Being challenged.

I'm feeling rather challenged at the moment, both physically and mentally!  Thank you to all the people who sent good wishes after my op.  It went okay but boy did I hurt afterwards!  I am rather bruised and still very woozy so I only managed to stay at my crop for a couple of hours yesterday.  I wouldn't have gone at all if I hadn't been so looking forward to meeting Sarah but she was so lovely that it made it worthwhile.

I half started some layouts and managed to finish a few today.  I think planning to finish all of the challenges for Shimelle's on-line crop was a little optimistic after my hospital stay but here are the ones I managed complete.

Challenge 10 - 2 Photos on a bold background.  Are those apples bold enough for ya?!

I used Crate Paper - Farmhouse for these cute pics of my boy at just a year old.

Challenge 11 - Use 2 contrasting patterns for the background.  Leaves and rulers again from the Farmhouse Collection.

I managed to use some older American Crafts rub-ons here too.  They were perfect for this story about the little house that my Dad got for 2 year old Louis.  They were so proud of their building skills!  Originally the house had belonged to my almost-step-mum's grandchildren but they had outgrown it.  My Dad loved being able to rescue something and provide a wonderful present to his precious only grandson.

Challenge 9 - Take your pick.  Choose any previous challenge and consider it reopened.  I chose the Glitter Girl adventure about scraps.  The main bulk of the page used Rocket Age by October Afternoon but the layers of stars are all scraps from my box.  I think Louis was about 18 months old in this crazy photo which ended up on a mouse mat for a present for Daddy.  A mouse mat???  What a short lived invention that was...

Challenge 14 - Four Sections.  Using inspiration from Jen Gallacher, make 4 separate sections come together for one page.  I love Jen's work and I really admired so many of the elements in her original layout when I saw it a few weeks back.  I took many of those ideas for my Summertime layout featuring Bella and Management wandering off to the rock pools.  

I particularly liked the white embossing on vellum on Jen's layout so I tried it on mine with some flip flops.  I also embossed the title and in both cases this was the first inking for these stamps!

I used Cosmo Cricket's Salt Air and added a few older bits and bobs like shells.  

Challenge 12 - One photo twice.  I chose the only photo I had where I had printed 2 versions.  One of a gajillion ballet photos - Miss Bella gazing in wonder at her ballet teacher's beautifully pointed toes.  There's no title or journalling here because it is part of a series of pages, and to be honest I was in a rush and losing the power to sit up straight!

More Crate Paper Farmhouse, some very old bling that I've been meaning to use for ages and some ballet shoe ribbon that I bought years ago.

I think I might just squeeze in one more before the deadline but then I have to start prepping for next weekend.  3 days of scrapping at a local retreat and I have no idea what to take!  I also have to get better and get the house straight before then and try and get back to some sort of normality.  Hhhmmm, normality... what's that then? ;-)

Bye for now

xx