper and punches!

I am more in perspective today you will be pleased to note! But sadly cannot do anymore with said page until tomorrow night possibly but more likely next Monday. it better be worth it!!!!!

suspense is over

I'm sure you have been stalking the blog to see my layouts (tee hee!) One of them was super quick and I'm sooo pleased with it. The other took ages and I'm still not happy. Well I like the title but I should have done it much bigger but it was all stuck fast by the time I worked that out so had to work round it.
all from January SA kit apart from Our Boy and Stop letters from Lisa Bearnson QVC kit.
This one is better though
Papers are BG Perhaps; liquid pearls in Opal; 3 bugs letter stickers and papermania rub ons. Explore is a KI memories die cut
I meant the journalling to go artfully round the corner obviously.

Carys had a day off school yesterday and when she came downstairs we discovered we were in very similar clothes. So we had a bit of a photo session. Possibly becasue I have a sticker that says "like mother, like daughter" to use on a page. I don't think we look much alike really though!

20 20 or 20 plus 20

well we have been doing these card dares for 5 months now. every time we get the new challenge we all think "oh noooooo!" How am I going to do that? But we generally all, eventually, work our way through the panic and fear and come up with some amazing stuff between us. (ooh it is ahrd not to put a self deprecating comment in here but as a team we are working hard at both not comparing and not putting ourselves down. So I won't)
And then get blown away by all the amazing things that other people make and link to the blog. Artists (can you tell I've been reading an Ali Edwards book?) who have LESS time than we do to think about the dare and produce such wonderful things.

So thanks everyone who is a part of Daring Cardmakers - the dare team and those who dare!

Kathy set the dare this week. And when we decided to start talking to her again after such a fiendish challenge we agreed it was a good stretch of the creative juices! Here is how she put it...
I'm going to dare you to use 20/20 Vision for your cards.
I'd like you to use 20 of one particular thing on a card - be it blooms, papers, brads, ribbons the choice is yours - you can use other things too, but there must be 20 of one item/component - not 20 things altogether, that would be too easy.

This was done using coloured card stock! oooh I have loads of this and never use it so am trying to force myself too. Actually this blue goes with the Self Addressed kit for this month which uses Cross My Heart paper. As I am now into scrapbooking I was overjoyed to see all the stripy paper - perfect for journalling! Anyway this is (as you can tell) a super simple card. 20 punched squares using 5 different papers and some alphabet rubons.

The second one was a little more complexI went for 20 flower shapes made into 4 flowers. (those little dots are paper not brads honest) Most of them are made using punches but I also have some punch out flower shapes over from the LO of Carys and Katya so I traced round some of them. The papers are from my 6x6 BG Perhaps pad. So I've managed to use two of my new pads so far rather than just sigh over them! Also some inking (natch), green ricrac and a safmat sentiment

I made two layouts in double quick time last night. Partly because they were one photo 8x8 jobs, but also because my new Ali Edwards book is so inspiring. I love my Elsie Flannigan book, but this one speaks to me far more. Maybe I'm not a freestyle scrapper. Oh who cares! My Scrapbook consultant and I were talking about this last night. He loves the pages from our Scotland scrapbook best because they are both good to look at (he says) and remind him of particular memories. And that I suppose is at the heart of scrapbooking - not what style or paper or embellishments than you use but the memories that your layouts evoke.

Anyway I'm not showing you the LO's today as that would make this post far too long so I'll leave you in suspense until tomorrow!

Ashes

Today is Ash Wednesday. soon I will be going to church to place ashes on people's foreheads and remind them that from ashes we come and to ashes we return. Its a day to consider how things have gone astray this year and commit ourselves to using Lent to make a change in our lives. It is a very serious, solemn thing but its one of the "occasions" of the church that marks a new season and I love it.

I have resolved to give up buying new stuff in Lent again as it is good for the soul. And I managed not to do lots of last minute ordering in the last few days either. I am allowed to buy glue. there is no way I will run out of DS tape so its only glue I can buy. (I have about 50 small rolls). I can enjoy parcels that will arrive - oooh like the one today! I succumbed to Ali Edwards book the Designers eye with patterned paper cos I love using lots of patterns together and I look forward to being informed by it.

So we are at the beginning of Lent. Which means yesterday was Shrove Tuesday. Pancake Day! I made the most wonderful batter with totally fresh eggs laid that day - the batter was custard yellow. I was going to take a photo but decided it was silly. And wish I had. because one of the chickens who contributed her bounty is no more. Margi was only with us for about 10 days - we took her in because her owners were moving. The other two were just beginning to accept her. I hadn't even got round to mentioning her on here and now she is gone. We are not sure exactly what happened and when but it is at least partly my fault. Sob.

On a lighter note I am feeling better and did manage a LO on Monday night. It is 8x8 for the Scotland album. Karen G on posted a link on Carolyn's forum to this great Warning Label Generator which was begging to be used straight away.
Papers are the new Scarlet letter pad, robo lettering and arrows, stamped brackets, varied stickers and rub ons.

Sickly Sunday

Finally succumbed good and proper to the lurgy. Not good as I have work with a vengeance this next week. Sigh.
But being a dedicated blogger i have crawled out of my sick bed to show you my latest works of "art"

OK I was bored.

Last card club I took along the free papers from Scrapbook Inspirations. They were not the sort of thing I would normally use but actually realised they were quite nice and that I neeeeded some proper ones (Don't really like the shiny freebie paper) I went to Imagine That to buy some flowery Wild Asparagus but ended up with some spotty and stripy instead. And bought these matching words as I already had these photos in mind.
So its basically all three sheets of paper in strips and photo corners, plus the words, plus my new Heidi Swapp date stamp and a three quarter rosette in the corner. (My scrapping consultant suggested I needed to draw in a seagull but I went for that instead)

Actually I have realised that in the three LO's I have done there is something decorative in the top right hand corner. Wonder why?

Doing the Jack in the Box class at Imagine That get me challenging myself to use more of my BG Colour Me Silly Frog paper. And this is what I cme up with
{the layout will be back}
All BG paper but I made the spots myself! Words cut out on Jimbo the Robo. He is so cool! I was going to put the little colour picture in the corner attached with matching fibres that I got as a freebie. My scrapping consultant said the fibres looked horrible wherever they were as he doesn't like them. Thinking about it, neither do I. So if anyone wants some Colour Me Silly fibres - cut up but not used - you can have them! Went for more of that lovely May Arts double sided ribbon again.

Here's the journalling...{the layout will be back}
And lastly, a page I knew I had to do when I found out what Katya calls Carys. The papers and elements are all from the Neopolitan to go paper pad, apart from 2Carys" which are Poundland alphabet stickers and "from the" which are making memories kraft stickers. The " are from my Stamps Away punctuation set. BUT I had to do one side upside down as both sorts face the wrong way... unless I am doing something obviously wrong.
It's the first time I have tried a little mini book on a page. I didn't want the story of the title to detract from the big photo and I had another two photos of them together as well. Katya's mother is Russian so she has a Russian name - Ekatarina, although she is usually called Katya. So I checked and her initial is E

The flower is my first try at a real Carole Janson type one. But I wanted to fit the thing in my album so I didn't mount in between. I reckon (modestly!) it would have looked good though!. Most of the pieces were cut outs from the pad, others cut from some of the paper and others punched using some of my big flowers.
I've cancelled my scrap day with Sue and Anita tomorrow, but hope I will feel up to doing a little scrapping and card making as I really love this crafting lark!

The post with no name

because I can't think of a suitable pun with "fold" in and I am too lazy to take any more than three minutes over it. Yes I'm fully into half term mode...

So here is this weeks dare from Jane
I'm daring you to make a card that has to have more than one fold - so it can be a gate fold card, or a 3 panel card with an aperture or a card with multiple folds OR you can incorporate paper folding on the actual card itself. It can be on any theme.

Now I should have started doing this as soon as the idea was launched. But I didn't. So I had to watch all these great ideas unfolding and really stretch myself to come up with something different. So I went back to school and was inspired by those little paper things you make to ask questions with. No idea what they are called and yes... too lazy to look it up.

So I took some 6x6 double sided heavy card (all the papers are Fancy Pants Fancy Free Frou Frou designs (who thinks of these names) from an old SA kit). Folded it into quarters then folded the corners inward then folded the points back on themselves. You can probably do it without folding into quarters first but I was too lazy to work that out (there is a theme to this post - or are you too lazy to notice)
If you folded into quarters first you really need to put something in the middle so that no-one can see the folds. I also added some different fancy pants papers to the corners and some prima flowers. I'm really into shocking pink and orange together at the mo'.
Here is a side view so you can see the folds a bit better.
It is a "prop up" card as it can't stand up on its own...

Today we are planning a family board game, a short walk and a night of movies. if we can be bothered that is!

baby it's cold inside

but not for long! (Although Phil is playing Christmas songs on his computer for some reason!) Yesterday my mum was complaining of the cold in our house. well she doesn't actually complain, just puts on her clothes, a dressing gown and a rug. We thought that she was just used to being in a smaller, warmer house but as the day went on realised that there was no central heating. There was hot water so Phil diagnosed a faulty pump in the boiler. He phoned our tame plumber this morning and 2 hours later he was at the house. 1 hour later we had a new pump and are toasty warm again. Mr Plumber I love you!

Though not as much as my Phil (Christmas music aside) who has bought me two wonderful CD's. Tracey Thorn and Ben Watts of Everything But the Girl recorded solo stuff in the early 80's and somewhere I have a tape with their EP's on. Phil has tracked them down on CD so I am wallowing in University angst and memories of the early days of our relationship. Bliss!

Today I have been with the kids to visit friends Anne and Lesley , who it turns out are friends with another friend from training college Ruth so we had a good girly chat and meal together while the kids watched tv. Phil was going to come as he was at training college with Ruth too but the thought of all the oestrogen scared him off so he cleared the garage instead. Man's work.

I have also had some time to play with the new papers that arrived yesterday. But not todays... Today I received the fantabulous new BG 6x6 paper pads. Yes all 4. What a paper tart I am.
Anyway here is todays work...

Paper Salon Tribeca paper (6 sheets plus 6 Bazzill for $4.20 in the Cool Blue sale plus a huge bag of toning buttons thrown in) Letter stickers from QVC album and card set. Coasters from old Self Addressed Kit - Chloe's Closet?

Carnival paper from the Cool Blue sale, letter stickers from old SA kit, frame and border stamps from Purple Onion (with a SA kit), flowers are Sarah's Bloomers, Heidi Swapp Date Roller Stamp from Cool Blue sale (brill price but sold out now); Ribbon is may Arts from Little Silver hat

This is the first page I have done using a patterned paper background. Its quite effective i think. Phil told me it needed the flower and I think he was probably right!

well Happy Christmas from Phil's computer. (Although he is listening to Monty Python now) and it is dare day tomorrow!

I love half term

Time to spend with the family and just catching my breath!

Yesterday we went to Hadleigh Castle Country Park. It was a tad muddy. And possibly a bit of a longer walk than we expected. But we ended up at a Salvation Army farm and tea rooms for some lovely all day breakfast and hot chocolate

Phil and I were supposed to go out for an almost Valentine's day film and meal as my mum was staying overnight. But I had a really sick headache and went to bed instead! (Got up for Life on Mars though!). Today I was given a magazine, a choc orange, a lovely card and breakfast in bed. What a star! Plus one of the packages that was supposed to take 4-6 weeks arrived in about 10 days. Woo hoo! (Did think about saving it for Lent. for about 5 seconds) It was the sale stuff from Cool Blue Scrapbooking - more Crate Paper, some Paper salon paper and a Heidi Swapp date stamp. Will show what I have done with the already tomorrow.

for now you can see some of my second fold out book

All done using one 8x8 Bazzill card stock; BG Blush papers; various journalling stamps plus the new Autumn leaves build a flower stamps and Lil Davis foam numbers.