1. Nearby there is a tearoom at the top of a granary, high in the sky. It overlooks the watermill and river and it is a tranquil spot where I like to sit and linger over a cup of tea and slice of cake. Which is what I did today, because I decided this was the perfect place to leave a couple of books that I hope someone might find by chance, and enjoy.
2. A week ago you see, I joined BookCrossing. So I hope that whoever finds the books will record them and that I can follow their travels. If you have not heard about BookCrossing I have briefly explained it here. I love the sense of surprise so am quite excited about leaving books for others to find in unexpected places. And I hope I might find the occasional book too!
3. I recently discovered 'Simple Stories', a beautiful collection of papers & elements that are ideal for quick pages or mini albums. And there are some free digital downloads here that are perfect for the 'starting school books' I plan to make. Shimelle has been suggesting in her 'Pretty Paper Party' class that you can combine bought and digital papers or elements. I have done this for a long time and I love being able to mix and match and to expand my materials.
4. While downloading new digital papers and kits I realised just how many I have saved on my computer. Mmmm..... along with my boxes of 12x12 and other papers, I cannot possibly work my way through this collection but it does not stop me buying more on a weekly basis! Jessica Sprauge offers some wonderful bargains on One Buck Wednesday. Note to self: do NOT buy any more Christmas papers!!
5. A friend has just been given a new camera and she is very excited and keen to use it. What's more, she has asked if we can get together for some photoshooting fun. I would love to use manual settings rather than rely on automatic but I am lazy and short of time, so I go for the easy option. But now I might be inspired to use some of the ecourses I have bought and saved on my computer. This will give me a basic idea, and then I just need to put it into practice. I was much inspired by Margie's clever shot where she added two images of each family member in one photo. I love creative ideas using photos.
6. That's probably why I love programmes such as Picasa, Befunky and Fotosketcher. All are free downloads with lots of creative ideas that are quick and easy to do. I have Photoshop but this takes time and effort to use, so like manual controls on my camera, I often resort to quicker ways of achieving what I want.
Hopefully one day there will be more time to experiment and play!
7. I am woefully behind in organising my photos and Project 365. I keep telling myself I should spend time doing this, instead of browsing blogs. But another hour or two passed this morning as I enjoyed reading different takes on 10 things on the 10th.
8. I have received and sent Mail Art. I was lucky enough to be the recipient of Sian's Pass the Book and I did not anticipate the envelope to be so thoughtfuly decorated by Deb. I especially liked the Google map she printed on the back showing her home and mine. What a brilliant idea!!
9. As much as I love good paper mail, an occasional email brings much joy too. Over the years I have dipped in and out of tracing my family history but one connection left me completely stuck. Recently I put a message on Ancestry.com and a wonderful woman has done some research for me and untangled the thread! I need to follow up her leads now but I am very excited. At least I know some answers and more questions will follow. Perhaps there will be a story there to tell?
10. Another reason for being excited is that my workspace has made more progress. It finally has electricity and heating, and I have bought new tables and chairs. It will remain work in progress as I like to live in space and allow it to naturally evolve, but it is comfortable enough to finally invite friends for a celebration and creative day later this month. And I hope to start preparing pages for Journal Your Christmas. I learnt a lot last year about how not to do it, so I hope I can make it less complicated and time consuming this time round. Only sometimes, I have discovered, I need more than one lesson!!
Now, I am off to look at more '10 things on the 10th' blogs before I snuggle infront of the log burner. I so love a real fire these dark nights....