itchifingers

Monthly Make - February

2012-02-29T11:21:00.001-08:00

Gosh, where has the time gone? But I have not been idling! As well as being busy with life I have also been busy with crafting. I had been to four crops so far this year and have just returned from a residential weekend at Belstead. There have also been craft shows and sales where I added more to my mountain of stash, and I'm pleased to say that since doing Shimelle's class 'Pretty Papers' I have got over my 'buy one to keep/stroke' approach. And I am still using up my stash. Moira, who runs our Belstead weekend, had some lovely ideas of using scraps which I will share another time. And that's where I also made my monthly make, an explosion box. You need four sheets of 12x12 card, three pieces for the box and one for the lid. As a surprise we machine sewed a string of circles cut from the off cut card, and attached these to the inside of the lid. I added photos and will put more on each of the flaps. I would have chosen different card for this project but used what I had available.

My box is not completely finished but this is the last day of Feb, so here it is - ready or not!

If you need instructions I found a video on Youtube. It is much easier than me trying to explain! A second second video shows another way of decorating the inside of the box.

Now I'm off to see what others have made this month here. And if you want to find out more about Monthly Makes pop over to Annie.

Thanks for visiting and I'd be interested to hear about your own takes on the explosion box. Bye for now!

What's on your Workdesk? Wednesday 137 - Safmat !!

2012-01-18T09:18:00.000-08:00

I'm using my other workdesk today. The one where my computer and printer sit. I started out tidying the space it as things have got out of hand. There is a pile of paperwork waiting to be filed and a bill to be paid. As always I got distracted and I haven't done as much as I'd planned, but I felt I had made progress so I thought I'd give myself some time to play this afternoon.

I bought a pack of Safmat and have been keen to try it out. Have you come across it yet? If not, it is self adhesive printing film which you use like rub ons. You pop it into your printer (wax side down) and print directly onto it. I hoped it would be as good as it sounds....

After printing I cut out the word that I wanted to use, then realised that I should have printed it in mirror image. I thought you rubbed it on, you see, and I didn't read the instructions before using, which is typical me! But having the printed words I thought I may as well experiment, and that's when I discovered that you simply peel off the backing. And this reveals a sticky back clear plastic with your printing on.

You can see it here on my page. The word 'first' is a bought rub-on, and the year and word 'sleepover' are Safmat. You can see the clear film a little, but overall I am pleased with my new purchase. If you want to give it a go yourself, here are a few tips I have picked up:

1. Read the instructions before using a new product!

2. Safmat is not cheap (I paid £8.25 for 10 A4 sheets). So print as near to the top and edge as you can, to make good use of each sheet. I printed across the top and after cutting it off I still have the best part of the sheet intact. It's an idea to experiment on plain paper first if you are not confident with positioning your text.

3. Cut close to the word or image so that there isn't too much film showing around the edge. I learnt this after applying my first word. My second attempt is much better and there is much less reflection.

4. Peel off the wax backing and stick your word onto your page. Put a piece of paper over the film and rub. Once burnished the film becomes almost see through. Again, I learnt by my mistake and rubbed straight onto the image first time. This lifted some of the ink, so second time I did as suggested and it looks much better.

So, that's what I have been up to on my workdesk today. You can see what others have been doing over at Julia's and I'm interested to know if you have used Safmat. If so, what tips you have picked up? Please share, and have fun whatever you are doing!

Just One Word for 2012

2012-01-16T15:36:00.000-08:00

I have struggled this year to find one word. Yes, lots came to mind and they were good words. Inspiring or powerful, but somehow they did not completely fit what I felt.

I knew 2011 was going to be a challenging year with lots of decisions and choices to make.

And so I chose the word 'intuition'. It was a reminder that I just need to sit quietly and listen, rather than to act straight away. And I learnt that if I didn't follow my head, or what other people said, I could trust my intuition to guide me.

And so, I sat with not having a word to start this new year. Hoping that it would come to me when the time was right. And it did. Last night.

Progress

It's not a word that I had considered or even thought of. But it felt just right. And last year I made a lot of progress.

For one thing I was redeployed and my role within a new service has involved lots of adaption and a big learning curve. It has worked out much better than I expected, and it continues to be a time for development and change. And I am looking forward, rather than to the past.

And my home. Well, yes that is still work in progress, with the kitchen and utility room unfinished. But change has happened since I posted here. Lots of change infact. And it

continues to happen.

In all areas of my life.

But, because change can happen slowly and progressively I don't always acknowledge how hard I have worked throughout the year. But I am giving myself a pat on the back right now, and recognising that progress has been made and that 2012 has started out on a much more positive footing.

And the more I think about the word, I like Progress.

Yes, I really do.

I wanted a word that recognised change, movement, and growth.... how far I came last year in practical achievement and personal growth. And the work that is yet to come.... the planned and the unexpected. And the dictionary defines it just so:

noun1.

1. movement forwards, esp towards a place or objective

2. satisfactory development, growth, or advance

3. advance towards completion, maturity, or perfection; the steady onward march of progress

Progress sits comfortably. It is not static or stuck. Yes, I can happily live with this word, because it is positive, inspiring and it has energy. Thank you, intuition.....

Before I go I want to share these two posts. Because they describe how other people chose their words.

So, I wonder if Alexa, at Trimming the Sails will leave you thoughtful and moved, like I was?

Or, Layla, at The Lettered Cottage will make you smile with her tale of a movie?

And finally, I wonder if you have a Word for the Year, and if so, what inspired you to choose?

Because what ever it was, I hope it brings you guidance and inspiration throughout 2012.

Pondering PROJECT 365

2012-01-15T08:30:00.000-08:00

This is my third year of Project 365 and I have mentioned before that I download them onto my Flickr site. I love some of these photos and how they remind me of everyday life. Like, when it is two minutes before midnight and I suddenly realize I haven't taken a photo. Some of the most mundane shots, such as a book on my bedside table, remind me of what I was reading or trigger other simple memories. Sometimes these photos surprise me by how much they mean to me, everyday objects that I would not otherwise think to record.

But I have always felt that there was something missing..... and I have wanted to find a way of putting these photos into an album so that I can enjoy them even more.

Then yesterday I went to a new crop, organised by the amazing and talented Ann Freeman. And what a lovely day I had, with friends, Ann's warm welcome, and her lovely homemade lunch. Ann had also prepared a layout to do in the class (or take away, as in my case!) and it started me thinking about how I could do something similar with my Project 365 photos....

.... then during the day I browsed some of Ann's albums that she had bought along. One of these was a Project 12 album using 12 inch double pages. And I immediately saw how this could offer flexibility and space for me to use for my Project 365 photos. I could choose some or all of the photos, but I need time to let the idea settle and spread before it comes together. It is exciting to know that I shall be taking down one of my 12 inch albums to use because I also have a plan to 'Use it Up' this year. But more about this soon.

As you might know, I like to include a photo or two with my post so here are a couple of recent 365 photos.

Some of my blog friends may recognise familiar faces in this photo taken at last weeks Eclectic Keepsakes Crop. It's the 15th and I've already been to 2 Crops. What a great way to start the New Year!! As well as these I also have 2 Craft Shows and a residential weekend in my diary during the next 6 weeks.

Who's a lucky girl then?!

TEN THINGS ON THE TENTH

2012-01-11T04:46:00.000-08:00

PHOTO SHOOT

Unknown to me, my daughter organised a photo shoot before Christmas. She has a friend, you see, who is a very talented photographer and they set off one day to a local favourite spot. Emma likes natural shots rather than posed studio ones and I agree, natural ones reflect personality and capture time and memory.

And so for my 10 things today I thought I would share some of the photos that Tracy took:

It was difficult to know which to show as there were about 150 photos to choose from. But I think you'll agree, she has captured my girls beautifully.

And Emma kept the photoshoot a secret because she had some prints framed as our Christmas present.

Here they are with my new sofa. Emma didn't know, but as soon as the sofa was delivered and in place I immediately said the wall needs some big black & white photos. I am sure my daughter and I are telepathic sometimes....

Now I have seen all the photos I will change the print on the right. Emma knows there are better photos but was under pressure to get the set done on time. I may just have to get more printed now that I have seen them, too! And make an album, because I am so spoilt for choice!

If you want to see more of Tracy's wonderful work go here. Thank you Tracy.... I love, love, what you did!!

And if you want to see more '10 on the 10th Day of the Month' posts pop over to Shimelle's.

I'm off now to see what others have been up to! Thanks for visiting and enjoy what ever you are doing.

WOYYW 135

2012-01-05T02:43:00.000-08:00

It is so good to be able to spread out now, in my new workspace. One table is full of paper and everything that goes along with crafting ..... you know the type of thing, cutting machines, assortment of glue, ribbons and embellishments. I also have various bags and disorganised piles of work in progress. Including a JYC album that has pages and front cover but no content, Halloween mini albums, and various others.

Would you agree that I am somewhat behind?

The sewing machine was set up because this time I had a deadline.

Can you guess what I was making? Or perhaps you'd like a peek?

And there is more peeking at Julia's where you can see more What's on Your Workdesk? Wednesday

Wishing you a very Happy New Year and thank you for visiting.

Monthly Make - January

2012-01-05T02:16:00.000-08:00

Well my year has got off to a good start and I can't believe it is the 5th and I have already made my Monthly Make!

This is because of a promise rather than planning, but you know how it is when you offer to do something for a friend months in advance.

Jill thought a desk tidy would be a perfect present for her friend who does patchwork. So I offered to make one for Jill to give her. Christmas came and went and now her birthday is also looming. My last chance not to disappoint!

I wasn't in the mood for machining but made my mind up to get started. I hope Jill will be pleased with it, and that Wendy finds it useful. And me? I am over the moon that I got it done and can add this to Monthly Make!! To find out more about Monthly Makes go over to The Felt Fairy here.

This photo is also part of my Project 365+1. This is my third consequetive year, and when I can I will use word prompts suggested by Suzie over at 365 photos. The word for today is 'excitement' and that's what I feel now I have completed this desk tidy !

Welcome 2012!

2012-01-02T15:29:00.000-08:00

A quiet seeing in of the New Year for us, and I have relished some quieter days over the holiday when I could unwind and feel less pressured. And 2012 got off to a good start with my perfect kind of day, a gathering of family for dinner. We also opened more presents and one was a game called Creationary, which proved much fun. Played like Pictionary, the idea is that you build something using lego and other players have to guess what it is. It pushes creativity to areas unknown, I mean, how do you build a water lily out of lego? And, how did my son in law guess from my poor effort and no clues? I'll never know, but he got a grand applause amid much laughter. And the game was a great success.... I think it will become a favourite.

When it was time for everyone to go home my older granddaughters decided they would like to sleep over. And they remembered the promise of homemade popcorn and a film before bedtime next time they stayed....

I love having them around and I realised how much of our fun together involves making food. Because they also decorated biscuits to eat during the film, and this morning they started the day with homemade pancakes. This has become a tradition when they sleep over, which started when S was quite young and she helped me make batter and cook them. She requests them every time now.....

And while eating breakfast S suddenly asked if that was an owl sitting on the top of our tree? A good guess, since it's head was turned at the time, but no. It was a beautiful kestrel which sat there for some time, preening and posing so that I could get some nice shots.

And what else of 2012?
Have you chosen a word ?
I think I have but I want to sit with it for a day or two before I commit.

And I have decided to continue with Project 365. This will be my third consecutive year and I did wonder whether it was too much of an ask, especially as my efforts sometimes felt half hearted last year. And because I have more photos than I want to think about downloaded onto my computer and waiting to be organised. In the past I have been quite methodical about doing this, but this was another of my struggles through 2011 and there is a huge amount of work to be done in order to catch up. But I get a sense of achievement when I look back at my 365 collection and this year I want to pay more attention to my photography and to pick up some of my ideas that have got dropped or overlooked because other things were more pressing. And another thing I am looking forward to is going out with my granddaughters, because for Christmas I bought 10x zoom digital cameras for S & I. Meanwhile I shall choose the photo of the kestrel as my 365 photo of the day and put it straight into a new album. Start as I mean to go on!

I hope your own New Year celebrations were equally enjoyable, and a big thank you to everyone who visited my blog, left comments, and inspired and supported me through 2011. It was truly appreciated. I hope this year brings you wonderful things.

Christmas this year...

2011-12-26T16:22:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year followed family traditions,

like remembering loved ones

getting into the festive spirit

and spending time with friends and family.

And one of my favourite photos has to be my granddaughter

asleep at the table. I know exactly how she felt, but this

is only permissable when you are one year old!

I hope your own Christmas was peaceful,

and everything you wished for.

Twas the night before Christmas...

2011-12-24T12:21:00.000-08:00

        Wishing you all a VERY
          happy Christmas and a
        wonderful year to follow.

Gathering myself together

2011-12-21T15:49:00.000-08:00

At the moment I'm finding it hard to focus on Christmas or to get into the spirit. I won't bore you with details except to say life has been full on and there has been no time for shopping or preparations. My decorations are still in the loft and hopefully they might see light of day, but I am making no guarentees. But at least my Christmas cards were finally posted, yesterday. Which led to the woman at the post office commenting that my card to Australia was a bit early to post for Easter. If only I could be so organised!

With a big sigh of relief I finished work today and I am now home for the holiday. So at least I can try and do some catch up. I have only bought 3 presents so far and have not even thought of wrapping them. But I refuse to get stressed over it. What will be, will be.

For some light relief I visited a couple of blogs this evening and came across two that caught my attention. First is a new online Scrapbooking class run by Miss Smith at Curiouser and Curiouser. Just one Sketch costs £5 for 6 weeks, and all proceeds go to GirlGuiding. As a former Brown Owl and Rainbow Leader I am happy to support this cause and anyway, I always find it hard to resist another class. Even if it is anything like my recent track record, where subscribing is as far as I will get. Did I mention that so far my JYC pages are blank, blank, blank?

2011 has been a challenging year in many ways and while I am a cup half full person, I am left feeling physically and mentally exhausted. So, while I don't wish time away I won't be sorry to see this year out. And that's why I printed Susannah Conway's free workbook 'Unravelling the Year Ahead'. It invites you to look back on the year and foreward to the next, and it might be what I need right now to help me refocus and to gather myself in.

MELANIE & MORE MAYHEM

2011-11-23T07:42:00.000-08:00

I had such plans for this week. I have time off work you see, and friends coming Saturday to have a creative day. I hoped to have my Cabin tidy and organised as this is the long-awaited day when we celebrate my new workspace.
But I didn't count on taking the bookcase out of the house and putting it in the Cabin to make way for the new sofas we have ordered. So once again the house is in upheaval, and there is an enormous pile of books and boardgames on the lounge floor and half way up the wall. Goodness knows where they will go now!
And the Cabin is also in a state of mayhem. Shelving units had to be emptied so they can be replaced by the bookcase, and I have worked solidly for three days trying to organise the space. Of course, rummaging through my craft materials is fun, but it is also proving quite stressful. I never realised how much I had collected, since I have a habit of not finding what I want and just buying more. The other day Sian wrote about glue and it made me think about the different types that I use. And when I gathered them together they filled two boxes boxes, one with assorted tapes and one with glues (shown here) .....

And I also found lots of empty Pritt Sticks. I so hate how you can't get to that last bit in the tube. And so I scraped it out and loaded it into one - result - one nearly full tube.
So, I now have tidy boxes and an endless supply of tapes and glues. Enough to last me for some time and I shall work on putting it away so I know where to find it in future. That way I won't feel the urge to buy even more!

And just when my momentum was flagging I had a wonderful and unexpected surprise. My friend Melanie is over from Australia and she phoned last night and wanted to know if I was free today to meet. So the Cabin was abandoned and we went to visit 'my girls' as it has been several years since Melanie last saw them. ~~Fortuantly~~ Unfortuantly Summer & Ivy are off school with throat infections so this meant Melanie was able to see them all. As always we took a group photo, which caused some laughs as we tried to position ourselves

Summer had made a long cord out of wool and wanted to show it in the photo, so I had to scoop Wren off the floor and do a limbo as the timer on the camera counted down. Needless to say two attempts were needed but we were happy with the result. Another photo and story for our memories.

Melanie has gone now and so it is time to go back into the Cabin and carry on. This really is proving harder and taking longer than I expected, but I need to press on because I know it will be worthwhile in the end.

10 things on the 10th (November 2011)

2011-11-10T12:50:00.000-08:00

It was July when I last posted 10 things on 10th, despite thinking that I'd like to do this regularly. So I'm pleased to be part of Shimelle's monthly group this time round and to share some random ramblings:

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!!
And I loved reading Ginger's post about the Mail Art she has received. I have decorated envelopes for as long as I can remember, as I have always used opportunities to create and use my imagination. It is only recently that I discovered it is an art form in its own right and it is lovely to see a focus on sending happy mail as I'm sure I'm not the only one who misses handwritten letters and interesting post arriving through my letter box. I plan to connect with other Mail Artists and it has been interesting reading the book that Deb sent me. I have picked up tips and ideas, and I'd love to send out mail to people who appreciate what it is about. So drop me an email with your address & blog if you would like some post to come your way.

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....

BOOKCROSSING

2011-11-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to declutter this week. I have made an impact and feel quite satisfied with the space I have made. But there is still lots to do and I often look at my piles of books and quickly walk away. That's because I know there are many I will never read again but I hold on to them 'just in case'. There is only so many books I can accomodate though and to be honest I really do need to make way for new books that I keep buying.

Books to the ceiling Books to the sky. My pile of books Are a mile high. How I love them! How I need them! I'll have a long beard By the time I read them.

- Arnold Lobel

Well, I'd be seriously worried if I grew a beard, but you get the idea! Recently, I have resisted buying paperbacks as I have so many on my shelves unread, but the other day I was intregued by one I saw in a charity shop. 'The Road Home' by Rose Tremain is not the type of book I would usually read, but something drew me to it and I am so glad I am weak willed at times! The book was thoroughly enjoyable and I recommend it, but it made me think that there could be other books that I might enjoy and would normally pass by.

Fast forward...........

Yesterday, in the midst of organising paperwork, I suddenly remembered BookCrossing:

n. the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 2004

So, I immediately left what I was doing, to go find out more and several hours later I was signed up and had registered my first book. I was buzzing with excitement!

Part of the fun is thinking up somewhere interesting to my 'release' my book. Airports and railway stations are out as I don't want to cause panic over unattended packages! Then I thought about our GP surgery, but that would mean someone has to give a donation for charity which is a nice idea, but it is more fun to leave it in an unexpected place for someone just to find. And so on Sunday I will pop along to a tearoom and discretely leave it and hope that someone is intrigued enough to read the label and record the book as 'found'. How exciting would that be!! The idea of BookCrossing is that each book is uniquely registered, and that you can track who has read it and it's journey around the world (well, there is no harm in wishful thinking)! And with that in mind, I feel happy to sort through my book piles and to release some in hope that other people will enjoy reading them and that I might be able to follow some of their travels.

Meanwhile, tomorrow, I am going to my monthly crop. And to make it doubly exciting I have discovered that someone has hidden a book in the locality. So guess what I will be doing while the rest of the group are eating their lunch? Yes... I'll be going around looking under benches for a hidden package! Ofcourse, there are other BookCrossers so someone may have beaten me to it. Oh... incase you are wondering, sometimes there are clues or a locaility where books are 'released' while others are just left to chance. Why has this got me excited? To quote from the website:

BookCrossing combines serendipity, adventure, altruism and literature in an unique mix that true bibliophiles find irresistible. With its similarity to releasing messages in a bottle, or notes in helium balloons, BookCrossing harkens back fond childhood memories. Also, you can see BookCrossing as a worldwide free library.

I couldn't put it better! Now remember, the idea is for me to reduce my book collection and not add to it, but next year I will have great fun releasing books in different locations as we travel around in our campervan and perhaps I'll go on the search for the occasional book too.

I'd love to hear from any fellow BookCrossers, and if you love books and have not heard of this idea before you may just want to check it out for yourself and join in the fun!

WOYWW - Post Belstead & Halloween

2011-11-02T06:14:00.000-07:00

Well, my bags are still unpacked after a weekend away at Belstead. I spent time trying to finish the Halloween Tag Books for my grandgirls but Halloween come and went and they still sit on my workspace as work in progress:

Also on my desk you can see the mini book that I made using an off cut piece of paper that I mentioned here. In the same post I told how I made the paper, after being inspired by Shimelle's Pretty Papers class.

At Belstead I made handmade paper and I dared myself to cut into this and new 12" papers. After all, Halloween was approaching and I was getting prepared for taking risks!

But would I feel tricked or treated after I had mustered up my courage.....?

What do you think? I was extremely pleased with the finish wallet and album, and I will be taking many more risks in future, Halloween or not! There are lots of hidden pages and pockets and I am not quite sure yet what I will put in the book. I will keep it a while until an idea emerges but any suggestions are welcome! And I'll also be using many more scraps and strips to make my own papers. Idea's are bouncing into my head and I just wish that life did not get in the way of creative time.

Have a good week what ever you are doing. And do pop over to Julia's if you have time to see more 'What's on your workdesk' this Wednesday.

BELSTEAD..... FUN WHILE IT LASTED

2011-11-01T03:00:00.000-07:00

I'm home after another 3 days at Belstead and how I wish I could have stayed longer! My creative energy bounced back and the time went even quicker than usual, so I am left frustrated as I started new projects that I want to work on. Such is life. Some of these are packed away until until Saturday and I can atleast look forward to my monthly Eclectic Keepsakes crop. And I am off work all week, so I really should not feel too sorry for myself. At least I have time to start on some major decluttering and rearranging around the house. This is something long over due and it will eventually allow me more time for creating and crafting, so I need to use that as my motivation.

Belstead gives me an opportunity to spend more time with my friends and I was extra excited this time as I met Pauline, my 'Explore' Buddy. I'd told Pauline about Belstead and she lost no time in booking a place for herself...... and it was like she had always been part of our group. Pauline only started scrapbooking this year but she seriously has some stash and a natural talent! We already have plans to meet up again soon, so thanks, Shimelle, for the introduction.

As I said, most of the things I made at Belstead are works in progress so I will share these over time, but I was especially excited about this:

Moira, our tutor, had laid the table with acrylic paints and dyes for us to get messy with. So I stamped on one, and used finger and hand prints on the others. Four of us at Belstead are doing Shimelle's new class, Pretty Papers. I was in good company because none of us had started any of the daily prompts but this was the day to bite the bullet. My friends reminded me that we are meant to be using our papers and that my idea of taking my hand made paper home to scan was not the idea. So I gritted my teeth as I cut into 2 of them!

Then I took a 12" paper that I do not like, and used the plain white side as my base. I then used scraps and the strips to decorate my paper. Moira loves her sewing machine and much of her work is multi media. So, admiring her work I added zig zag and straight stitches to my strips and I must say, it really made a difference to the effect.

Then I measured, closed my eyes, gritted my teeth even more, and cut into it!! My bravery was holding up, and I was amazed how just by reading the daily prompts, Shimelle had changed my perspective on using paper rather than stroking it or saving it for that extra-special project. After all, I told myself, my time is worth something and that should be reason enough to use my paper! I added a few stamped words onto the A4 piece and then laminated the page. To finish, I applied spray adhesive on the back, added a piece of felt, and then sewed across the top edge. Finally, I folded into three to make a wallet, and used the sewing machine to run a line of stitching down each side and across the top of the flap.

These instructions may not be clear without detailed instructions, so if you would like me to add these please let me know. Unfortantly I am feeling pressured for time and really do need to make an impact around the house this week.

With the 4"x12" piece that was left of my paper, I made a mini album to fit inside wallet. This was a labour of love, as it seemed to take hours and I was impatient to finish so that I could start other projects. But I was pleased with the result and I will have to show this another time as I just realised I have no photos of it as yet.

So, a big thank you to Shimelle for helping be break my resistance to cut into paper. It became a bit of a joke around the table as I took other complete 12" papers and cut into them, sometimes six or ten papers at a time. It felt a sense of relief and was very liberating! I'll share more of what I made another time. Including the Halloween tag books that are still work in progress!

And an equally big thank you to Moira Neal for running such amazing courses at Belstead. Moira never ceases to amaze me with her range of ideas and techniques. And I'm already booked for the next two in February and November. If you want to come book soon - places are already limited!!

Good Mail Day

2011-10-28T04:11:00.000-07:00

Lately I don't seem able to catch my breath...
life seems to be moving at such a pace.
And I am doing far too much of this:

.......... and not enough of this!

And so imagine my delight when I arrived home from work and found this amazing envelope on my doorstep!
I was lucky to receive it, because Deb was ~~desperately~~ rather sad to part with it!! This is part of the Pass the Book exchange, created by the very talented and generous Sian.

I hope Deb is not tooooo... sad though.
Because I have just looked at her
latest post and she has also

received a Pass the Book. And what is more, it is one that I also received and reluctantly passed on. So this is a coincidence and time for celebration, and a reminder that what goes round comes round.

I am still dashing and have a hall pcked with boxes and bags. I am off on a 3 day creative retreat, you see. I am making books about Me, Me, Me!!! Ideally it should include photos and I tend to delete more of myself than I save, so this should be an interesting project. I am packing my Explore album, there is barely 2 pages done and this fits in well with the residential theme. Hopefully I will come home relaxed and creatively ~~challenged~~ satisfied.

INK ON MY FINGERS.....

2011-10-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

Last week saw me at my monthly crop and feeling extra excited because Sue Plymton came to show us how to use Tim Holtz Distress Inks. While I have started to collect a range of colours I have never learnt how to use them properly or how to create the layers. So, I was all attention and eager to experiment, this is how:

1. I inked a small piece of card using two complimentary colours, in this example I used Frayed Burlap and Dried Marigold:

2. Using white acrylic paint, I stamped a scroll design.

3. Then the next layer.
Now... this is where my learning took a leap, because although I have a large collection of inks and stamps I have never learnt techniques or how to be creative with them. So learning about 'second generation' of inking was new to me. If it is new to you too, here is a quick explanation:

First generation - Ink your stamp and stamp onto your project.
Second Generation - Ink your stamp, but this time stamp onto scrap paper, and then onto your project without re-inking. This creates a lighter image and you can use the first stamp for another project so nothing goes to waste!
You can go on to create Third or Fourth generation images by stamping multiple times on a scrap piece of paper before stamping it on your project. Each will give you a lighter image, and this is a great way of adding depth to your project. It means you can use one colour ink but create different shades, brilliant! Trying to match my colours was always a problem, but no longer. From now on, just one ink will do!

So getting back to my project.... I added a Second Generation background stamp:

And to finish, a First Generation stamp. You can see here how it is a little darker than the background image, using the same colour ink:

To finish I added a little ink around the edges......... and I got the bug for more:

This may be a stamping technique that you are familiar with, but it was new and exciting to me, so I thought it worth sharing.

And while browsing the internet I found another stamping technique I thought I'd pass on. It again uses generation stamping and involves inking the back and the front of an acrylic stamp.

Go here for the tutorial and if you have any stamping tips and ideas of your own, please do share!

WOYWW - Time to unwind... finally!

2011-10-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

My workspace has been neglected, birthdays overlooked and cards sent late. I hang my head in shame....

I'm trying I can get back on top of things and catch up with some creative work. I have my monthly crop to look forward to and a three day residential booked at the end of the month. The prospect of a week off work soon adds to my excitement because I so need time to unwind and catch up with friends! Meanwhile I have made a birthday card (this one was delivered on time!) and pages for the Log Book that I have mentioned in previous posts.
So that's what's on my workspace this Wednesday, a long with two postcards sent by friends. I LOVE receiving that kind of post, don't you?

Here's a few photos of our first trip in the campervan. We didn't have time to go far, but we found a lovely farm, cracked open a bottle of champagne and were lulled to sleep by the hoot of an owl. Next morning I had breakfast in bed and a walk along the estuary before driving home. Much of the area around here is salt marsh and I love the way the sea makes inlets and sculptures the land. It is a landscape rich in birdlife especially overwintering geese, with an assortment of boats that add colour and character. I never tire of it. And finally I can start filling out the pages in our Log Book. Yay!! Life is returning to 'normal' whatever that is.
And if you are interested, this post shows the campervan in it's making ......

Have you been having this wonderful weather? If so I hope you managed to enjoy it while it lasted. It is forecast to be on the turn now but what an unexpected treat - 28 degrees in October! Just perfect for our first weekend away.

And to see what other people have on their workspace this Wednesday, go over to Julia's page here, and have a good week what ever you have planned.

Creating........ a CAMPERVAN

2011-10-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

Where did September go?

For me it was a month filled with frustration, with measures of patience and persistence that I did not know I possessed. The promise of a campervan never materialised. We made so many trips to the converters that our car eventually drove itself, and Mr Converter commented ‘if I see any more of you Sandie we’ll have to get married’. My LSNED pages lay empty on my workspace, and most days were filled with the mundane and mediocre, exhaustion and exasperation.

But there were sprinklings of special days of course.... such as my husband & granddaughter's shared birthday. So there was a gathering at the weekend and then a lovely day spent with my daughter, followed by roller skating after school. And our much enjoyed holiday to North Wales. Even the wind and the rain could not temper our spirits!

And while thinking about how to write this post I visited Julie Ann Shahin's blog. And I wondered about serendipity again because she relates a wonderful story told by Andrea Scher, which I thought was just beautiful. Andrea says that :

"Buddists believe that when a lot of things are going wrong all at once,

it is to protect something big and lovely that is trying to get itself born,

and that this something needs for you to be distracted so that it can be

born as perfectly as possible"

Did this relate to our Campervan?

Because with September's passing we FINALLY have possession !!

And I can reveal the story of it’s making...

Take one van and dismantle........

Cut strategic holes

Spray colour of choice

          Then start to assemble.....

          Line with carpet for insulation
          & comfort

          add windows

        flooring

and a roof.

                Build furniture......

add a sink,

                water,

                toilet and

                electric.


And finally...........

fit seats, newly

   upholstered in rosy red.


And here it is!

I could come up with a string of metaphores to describe our experience, and truth be told, this has been like a bad pregnancy and difficult birth. But most parents eventually forget the trials and tribulations and soon become besotted with their new off spring.

At the moment I am trying to think of a name for our camper. Something that will roll off the tongue and give rise to interesting ideas and projects. I've already mentioned that I plan to have a Log Book to record our overnight trips and camps. I'm sure a name will spring to mind when my mind is quieter. But if you have any suggestions they'll be greatly welcomed, because I know there are a lot of creative and clever minds among my blog readers and friends. And I will offer a small giveaway if I choose one of the names suggested.

We finally accepted the camper on Saturday and we lost no time in having a night away. Hopefully we can start to get back into a normal routine again, and catch up on all the other things that have been neglected along the way. At the moment our excitement is still slightly marred by exhaustion and the amount of effort needed to bring this together, but like new parents, we will soon catch up on sleep and I'm already making plans of where we shall go and what we will do.

Oh, and by the way, I'm making space for some creative stuff to take along.... of course!!

One dark morning.....

2011-10-02T14:36:00.000-07:00

Every month Sian tells a story. Sometimes I join in, mostly I just read other peoples. But this month Sian's story immediately took me back to an experience many years ago and I thought I'd share it.

I had a horse that I kept on a local farm and while I was feeding him I suddenly felt a presence. It was early hours and still dark, so I was surprised that anyone would be around. But I glimpsed a man looking over the stable door and then he disappeared. I looked to see who it was, and saw a man walk down the yard and through a five bar gate. I thought it might be my imagination or a trick of light, and just assumed it had been the farmer moving around.

A little later I saw the housekeeper and she told me that Mr Butcher had not been out yet this morning. He was feeling meloncony because it was his deceased son's birthday that day. I never told them about my experience and to this day I wonder about it. It felt so real, and too much of a coincidence for it to be my imagination. I'm a pretty grounded sort of person and not one for flights of fancy, so I'm happy to think it was the farmers son, popping round to see his dad.

If you want to read more stories, just follow Sian's link above.

WOYWW - WORK IN PROGRESS !

2011-09-14T02:13:00.000-07:00

What's on your workdesk Wednesday?

Mine is a clutter from the monthly crop, still to be put away. But I had to clear space to make a wedding card.

Next to it is an experiment - I inked the embossing pad before putting it through the Big Shot and this coloured the background, leaving the raised part white. I quite like the effect but need to practice getting the ink more even. Any tips?

Next on my workspace is my LSNED page. I've only done 3 so far!! I took the pages a long to the crop and managed to prepare some backgrounds, at least that will help in the catch up.

And also taking space is the Log Book I took on holiday. It was something I planned to start when we have the campervan but as I had prepared the book I took it anyway. There are a stack of leaflets to add but I plan to keep it simple. Perhaps that should be my lesson for todays LSNED!

Hope your workspace is full of good things. Go over to Julia's to see what other's are busy with.

CAMPING WITHOUT A CAMPER....

2011-09-12T02:14:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, we did camp without a camper! But it was no surprise because despite all the promises and reassurance we knew it would not be ready in time. Not to be defeated we packed the new drive-away awning that we had bought and set off for north Wales. And true to form it lived up to my expectation, for it was wild, wet and windy much of the time. The men did a grand job of putting up the tent in the rain, while I took refuge inside and pegged out the ground sheet and inner tents!

Despite the weather we had a grand time. It had been Marc's idea to go to Wales. He wanted to share some of the places he has been, since we were put off north Wales after our last wet and windy experience many years ago. But this time we went prepared with good footwear and waterproofs. The tent performed extremely well under the conditions and the site was just perfect. We were surrounded by beautiful sceenery and the light and clouds changed constantly. There was a pub on site that sold good food and real ale, and a small railway station with steam trains pulling in 4 times a day. Add owls hooting throughout the night, and good amenities, what more could we want? Other than warm dry evenings so we could BBQ perhaps? But snug inside the tent playing scrabble was just as much fun and we did everything we planned except go on a cable car and walk out to South Stack Lighthouse. Both were closed due to high winds. But there were also breaks in the weather, and the changing skies added to the atmosphere and dramatic sceenery . I will let the photo's speak for themselves.

And perhaps I won't leave it so long to return to north Wales next time!

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES.......

2011-08-31T14:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I have finally started to move into my new work space! I began to wonder if the day would ever arrive and I will eventually buy a new work table and storage but for now I will try out the space and see what I want to do with it. And I lost no time in making two books to take on holiday. These will be used to record our travels and there was no time for elaborate works of art. But at least I managed to put some pages together and add envelopes for storage and notes.

We are currently having a motor camper built, you see. Another long term plan finally achieved. Well, nearly... because at the moment it looks like this:

I am assured it will be ready for our holiday. Let's say we are on a very tight schedule and I am trying hard to hold onto my optimism!

I recently read about someone who kept a log book, recording the travels in his campervan. After collecting these for a number of years he decided to add photos and have the pages professionally bound into volumes. What a lovely idea, I thought. And so I plan to record brief notes daily and I will add leaflets and things we collect, adding photos when we get home. I won't have mine professionally bound since I like making my own books, but I like the idea of recording our travels. We have lots of ideas planned for the future but first we will be heading for north Wales. And of course, I shall take a small kit with me because I will have a another new workspace to try out!!

Here at Julia's you can see see what others are busy with. Have a good week, what ever you are doing.

Dear.........

2011-08-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Favourite Son, thank you for the hours spent on Sunday trying to sort out the problems on my computer. For showing that it is not just me that gets frustrated with Google sign-in when it constantly signs-out. For managing my anxiety when you suggested deleting 8000+ photos from my hard drive. For patiently explaining that when I delete photos they sit in a Recycle Bin. I did not know I have to delete them from there also. Is this why my computer has been running so slow do you think? In high esteem, yours eternally grateful. Dear Heart, can you please explain the nails that protrude in each the corner of the door frame? Are they yet another unfinished renovation project, or a sign that you are releasing your creativity? Yours in admiration. Dear Brian the plumber, thank you for coming round so promptly to do the work in the utility room. I thought you had been excessively busy, or on an extended world cruise. Yours in appreciation. Dear Heart, when I said we needed to rein in our spending I meant with stocking the wine cellar and the fine dining. I did not mean with essential house renovations. Next time can we compare lists of his and her priorities? PatientlyYours. Dear Granddaughter, when I suggested we camped out in the garden I did not mean build a raised platform with a ladder, and covering the ceiling with stars. I admire your 7 year old vision, especially the bit about making planets and hanging them from the ceiling. Did I mention that room is my new craft space? Besottedly yours. Dear Alexa, I'm pretty sure food colouring would work a treat as an art medium. You could also try tea and coffee, preferably without the milk. And I hear red wine is good too, though I prefer to drink mine. Yours in understanding. Dear Campervan Builder, thank you for not running off with our money. No, seriously. I began to wonder if you were sunning yourself somewhere at our expense. We have a deadline and a holiday of our own planned. Please deliver on time. Trustingly yours.

This post was inspired by Alexa, and originally by Em at Todays Letters.

SHAKING A LEG

2011-08-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

How do you manage the mundane? Usually I find time to create, meet with friends, or do something to change my sceenery or routine. But I've not been able to do these things because even on my days off I have been busy working just to keep one step ahead. So every day has felt much like the last. And today, while my body demanded rest, I was lurred to the shoe shop by my daughter. I always like to catch up with her when I have a chance, and spending time with my granddaughters is something I can never resist.

Even on days when they are buying new school shoes.

Even when my body is saying 'have a quiet day doing nothing', and I'd rather someone wait on me, hand and foot. Here's why:

Wren goes exploring while her mum turns her back

Summer & Ivy admire shoes and try out boots.

They certainly keep us on our toes!

Then it's time to head to MacDonalds for lunch and a play before heading home.

And now back home it's finally time to put my feet up and unwind.

A restful day?

No.... but I wouldn't have it any other way. There will be plenty of other days for creating and relaxing.

What have you done to give your day a lift?

SYNCHRONICITY

2011-08-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

Today I went to London where I met friends for lunch and visited Spitalfields Market.

And when I got home I used the Random Generator to choose

the lucky person who will be next to receive Painted Pages.

Drum roll............

5th person to leave a comment was

Alexa !

CONGRATULATIONS! I'll be Passing the Book as soon as I have your details.

Thank you to everyone who left comments, and to Sian for the idea.

I'll be sad to part with the book but I know I can buy my own copy if I miss it too much!

POSTSCRIPT:
I had my finger posed over the 'publish' button when 'ping' a new comment arrived on my screen.

It was from Alexa. Guess what she said?
"Isn't synchronicity wonderful!"

Her comment related to chance happenings, something I had written about in my previous post.

Yes, Alexa! It certainly is, especially when it happens in succession !!!!

MONDAY MEANDERINGS

2011-08-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

Just a quick reminder that I shall be picking a lucky name to receive 'PASS THE BOOK' so to be in for a chance post a comment today!

It has been a 'colourful' week. Shimelle has focused on colour in her 3rd week of Explore. I've not done any of the prompts as yet, I'm saving them for when I have more time so that I can enjoy them and not feel under pressure. However, I did put together my Creative Color Challenge which was to create a colour spectrum using any medium. Since my workspace is still inaccessible I chose to do this on my computer, I was pleased to be able to use some of my photos. I knew they'd come in useful one day!

Do you remember I have complained recently that I frequently can't leave comments and am having lots of problems with Blogger? Well it seems I am not alone. I was hugely relieved to see this post by Sarah at Blog Guidebook, so if you are also having difficulties it may be worth checking this out. It looks like I need to delete lots in order to identify the authentication cookie that is causing the problem. My computer needs a good detox, so perhaps I need to allocate some time and do this. Then I need to do the same with the house! Working full time and trying to organise my new creative space means everything is sadly neglected. But s-l-o-w-l-y headway is being made. Then it will be time to start creating again, I can't wait!

Finally, I had a wonderful day out on Friday with friends. We went to Charleston House in Sussex, home of the Bloomsbury Set. I confess, before my visit I knew very little about the artists or their style. Unfortuantly we could not take photos inside the house, but imagine my surprise when I visited Julia Kirk's post on my return. A part from the fact that Julia had visited Masham in North Yorkshire, a place I LOVE, she showed photos of a wonderful studio called ArtisOn. And inside they had a fireplace decorated in the style of the Bloomsbury Set, complete with a painting above it. I must have learned something from my visit as this artwork jumped out at me and I immediately recognised it!

I'll be back soon with the name of the lucky person who will receive Painted Pages. What are you waiting for? Post your comment now!

It's time to ' PASS THE BOOK'

2011-08-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

Recently I was the lucky recipient of Pass the Book. I knew I would love it and I was not disappointed. I especially liked the 'Try it outs!' and these can be adapted for any creative idea.

For example, writing prompt cards is something I did last year when I needed inspiration for my Project 365 photos. But rather than a one word prompt, the author of Painted Pages, Sarah Ahearn Bellemare, suggests you can use this idea as a two-minute warm up exercise. For example:
- Paint only with white paint
- Write a few words with rub-on letters
- Rip out a page of a book and use a piece for collage

The techniques shown in this book could easily be used on a scrapbook page or a handmade card, so this book would be of interest to those like me who are not purists, and who like to experiment and express themselves in a wide range of creative arts. And of course, if you are a wanna-be or an art journalist! The book is also lovely just to browse, admire, and read, and there is a good range of examples as well as techniques to try. I read it from cover to cover within days of receiving, and I have since picked it up frequently just to look again.

Sadly I have not had opportunity to try out any of the techniques shown in this book. But I will in time and I have recorded lots of notes and inspirational ideas. And if you would like to be the next recipient of Painted Pages just leave me a comment. I will pick a name from random in one week. If you are not sure how Pass the Book works, pop over to Sian's where she explains it beautifully. And finally, a huge thank you to Sian for buying the books and sharing them! A wonderful gesture that is much appreciated by all who receive them. I wonder who the next lucky reader will be?

MANAGING THE MUNDANE plus Blog Hop Fun!!!

2011-07-31T21:32:00.000-07:00

Do you have routines or rituals that structure your day to day or your week? Some people like routines, infact some live their life by knowing what they will do from one minute to the next.
Me?
I like change and variation in my life. So my shift work pattern suits me, and one week is never the same as the next. Last week, Shimelle suggested that we observe what we do day to day and find ways of recording this. I like to make more of the mundane and will do things to vary any routine, and so I often take things to work to do during my break, usually something creative . On one occasion I was in London with time before my training resumed. So I took my camera outside and took as many photos as I could in 10 minutes. I went back to the training buzzing with excitement! I was really pleased with the photos I took and the change in activity and pace gave me renewed energy for the rest of the day. You can see some of the photos here and it is certainly an idea I will repeat again and again.

This weekend I planned to continue painting my new workroom. But then my daughter invited us to up Suffolk, where she is on holiday. And so my plans immediately changed & Saturday morning we headed off. I recorded the day in photographs (many of them!) and here is just a quick snapshot:

And then our plans changed again. Because it was suggested we stay over night as we were tired after our busy fun day and the sea air. We were completely unprepared, had no change of clothes and we had to improvise with bedding, but what the heck!! Life is about grabbing opportunities and making the most of every given situation, and so this weekend took yet another turn of direction and my paint brushes still remain untouched!

A change of pace or routine usually gives me a lift and just like after the 10 minute photo shoot, I am feeling renewed with energy and ready to face another week. I hope yours will be filled with good surprises and some fun, and to kick off you are invited to join in with some celebrations......

It's time for some BLOG HOP fun!!

Congratulations to Jemma, whose blog is one year old today, and to celebrate she has organised a number themed blog hop. If you have come to me from Jemma, then play a long. Otherwise you may want to visit Jemma at just-jimjams, and then come back here.

So, ready to play along? Here's what you do:

Collect a number from each of Jimjams' Blogiversary friends, put them in numerical order and then e-mail Jemma with the number which is missing from the sequence.

Here is my number. I thought I'd have some fun so can you work it out from these clues?

a. I am a prime number
b. I have two digits
c.   Add these together and I am twice as many
d. I am the first repeating number
e. I appear four times this year as unique dates
f.    I am the number of years that a sun spot cycle repeats
g.   and the number of players in many popular team games
h.   Apollo ?? made the first lunar landing
i.    I am the record number of Oscars for one movie

What number am I?

Make a note, then head over to Furrypig for the next number clue.

Good luck!! I'm looking forward to playing along.

You've got mail

2011-07-28T02:05:00.000-07:00

I LOVE getting post through the mail, don't you?

Recently I was the lucky recipient of Sian Fair's monthly Pass the Book.
I couldn't wait to unwrap and read the pages, which I did at every available opportunity. Such a lovely thing to receive through the post.

I will say more when I offer to Pass the Book next week. So if you would like to join in this fun and gesture of sharing look out for the blog post and leave a comment.

I also received another wonderful surprise through my letterbox, an amazing original painting by the very talented Natasha May.

Called 'Changes' this painting is based on Alice in Wonderland and it formed part of a story told by Natasha. I love the vidid colours and whimsical style. I was the very lucky name randomly drawn, so imagine my excitement and gratitude!

If you want to check out Natasha's other wonderful works of art she also has an etsy shop.

And finally, they postcard that I sent to myself arrived! My husband asked who it was from and when I said 'me' he quietly said something about 'Billy no friends' and walked away. Well, I wouldn't know where to begin, in explaining, so I left it as that! I know he said it in jest, and that he appreciates this is part of my wacky world of creativity. He also knows he would never understand and so he watches and supports me, and more than that he tolerates my chaos and mess. I consider myself lucky.

But I digress...... this postcard was part of the new Explore online course that I am taking part in and mentioned here. There are daily prompts as usual life is happening and I am not able to participate every day. But I am collecting ideas and materials so it will all unfold in its own time. I am quite excited by some of the ideas and yesterday's prompt suggested writing directly onto a photo. And if you like this idea or want to experiment Photojojo also shows ways of doing this.

I like the idea of receiving and sending postcards. So I have signed up toJulie Kirk's 'Going Postal'. This is involves another fascination of mine, Pinterest. I regularly add to my boards and if you have not signed up you need to be invited before you can create your own boards. I am happy to send you an invite so just pass on your email address to me. But be warned - it is addictive and even more hours will pass in front of the computer screen!

And I have also signed up for The Great Big Postcard Swap. In fact, I got so excited I have signed up twice, but that means double the fun! The idea is that you create a postcard using any medium, but must include a stitch or two. Then you post it to your assigned partner and receive your swap. I took part in last years swap and was inspired to join in again. So I need to start making my two postcards ready to post and to look forward to more mail dropping through my letter box.

My workspace this week is covered with a dustsheet and tins of paint. Yes! I am STILL painting and it feels like the 4th bridge. I wonder when it will end? The excitement has gone and is replaced by frustration and an aching body. Only the knowledge that this will have a good outcome keeps me motivated, and perhaps a paint party would have been a good idea! To see what other people have on their workspace go to Julia's site here. I will persevere and at least I am full of creative ideas ready to burst when I have the time and space. Meanwhile I did manage to quickly make my two grand daughters a Smash Book each to take on their holiday. I am just as excited to see what they put in them.
More about this another time, because the day calls.

Have fun what ever you are doing and I hope some lovely mail drops through your door too.

Explore WOYWW

2011-07-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

I am finally moving into to my new craft space, very slowly and not in the organised way that I had hoped. My plan was to decorate and move storage in before I started working, but I realised I had missed birthdays and needed to make cards among other things. So bit by bit boxes and paper crept in and I’m now partly installed. And my workspace is as disorganised as ever!

On it you can see:

1.       My Journal Your Christmas Album.   Yes... the fat pages are finally held together by ribbon and I am pleased to have it finished. Not relieved, because I enjoyed it to the end, but it will be nice to move on to something new. I will gradually add the pages to the forum, so anyone who took part in Shimelle’s online course will have access.

2.       A big pile of of cut mountboard bought for £1.50. I love a bargain don’t you!! I will use two sheets as front and back page for a new album. The size was even a perfect fit for pages I cut this morning. Perfect!

3.       Printouts of Shimelle’s new online course – Explore. The focus is on discovering more about yourself, and so far I am slow in starting. Nothing new there then! But I have proved that I can finish, so my pages are waiting to be put together and I am keeping it simple this time.
Remind me please if I forget I said this!

4.       One of the other things Shimelle suggested was to send yourself a postcard of one of your best adventures. We could use a picture postcard or make our own. There was one photo that stood out for me, of my Nan on the beach as a young woman. If I could turn back the time I would ask her more about her life as it is only in recent years that I have learned more and feel it was an opportunity missed. I don't know what I will be asked to do in this album, so this in itself is part of the adventure. And because I like to follow my intuition I stuck the photo onto a post card and posted it to myself.   There was no room for writing other than the address, but I can do that in my Explore album next to the postcard.  I am interested to find out where this will lead, I just have a feeling it will be exciting though.

If you want to know more about the Explore course go here.

It's not to late to join in and the thing I like about Shimelle's courses is that you can work at your own pace. And it seems I am not the only one to have taken my time over my Christmas Album so I am in great company! For the Explore course Shimelle has come up with the idea that we can sign up to be 'accountable'. And so as well as having a network of online friends and co-students, I am excited to have not one but two partners for this course!  I have exchanged emails with Pauline and Ali today and we plan to support, encourage and prompt each other along the way. What's more, Pauline lives quite local so we may even get to meet!

So here's to unknown fun and adventures as I go and Explore!

I wonder what's on your workspace this Wednesday? Go here to see what others are busy with.

10 things on the 10th (July 2011)

2011-07-11T06:22:00.000-07:00

Last month I made a list and have been busy working my way through:

Organising my photos - this is started and work in progress. There was rather a lot of catching up to do, you see!

~~Project 365~~ Finally added to my Flickr album here.

~~Start an Art Journal~~ more about that here.

~~Finish knitting a bollero.~~ That's here:

~~Finish my 'Journal Your Christmas album'~~. I just need to put the pages together.

Use my Wii fit.

Not done....

but only because I have been doing a lot of physical work this month.
I also bought 2 fitness DVD's that were recommended by my daughter. She has only used them 3 times and has noticed a big difference in her muscle tone. I've used it once so there is hope for me yet! And I will get the Wii out sometime as it is a lot of fun.

~~Birthday Blog.~~ A blog hop to celebrate my first year. A HUGE thank you to the very special people who helped me with this, and to everyone who took part.

~~Plan holiday or a break~~. I'm looking forward to visiting the 'Bloomsbury Set House' and Lewes in Sussex, with friends very soon. We are also in the process of buying a campervan, and have joined the Camping & Caravan club. The site directory has just been delivered and I'm looking forward to a cut of tea and more making more plans to get away.

Organise my ~~work space~~. Unfortuantly it is taking longer than hoped as there have been unwanted delays, then yesterday I experienced vertigo every time I looked up. This is not a good experience when perched on a ladder, so again I did not achieve as much as I hoped. But I did make a difference and today I will buy more paint and start on the interior. So, good progress is being made even if it is slower than I wanted.

~~Add a texture to a photo~~.

This was not the photo I wanted to post but for some reason Blogger is being picky. This shows the before and after, and this can be quite fun as well as creating age or different effects. Kim Klassen is offering a free mini-course on how to add textures. It starts today, so head straight over if you are interested in finding out more.

So, this time I shall be continuing with organising my photos and workspace. And I plan to carry on with the painting because I have some chairs and a lovely little table I want togive new life to.

I wonder what plans you have or what you are working on right now? Have fun what ever you are doing.

This post is part of Shimelle's 10 things on the 10th.

RAIN STOPPED PLAY....

2011-07-08T02:42:00.000-07:00

No, not at Wimbledon but in my garden. Because we have been busy building my new craft space. I wonder if I will take the jump one day and call this my studio? At the moment I am thoughtful about what it will be called and hope that once it is filled I will know. Meanwhile I have been busy on the outside, painting and making it mine, all mine.

I wanted it to blend into the garden, so that it feels that it has grown out of the ground. Once I have planted around it and added a plaque and lantern or two I hope it will look like it has always been there. Because, it has in my dreams.
But for now rain has stopped me painting. I could go out and buy paint and start on the inside, but there is still small work to be done and so I will be patient.

So instead, I will finish the last page or two of my Journal Your Christmas Album. Yes, I am still working on it. But you will understand the reason why it is not completed. I still have two days left before I post my next 10 things on the 10th, so it will be done.

But before I start I am going to have a cup of tea and browse ‘Painted Pages’. I was lucky enough to be picked for Sian’s ‘Pass the Book’ and have been turning the pages at every opportunity. I will say more about this another time, but for now it has given me the inspiration to get out the paint instead of ink pads. I also bought a template the other day, so my Journal Your Christmas album will be getting a new look.

Best get started!

TEN minus FIVE

2011-06-29T02:01:00.000-07:00

.... is five. Five more things to complete on my list of 10 things on the 10th that is. And my workspace today is still looking a crazy mess, but that's how I like it best. Because I can dip in and out as time allows. I have been busy finishing the last pages of my Journal Yours Christmas album and because I am enjoying it so much I decided to finish it on 6th January which is the 12th night.

This page is a collage done on Picasa using some of my favourite photos taken during 2010. Favourites because they trigger happy memories or special moments that I want to recapture time and time again.
That I wrote about here, here, and here.

I wouldn't usually do a college on a page, but this was an idea suggested by Shimelle as part of this course, and it fitted perfectly with that I wanted to achieve.

I wouldn't normally print images off Google for my pages either. But I wanted to create a page about Pantomine, and did not have any photos I could use.

The Cinderella poster opens and inside I will use the space to journal.

There are just a few pages to go and some more journalling to add. Then I need to find a way of binding this very fat album together!

Happy Wednesday and enjoy what ever you are doing.
Oh, and by the way, if you want to see what other people have on their workspace go over to Julie's here.

GOOD GRIEF

2011-06-23T06:35:00.000-07:00

Can grief be good? I know it is a processing and experiencing of feelings. And I guess you can do that in a positive way by going through the stages by embracing it, and recognising it for what it is. Or you can deny yourself this because it is too painful, uncomfortable, or because for whatever reason, you just can't.

This week someone I know died before her life had really begun. I worked with her for nearly 3 years and although I lived in the knowledge that her life could end and tried to prepare myself for this, nothing can take away the shock. And I am trying to work with this in a positive way. Work is not the place to be while I process what has happened, and and it is important that I recognise my own needs otherwise my work with other people may be affected. And so I am at home, doing what I know helps. Being creative, because this is what touches me most. Not scrapbooking or album making. But art journalling and writing. Get in touch with my thought processes and feelings, and allowing them to be expressed in a healthy way. And I also know that isolating myself is not helpful, so I have had contact with friends and other people who can help me with this. And sometimes, more often than not infact, it is mutual support. A sharing of memories, ideas of how to put things into perspective and to move forward. I am going to the funeral and I will also be involved in a celebration of her life with other people who knew and worked with her. Ceremonies and rituals are important. Our ancestors knew this much better than we do.

In 10 things on 10th I said I would start an art journal. And this seemed the perfect time to do so. I don't know why I didn't do this years ago actually. I love expressing myself through art, or working with others to do this. A journal is the perfect place to keep pages together. Up until now I have always worked bigger, A1 or A2, but there is no reason why I can't keep doing this too when the mood or need takes. And now I recognise that the beauty of an art journal is that you can take it with you. Use it in the moment or when opportunity strikes.

So here are the first pages. Some speak for themselves, others are work in progress.

I have also started to make some backgrounds. This one is a favourite photo of mine that I altered using impressionist style at befunky. If you have not checked out this site already it is worth a look. I like to alter my photos sometimes for creative work, and think I will be doing this more regularly with an art journal to fill.

And this one was hand printed using the base of a bunch of celery. They look like flowers, I love the effect:

And finally, for those who have visited from Julia's, here is a picture of my desktop. Not my usual style, but now you know why.

You will also know why I have not visited so many blogs or left comments this week. I will be back in action soon.

For the moment I just need time to be quiet and to gather my thoughts.

COME JOIN THE BLOG HOP!!

2011-06-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

Today I am celebrating one year of blogging, or as Ruth called it - my BLOGIVERSARY!
I was initially very unsure about setting up a blog, but I'm so glad that I did. I've made lots of new friends, some who I occasionally meet face to face as well as in blogland. And some are joining me in my first Blog Hop..... I feel so honoured and privileged. THANK YOU - you know who you are!!

And here are some of the firsts I celebrated a long the way. For this has all been a learning curve and I now see that my blog has become another way to create and develop. I am linking back to posts in case you want the option of dipping in, so let's start:

1. It felt like a risk when I organised a Poll and a Giveaway. But it turned out really special when winner, Natasha, used one of the tags I made in her artwork and posted it on her blog. I had the biggest smile on my face when I saw it!

2.  I did an on line course and was encouraged to join the blogging world in order to share my creative work and to meet other people. This is my first post.

3. My first residential was an amazing experience and we created from dawn to midnight. I'm going again in October. I can't wait!

4. I made my first scrapbook page. Handmade books and mini albums are my first love, but I like scrapbook techniques and I LOVE some of the pages I have made during the year in taught classes at my monthly Eclectic Keepsake group.

5. I had a first meeting with Moira. We met through 'Taking Flight' the online course that introduced me to blogging. As as well as becoming a friend Moira also runs the residential workshop that I attend.

6. I posted my first video. If you ever doubt yourself or your capability, just watch this.

7. I took part in my first Blog Hop & won a giveaway!! I couldn't believe my luck and had such fun visiting new blogs.

8. My first online swap, where I exchanged a handmade gift as part of Louise Gale's Creative Colour Challenge.

9.   I took part in my first interview.  This was part of an online course where we were encouraged to think about different styles of writing and to interview our self!

10. And finally, this is the first Blog Hop I have organised... so let's not waste any more time and let the fun begin!

HOW TO PLAY:

Listed below are names of those taking part.

Visit each blog in turn, and you will be directed to the next person on the list. If you 'get lost' don't worry - just come back here and pick up the thread.

As you visit each blog, look out for a letter.

There are 12 to collect. When you have them all, rearrange them to make one word. Then come back here and leave the word in a comment.

I am offering a GIVEAWAY as a thank you for taking part, and will randomly pick a name from the correct answers on Thursday 23rd.

Of course you are welcome to leave a comment without collecting the letters. I LOVE receiving comments, as these always brighten my day!

This is the start, so have fun & I hope to see you back here at the end. And don't forget, this is where you pick up the thread if you get lost or have joined part way.

Let's start hopping!!

Your first letter is : C

1. Sandie (you are here!)

2. Ann

3. Louise

4. Angela

5. Laurie

6. Karen

7. Moira

8. Deb

9. Alexa

10. Den

11. Lynn

12. Ruth

A FOCUS ON FABRIC....

2011-06-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a focus on fabric for me, right now.

My daughter doesn't understand my obsession with paper craft, though she appreciates what I make. However, I do understand her obsession with fabrics, and with upcycling, because I share that.

And imagine my joy when I saw a photo of my smallest granddaughter on Facebook wearing a dress that Emma had just made.

For the fabric Emma used one of her tops that she no long wears and she made up her own pattern. Wren looks the perfect model and seems happy to wear her new dress!

Then I found a wonderful website for vintage style fabrics: www.fancymoonfabric.co.uk. I just had to look them up and oohed and aghed for a bit. I see see an order following.

And to complete the hat trick Alissa posted about a new magazine called Mollie Makes. I just had to look out for it today and joy of joys I found a copy in Asda. I intend to curl up with with a nice cup of tea and linger over each scrumptious page just as soon as I finish this. And to wet your appetite here is the video that Alissa posted. I just had to share and while the kettle boils I shall watch it again... it is just so cute!

By the way! I'd love your feedback on my new blog header and layout. It was time for a change and it's still evolving and work in progress, but I'm still undecided about having a sidebar. Do you think my profile should be at the top so that visitors can find it easily? What is the first thing you look for when visiting a new blog?

Have a good day and don't forget June 20th is my blog-birthday-hop!
Lots of amazing people are taking part so hop along with us and have some fun.

Hope to see you soon, I'm off to boil the kettle!

Oyay! Oyay!

2011-06-15T02:51:00.000-07:00

If I were a town crier I'd be ringing my bell loud and clear! Because you see, my blog will be one year old on Monday 20th June.

And I am organising a

BLOG HOP

to celebrate.

This is my way of saying thank you to everyone who has been part of my journey. I have some amazing participants lined up, a surprise or two, and am I excited ? Yes I am! I hope you will make a note of the date and join us for some fun!
Thank you to Robert Needham, Town Crier for Colchester, Essex for permission to use this photo.

I'm also celebrating progress in other areas too. In my last post I named 10 things I wanted to achieve in the coming weeks. I have ticked off Project 365 and these photos are now sorted and downloaded onto my Flickr site. Yay!!

Thank you to anyone who left a comment on my post. I was truely grateful and encouraged and have visited each of you to thank you personally. But the Google Gremlins were about... grrrrr! After writing a comment I would be signed out..... I would sign back in and repreat the process only to be met with the same problem. I can't tell you how much time was wasted and it got so bad that I actually gave up. And I don't give up easily! But I did get to see what other people listed as their 10 things and loved the ideas and the sharing. And I also found out something pretty special, but more about that next time....

Another of my intentions was to start a art journal. I love using all kinds of media so this seemed a good place to experiment and work on pieces that are small enough to complete. There's no point in starting yet another project that remains unfinished! And so I bought this book. There are no techniques or instructions, just 1000 images of completed work. But a great souce of inspiration which will naturally flow into my other creative areas.

By the way, has anyone else had Google sign in problems or is it just me?
Enjoy your week, what ever you are doing.

10 things on the 10th

2011-06-09T21:37:00.000-07:00

I posted here about things I want to change within the next 5 years. That is a very generous time frame because realistically I want it to be more like 5 months. But who’s counting?!

Then Shimelle suggested posting 10 things on the 10th of the month and I got thinking. .... life has felt very chaotic and busy lately. Things have been neglected because of the on-going building work and spending time with my Mum following her operation. I have now started my new job and slowly, slowly, I am gathering my breath and trying to catch up. And so, I am going to set myself 10 goals this 10th day of the month.

I am giving myself to the 10th of next month to complete this, that's 4 weeks. So let’s start:

1. Sort out my photos. Since December these have been simply downloaded off the camera onto the computer. Usually I sort each download into various albums and have a system that works for me. I take lots of photos on a daily basis so this will be a huge task. And best not left any longer!

2.    Project 365. Yes – I am still doing this even though my Flickr album only contains 30 photos this year. This means I need to download a photo a day from February to now. I once got behind with this before and made a mental not NEVER to do that again as it was so frustrating and difficult to catch up. Some lessons need repeating!

3.    Start an art journal. This is more pleasure than pain. Something I keep saying I want to do, and now I have set myself a target.

4.    Finish knitting a bolero for my newest granddaughter. I keep starting projects and not finishing them, and you know how fast babies grow. Wren will outgrow it before I finish if I don’t get it done!

5.    Complete my Journal Your Christmas album. Yes – you read right! I know I have said this before and again I will be taking it to my monthly group. But this time I plan not to be distracted. The trouble is I see other exciting ideas and put the JYC album aside. Not this time, because I really do want to finish it before I start another album. And I have others earmarked so I have motivation.

6.    Start using my Wii machine again. I did use this regularly for a while and enjoyed the fitness games and exercises. I need to increase my physical activity and this suits my lifestyle right now. In the future I hope to be able to get out more.   I love walking and gardening but for now things indoors are more pressing.

7.    Plan something for my blog birthday on 20th June. I’m still thinking what I might do. Watch this space!

8.    Plan a holiday or short break away. A change of scenery would be very welcome.

9. Organise my work space. You know how things accumulate and increase in piles? At least it saves the need to dust.....

10. Add a texture to a photo. One of my plans this year was to experiment with Photoshop Elements and become more familiar and confident with using it. Not so! I have used textures before by layering and I even started taking photos specially to use as textures & effects. Remember I said I download my photos into albums? ‘Textures’ is one of them and this is a photo I previously experimented with. I am setting this as my final challenge and hope I can remember how to do this.
Incidentally, if you don't have Photoshop, 'Picnik' offer a range of special effects, lots of them free and fun to play with.

I am looking forward to coming back on 10th of next month to celebrate my achievements, and I really hope I can do all these things. Especially organising the photos. I wonder what 10 things you would choose?

Looking back with a smile....

2011-06-09T03:08:00.000-07:00

A year ago I enrolled on my first e-course 'Flying Lessons'. And this led me to starting my blog. Something I never even considered before.

And as my first year of blogging approaches I am thoughtful about the changes this has made to my life and the people I have met a long the way. But I am not here to get philosophical - just to share with you one person who made an initial impression. Makiko is a very talented artist specializing in pottery, but one thing that I always remember with a big smile is her amazing 'Blue Box and Books' which she made and shared on a video. I've yet to make a video but this is one that I admire and aspire to. Hope you like it too.

My blog wouldn't feel complete without sharing a photo, so here is one that I took the other evening when driving home. Sun rise and sun sets are another thing that make me smile. What makes you smile?

FIVE THINGS FIVE YEARS FROM NOW

2011-06-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

Five things you know won't be around in five year's time, Sian said. Actually it was Amy who said it first, and I grabbed my camera. Because I have lots of things that I hope will be long gone by then.

Take this sofa. It is lovely & comfy, the perfect place to snuggle up with a glass of wine & a good book or film. But the arms are worn and cost of recovering it is almost the same as replacement. So out it will go.

And this Laura Ashley vintage dress. Alas, it is too small for me now and it has hung in my wardrobe far too long. It is earmarked for Ebay, along with a leather reclining armchair and a heap of once read books.

Not so much a 'thing' this time but a whole room restoration. It's work in progress and I want this block work and the mess gone. We are changing everything around in the utility room, so it has caused immense upheaval and lots of plumbing work......

..... and the kitchen units being removed to access drains. So the units are currently in the living room and their contents are piled on work surfaces and in boxes on the floor.

And finally my shelves of stash. These have currently taken over the dining room-turned craft room. But it doesn't work. There are too many fixtures such as the fireplace and bookshelves that line an entire wall. The room just does not feel right as a creative space, and so they need to go. Not literally. Just to a new place where I can finally feel settled. I have tried the spare bedroom, that didn't work either. And so I am on the move again. And I am definately not waiting 5 years for it to happen!

I wonder what five things you would like to see changed or gone by 5 years?

WINNING THEIR WAY....

2011-05-24T03:01:00.000-07:00

Yay! What fun I had making the tags and ? for my giveaway. And I had as much fun wrapping and posting them! The little pagackes are now on their way to Natasha and Julia. I know the joy of receiving things through the post and having a letter or package land on the doorstep. Especially if it is unexpected or something special as opposed to a bill or circular! And there is just as much joy in giving as receiving so I must do this again soon. Have a good day what ever you are doing.

AND THE WINNERS OF THE GIVE AWAY ARE.....

2011-05-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

NatashaMay and Julia Dunnit !!

Thank you to everyone who completed my poll and left a comment on my Vintage and a Give-Away post.

I really do appreciate your feedback and helpful responses.

In June I will be celebrating my first year of blogging. How the time has flown! I've learned so much and I would like to do something to mark the occasion. A blog hop, give away, or a challenge come to mind, but I wonder if you have any other ideas to share? Do please let me know, or share a link to show me! Come up with an idea that I choose and a small gift will be on its way to you!

Remember to spread your wings....

2011-05-19T02:23:00.000-07:00

AND FLY!
Saturday saw me at my monthly crop and making a 12" page for my album. I can’t take credit other than for the assembly, as the design and papers were supplied by the very talented and modest Karen Cole. We were shown a preview of the gorgeous MME Lime Twist papers that we would be using, and they were quite bright for my usual style. I love a challenge though and wondered what photo to take. And for the first time I decided to dedicate this page to me. My husband had taken a recent photo that I loved for it's lighting and natural pose. And the more I thought about it, the more this connected with the papers and the theme.

For I have been undergoing lots of change lately, not self initiated but in response to what has happened at work. There have been many decisions to make, lots of risks to take. None life changing (though who knows what may come) but pretty big within my every day life. And so as I put this page together I felt a real affection for it.

The Hot Air Balloons also hit the spot as I went to a Festival a couple of years ago and had a weekend I will never forget. I also took some opf my favourite photos and perhaps I will show some of them one day. But I digress, and for now here is the page I made on Saturday at Eclectic Keepsakes.

The quality of this photo is not good but I don't have time to take another at this time. At least it shows the overall effect. We hand stitched onto the balloons and used the lovely TIM HOLTZ rosette die. The way Karen used the papers made them less vivid than I initially imagined, and this page is very fitting for where I am at right now.

One last thing, like others of you I experienced problems with Blogger recently and some comments on my post were deleted. Tomorrow I am randomly drawing two winners for my VINTAGE GIVEAWAY. If you did complete my poll and leave a comment, please check that yours is still there. I would hate you to miss out!!

And if you haven't, it's not too late to take part but be quick!!

VINTAGE and a GIVE AWAY!!

2011-05-11T02:25:00.000-07:00

While I was in Whitstable recently I came across a Vintage
Sale. I love vintage so you can imagine my excitement! There
was bundles of lace, buttons galore, fabrics, and some beautiful
handmade bags in vintage style. And what made the visit even
more special was that my husband came across something
very exciting, and realised that I would love it.

Can you guess what it is??

The woman suggested it could be used as a door stop, book end, or ornament.

She obviously didn't know that I would want the machine for what it was actually designed for...

which is this:

My husband doesn't really understand my passion for all things creative - but perhaps I got that wrong! At least in this instance he got it completely right and the machine even came with the original label attached.

I have a box of materials already to make haberdashery cards and mini albums so this embossed stamp will be just perfect.

Then I got to thinking.........
I wonder if others would like to share my lucky find?
If I made some tags or labels, is this the sort of thing crafters might like to use in their designs?

So... can I be cheeky and ask you to complete this short poll for me please!? It will only take a few seconds. And as a thank you I'd like to offer 2 sets of these tags, and I'll also throw in a something extra as a surprise.

So that I can identify you just leave a comment after you have completed the poll and I will pick 2 names from random on 20th May. This is my first give-away so I am quite excited. My first poll too, so make this extra excited!

I do hope you will take part as I'd love to hear your thoughts, whether you sew, scrapbook, journal, or create in other ways . And perhaps you have other ideas how these stamps can be used... please share !!

I have included this post in What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday. If you want to find out what other people are creating visit Julie's site here. It's great to see other people's work space and ~~mess~~ organisation, it makes me feel so normal!

Surprise and surprise again !!

2011-05-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

If you read my last post you may recall that I had an unexpected surprise.

I was in Devon for my birthday this year so I knew family celebrations would be to follow. Imagine my excitement and joy when the door bell rang and this is what I saw:

And I LOVED the handmade card my daughter gave me. She had knitted this beautiful bluebell and I confess it bought a tear to my eye!

After opening my present (a much wanted hedgehog house) we set off in two cars. I knew I was going away as I'd been asked to arrange time off work, but I did not know my whole family were coming too! Yay!!

On the way we stopped at a service station. What great timing.... and totally unplanned. We were just in time to see Kate Middleton drive to Westminster Abbey and the start of the Royal Wedding. There was a wonderful apmosphere with a crowd round the TV, and my grand daughters were dressed for the occasion in red, white and blue.

We lingered for a while, then on again until we finally reached 'Hideaway' a holiday home where we would spend the next three days. The location and house was perfect! There was a sea view, and a pub across the road where we had a wonderful meal. The sun shone, and over the next couple of days we relaxed, walked along the beach and explored Whitstable.

Summer liked the looked of my strawberry in champage so I made her a non-alcoholic version.

I had set up my recorder at home as I did not want to miss the Royal Wedding. If I had been home I would have done something special to mark the occasion. But as it was we saw people celebrating on the beach, in their gardens, and at a street party. And we had our own special celebration with birthday cake, candles, sunshine, and champagne.

And did I have a good time? You bet I did!!

I learned that my son had booked 'Hideaway' after hours and hours of trawling the internet and much nail biting. It seemed all suitable holiday lets were booked but he found a real gem! And my weekend was extra special having my family all there.

One last thing, I found a wonderful craft shop where I bought lots of new stamps and.... came across a Vintage Sale. That's two last things actually, but double the excitement especially as the sale had some wonderful stalls and photo opportunities! And what's more, my lovely husband found something very special for me which I could not resist. But you'll have to wait until next time to find out what it is!

I have been blog visiting and seen some other lovely Royal Wedding celebrations. I hope you are continuing to enjoy this wonderful weather, I hear it is here to last for a bit longer, so yippee and yippee again I say!!

A DAY IN PHOTOS - what happened next....

2011-05-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

In my last post I showed photos of our visit to the Eden Project. This is our fourth visit and there is always something new to see. On this occasion, the ariel Walkway. Right up into the dome, 50m high and 167 steps.

We were eager to go up!

So imagine our disappointment when the walkway was closed due to high temperature.
40 degrees plus, even with the top vents of the dome wide open.
That is about the same temperature as when we visited Death Valley. Hot!!

I made enquiries and was told it might reopen later in the day. So after we had explored every path and absorbed as much as we could take in, we left the tropics and went to see the second dome which is Mediterranean.

Then.........

back to the main dome.

And guess what?!

The Walkway had re-opened!

Our friends lack a head for heights so opted to go for tea and cake while we set off full of excitement and anticipation.

And we were not disappointed.

I had planned to post this last week, but on Friday I had a surprise that changed everything. And I'll tell you more next time!

A Day in Photos

2011-04-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

A Day in Photos, at the Eden Project, Cornwall.

23rd April, 2011

This is part of Beyond Blogging for Scrapbookers - Day 6

To see more go here

IN THE DRIVING SEAT........

2011-04-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

If you have visitied my blog recently you will know that I am doing another online course.  Day one of Beyond Blogging for Scrapbookers inspired me to look at Google Reader and I spent hours yesterday, and I mean hours, visiting blogs and thinking about my own.  I have a list of blogs I follow and yesterday I also set up Google Analyitcs so that I can find out more about who visits my site. Of course, this may be your first time of visiting, and if so, a big warm welcome!! I hope you like what you see and that you will have time to brieflly browse... on even linger.

And I guess what I would really like is to know is what draws visitors to my blog and makes them want to return. Some of my fellow class members have done a poll and I thought about this.  I even started to design one. Then I decided to leave that for another day and to ask some questions.  And what I would LOVE is for you to leave a comment as I am using this course to reflect and think about what I might add to my blog or change. After all, the main reason I started my blog was to increase my contact with creative and like minded people, and your views are really important.

So.... some of the things I'd like to know:

What draws you to a blog?
Is there anything about my blog you especially like?
Would you like more tutorials and links to other sites?
Do you like regular features such as WOYWW and Storytelling Sundays?
What could I do to make my blog better?
I am thoughtful about redesigning my blog page, what would make it more user friendly?  Should I have a sidebar?

Please don't run away at this point!!! I don't expect you to answer all the questions! Just one or two would be absolutely great. Every comment will help me to make the most of this course and to be a better blogger.  At least that is the plan!

Thank you for visiting and if I've not already introduced yourself please say hello. And I hope you will come again....
One last thing, you may be interested in this:

FREE ONLINE CREATIVE CROP!!

I was excited to hear about this one day celebration of National Scrapbook Day organised by Big Picture Classes and what's more, it's FREE!  There will be 12 hours of creative challenges, live chat, giveaways, and lots of inspiration and interaction. What fun!! I don't know if you have checked out their classes before, but there is a good range on offer including some freebies. It's worth a browse.

Take a breath....

2011-04-16T10:16:00.000-07:00

In my last post I spoke about Shimelle's course 'Blogging for Scrapbookers'. I knew from the outset that it was bad timing for me, and that there would be too much else going on in my life. So I am not surprised at my lack of postings and course commitment. But just to show it is not lack of enthusiasm and motivation I have signed up for Shimelle's next and brand new course: Beyond Blogging for Scrapbookers. This course takes blogging a step further and once again, as much as I would love to indulge myself, I know that time will not allow me to throw myself into the course or to blog regularly at this time. Can you hear my sigh of resignation?

In my fantasy I would wake up each morning to a new prompt, read it slowly over a cup of coffee, and then take time to think about. I'd write regular and interesting posts and have time to lesuirely browse other blogs and chat on the forum.
In my fantasy....

In reality 'life' continues to happen. I have taken time off work to care for my Mum who has just has a full replacement hip operation. And have I missed the internet while away from home? You bet I have! It would have been a good opportunity to spend time doing the course, but it wasn't to be. I have popped home and grabbed this opportunity to catch up on what I have been missing.

While looking after my Mum I did sneak out for one day. I'd been looking forward to going to Alexander Palace and was far from dissapointed. Specially when I discovered Donna Dowley was there. I have a hankering for making a journal, getting messy with paint and 'stuff'. I loved this 'make and take' that Donna prepared, and some of her journals were on display. I could have browsed and stroked them all day.... but that would have looked a bit strange so I dragged myself away eventually and looked at the other stands and displays. I challeneged myself not to buy even one sheet of scrapbook paper - and guess what?! I didn't!! Not one sheet! Can you imagine the temptation! But I have indulged myself considerably of late and a beautiful pad from TK Max was the final straw. I had made up my mind to resist all temptation and weakened. The papers are lovely though!!

One of my biggest spends at Alexander Palace was some wonderful shaped albums made out of MDF. I won't tell you how many I have collected over time, all waiting to be decorated.

Other recent ones are word albums I bought on eBay, one for each of my granddaughters.

One day I will get round to decorating them.

One day.....

And I have also resolved not to buy any more blank shape albums until I do.

But now it is time to cook dinner and afterwards I plan to watch 'So you think you can dance' on TV. Last series had me spellbound by the sheer talent and choreography. I've also got a good DVD to watch. If you like romantic I recommend 'Dear John'. That's my evening mapped out.............

Favourites

2011-03-24T03:49:00.000-07:00

Another sunny day! Spring has sprung! Yesterday I grabbed the opportunity to visit one of my favourite local places where the daffodils take your breathe away. I was not disappointed, this year was even better than last.

As much as I would love to throw myself whole heartedly into Blogging for Scrapbookers class, I need to be creative with my time. So when Shimelle asked to think about favourites I also thought about her other prompts so far. What are my intentions and how much do I want to share of my personal life? For me, blogging was not something in my game plan but I discovered it led me to a whole new exciting world where I can share my own creativity and what I love, and more importantly, meet people who not only understand but share my passion.  I didn't expect to make friends a long the way. A bonus indeed!!

Todays prompt from Shimelle is how do we blog when there is not much to write about? Again, it made me think of mundane days and I remembered a post I enjoyed writing about cooking a meal.  We decided to set ourselves a challenge to make it more fun.  Jamie Oliver is one of my favourite chefs so we used one of his cookery books   Go here if you want to find out more.

And that got me thinking about other favourite postings. Here is a list, just in case you'd like to have a quick browse:

http://itchifingers.blogspot.com/2010/10/gypsy-camp.html

http://itchifingers.blogspot.com/2010/11/wonderful-weekend.html

http://itchifingers.blogspot.com/2011/02/storytelling-sunday-butterflies.html

http://itchifingers.blogspot.com/2010/10/my-notebook-and-pen-all-ready-to-go.html

http://itchifingers.blogspot.com/2010/10/whats-on-your-workdesk-wednesday.html

I'd like to list favourite blogs that I visit but I have just noticed the time and I need to get ready for work! I will list these another time but as I have got the link ready I will quickly mention this one:

http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com/

I love making my own things from scratch so this blog is not only huge fun and inspirational, but it also offers great tutorials and ideas on how to make counterfeit kits and embellishments.   It's worth checking out.

One of my plans was to try posting shorter and more regular blogs. Achieved!!

Have a good day!!

Blogging... so far

2011-03-23T05:02:00.000-07:00

I should be doing this and that... but I am trying to distract myself from difficult decision making, and where better to do it than on line!!

Have you heard about Shimelle Lane's Blogging for Scrapbookers class? I subscribed after I had set up my blog and have been waiting for it to go 'live' again so that I can be part of an online community. Lots of the members met on an earlier course and set up their blogs around the same time. How lovely to be part of something so special! Some even got together on Skype last weekend! Luckily I have got to know some of these people a long the way and blogging has opened up a whole new world of networking and friendships.
I wonder where it will go from here?

I had no plans to be creative today, but I was inspired by 'scrappysue' a member who posted her scrapbook page on the forum. I just had to lift her idea and do it! It's my first page where I have not used a photo, and because I could do it quite quickly and without getting out loads of stash I could not resist the urge. I'm not satisfied that it is finished and when I have more time I will revisit and make it more my style, but for now it does what I want. It was good looking back over the history of my blog, something I've not done before. It made me realise that I don't blog as frequently as I'd like, and when I do I tend to do a big post as I have so much to say! Something to work on!

I'm looking forward to learning lots of new ideas and techniques. I still consider myself new to blogging (since June 2010) and with much to learn, and hopefully this class will give me a lead.

So, what else is on my Workspace this Wednesday? This useful pin cushion with an attached pocket that I have made for a friend. I saw the idea at the recent residenttial, and thought it an idea gift. A friend asked me to make one for her too, so with no pattern but just an idea I got out my fabrics and sewing machine. I may make one for myself when I have more time. I love to see other people's workspace and what they are busy doing. Go to Julia's blog to see more.

The sun is shining and I should be doing 101 other things so that's it for today. Enjoy the weather, creating, or what ever it is you are doing. My plan is to write shorter and more regular posts. There - I've said it!!

Wading in !

2011-03-19T04:18:00.000-07:00

My last post showed my craft area (I still cringe when I think that I shared this!)

I'm not a tidy worker at the best of the time... things spread and spill and how ever much I get out there is always something else you need. You know how it is!

My plan to blitz the room was sabotaged when I felt unwell for a few days, so the door remained shut while I had pj days laying on the sofa, catching up with films and programmes I had saved to watch on the TV.

I made one concession, I needed a birthday card for an aunt. It was a special birthday so I wanted it personal and found a photo of when she was a bridesmaid. I received a phone call from her this morning, expressing her surprise and love of the card.

It's moments like that that make it worthwhile and remind me why I go to the effort I do. It would be so much quicker to send a shop bought card, but that would not give me any sense of pleasure in sending,or match the enjoyment I get from coming up with ideas and then making them happen.

I got the idea for this card from a blog I'd just seen. Pretty Lil' Things just sums these tags up!!

Sian posted a tutorial for beautiful paper rosettes that she made and I want to have a go.... like now!

But I will have to be patient use it as motivation and a carrot at the end of my stick.

So with energy restored and motivation flowing I am about to open the door and
wade in!

By the way, if you like the Dymo tape you can make one here.

I found the link on a blog and wanted to give credit but I forgot to write down the details.

How do you keep tract of blogs you might want to come back to?? I am sure I am not the only one who hops from blog to blog, getting more and more lost and giddy with excitement!

So, apologises to the person concerned... and thank you!

Comfort in the Choas....

2011-03-09T16:22:00.000-08:00

I'm embarrassed to show my workspace this Wednesday but after a residential weekend, followed by a crop and time crafting with friends, everything has got out of hand.

So with some time off work I finally have an opportunity to blizt! I have spent today unpacking the rest of the bags and trying to reorganize. I have bought lots of new materials recently (to compensate for the ongoing situation at work), and now I need larger storage containers. So I have been reshuffling, relabling, and redesigning my work area. A job that is long overdue!

While I have been busy, it's also been a lot of fun. The residential was at Belstead and a 'Focus on Photos'. Moira Neal showed us how to use Picasa, a free software that enables you to create collages and special effects. We had much fun in the garden using a sheet of white paper to reflect the sun, and we took turns having our photo taken with the sun in each direction so we could experiment with light and shadows. With everyones camera focused and clicking we each had our moment of fame. And sometimes, amid roars and tears of laughter, Moira set her timer and did a quick dash so she could be included in the shot. If only learning was always this much fun!!

On our way to Belstead we went on a mamouth shop, first to A Trip Down Memory Lane, where I finally spent the £20 voucher that I won back in January at my monthly crop, Eclectic Keepsakes. Then we went to a recycling centre where we bought bags of wonderful goodies at bargain prices. I was especially pleased with a huge bundle of lace and bag of fabric, it really is pot luck when you go to these scrap stores but we were not disappointed. Then we met up with another friend who took us to Papermaze. This was my first visit and I was very impressed. Although small it had an amazing stock and even more to pack into the already bulging car. Finally, with an hour to spare, we stopped off at The Range. And yet more goodies found their way into my possession. Sometimes it is just too hard to resist!

Here are just a few bits that I bought, and some books I took a long to the course. We also looked at Photoshop Elements, and I was very excited to learn a couple of things I'd been wanting to do.

I worked on my 'Journal Your Christmas' album while I was there and just have about 5 pages to go. It feels like it has been on the go for months, which would be true, but I only pick it up now and then and still enjoy putting it together. I love the overall idea and this has been my first attempt at journalling.
Also on the table you can see some Paper Artsy stamps - I LOVE these and managed to pick them up at a bargain price. I also bought a set of gorgous papers 'For the Record'. I plan to use these, not just admire, and they will be perfect for a family album I have in mind. I have a lovely collection of old family photos waiting to be used. But before I start I want to finish tidying and create a space that is good to work in. Hopefully, I can take another photo and it will look much more inviting than the one I showed at the beginning of this post!

Creative Colour Swap!

2011-03-09T00:56:00.000-08:00

I took part in Louise Gale's Creative Colour Challenge and was partnered with Sally who lives in Madrid. I received the most beautiful gift...... a handmade felt broach and hair clip - just my colours and style!
Oh... and a beautiful hand written note. Perfect!! Thank you Sally, I was so lucky to have you as my partner!

I had great deliberations over what to make Sally and abandoned my first effort when I discovered it could take all Summer to complete! So I made a felt needle case. I loved making it and little did I know that this was something that Sally needed. What's more, it arrived on her birthday, how perfect! I would have enclosed a birthday card had I known but warm email wishes were sent.

I loved taking part and the excitement of giving and receiving a gift. Thank you Louise for coming up with this wonderful idea.

I HATE PACKING....

2011-02-23T09:03:00.000-08:00

but I love it when I get there! Yes, this weekend I am back at Belstead for 3 days and looking forward to some great company and 'me' time. My bags are bursting even though I am trying to pack less, I am sharing a car with my friend Jill and what's more, we plan to shop on our way! I intend to finish my Journal Your Christmas album..... yes, I know it is nearly March but I am determined to complete it! I have printed some more photos today and gathered bits together. It's all in bags cluttering the hall. Hope the won't be as much as last time....

Last week I went to the Stitch & Creative Craft show and bought more Christmas papers, stamps, and other bits. They were bargain prices so how could I not?! There were some lovely pink papers and brads so they will add a change to my colour scheme which has so far been fairly traditional. I've just noticed bright pink on one of my Christmas album pages (see photo above) so perhaps it's not so traditional after all!

Here are some of the things I bought. Some Spellbinder dies for my Hot Shot which I will be using lots this weekend, and I especially love the fabric 'Bloomers' made by Websters Pages. I've hankered for these for a long time but thought I try and make my own. As often the case there has not been the time so I hankered no more! I just need to make sure I use them and not just admire. I also bought more paper flowers to add to my collection, and some gorgous papers which are also Websters Pages. These are double sided and at 50p a sheet how could I resist? I'm just surprised I didn't buy more.

One of the other things I bought are Decopatch tissue papers. I already had a stock (far more than I realised actually) but couldn not resist the beautiful colours and designs. I bought some fibreboard shapes to cover and started today thinking this would be quick and easy. Little did I reckon on the gecko's fiddly feet!! I had planned to make this as a gift, but as it should have been posted on Monday I may have to rethink my plan.

My postings seem less frequent lately as I have been busy and work remains a preoccupation. Hopefully things will settle a little from here on and I have some annual leave due next week. Yay!! The car is booked in for it's overdue service, hair cut booked, and I have lots to do at home to catch up. But I plan to see friends and have time with my granddaughters on Monday. Lovely!!

Best get on with the packing......

Catching up...

2011-02-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago I went to my monthly crop and was so in love with the papers and design chosen by the wonderful Ann Freeman.

The pages shown are double sided, and as always I was thoughtful about what photos to take for the crop.

Although these papers lend themselves to Valentine's Day I decided to use photos of my daughter and her new baby, Wren. I printed them in black and white, and was SO pleased with the end result. I think this double page spread is possibly my favourite of all the scrapbook pages I have done so far.

The papers are Echo Park 'Be Mine'. The papers show as peach but are actually a beautiful pink.

I think you'll agree that they are absolutely gorgous and perfect for my first scrap page of Wren. Ann is a very talented designer and again I had to overcome my phobia of cutting up gorgous papers, but I am beginning to see the benefit! If you look at the two photo frames in the finished pages you can see that the rectangular one started as a tag, and the other framed a bird in a cage (see the first photo above).

Not wanting to waste the beautiful scraps I used the bird in a cage on a Valentine's card for my husband. You might also recognise the pink floral semi circle, left over from the central piece. Ann taught how to distress the edges, how I love the effect it gives! I love shabby vintage and these papers couldn't have made me happier! Luckily there were some spare sets of papers so I just HAD to buy some to stroke and look at, but I really will make myself use them. I am planning to challenge myself more and not to keep buying new papers until I use some of my huge stockpile. It will be interesting to see how long I keep to this as I am off to a Stich & Creative Crafts Show on Thursday. It seems ages since I went to a show, so I am very much looking to a day out. It's always good to see new products and new ideas.

I hope you have had a relaxing weekend. Time now to eat and watch tv. Simple pleasures!

Storytelling Sunday - Butterflies

2011-02-06T10:36:00.000-08:00

Thank you to Sian for inviting stories on the first Sunday of every month. I was too busy for January, but was determined to join in this time. I love Sian's blog at the best of times, and this relaxing round up of peoples stories is something I look forward to. Here is mine:

When my granddaughter Summer, was 3 she started preschool. She had only ever been left with close family members before so my daughter stayed with her on the first session. Emma showed Summer where things were and explained what would happen next time. How Summer would come and play with her new friends, and Emma would come back at home time and be waiting and looking through the window in the door.

Next week came. Emma again explained what would be happening and she told Summer that she might have a funny feeling in her tummy. Emma described this butterflies and said that this was normal, and nothing to worry about. Emma said people sometimes get this feeling when they are a little nervous or unsure, and she reassured Summer that she would be back and that Summer would be well looked after by the ladies there.

When it came to leave, Emma bent down and said to Summer, "How are your butterflies?"

Summer replied, "They are sitting down at the moment".

Summer's first day at preschool was a complete success and I often think of this story with a big smile.

Project 365 & a FREE online photography course

2011-01-30T11:41:00.000-08:00

Are you doing Project 365 or any variation?

I felt a sense of achievement that I finished the project last year. Albiet I missed acouple of days, usually when I am working and so preoccupied, that the time slips away. This year has got off to a difficult start and my energy and creativity is low. But I have finally got round to uploading some Project 365 photos on to Flickr so I thought I'd share some on my blog.

One thing I have noticed in my recent photos is frequency of food. Chocolate has been ever present at work, bought in by colleagues in an effort to raise spirits. Unfortuantly the main thing being raised is my weight, as evidenced by the scales and my clothes. This week I plan to leave the chocolates for everyone else! And as I write the taste of two chocolate covered turkish delight linger.... I remember too late. This is going to be more difficult than I thought!
Another thing that focus in my photos frequently are flowers. I have a lovely man who treats me regularly. When I come home late from work the surprise of big vases of flowers never fail to cheer me and make me glad to be home.

Here's the chocolate again!! I know Maltesers and wine hardly go. But on this occasion they were what I needed to unwind.
If you'd like to see more of my Project 365 photos they are here.

And finally ~ as a nan to 3 gorgous granddaughters I was excited to hear about this FREE 28 day online photography course running through Feburary. You can find our more about 'The Joy of LOVE' here. There will be a Flickr gallery to share photos and daily downloads, so hopefully a chance to interact with others taking part. You need to register quickly as it starts on the 1st.

Have fun with what ever photography projects you are doing this year.

SELF PRESCRIBED THERAPY

2011-01-26T14:16:00.000-08:00

I have mentioned already that life at work is stressed and not very good at the moment due to NHS cutbacks. So I have looked forward to spending a day with my friend Ruth and a day at a Spa .

Have you ever used Microsoft Excell when working with photos or digital images? I have Photoshop Elements that I plan to master, but meanwhile I sometimes want to add layers or text quickly and I often resort to Miscrosoft Word which does the job albiet slowly and clumsily. It takes patience and practice to formatt each layer and position. At least it does me!

Ruth often talks about using Excell to do the same thing, and so we met yesterday in her riverside cottage. We set up our laptops and spent the whole day experimenting. Ruth showed me how to use the software & I discovered it is much the same as Word, except that it was much easier to use for

creating layers using papers & elements from digitkits. We added photos and text, and I was so excited because I learned how to recolour, add bevels and do all sorts of amazing things a click of a button. And all this time the software was on my computer not being used! In February I am going on a 3 day residential run by Moira Neal and the focus is on photos. I have downloaded Picasa onto my laptop, so I will have a choice of softwares to use for manipulating, enhancing and working with my photos. I will add some photos of my Excell creations when I have more time. A day with Ruth was just what I needed on my day off work. She is one of those wonderful people who you can just unwind with and be yourself. And the view from her window is so relaxing too. Watching the tide slowly rise and the sun cast shadows was everything I needed to complete my day.

And then today, just to complete my eclipse I spent a day at a Spa with my sister in law and niece. We had an hour and a half journey in busy traffic but once through the door I was transported. How do I describe ecstacy? Beautiful surroundings, soft background music, white fluffy towels, a massage with aromatherapy oils, salt water pool, jacuzzi, pilates, and a 'bedroom' where you could relax with a book, a sellection of drinks and a bowl of fruit. Imagine about 6 Queen size beds side by side, covered in cool white cotton sheet and piles of huge soft pillows. Bliss hardly describes the feeling.

After the Spa we went for a meal. It was another perfect day.

I had booked to go to the Spa in December with another friend, but it was cancelled due to the heavy snow fall. Luckily we have rebooked so I still have another day of heaven planned. I have a smile of my face just thinking about it.

Counting my blessings

2011-01-22T16:02:00.000-08:00

Recently I took part in my first blog hop and I had beginners luck! Above is the wonderful gift I received this week from Shelly. I don't know what to expect as Shelly had not given details on her blog, but I must say I was amazed when I unwrapped the jiffy bag. What generosity! I have met such wonderful people through blogging and feel so lucky to have received this gift. I can't wait to start using the stamps and inks! I know I have already said it Shelly, but a huge huge thank you.

Right now things are very difficult at my place of work. NHS cutbacks are hitting where it really hurts and lots of people are badly affected. The next couple of months will be very unsettled and I don't know where this will lead other than the service will be closed on 31 March. My team will be split and redeployed and I am trying to keep positive and hope that something good will come out of all this.

This evening we had a chinese takeaway and I had to smile when I opened my fortune cookie. Let's hope this is a good omen for me and others affected.

Because my work situation has taken up much time and energy I have not had much opportunity to do much creating. However, I came across this tutorial and really enjoyed making these fabric flowers. I love vintage and making my own embellishments. The buttons came from a charity shop so I thought them perfect for these flowers. They are made out of cotton sheeting, torn into strips and wound round. I plan to experiment and make more adding fine net as I wind. The ribbon was made by simply fraying one of the cotton strips and printing along its length. I love this Vintage stamp and it was perfect for this.

My son is staying with us this weekend so I am enjoying his company and tomorrow will be another day of catching up with my family and relaxing before another week begins.

PICTURE PERFECT!

2011-01-18T13:15:00.000-08:00

At my last crop I put together a 12" x 12" page using some

absolutely gorgous papers from the MME Portabello Road Glittered paper range. The sort that I would normally put away and just admire, or stroke, saving for that 'perfect' page. I love going to the crop because I hijack such thoughts and follow the crowd... cutting carefully around the filigree edge on one sheet then removing the whole centre leaving just a very narrow border. My instincts were yelling at me not to spoil the page, but I carried on... carefully and trustingly. Another page was also cut... it reminded me of therapy.... there's no gain without pain.

Then I assembled. Without seeing the papers in advance it is sometimes difficult to choose the right photo or colour match. On this occasion I had taken another photo with these papers in mind. But luckily I usually take others with me. And this time I knew JUST the photo to use. Taken by a friend it has become one of my current favourites. I used it on some of my Christmas cards this year, and what was more, a corresponding photo was the perfect size for the 2" frame.

Yesterday I showed the page to my granddaughter.
She studied it for a moment or two then said in an
amazed way "HOW did you do THAT?!"

I can't take any credit, other than for the assembly. But I loved the end result and my granddaughters response. I told her that one day the pages I make will be hers to keep. That one day she might be able to show them to her own children.

"And my boyfriend" she added.

I had to smile.

I have lots of things on the go and struggling to finish anything at the moment as things are quite stressed at work and my mind is all over the place. A lot of things are stirring and it is a time to wait and see what happens. Meanwhile I am experimenting with making flowers and trying to organise my space.

I have booked on another Belstead Residential weekend in February and am very excited about that. The focus will be on how to make the best of your photos for scrapbooking or albums. I will be taking some of my works in progress to see if I can complete any. And I have promised myself not to start new ones until I catch up!!

Have a great week!

AND THE WINNER IS!!

2011-01-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

I can't believe the past 3 days.

First I received a 'Stylish Blog Award' from the very talented Jenny at Love and Peas. To say I was amazed is an under statement, I have only been blogging for 6 months and I still consider myself a beginner and on a steep learning curve. And so I felt REALLY touched that Jenny should consider me for this award. This means a huge amount and it has really given my confidence a boost. A HUGE THANK YOU to Jenny!

The Award requests that I share 7 pieces of information about myself then 'Pay It Forward' by nominating 7 'recently discovered' sylish blogs. Knowing how much this meant to me will give me great pleasure in passing it forward. So, the start the ball rolling here are 7 things about me you might not know:

1. I home educated both my children and they never went to school. I am very proud of how they turned out, and these years were some of my happiest and most fulfilling.

2. I love watching films on tv & dvd. There's something special about curling up at home, especially in front of the log burner on a dark winters night.

3. 'My name is Sandie.... and I am a hoarder'. Every time I throw something away, I need it. So I keep the crafting scraps, and paperback books that I've read, a collection of empty drink cans (great for making embellishments with on my Big Shot), fabric and egg boxes. I learned recently these are good to put in the liquidizer for making homemade paper. My 'space' grows like topsy turvy. Luckily my husband is forgiving, most of the time!
Oh.. and though I hoard I also regularly takes things to the charity shop, recycling centre etc. I just don't take enough!!

4. I've always dressed for comfort rather than style and I never used to understand people who loved shoes. I do now. In the past few years I have found some shoes that are fun, colourful, AND comfortable.
ps. I am getting rather a large collection of shoes.....

5. I love going out for days or away for short breaks. Just give me a map, car, and a few days free and I am away! England has some wonderful coast and places to visit. We already have a few trips planned for this year.

6. I like staying in unusual places. I can name a few: a one-time methodist chapel, a gypsy caravan, lighthouse ship, narrow boat, old miners cottage, converted stables... among others. As you can see, I like the simple things in life.
Just once in a while I like something a bit special too. Top of my list has to be the Hotel Bellagio in Los Vegas. With a room overlooking the fountain. That was magic!

7. I was at the birth of my first two grand daughters. How precious is that!! I have a new grand daughter born in November. Making 3. I love spending time with them.

So that's me. Now over to you....... the 7 blogs I am paying the "STYLISH BLOG AWARD" to (in no particular order!) are :

fromhighinthesky
counterfeitkitchallenge
loveandpeascreations
Little Imperfections
and handmade too....
double dog dare you
dandelion dreamer

On day 2 I went to my monthly crop. I will share what I made next time as I am still working on 3 of the projects. Karen & Karen put a lot of work in to make the day a success (thank you !) and here I won a £20 voucher to spend at A Trip Down Memory Lane. Again I was amazed, as I am usually the one whose raffle ticket number never gets called.

But it gets even better!

Today I received news that I was picked out of 108 people as winner of a blog hop!! I have never taken part in a blog hop before, but it was great fun and to hear that I had won one of the prizes was truely amazing!! Thank you so much to Shelly !! I think it was a case of beginners luck for both of us, as Shelly is a new member of the Scrapbook Challenge design team and this was also her first blog hop. What wonderful generous people I am meeting through my blog and creating.

I will be thoughtful about how else I pay pay these kindnesses forward. But for now, a big thank you to everyone who has added to my ever increasing surprise and gratitude.

I wonder if I should buy a lottery ticket this week???

Jamie's 30 Minute Meal Challenge

2011-01-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

When I bought Jamie Oliver's new cookbook last year, Jamie's 30 Minute Meals, B & I agreed that we would pick one menu at regular intervals and put it to the test.
And so today we did just that.
B does cook. But anything with too many pots and pans and he feels out his depth. Which is why we thought trying recipes in this book might be fun and something we could do together.
And so we chopped and fried, and crushed and stirred. And though there were two of us in the kitchen it is fair to say that I could easily have done the preparation and cooking on my own.
B too. Though he might have taken a little longer than the 30 minutes just because he is not as confident as me.

And the result?

A perfect meal in 30 minutes. I'd certainly cook the potatoes like this again. We simply cut them into pieces and put them into a large mircowave bowl with seasoning and half a lemon. Cover with cling film and cook on high for 17 minutes. Remove the lemon, and crush the potatoes adding a teaspoon of whole grain mustard before gently stirring in. Lovely!

In the same time we also made dessert. A tin of peach halves in natural juice, heated gently with a cinnamon stick so that the juice thickens. Remove cinnamon stick and pour over custard.

To serve Jamie broke a shortbread biscuit on top but we served the biscuit whole. Just preference.

Simple and good.

The book wasn't written as a 30 minute challenge, but seeing if this was achieveable made it fun! We certainly didn't dash around the kitchen, or feel under pressure. Okay, I like cooking and I am confident, which helps. But even though these were new recipes and new ideas we were trying, it was straight forward and fun to do. Incase you are wondering, we did not prepare the ingredients in advance, simply had everything laid out to hand.

B seemed to enjoy it too. The meal got a thumbs up from both of us and we will certainly use the book again. I think home cooked food is so much nicer than shop bought, and this proved that even when you are in a hurry it can be done in 30 mins.

Have you got this book, or used it?

Who is you favourite chef or writer of cook books?

I have several Jamie Oliver books. But one of my favourites is by Nigel Slater. I love his calm way of talking and cooking, and as for his writing.... just brilliant. He has a magic way of using words and I especially like his book 'Tender'. You will no doubt hear more about this book once my allotment starts producing again, and it is this book I turn to for ways of using my glut of beetroot or tomatoes. Just thinking about it makes me think of summer and chopping in the kitchen. Happy days!

Hope you had a good Sunday. What have you been up to?

Good Intentions

2011-01-05T08:56:00.000-08:00

This morning I came across 'A little garland for my word 2011' which I thought was a lovely idea.
And so my worktop this Wednesday has been covered with my Big Shot, papers, and garland making. My word for 2011 is INTUITION. And here is the garland I made.

It sits behind my computer and will act as a reminder to slow down and think about less being more. And as today was a non-work day I could do this. Which was good, as my energy is low.

Another word I liked today was INTENTION. Louise spoke about this in Big Dreams, Small Wonders.

I have several intentions this year. One is to improve my fitness, and so on this lovely sunny crisp day, I set off for a walk along the river.

Alone.

With my camera

and my shadow.

It was wonderful! And I was amazed at the length of my shadow.

Another intention is to use Photoshop Elements more, and to become more confident using this software. And so I took a couple of photos with this in mind. One photo of a hedgerow will be converted to black & white and I plan to pick out the red berries in colour. When I have time to learn how! Luckily I have some good books and hopefully there will be instructions.....

I finally managed to download the last of my PROJECT 365 photos into the album before the year was out. It is here if you would like to view. It was very satisfying and I am reflective about what I might do differently this year. One thing will be to have more focus and to challenge myself so that I am outside my comfort zone. That's when I can learn most. And so I might include some photos with effects. Using Photoshop Elements. A final intention is to make a short video of some of my favourite Project 365 photos taken during 2010.

What are your intentions for this year?

Did you choose a word for 2011? There is more about the word I chose here .

Please leave a link for your own photography projects.

And have fun what ever you do!!

1.1.11

2011-01-01T14:58:00.000-08:00

How did you celebrate the New Year?
My celebrations were quiet but that was okay. It was what I needed at this time. We lit a lantern to mark the transition and I loved watching it inflate and float away into the distance. A tranquil start to the New Year which felt good.

MY WORD FOR 2011 ~

I have been blogging for 6 months now. Still learning as I go and today I discovered some people choose a colour and a word for the New Year. I like this. It gives focus and intent. And my immediate thought went to the word 'intuition'. Sometimes when I get busy I stop listening and trusting myself. But I know my intuition is reliable when I am open. Take last night. I was trying to think of someone's surname. I had been told it, once upon a long ago, but I never have need to use it. I went to bed, trusting that the name would come to me if I stopped trying to think of it. And guess what? I woke in the middle of the night with the name shouting at me. It almost felt impatient, as though I needed reminding that I can relax and rely on my intuition. And so there can not be any other word for me this year. I know it will be a year of change, especially in my professional work, but I will be calm around this even if, at this time, it is not of my doing or what I want. Of course, intuition is just what I need in my creative work too. To be open to new experiences and playful.

MY COLOUR FOR 2011 ~

In her blog today Susannah Conway asked what colour I have picked for the coming year.
My immediate thought was 'green'. She then invited me to follow a link, where Bridget Pilloud asks questions which lead you to a colour. Guess what? The random questions picked green - but not just any green. The exact shade that I would pick from a paint chart! I was then asked to choose a name for my colour. I could choose one of the given names or one of my own. I picked Willow. I love lots of things about willow trees. It is also the middle name of my granddaughter. And the colour my summer house is painted. And the colour of my craft room. Bridget asked me to describe my colour to someone who can't see it.
This is what I said:

This colour embodies warmth and connectedness. It is a colour of growth and harmony, a natural balance. Not hot, not cold. It is the colour I need in order to go off at tangents, to step outside of and come back to. It is nurturing and fulfilling. Willow is a stable colour and comfortable to live with. If I could have chosen from a paint chart, this is exactly the colour I would have picked. Or did it pick me?

I'm not sure how I will use the colour and the word during the year. But I will be thoughtful. I have joined: Sketchbook Challenge, so perhaps I will create something to remind myself and to keep the focus. But rather than think too hard, I will go and sleep on it.

Have you chosen a word and colour for 2011? Do tell!

GOODBYE 2010 - HELLO 2011

2010-12-31T11:25:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken exactly one year ago. We had invited neighbours round to celebrate the New Year in. And what a year it has been. Much unpredicted and unexpected, and undoubtedly a good one. Incidentally, the yellow post-its were part of a game!

I started by taking part in Project 365. Taking a photo a day was an interesting idea and at times my enthusiasm waned when photo opportunities were lacking or the light was poor. But I enjoyed the challenge and look back with a sense of achievement. My album is here if you would like to see it.

Year two on the allotment was successful and besides pickling and storing, I needed to buy a second freezer for the rest of the produce that I grew. I enjoyed pouring through Nigel Slater, Jamie Oliver & other favourite cook books & cooking new recipes. One major success was the Green Tomato cake. Well, I needed to use the glut somehow!

In May I discovered ecourses and signed up for Kelly Rae Roberts 'Taking Flight'. This led me on to starting a blog. If you told me this would happen a year ago I would have laughed! Nothing had been further from my mind. But it has introduced me to some wonderful new friends, new ideas, and an unhealthy addiction to the computer! I went on to take a number of other e-courses, and my creativity has really taken off this year. It has been a productive and positive experience, best of all, because I have been able to share my experience with others and this has made it all the more exciting and worthwhile.

I have had some wonderful trips away with family and with friends. The Gypsy Camp was a weekend to remember, and I made lots of new friends at the Belstead Residential. Further weekends are mentally planned for the coming year!

One of my most exciting events was the birth of my third granddaughter, Wren Blossom. I am so lucky to have my family live nearby and to see them regularly.

My circle of local friends continue to meet regularly, to write, create, or just talk. But my social network has really grown this year. As well as meeting new people on-line I joined a local group that meets monthly. This has also taken my creative journey on to new unexpected paths and little did I know a year ago how much my world would open up. I have picked up my knitting needles again, and taught myself to crochet (still very novice & learning!). Oh... and I also learned how to make felt and how to use my overlocker. So much in so little time. I can't wait to see what 2011 has in store!

One thing on my list for 2011 is to teach myself how to use Photoshop Elements. I have the software, good inspirational books, and enthusiasm. I just need the perseverance and commitment. So as I say goodbye to one year, I look forward to another. I hope your own journey has been as exciting and rewarding. And I hope you have a wonderful new year with
everything that you wish for.

Slowly... slowly....

2010-12-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

... my Journal Your Christmas Album is coming together. Today my workdesk is covered with papers and photos as I try and catch up, I have now done page 4 so only 25 to go!! Though I have not had time to work on the album my mind has been busy with ideas, photos are printed or planned, and it is quite exciting snatching today and tomorrow to bring things together. As always I am going into detail instead of a quick page... no wonder why it takes me so long! Do you do this too I wonder?
It has been nice thinking about each page. What kind of Christmas cards I send, who to, and whether I hand make or buy. It made me think about how pressured I often end up, trying to make so many cards and to include letters to people I don't have contact with during the year.
This year I bought most my cards, and wrote a short hand written note instead of a round robin letter. On my page I printed a photo I used on the cards that I did make, and behind it I journalled on a card I had bought.

I have always wanted to use this next photo in a page, so thinking about what makes Christmas perfect was the ideal excuse! The is photo was taken last year at my granddaughters pre-school nativity. It was called a 'Christmas Happening' because a group of 3 year olds are unpredictable and all kinds of unexpected things might happen. It went quite smoothly, a part from Mary leaving the stage to go to the toilet, and a couple of boys poking each other playfully. The highlight for me though was the expressions on my granddaughters face. This angelic picture melts my heart and I used it on my last year Christmas cards:

I also treasure the other photos I took during that performance and I could not leave them out. So I printed them wallet size onto a large tag and slipped it into a wallet, made by glueing two pages together. I laminated the tag to make it stronger. You can see this on the table top and some of the photos here.

In a recent post I spoke about experimenting with my new Big Shot. Since then I found a YouTube video where someone was cutting out snowflakes from a drinks can. Today I tried it out. First time it embossed the metal rather than cut through - an interesting technique in its own right. However, I wanted to cut the shapes so I added one of the tabs and put it through again. Then I embossed the shapes them, using the Big Shot, and I am quite pleased with the result.

I am looking forward to collecting more dies and embossing pads. I did wonder at first if my new toy was one of those impulsive buys that might end up on the shelf, but so far I can say I am quite excited about how versitile it is proving to be.

Must get back to my album now and finish acouple more pages!!

I hope you had a good Christmas. Mine was lovely, spent with my family, and I have lots more photos added to my collection.

A very Happy New Year to you. I hope it brings you lots of good things and that it is a healthy, happy & creative one!

The night before Christmas.....

2010-12-24T15:45:00.000-08:00

The waiting is nearly over..........

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE !!!