Embellish your World

Learn something new...day3

Quick blog post in the early hours of September 4th to document my LSNED for day 3. I can't walk 21k in baking hot afternoon sunshine and had to settle for just 10k off this weeks training plan. I did purchase a long sleeve top to keep in warmth for the actual event which will be 9pm-4am approx, so no baking hot sun to contend with the thank heavens! Another pound lost this week at sw too, not particularly pleased with that, expected more, but a loss is a loss.

Scrapbook starting points

Another great idea from Shimelle, started a few weekends back with her on line crop weekend, is a starting point challenge. Shimelle gives you a partial layout as the base for yours and you then use this as a springboard for your page. I used my new Authentique papers to scrap this photograph of my daughter who tells me that "Rawr" means I love you in dinosaur, worthy of a page I thought!

Other news I was disappointed not to have lost weight this week even though I re-injected my enthusiasm and really focused on what I was putting on my plate. I made several meals from scratch so I know they contained plenty of vegetables and other good quality ingredients. I need to up my water intake again, and two weeks after my sprain I am still unable to exercise on my ankle so can't do very much exercise. I am hoping that my body will take note of the changes this week and I will see a good weightloss next week. Guess I learned today that time will tell if this new diet suits me.

A very productive day

Today I have happily spent in Marks Tey, Colchester teaching a full house of ladies two layouts using delicious My Minds Eye Lost & Found 2 papers.

The first layout was a patchwork effect page (thanks to my puddy-tat Georgia laying on the original page and covering it in cat grime!). Everyone scrapped along with the background part of the page and then the free-styling started!! There were some wonderful variations of the class page (something I am always so very pleased and proud to see) and one layout in particular had me shed a tear. It contained a photo of the lady in question's mum with her baby great-granddaughter snuggled over her shoulder and made me realise no matter how the days pass I still miss my Nan so very much, and how much her face would light up when she saw my children. Maybe this shall be my learning for the day and feature in my LSNED journal. I haven't forgotten about this and have several pages to share at the end of this blog post.

The second class page had a negative space technique included on it, whereby the crop attendees traced around a supplied tag template onto a patterned paper, cut around it to remove a tag shape from the paper which was then mounted onto cardstock. The edges were then stitched and the negative space used for titles and journalling. To be honest it was hard to come up with something creative to do with such a beautiful paper that need very little adding to it to make a nice page.

I also got a delivery from ATDML of my next design team kit, Bo Bunny papers, and set about making three pages with each of the collections from which I had papers. Can't share those just yet, sorry!

Then I completed my Back to School page using Basic Grey for my background, ticking two of the challenge sections for this weeks Thirsty Thursday on Created by ATDML.

Other papers used are Fancy Pants Off to School and some October Afternoon also.

Finally I did 3/4 of a fifth page at the crop today, not bad considering I was teaching, and will finish that off and share tomorrow. In the meantime here are my 8x8 pages for Sept 3rd - 6th.

And my page for the 7th where we learned we had to say farewell to our family dog (my parents dog) who was diagnosed with an inoperable tumour. This page was too important to me to shrink and share any smaller.

Pages 8, 9 & 10 to follow soon, I know what I have learned I just need to play with paper some more!

Only just Wednesday?

Is it really only just Wednesday? I have such such full days since last Friday I feel like a week has passed already!! I worked additional hours on Saturday at our local town show, learning that being on my feet all day with a sprained ankle was not the best idea! Sunday, after setting up at the show again, we visited Andover and my beautiful goddaughter to celebrate her sweet 16th birthday. I learned that 16 years on I can still remember so many details of that day, and sharing them with friends was so nice.

Returning home Sunday evening we visited my father-in-law in hospital. He is making a good recovery from his pnemonia and then subsequent stroke and hopefully will be moved to a rehabilitation unit soon with more focus on his recovery than is possible on a hospital ward. This is his 9th week in hospital with three of those having been in intensive care and we are so thrilled to be seeing more of the person we knew coming back to us.

And so this bought us to the end of another school summer holiday, captured with a fun photo of  my three taken at our friends house on Sunday with a washed out feature from an app on my phone applied (as it was super bright otherwise!)

Monday morning saw back to school for 2/3 of my children. Jamie doesn't start in reception until Thursday, Robert is settled back in like a gem and Eloise is thrilled with her teachers and timetable for the start of GCSEs so all is looking good. It'll still be a few weeks until they are all settled in and full time (Jamie has a phased start to school life) and then with  combination of after school club days and home working from hubby and I we should be into a nice routine for everyone.  

Plenty of learning written down ready to add to my LSNED journal but I have also had my head in a book (well my kindle) the last few evenings on a "can't put it down" novel.  Hollywood Sinner by Victoria Fox - totally recommend it and felt myself liking and disliking the characters, eager to know their fate.

I have have a layout to share before I head off,  based on this sketch by Shimelle.

Really need to get my camera sorted so I can take better photos again!

LSNED Day 2

Just wish he would sleep (and then stay) in his own bed! Shhh, he is there now and whilst I love to watch him sleep, I am much happier when I have had a good nights sleep myself without awaking with a crooked back cos I have slept around him!!

Am teaching this time next week at Eclectic Keepsakes crop in Marks Tey, Colchester. Wanna see a sneak peak of my two layouts? Time to get a stitching (again!)

Sharing my LSNED album for 2011

Just a quick blog post as I am working tomorrow at our local Town show on the work stall so should really get myself to bed, but I wanted to share my album cover, introduction page and September 1st learning for the online scrapbooking class by Shimelle. They aren't the greatest photos as I have taken them with my mobile - until I get my replacement lense for my camera it's all I have!

Back in a day or so with more learning no doubt!

Learn Something new

Time for another on-line learning class with Shimelle and this is my fourth year joining in with this month long class "Learn Something new every day" (LSNED). I created and completed the class in 2007, managed to the 18th in 2008, didn't partake in 2009 and completed last year . My goodies ordered in, as the main part of my project to which I have added plenty of existing pieces, arrived today from the lovely Mel & Jill at A Trip Down Memory Lane.

I am using mainly papers from Prima Printery collection, with added pieces from Bo Bunny Etcetera, some torn book pages from an old French/English dictionary, and coordinating cardstock.  I have combined two old SEI 8x8 softback albums into one for my journal which now has 16 page protectors containing some pre-cut papers/card with the offcuts in a bag ready for adding to each day as I create my page. This is this the largest format I have attempted for this class but I am hoping this means I can include more photos and more journalling.  I am keeping the pages pretty flat embellishment wise so stamping will be the path I take for that and I have dug out a scroll stamp, a tape-measure stamp and a script stamp too.

Photos to follow tomorrow of my front cover (the base of which is still drying) and intro pages too.

And talking of new crafting projects for September, which for those of you who don't know is my most FAVOURITE of months, pop on over to Created by ATDML and join in Thirsty Thursdays. It's gonna be fun!

Completed LSNED!

 
Yippee, within the first week of October I have completed my September on-line Shimelle class, and whilst my learning for each day may not have deep of profound it has been learning nevertheless.

Here are my last two index cards for the 29th & 30th and a snapshot of my completed index cards.

 

 

 

I can't wait for the Journal Your Christmas class now - but Shimelle has another class up her sleeve before then starting later this month focusing on Journalling.  Gives me plenty of time to chose what festive paper collection I will scrap with this year, my fourth year of JYC.

Talking of Christmas, I really need to make a start on my cards! 

WOYWW - A first for me

Whilst blog hopping around recently, mostly following the ChickenSoup DT applications, I came across a link to WOYWW - which stands for What's On Your Worktop Wednesday. I thought I may play along, though the Autumnal/Wintery weather meant that it was rather dark and miserable by the time I got home from the office today, so flash was required. So without further ado - my crafty space this evening

 

On the penultimate day of the Shimelle course Learn Something New Every day it will come as no surprise that my 6x4 index box and todays card are featured, along with the MLS Stamps with the super cute banner and my shiny new black ink pad picked up at Ally Pally Stamp & Scrapbook Show this weekend.  The MLS stamps I got from ATDML (bargain at under £5!)  and I have plans to use the little chicks + a nifty bit of ink work to create some chickens for my next layout featuring my sweet girlies.  I've yet to scrap our latest hen Wanda so maybe I shall use them on that page.

Talking of ATDML they have a neat little giveaway on the blog at the moment - click here for more details of how to win some scrapping goodies just by sharing with them your favourite layout. As the meercats would say, SIMPLES!!

Before I head off an undertake some chores (including sorting out my darn phone with O2 who between the bank and themselves have messed up my direct debit and decided to cut me off!!) I will leave you with my lsned days 27 & 28. My photo for which I won the competition on 2 peas is the 2nd image of the set of 4 on this blog post, and I was thrilled to find a local and inexpensive yoga class (having given up my gym membership to save £££s)

 

 

Thanks for popping by xx

This trooper is having a day off

 
After a very busy few days (and lack of childcare today) I decided to book the day off work.  Plenty to still do of course but I did promise myself that I would not stress so much about the doing of stuff today but enjoy the time with my boys and manage whatever I could in between.  I've done a little blog hopping, collected plug-in radiators from Argos (our heating is up the blink again), topped up baking cupboard (thanks Mr Tesco) and plan on baking this afternoon once son #2 is collected from school.  Whilst blog hopping I uncovered The Pink Whisk, by the lovely

Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire

Contestant on BBC2's The Great British Bake Off

She has a fab looking recipe for mega-calorie laden Chocloate and peanut butter bars that we will be creating - nom! nom! nom!

I spent an hour or so this morning doing my LSNED pages for the last few days,

 

and also finishing off my project from last night which was a decorated wooden box to house all my Idealogy/7G and other metal scrappy bits. This was inspired by the decopatch stall at Ally Pally where I may have bought some more decopatch papers and a long tailed cat and papier mache chicken to alter as well. Thought I would replicate the technique with standard scrapping papers (mostly 7G papers used here with a smidge of Bo Bunny Mammarazzi thrown in, plus packaging from Idealogy and 7G. 

 
One more step in the right direction of a tidy and organised craft space!  One thing about tidying up is that you come across items you've had ages and generally think to yourself "Why did I buy this?" but occassionally something re-inspires you - like this 12x12 overlay I've had for some time which features a fabric month label too (also been in my scrapping stash forever) I get such pleasure from creating stuff using older products or scraps left over - just call me frugle!