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Sharing my JYC pages from 6th-14th Dec

As promised...

 

 

I am really enjoying journalling the lead up to Christmas and being a huge fan of minibooks helps I guess, gotta love the smaller canvass and the little details! 
  

11 Days til Christmas

I have been so busy preparing for the festive season, battling the lurgy that has loitered in our house for several weeks now and holding down a job that I haven't had time to blog!  I have been keeping up with Shimelle JYC class, but I need to photograph the pages to upload and share here and on the forum - will do this and share this week.

I escaped for the day on Sunday to join the Crafty Stash girls in Welwyn for a festive crop playing with a delicious Websters pages kit.  I still need to add a photo to one of my pages and then I will share.

I visited my friend Jeni and her beautiful family and enjoyed lots of cuddles with the newest addition, baby Annie.  Jeni is Eloise's godmother and so Eloise counts Annie as her god-sister!  I guess having 2 brothers (and we've no plans for anymore!) that Annie is as close to a sister as Eloise will get.

And finally, I took Robert to see his first panto.  We went to the local theatre and saw Aladin - I wasn't sure how he would react, but he loved it, shouting out and joining in like everyone else! We are going back to the same theatre in January to see Shrek and the Beanstalk, but this time all 5 of us are going! Should be a giggle!

Get voting for Olly Murs!!

Come on Olly, Essex boy to reach the X-Factor (UK) final - vote now!!

And so moving on in less of an insistant note (hee hee!!), I am sharing my JYC pages for the 4th and 5th of December.  Am chuffed I am still up to date (but I guess it is only day 5!)

Hoping to get the tree and decs up tomorrow, before we head out for a family lunch to celebrate a few birthday's and then fingers crossed I am off to see my friend play the flute in a Christmas concert, so hoping to up my festive metre some more! Hey, I may even do a little on-line shopping now!

Christmas Cards

Handmade? Or shop bought?
I generally try to make mine, and every year I promise myself I will start earlier! So when today's JYC prompt comes through from Shimelle I have to giggle that I haven't started, and that I hadn't started this time last year, nor the year before either!!! And so, I started today!! 6 cards almost finished, but started and that is what counts!
Mind you, we have already received 2 and it's barely December - why aren't I this organised? And more's the question, will I be this time next year?!!

Dec 2nd JYC page

I wonder if I can share an image of my page from my iPhone? I will update my blog again at a more reasonable hour with better images!!

 
Post edited to add an image from day one also! This is an accetate page so the blank day 2 brown scalloped page shows through.  I have gone for a mixed sized, mixed type of pages book again this year as I love how my last years journal ended up when I used this combination.

 

Here's a link to a few of my pages from last time around

http://mafswife.typepad.com/.a/6a00e551516a14883401053689e12e970c-pi

 

Happy December 2009!

I cannot quite believe the sun is actually shining outside. Of course there is still a wintery chill but at least it isn't raining! A nice start to the festive month.
I've had to work from home today as one of my kids is still full of coughs and colds and really in need of duvet/mummy time so I have my laptop booting up ready to tackle whatever is awaiting me in my in-box which I can guarantee will not be as exciting nor as eagerly anticipated as the first JYC2009 prompt that arrived from Shimelle this morning at home!

I've already made and shared my album cover and look forward to bring able to tackle the first prompt this evening. With the festive season in mind and the start of advent today I completed my altered advent house last night. I'll share photos of both later...promise!

Birthday Girl

Thirteen years ago I became a mum, and now I have a teenager! So proud of my little lady, even if this photo makes me feel much older than I should!

 
Plenty more photographs to scrapbook now and with the end of another month almost upon us I need to play catch up with scrapbooking my photo-a-day pile.  I've not quite managed every day but I am managing to create a layout a month featuring the photos from that month, albeit a little after the end of the month. Saying that there are a few sketches I have ready to use to inspire me to create another multi-photo layout to add to the 2009 collection.  Over on LCOM there have been same great sketch interpretations this week.

Here is the layout I created, and with prizes up for grabs for those to do a take on a sketch it is worth taking a look and having a go.  To be eligable to win the sponsor's prize for the month, you have until the end of the month to create your page and link it in the comments section for the correct sketch! Go take a look, you've gotta be in it to win it!

Busy week ahead of me

A busy week ahead of me but I am hoping to squeeze in some Christmas card making in the evenings.

Also hoping my eldest boy recovers from whatever lurgy he has at the moment.  I had to collect him from school early today as he was moping about with no energy asking his classmates to leave him be and let him sleep! Not even a possibility in reception year and so Mum worked from home with a poorly boy.  Hoping he won't be too much trouble for my in-laws tomorrow :(

Scary that November has nearly ended, meaning I become the mum to a teenager this weekend (Argh!! how did that happen?) but it does mean it is time to JYC with Christmas - Journal your Christmas that is.  If you have never done this class with Shimelle before I would strongly recommend it - this is my third or maybe fourth year doing it now and I love it!! Here is my book all made with delicious Pink Paislee Mistletoe papers, all ready for the first prompt on December 1st!

And a quick peak at some of the pre-cut/part-made pages inside!

And finally, oh a very, very happy note indeed, one of my very special friends gave birth to a long awaited daughter today. God bless Annie, welcome to the world, a darling sister for a very lucky Jake x Many congrats to my buddies Jeni & Andy x Photos to follow very soon I hope!!
 

Lots of pretty things to share

Forgive me readers for I have sinned, it has been 6 days since my last blog post!

This time last week I was in scrappy heaven at the ATDML retreat in Suffolk.  I did 7 classes in all, 5 included and 2 extras - sharing a few of them here.

Clare's 7 Gypsies Stamping class

 
Debbie's Unusual layout - created from a callico bag!

Jane's travel album - perfect for my geocaching photos

Mel's distressing layout (love this!)

 
Mel's Advent class - still need to finish this one

 

I also did Jane's altered art journal class (well half of it!) and am hoping to finish that in the next week or so.  I still have a couple of projects to finish before then including preparing for the next Shimelle class "Journal your Christmas" which starts December 1st.  Before then my eldest turns 13 (I surely am not old enough for this!) and I have a tough long week at work.

Until then I shall leave you with this? Have you seen it yet? OMG How good?

 
 
 

Update at a silly hour!

It is 4.45am in the morning as I type, lying in my hotel room feeling better than I have done all weekend so far.  Had to leave dinner tonight at the retreat as I felt so blurgh, but after some pain killers and a power nap (ok 2+ hours sleep) I felt more human and then scrapped away til just a while ago!

The classes so far this weekend (I am at A Trip Down Memory Lane retreat) have been jaw-droppingly gorgeous and have included a 3d advent calendar with delicious Graphic 45 papers by Mel, an awesome 7Gypsies stamping class with the lovely Clare and a class made with a calico bag from Primark and scrummy thicker frames and alphas by the ever-talented Debbie.  Photos will of course follow!

As mentioned in my last blog post I was sketch designer this week over on LCOM and I shared a snippet of my layout - the full monty is here!

I look forward to seeing what layouts people come up with from the sketch - come over to LCOM and see the other layouts created by the team.

For now though, I should really log off and try and get at least some sleep before more scrapbooking with the lovely ladies here - ttfn xx