Embellish your World

Still not 100% but it'll soon be February

I'm so fed up not feeling 100%.
Ended up at the doctors on yesterday after a week in bed with a fever, cough, sore throat, aches and pains and no let up with drinking plenty of fluids, resting and paracetamol. Have been signed off work with influenza and told to continue resting but not to spend too much time in bed as it doesn't help?! So I got out of bed just before midday today, pottered around the house, put dirty laundry on, put clean laundry away, fed the animals, and then by 2pm I was back lying down again cos I felt so weak, pathetic really. I have then slept pretty much all afternoon, got up, eaten dinner, watched a film and then returned to bed. I really hope I start to feel better soon cos this is getting me down a bit now.

I feel like January has escaped me, and I have barely achieved a thing, not the start to the year I envisaged.  Also I have hardly taken any photographs either so was quite pleased when I stumbled across this free photography class that starts in a couple of days.

Hopefully I can start feeling a little more inspired with my camera again and get some great shots, maybe even get some tips to improve my indoor photography which I think is one of the reasons I take fewer pictures in the darker winter months. Anyway, I will share my fave photos here on my blog and of course the pages I create with them.  And talking of pages I am almost done on my class for Eclectic next weekend (it has taken a bit of a back burner having been ill all week). I did manage a card for this weeks ChickenSoup challenge though.  I am sending this to thank a friend for supporting me through the last month with all my Dads stuff - hoping it will make her smile.

 

More reading and more goodies

Whilst I've been in bed with flu these last few days I've not been able to do  much due to feeling so bad, but have managed to read another couple of books taking my total read for 2011 to four now.  My daughter gave me a couple of her books to read, both by the same author, Sophie McKenzie, who won a teen author award for her novel Girl Missing which was one of those I read. Being teen books they were very quick & easy to read which was fine giving my bunged up head feeling, not sure I could have read anything more challenging.  Both  books well very well written and quite captivating, I especially enjoyed Blood Ties

 
Now I really must persist with reading The Girl with the Dragaon Tattoo which I have picked up and put down more times than I care to remember!

Finally before I go rest my eyes some more, sharing the latest release from Fancy Pants - It's the little things - yummy!! I do like Fancy Pants collections!

 

Feeling blue

 
I am so full of cold and flu and feeling very sorry for myself. I ache from head to foot and feel like poop! I've been in bed with it for days now and whilst I still ache from head to toe I think it may actually be starting to shift.  The compensation is that with the Craft and Hobby Association Winter 2011 event around the corner there are plenty of paper crafting manufacturer releasing sneak peaks of the newest products to be hitting our shelves in the coming months, so I have had plenty of goodies to browse on the internet in the rare moments I can lift my head up.

As is the case once more I find myself drooling in anticipation of the Maya Road goodies. Take a look for yourself at some of the lovely embellishments they have coming our way – and the designers illustrate them so well! I love these mini canvass banners - perfect for adding a touch of texture to your pages!http://mayaroad.typepad.com/mayaroad/

 
Also catching my eye this time round is the new collection from Echo Park - For the Record! Can't wait to get my hands on this and combine it with some of the new Maya Road goodies (just hoping they will both be available in the UK by the end of March ready for me to take to the ATDML retreat!)

 

I'm designing at the moment with their Be Mine collection, creating a double page layout for the Eclectic Keepsakes crop next month. An image of the kit will be going up on their blog in the next couple of days which will be followed by sneak peaks of my class which uses multiple black and white photos.

I'm quite liking the Crate Paper Portrait collection too, plenty of scope with the papers to create a variety of themed pages I think, and good for older photos too.
 

Finally, and by no means least, Prima! Trying to decide which of these two collections I like best! The Madeline Collection (flocked rub-ons look divine!!) or The Melody Collection. Nope - I don't think I can decide!! Lets hope we don't have to wait too long here in the UK for these to arrive.

 

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

 

Sharing my layout created before Christmas for The Scrapbook Magazine issue 52 for their designers music inspired section. I chose the title of a song for this layout of me and my boys, something I often do when scrapbooking. Again for my second layout I chose another song lyric to scrap a photo of my moody teenager. Papers and embellishments for both pages are Basic Grey Marjolaine.

 

Need to print some photos for a crop tomorrow and see if I can find some mojo to pack too. I'm full of cold and feeling a tad sorry for myself at the moment & my inspiration seems to have abandoned me. Hopefully it'll return for the morning!

2011 reading - Book 2

Anyone who wants a captivating, cannot put this down read - get this book! Its about a fallen angel sent down to earth the redeem a lost soul in the battle of good versus evil and is the second novel in the series from author J.R.Ward. Even better than the first book Covet, with a nice smattering of raunch thrown in amongst the pages too! I can't wait for the next one!! For those of you fans of thus author she has a facebook page where you can keep up to date with all her news!

Next up to read?.... I'll let you know.

In the meantime I need to get my scrap on and get crafting again. I'm teaching this Sunday in Welwyn Garden City at the Crafty Stash crop with Fancy Pants Father and Son papers. Next teaching assignment up back with the lovely Eclectic Keepsake ladies in Marks Tey with a double layout class using the Echo Park Be Mine range, and then before you know it it'll be the end of March and time for the 2011 Spring retreat from ATDML!

I've a couple of magazine assignments to do for the end of January too so plenty of time in my craft room on the agenda, maybe I'll put that next read on hold for a while!

First book read in 2011

Finished my first book for 2011 - The Host by Stephanie Meyer who also penned the Twilight series of books. Not a vampire nor werewolf in sight in this book and whilst I was a tad confused at the beginning I couldn't put it down after a few chapters. My daughter Eloise has been trying to get me to read it for ages and so I took it to America with me. A great book, with a unique and captivating storyline which had me in tears more than once. Rumours are they may make this into a film too which I think would be fab!

What to read next? I have several to choose from, but think it will be J.R.Wards 2nd Fallen Angel novel Covet.

The wanderer returns

Well I am safely home from my "call of duty" in America. My fathers memorial went well, very emotional naturally, but I am glad I went. Managed to sort a few other things out whilst I was there, paperwork mostly as I attended to his affairs. Didn't get to enjoy much of the sunshine whilst there but then again that wasn't the purpose of my trip.

The flights all went very smoothly and I'm mighty happy to be back home with my family. Plenty to sort out today, a birthday party to attend with the boys and of course a touch of housework to attend to!
Time to get off here and get started then I guess!

ChickenSoup - Recipe #23

As promised I have pre-scheduled this post to go up whilst I am away to share my layout for the first ChickenSoup challenge of 2011. Pop over and see what inspired me to create this and play along if you will, create a layout, or a card, or do a painting, an ATC anything that takes your creative fancy.

 

Papers used are Cosmo Cricket GET HAPPY range and the 1-2-3 are Maya Road bingo buttons available here. I filled the windows of the car die-cut with glossy accents which I also applied to the button rims for extra shine! I stamped the clock and some of the other circular text and handdrew the petrol gauge. A Pink Paislee ticket and a mini Maya Road Kraft ticket, containing the date, completed my fun page of one very happy little boy playing ScaleXtrics on Boxing day.

 

Leaving, on a jet plane....

 
.. well I am off to the USA on my little ownsome tomorrow to attend to my late fathers affairs. Leaving home to commence my 19 hours door to door journey in the morning and I've still to pack  though most of my stuff is in semi-sorted out piles!  I have meetings with banks and lawyers pre-arranged and we are holding a memorial service on Friday for him.  I am going to miss my hubby and kids so much in the time I am away, but I know they will be fine after a few days of wondering where I am - at least the boys will, and I can text hubby and Eloise whilst I am there anyway. Small comfort is that the weather is nice and warm there so no need to dress in 100 layers of clothes meaning I can pack relatively light as I don't know what I may need to be bringing back with me.

So on Friday, whilst I am away, the first Chickensoup recipe goes up for 2011 and it is a fab one, even if I do say so myself, with plenty of room for interpretation. My blog post will go up here while I am away sharing my creation, but be sure to pop over to chickensoup and play along! I'd really love to see lots of particpation in our challenges this year so spread the word people (please?!!)

And that was my 2010

 

Well that was 2010 

• Plenty of book reading, including a large amount of Paranormal Romance novels!
• A weekend away exploring Edinburgh with Ally
• An enjoyable Mothers day with my family
• Many photographs taken throughout the year
• Elephant Parade London seeking over 2o0 elephant statues
• Celebrating seven years of marriage
• A family holiliday in the Blue House
• Several change in hairstyles
• Chickens welcomed to our garden - along with their fresh eggs
• Autumnal family wallks exploring the great outdoors
• Teaching scrapbooking classes and creating many projects
• WinterWonderland fun @ Hyde Park.

So here is to 2011 where my word for the year is BALANCE.

I shall strive to achieve balance in my life between all the components that make up me - work,home life, family time, me time, health & wellbeing,  faith and finances too.  I am going to document 2011 with Project 12 again (see my last post for more details) and if anyone else sees any other year long projects of a scrapbooking nature - do let me know! I like a nice bit of routine to focus me!

Of course ChickenSoup will be back on 7th January with another month of scrapbooking inspiration. If you've never played along before, be sure to pop over next week and see what we have in store for 2011.

In the meantime, I'm off to print off some photographs to scrap my Christmas 2010 and if you are doing the same why not pop over to the ATDML December Christmas gallery for some inspiration?