Merry Christmas!

The week before Christmas was spent making and dealing with illness, luckily we managed to kick the illness before Christmas Eve. DD and I made crackers for Boxing Day.

  We made decorations.

For our tree in the hall.

We decorated our Christmas cake.

DD made jam tarts for Father Christmas.

               

Together we made a centre piece for the table.

I have not done any scrapbooking but I hope to rectify this in the new year. I have failed in my target of 100 layouts in 2011, but there is always 2012.

For the first time in many years I actually have plans for New Years Eve, let's hope it is a good one. See you in 2012 x

A crafting high

As I sit here writing my post in between blowing my nose & sips of lemon & honey, I am still on a high. I feel like I have achieved something & I hope that, that feeling lasts a long time. Why do I feel this way? I feel this way because I sold something at the Colchester Christmas Market, if I am honest I sold a lot of things at the market. 

Vicky is the mastermind behind the whole thing, she organised us the table (lucky for us we were inside). She had the vision of how our table should look. Yes we do look very bundled up, it was so cold.

She also introduced me to the other lady who shared our table Lou. Lou is a true artist, the amount of detail that goes into her work is amazing. I fell in love with a red felt pin cushion that Lou had made & I made sure that it was mine by the end of the evening.

Here is our stall in all it's glory. You can see my bags hanging in the background, my owls were on the tree. Vicky had seen somewhere a great way of showing our brooches in a cake tray. As far as I am aware there were no other stalls like ours.

So now I have Christmas to look forward to & some scrapbooking to get back to. I think that I might fall a little short of my 100 target, but we will see. I have managed to just about keep up with documenting the run up to Christmas & I do plan to take lots of photos over the festive season.

Next week I have lots of things planned to do with my DD, we have decorations to make, mince pies to bake & stollen to attempt. So I might manage a sneaky post before Christmas. 

So that is what my blog looks like!

I hold my hands up, I have been a very bad blogger, so bad in act that I am now on Santa's naughty list. I can't believe that it is now December, I missed the whole of November. In my defence I have been busy, I have managed to go on holiday, start to prepare for a craft fair that I am attending, go to two crops as well as help my lovely husband buy a flat for him to stay in during the week. There is also all the usual Mum stuff too, going backwards and forwards to school, gymnastics, brownies and swimming with my DD.

My scrapbooking has gone completely out of the window, but after this months crop at Eclectic Keepsakes I can't wait to get back to it, I am brimming with ideas, it all needs to wait until after next Wednesday. Next Wednesday is a big day for me, I am being brave and I am attempting to sell some things at the Colchester Castle Park Christmas Market. I did say after my last attempt at selling my cards that I would never do it again, but my lovely friend Vicky has talked me round. Fingers cross that I sell something, I am feeling a little nervous. I have been busy making flower brooches like the buttonholes that I did for Vicky's wedding, I have also made some owls, covered journals and lastly bags made out of wool jumpers.

The bags started as an idea after I read The Inadvertent Farmer's Blog she had made a lovely bag and provided instructions on how to do it. Great I thought, something different, the hardest part has been finding the jumpers as they need to be 100% wool.

This was my first attempt, I am really pleased with the end result. What pleased me more is that I realised that I can get two bags out of one jumper.

I used the leftover sleeves to make the bag below. I cut down the seam of the sleeve to open it up, if you do this with both sleeves you then have a front and back. I used dowelling to make the handles sturdy. At some point I hope to add a how to, to my blog.

Here is another in purple. Foe the flower I used the Big Shot to cut out some hearts and a circle.

I think that this grey tote is my favourite, my Mum helped me line it . I have used brooch pins on the flowers so they can be moved or even taken off. Mum even used the shirt pocket, as a pocket inside.

So there we have some of my bags that I am hoping to sell (fingers crossed). If anyone fancies popping along, the Christmas market is next Wednesday 14th December at Colchester Castle, from 3pm. I would love to see some smiling faces and you never know you might even pick up some bits for Christmas. 

Then hopefully I will be back to normal :)

Wedding bells

I am going to a wedding today, my very good friend Vicky is tying the knot and I am very excited.

So this week has been all about the wedding. Vicky asked me to make her buttonholes, so I was happy to help out. I am really pleased with the results and can not wait to see them today.

Wednesday morning was spent making bows for the front of the wedding cars. As usual I turned to the wonder that is Youtube and found a great little lesson on how to make these, it is so simple. In the afternoon I made Vicky a card. I don't tend to make many cards these days, but I was really struggling to find something that I liked. Vicky is using the colours olive green, bright pink, maroon and deep purple so I used them on the card. The photo is of the happy couple at Vicky's birthday party earlier this year.

Yesterday was spent decorating the wedding venue (I will show photos next blog) Vicky and her family had gathered together lots of flowers and foliage and I think that it looks amazing, it also smells amazing as there is lots of lavendar and rosemary too.

So that has been my week, no flowers that I promised last blog, I am hoping to make some tomorrow at the Eclectic Keepsakes crop, I am sure that the lovely ladies there will help me and I am also really looking forward to Sue's class in the afternoon. I have managed to do a couple of quick layouts using Crate Paper papers. I love these papers, the colours are amazing.

Right I am off to glam up.

All thanks to Laurie

I have been having a slight drought with my scrapping mojo of late. Even a day spent with the lovely ladies at Eclectic Keepsakes did not manage to water my mojo. As yet I have only managed to finish one of the gorgeous layouts designed by Ann Freeman.

I took this photo on a day trip to Ickworth House, I love how the black & white photo goes so well with the lovely glittery papers that Ann used. A girl could be tempted to buy more in this range from My Minds Eye.

I have made a really good friend at the crop, Laurie. We go out for coffee and put the world to rights, this week she took me to a craft shop that she had found in Clacton. It is a great little find and if I had my mojo I am sure that I would have bought plenty, but I didn't (Steve, please take note!). The shop has pieces around that the staff have done, on a lovely tag there was a flower. This flower has taken my fancy, but I had no idea of where to start. This is where Laurie comes to my rescue, not only did she patiently explain how I could make one of these flowers, she went home and sent me an E-zine which had full instructions and photos. So hopefully this week I will be making flowers and have something to show you.

So Laurie has spurred me on and given me a friendly shake (just what I needed).
Look what I have managed to do.....

Not only have I managed to complete a layout I also managed to use Glimmer Mist and this gorgeous blingy flourish. Just what the scrapping mojo ordered.

So let's hope that this is a more scrappy week, I am hoping to have flowers, a layout and also the completed buttonholes that I have been asked to make to show you next, wish me luck x

Feeling a little lost

So yesterday my DD went back to school, she has gone into juniors (whatever that means). Now in the past I would be jumping for joy, planning what I would be doing to fill my child free days. Scrapping and crafting to my hearts content. This year I do not feel the joy, I still have not scrapped, I tidied my dining room instead (shock horror)!! Don't get me wrong DD is happy to be back at school (thankfully), as I type this she is downstairs all dressed and ready to go, an hour before the doors open.

While DD was at home last week I finished, yes finished a project just for her. I have been playing around with some material flowers and I decided to have a go using felt. Normally felt would be in my DD's craft box, what a waste, it is fabulous stuff! DD asked if she could have some of the flowers for her hair. So I was happy to oblige.

I started off with a circle of felt, that I then cut into quarters. I make five petals so you will need at another circle.

I then tied a not at the end of some thread and did running stitch along the curved part of the felt quarter, I used the same thread on all five pieces. I then pulled the thread so that the pieces gather together to form my flower.

I then sewed on a button as the middle of the flower.

Attached a hairgrip.

And made five more, so that DD has six.

Then attached to DD, who is very happy with them and has requested more in other colours.

So again still no scrapbooking, I am hoping that this will change on saturday as it is the Eclectic Keepsake's Crop. That reminds me I must do my photos.

Time flies

I can't believe how quickly the summer has flown by, I have just one week left before DD returns to school! At least this year we are ready, school uniform is bought and labelled.

The school holidays have been filled with a holiday to Devon, lots of gymnastics and the odd day out. I have survived, in actual fact (& I can say it here) I don't want them to end. Shock horror I said it, I have had the happiest little girl doing what she totally loves. I love seeing her so smiley and happy, I just hope that it continues when she goes back to school.

The summer holidays do mean that I have done very little in the crafting way. I have scrapped nothing, which feels a little odd but I am sure that will change as the Eclectic Keepsakes crop is in a couple of weeks (woo hoo). I have had the sewing machine out, I bring it out every now and then in the hope that I will suddenly know how to use it properly and be able create the most amazing things, I can always hope.

Two days it took me to turn these.......

 

Into these

I do feel quite pleased with myself, so pleased in fact that I went online to find a simpler pattern. I found one and that is my current project. Hopefully I will have something to show you by my next blog. 

Hope that you are enjoying the last dregs of summer ;)

There is always cake

I love crop days, fact. I love that I am not the only one who looks forward to them, my DD can not wait to spend the whole day with Daddy. This months crop was quieter than usual (there are a lot of ladies on holiday) which meant that Karen had decided to group the tables all together in the middle of the room. This opened up the opportunity for a lot more chatting, we talked as one large group, which was really nice. At the same time this means that I get a lot less done, I had not had time to organise myself, so I had no real LO's in mind. I did take a long my new purchases though, so I got to have a play with them instead.

As always the lovely Karen had made some very yummy cakes, these are always a hit with me and she now kindly saves DD one, which goes down very well. Daddy's company all day and then cake!

I didn't just natter and eat cake, I managed to finish the crop class that I missed when I was in Rome. Mel from ATDML did the class and I am sorry that I missed it, her LO is lovely and I really enjoyed it, it was perfect for the picture that I took of my Sister and DD last month at my Dad's birthday bash.

I really like how Mel used every inch of these lovely papers, that includes cutting flowers out of the squares.

Mel used a button punch from Martha Stewart, I am not lucky enough to own one of these, so I raided the pot that I bought in Liberty's. I love red, so to me these red buttons are perfect. I used a stamp for the stitch effects. I love the patchwork look and feel that this LO has. I plan on trying some more patchwork looks in the future.

I also took part in Karen's summery class. Her LO had such a fun summer feel to it, you can see Karen's LO here. I am very proud of myself, I managed to scrap photos that I took on holiday, that is quite a quick turn a round for me.e to do a double LO, two more towards the 100.

The first one I completed was a photo of all three of us together. I am trying to get at least one photo of all us together on holiday now, otherwise it looks like at least one of us is missing.

Below is a closeup of one of Karen's blocks, I layered my umbrella and cut the bit out from the bucket so that I could put my spade through.

I also free styled on the swirls and cut them all out. A lot of cutting out for me but well worth it I think.

The second LO features DD, in her surf chick mode. She really got into the body boarding this year, often going out of her depth so that she could catch bigger waves. I loved hearing her squeals of delight as she whizzed past.

I have added a close up as the photos have come out really dark. See she is smiling :)

I have lots of ideas floating round at the moment, hopefully I will get some time to put them into practice. Two lovely ladies shared the loveliness of Tim Holtz distressing inks at the crop and I am thinking that I need to have a go, I also picked up a crafting magazine this week and they have an idea in there which I think would be great for Christmas. Yes I said the C word and it is only August, but it is possibly something I could do in front of the TV at night. Will let you know how it all goes. I am now off to go shabby chic some frames with my girls.

Sneaky crafting

As I thought I haven't done much crafting this week, although I went round to my friends yesterday for coffee and some how managed to sneak in some crafting. My friend Vicky so gets me, while putting the world to rights over coffee, she casually dropped in that she had tried something new while away last week. Felting! Did I want to have a go, as she just happened to have all the stuff required to hand. Of course I wanted to have a go, it is so easy & you can still chat while you do it, just need to keep an eye on where you are stabbing the needle. I had a great afternoon.

As I write this I am off to this months crop, so hopefully some more layouts will be created.

What was I thinking????

I have had a gorgeous week in North Devon, the weather has been amazing. This is our third year in a row that we have packed the car with everything, including the kitchen sink.
As you might know I was worrying about how I was going to spend my evenings and I had asked for suggestions (thank you Laurie & Sandi), I packed a small amount of supplies and printed off the prompts from Shimelle's Explore Class. I am not sure what I was thinking, I got nothing done!! All that fresh air and hours on the beach, made sure that I was in bed by nine thirty every night.

Yes that's me, bodyboarding! When you get the right wave that carries you all the way back to shore it is an amazing feeling.

As for Shimelle's class, I am very behind but I hope to change that this week, I did manage to send myself a couple of postcards (much to my DH's amusement), they were waiting on the doormat when we got back this morning. I used some free postcards from a lovely pub that we visited last week, must admit I wasn't sure about the whole postcard thing, the last postcard I sent was ten years ago on my honeymoon, so writing one to myself felt a little strange, but I liked seeing it on the doormat, so maybe I might send myself a few more. Must remember to use second class stamps next time :)

Hopefully by the end of this week I will have some crafty news, but it is the school holidays so we shall have to wait and see. I am off to go spend the last couple of hours with DH before he has to go back to work, if only holidays lasted a little longer :)

Trying Something New

We are on a massive countdown in our house, my DD has three days left at school (hooray!) and as a family we have three days until we go on holiday. I can hear you saying "what does that have to do with trying something new?" Well we are going to a lovely place that has no access to internet, this is brilliant as it means that my DH will not be able to take his work with us (big hooray!) and it also means that I have to find something to occupy myself of an evening, hence trying something new. I can't easily scrapbook, so I need to find something to do, I am thinking of trying knitting or crochet again, but in the past that has not worked out so well. Any suggestions would be great.

Also on the theme of trying something new I have just paid for my first online class. I am hoping that I will be able to fit it in around our holiday and the school holidays, will let you know how I get on, am currently waiting for my first email!

I have been trying to branch out with my scrapping, I love the sketches at Let's Scrap but a girl needs to try something new (look at me sticking to the theme of this post). I have just done two pages that are totally all me. I have kept them quite simple (not trying something new there), but I have cut papers, inked & stamped.

This page uses My Minds Eye papers, I also managed to get the coordinating stamps in the sale. I kinda like having no title for once, but it does have journalling.

This is the LO that I tried to download last post. I have let the papers do all the work, I think that they make a great frame for this photo.

I have not gone completely cold turkey on Let's Scrap, let's be honest who can resist a challenge? Last weeks challenge was to replace a letter in the title of your page with something else. I replaced the O in together with a flower.

Here is the full LO, this is one of my favourite photos of my little family. I really liked this challenge, it enabled me to get those stamps out.

This weeks challenge was to use stitching on a LO. Love stitching, it is something that I can do of an evening sat on the sofa. I used Fancy Pants papers (another challenge on Let's Scrap is to use Fancy Pants), I have never used them before so I made a sneaky purchase.

And this is my entry for the Fancy Pants challenge, not sure if I am able to enter both LO's, will just have to wait & see.

I am trying to finish a couple of LO's before we go away, again on the trying something new theme, I have followed another scrappers blog to Once Upon A...Sketch, the ladies on here do some amazingly beautiful layouts. They have some fab sketches on there to use, I am not sure that I am brave enough to post anything on their site, but I am brave enough to have a go. Will post my LO's next time.

So yes I am branching out, still scrapping but trying to move out of my comfort zone. Definately need to find something other than scrapping to occupy me over the holidays, think I will do a search now, fancy something to make. Let's hope the weather improves for our holiday. See you in a week :)