Crocodile Rock

Although I haven't been able to use my studio this week (for fear of messing things up and then someone coming to view the house!), I have been able to craft at a crop and at a friend's house.  I borrowed one of Paula's magazine clippings for inspiration and created this layout using Echo Park's This and That Charming (sorry, not sure which magazine!)

The photo of my boy is blurred - I'm no photographer and so capturing excited toddlers on a dull day is beyond me!  I don't mind though - its an action shot ;-)

It marked quite a big moment for me back then.  I finally felt like I was doing the normal stuff that mums did with their children and actually achieving some of the things I thought parenting was all about.  I suffered with post natal depression during his first year and only started to feel a bit normal (whatever that is) by the time he was 2.

I think he must have been about 2 and a half in this photo.  We spent hours covering the egg box with paper and then painting it and putting it together.  He was so pleased with his crocodile creation and spent ages whizzing it around and taking it for a walk.  I was so proud of him too.  Actually... I was proud of us.

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 275

It is with regret that I show you my desk this week - it is almost embarrassingly pristine.  I say almost because I do have good reason for it to be untouched and that was that we were about to have a house viewing.  This people, is as good as my room gets!

I have done some crafting this week though at the lovely Artful Angels crop.  I started to unpack after the viewing so you can see bits of the three layouts I was working on using Echo Park.  I normally get a lot more done than this but I was viewing another house and the children came to visit for lunch and before you know it the day has gone!

I can't wait till the next one because I am fearful of getting my room messed up again.  Did I mention how much I hate this process!!!

I shall content myself with living vicariously through other people's busy spaces over Julia's for this week's What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 256

I do keep meaning to post more than my desk for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday but I still haven't properly recovered from the last few months and got back into a routine yet.  I did spend Saturday crafting in a good cause though at a 12 hour charity crop for Naomi House children's hospice and you can see one of the layouts I made after my desk shot.

And here it is...

 Points to note: I was finishing up some DT work (partially hidden under the letter stickers) because I didn't like it, it didn't seem finished.  I added some twine with some tacky glue and I like it more now.  I had actually put it away as finished, hence my AC album being out but every time I went to post up the photo to the DT blog I found I was holding back because it didn't seem quite right!

Anyhoo, its done now and will be up on the blog soon but it needs to dry and be photographed - which in itself is a conundrum with this incessant weather.  I usually take my pictures outside in the day time but I just haven't been home when it hasn't been raining!

There is an empty pint glass there but it wasn't full of beer - I take a soluble vitamin thingy every day mixed with another medicine that I have to take and together they taste quite nice and get me to drink more water so its a win win - except that it makes my wee fluorescent yellow which can be quite alarming the first time you notice ;-)

At the back of the table are two boxes of embellishments that I have recently been travelling with.  The Jo Malone candle box hasn't been unpacked since the retreat a fortnight ago and the clear box is everything I've been using on my Devon album.  If I don't have time or energy to gather together stuff for other layouts, I grab that box, my bag of papers and my album and I'm good to go.  It already has all the page protectors in with the photos appropriately spaced so I can pick it up and put it down and return to it as and when.

This was one of the 5 or so layouts that I completed on Saturday.

All the supplies are October Afternoon, some very old, some not quite so.  The divided page protectors are American Crafts and come in various sizes so much easier to play with in short bursts than a regular 12x12.

Gosh it feels like a long time since we first visited Featherdown Farm's Aller Farm and therefore a long time since I started this album.  I think I've broken the back of it now though... if I could just resist trying to use EVERY SINGLE picture of a cow then I would have finished by now...

Right, I'm off for another session at the gym and then I can come back and relax and peruse the other desks knowing I have done a good thing for myself - it really really helps my depression (more on that in another post).  If I can still use my arms afterwards I might even leave a comment or two so please do stick the kettle on ;-)

Bye for now

xx

WOYWW 255

Well it may not be the messiest desk on the block this week but neither is it the tidiest or the most productive.  The selection of letter stickers was out to finish the little book you can see near the parcels there.  It is not supposed to be visible yet so you'll have to check back of you want to see more :-)  

The packages might seem interesting and you'd be forgiven for thinking that they contain new crafting goodies, however, you'd be wrong.  I'm being exceptionally good about new stash, even in the face of huge sales on my favourite brands.  I simply cannot fit any more into what we hope will be our new house.  No, the packages contain a chocolate protein shake sample and a bag of powdered superfoods.  Both things to be taken together in a shake with oats and peanut butter as a breakfast before training.  I'm really hoping that the green powder (which contains things like spirulina) will boost my system and general health and help me get back into some sort of fit shape.  I'm back at the gum today after over 2 weeks off while the children were on Easter holidays and I know I will hurt tomorrow but I've really missed it.

The magazine cuttings are also going to help towards my goals but they are crafty too.  Its part of Ali Edwards class for One Little Word which I have done nothing about recently.  I'm really hoping to tackle it on Saturday at the Artful Angels 12 hour charity crop.  I'm also hoping to finish the couple of layouts you see on the left there before then so I can start some new ones but one of those is for my OLW album too.

You might be wondering about the white blobs with safety pins on the back.  So am I.  They are fairy badges, created from plaster and painted by Miss Bella but the pins provided won't stick as they are supposed to.  Luckily Mummy has a supply of a variety of glues to try so that I can wear whichever one she chooses for me.  All day.  In public.  With pride. :-)

This post is brought to you by the powers of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday at Julia's Stamping Ground. 

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 248

Do you know that I laughed so much at my scrapbooking retreat over the weekend that my tummy still hurts?! We had a wonderful time and I'll be sharing some pictures very soon.  

I've not been able to get into my craft room for any actual crafting since then so my desk is basically a half unpacked crop bag!  Sarah brought my order for 4 new American Crafts albums so I can file that stack of layouts that I completed even though I nearly forgot to pack any photos!  I keep a not of the layouts before I file them so I know which ones need putting on the blog so that's what I'd been doing here having just photographed them in the garden... in the dry... in the sun!!!

The layout on the right there was finished a few seconds before I left on Friday morning and so that one needed photographing too.  This one was for the S J Papercrafts challenge for March which involved us all using a set of photographs as inspiration.  If you fancy a challenge thn pop over and see what inspires you from the pictures too.  There is also another prize on offer this month from another WOYWW-er, the lovely Annie.  Personally I was inspired to use the colours and textures from the pictures to create this windy beach layout using Crate Paper's Pier collection. Louis was just over a year old in this picture from his first beach trip in Newport, Pembrokeshire. Even then we knew he'd love it more and more as he got older and he certainly has! 

It was great fun to rifle through my stash and find old bits and bobs like the sandy coloured flowers, veneer birds and green ric rac to accentuate my theme along with the woody tones of the papers.

When I saw the inspiration photos I immediately thought of this collection and once I had got the papers out I realised they were perfect for scrapping about this rainy weather we've been having here since Christmas.  I ended up using this collection a lot over the weekend for various photos of drizzly walks and windswept beaches.

I guess I really need to finish putting all the rest of the stuff away *sigh*... But first I'll grab a cuppa and have a peruse around all the other desks that link up on a Wednesday for the biggest creative gathering of the week.  Please do join in - its easy, free and very enjoyable and you're sure to receive a warm welcome from our host Julia.

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 247

Despite the mess here today there is actually a system in place and much upheaval has been gone through.  The drawers to the left are now tidy and the top drawer has all my photos IN ORDER!  Well until my next order of 288 come in the next couple of days... 

The papers etc spread out out at the front are what I'm working on for my current DT projects which I will be squirreling away on this weekend as we are off to a scrapbooking retreat in a barn with the Artful Angels! We had a lovely time last year at the same place and I think it is just what I need to get myself sorted and recharge my batteries.

I've shuffled the shelves a little and put my bots and bobs back on my desk after a mammoth bout of filing.  I now have 2 cake stands on my desk - the pink glass one was from my very good friend for my 40th last month (is it really only last month?!)  The wire one holds all my JYC bits so that I can just pick the whole thing up and move it away while I work on something else.

Last week I had some happy mail from the lovely Lunch Lady Jan in the form of a quilt and pillow for Miss Bella's babies.  She was over the moon with it and went all dreamy and quiet but not to worry, it was a temporary thing and she is back to her chatty self again and enjoys reading to her babies in their new bedding.  Thanks Jan!

So what have you got to show us this week?  Link up with Julia at Stamping Ground because sharing is caring ;-)

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 241

Oh dear... this is the state of my desk after a rather eventful weekend.  I managed a few hours at the crop before I gave up with this stupid virus and came home.  I didn't even unpack the car, Management did that.  Other than the fabulous surprise party that I got dragged out to (and thoroughly enjoyed!) I've pretty much been laying flat because my sinuses are so painful that my head feels too heavy to lift for long.  I can't use a screen for long either - dagnamit!

So we have boxes of punches from the car, my Selphy printer (that Management is very cross with because they have no intentions of being compatible with Windows 8 and you can't buy a computer without that these days...), a gift bag from the lovely Paula from Artful Angels and my new aluminium case (see below) and then my Jo Malone box.  A wonderful friend bought me a Jo Malone candle and perfume for my birthday and the box smells fabulous.  It's very sturdy too so ideal for transporting embellishments to crops.

Please excuse the following photo - new lap top means new software and getting used to things again.  Its a bit different for me because I've never done decoupage before but it was an emergency.  I was so wrapped up in my own birthday that I forgot to get a card for the little girl that Louis was going to a party with!  I had fifteen minutes to find something so I grabbed a pile of stuff that was free with a magazine.

Ta da!  My new aluminium box for my Promarkers!  Management is on the case with a remedy for the floppy insides but I love it anyway!  I can carry them about too which is what I wanted.

Have you got transportable pen storage?  What do you use?  What else is on your desk this week?  Link up with WOYWW and see other creative spaces.  Hope to see you around!

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 217

I try and take my Wednesday desk shot around midday on the Tuesday and this was what greeted me.  It was rather apt because after a very busy and interesting weekend, my head was as empty as my desk looks.

Sarah and I had a crafty sleepover on the Friday night and we had such a laugh when we found ourselves stroking papers with glazed eyes!  We followed this up with a crop with Artful Angels on the Saturday.  I went straight from there to a hotel for a night out with some old school friends and I was reminded that I am nearly 40 and not 18 any more.  I love to get dressed up and and go dancing but I can do without sticky dance floors overcrowded with lecherous drunks and all the other problems associated with drinking, such as a nasty fog for about 2 days afterwards!  The fog was such that I had forgotten about all my goodies from the shop at the crop!

Once I had had a cup of tea I decided to unpack my bag and coo over my new papers... stash diet?  What stash diet?  I received my current DT assignment which is the lovely Perfect Summer by Echo Park that you can see along the front there along with a pile of suitable ribbons and washi tapes.  The beautiful floral at the back is a full...ahem... pile... of Crate Paper's The Pier and just to the left of that is a few of the Hipster papers and stickers from Basic Grey.

I also treated myself to a new stamp set by Hero Arts.  Its a bit of an investment but you get loads of stamps in the one set and it will be great for divided pages and also some art journalling, which I am supposed to do regularly anyway!  I've now put them in my pile of things to take down to Wales and see if I can get some rhythm going there for journalling.  I get more inspired there to write and create than anywhere else.  I feel such peace and clarity there.  Heck, maybe I might even get some work done on my book!  (For those who remember my Open University Creative Writing course, I passed with a Grade 2!!!)

Not much peace and clarity here at the moment as we have a four legged house guest who is causing much excitement but is doing a great job of getting us out walking every day.  We are less than a week into the summer holidays and we are pooped already!

So I've shown you mine, now you can show us yours - whether it is a room, a desk, a chair, the floor, a trolley or your lap or whatever, we've seen it all, messy or not, well equipped or not, but its good to share.  Link up with Julia over at Stamping Ground for the regular desk hop around the world.

I think I might need another cuppa...

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 206

Good morning to you all, especially all you WOYWW-ers.  I'm twitching this week.  My cup is empty and there is someone else invading my space again.  Miss Bella takes up more and more room each time she comes in here.  However, she has been banned from my studio as of today because she refuses to put any of her stuff away when she has finished with it.  What can I say, she has just turned 4 and, I'm told, is exactly as stubborn as I was at that age, and still am apparently.  Ahem.

Lots of Portobello Road on my side of the desk, making a card for the lovely Deb at Paper Turtle to go in her box of swap goodies that you can just about see to the left there under the stamps.

I'm packing for a crop on Saturday with Artful Angels (if you are around the Winchester / Southampton area and fancy a visit then please do get in touch!)  I'm still working on my Devon album and as I've been using the same selection of things throughout, it means my supplies are pretty much sorted.  I just need to have a tidy up and make sure that all the consumables go back into my little tote bag.

I've become so used to scrapping with Sarah from S J Crafts but she is at another crop this week and I will miss her!  This layout has just gone up at the shop blog where we are talking about the different things that are inspiring us right now.  For me its my Cameo. (This cut file was inspired by this Pin).

Show us yours, now that I've shown you mine, and don't forget to link up with Julia for the bestest desky blog hop there ever was.

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 201

 After spending the WHOLE day Saturday scrapping with the lovely Sarah from S J Crafts and Paula from Artful Angels in aid of Cancer Care, I've been banned from crafting until I get my assignment finished.

I've managed to get an extension because once again we are hit by illness in the family.  Saturday morning as I was heading out for the crop, Miss Bella showed us her spotty belly.  Frantic phonecalls abounded and her birthday party set for the next day became a pox party instead.  Luckily most of her friends has already had it so were able to come and 2 of her friends had shown spots 1 and 2 days before her!  Their parents were grateful for the ability to go out I can tell you!

Here is the cake!  I didn't have time to repair Rapunzel's face and her hair drove us bonkers but aside from that I like it in its rather rustic-ness!  

Management has an upset stomach and I have a cold and I have never had chicken pox so we are painting a red cross on the door and hoping for a Tesco delivery to be left on the door step because it is like Old Mother Hubbard's kitchen here.  I'm still hopeful of doing some cutting and sticking with the children at some point because that's not quite so indulgent is it? ;-)

Share what you are working on with the rest of the crazy people over at Julia's blog.

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 200!!!

200!  Can you believe it?!  Check out the Queen of the Desks, Julia, for more What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday posts and have a look at crafters desks from around the world.

Lots going on here this week but rather different from the norm.  It's Miss Bella's 4th birthday so there has been much wrapping being done and going out for the day etc.  My poor desk looks rather bereft but rest assured that it will busy again VERY soon as I have a 12 hour charity crop to prepare for on Saturday.  If you are a crafter and can get down to the Southampton area on Saturday then please do come along, any crafts welcome, all in aid of Cancer Research, raffles and other fun things going on too.

Sadly our Easter bonnet efforts from last week didn't win any prizes but I was so proud of my boy and how he went about his task.  He did most of it on his own and used things he had learned from seeing me or from watching art programmes on the TV and changed things that weren't working for him etc.  He was very pleased with his efforts and that's all that matters :-)

I conjured up a card for the birthday girl rather last minute but I'm quite pleased with it.  Its an old Sizzix die coloured with Promarkers and with some stickles added to her skirt.  Thoughts now turn to the cake for the party at the weekend.  I'm thinking a tower with Rapunzel and her long hair cascading down...  Pinterest here we come!

No Combat class for me today as the children are off school for Easter - how will I cope with no kicking and punching the demons away?  Maybe a tickling match with the children is in order!  But first a little peruse around some craft desks I think...

Bye for now

xx

Moo Cows

I'm patiently (not really) awaiting the results of my third OU assignment but there's no chance to twiddle my thumbs  oh no, because I'm busy getting ready for my weekend away next week too.  I've been printing off lots of ideas from Pinterest to take with me and I make my page kits accordingly.  This does seem to work well for me and means I get maximum time actually scrapping while I'm away.  

This layout was one such project from our last retreat and was inspired by many of the bannered projects around including this one from my board.  B must have been about 18 months here and we met up with my niece and her staffy at a local country park.  Both B and Harvey Dog were fascinated by the cows and it was so cute and funny watching them both.  I love these pictures of her because they captured her wispy hair and chubby toddler arms.

I've still got bits of this gorgeous collection left, its going on forever!  "This and That, Graceful" was the first one of these Echo Park collection kits that I had and I have loved virtually every one of them since.

I flicked up some of the ends of the banners for dimension and added lots of chipboard and stickers from the collection and a few other bits and bobs for lots of texture.

Alongside my printer churning away is my Silhouette Cameo which is also busy busy getting ready for next weekend producing some lovely die-cut backgrounds which I can't wait to share.  Kelly at Envisages has shared a heart background with me and I'm looking forward to using that one too.  See her layout here.

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 194

Well hello again!  In for a penny, in for a pound I say.

Here's my desk, full of piles.  Nothing much changes really does it?!   Oh, and there's a cup of tea of course too.  Well it wouldn't be my desk without it now would it?

Top left is my Writing course stuff and top right is stuff that stays on my desk all the time.  I was so happy to find that little pink heart shaped bowl in Ikea because its just right for little clips and such.  The rest of the desk is preparation for our scrapping weekend away a week on Friday.  I'm just apportioning my washi tapes.

The large pile bottom right is actually a pile of almost finished layouts.  19 in total.  Some just need a little journalling or a date, some need one or two little embellishments to finish them off and some need all but the bare bones.  I'll get around to them.  Its on my list....

So nice to be joining in with the worldwide desk share of WOYWW again :-)

Bye for now
xx

Some summing up

Its been a pretty crazy couple of months around here.  The children went on school holidays and a couple of weeks later we had a new little boy in the family.  Baby T is my Great Nephew and he is now 5 weeks old.  He and his Mum and Dad moved the week he was born and they are now sadly nearly 3 hours away so the poor little sausage gets the life squeezed out of him when he visits as we take turns to hold him.

He has been down visiting this week and so we helped out by having Harvey, their lovely Staffordshire Bull Terrier for a doggy sleepover.

Between baby-watching and doggy sitting, we've not achieved much this week I can tell you!  We just about managed to fit in a quick snuggle with my other Great Nephew, Baby E who arrived in the world last week (you might remember from this post.)  He is now a whopping 4lbs and 10oz!  Even Management managed to get a snuggle of this one!

Two babies in a week is almost more than Miss Bella can handle.  Throw Harvey the dog into the mix and we have been a little... erm... overexcited to say the least.

She has found the slightly longer days at preschool really hard to adjust to with all this extra excitement going on.  At the end of the week it was all too much for her... bless!

I was really glad to get back to a routine again and part of that routine is the monthly Artful Angels crop.  This month we were visited by Handmade Treasures with her lovely displays of ribbons and buttons that looked like a lovely sweetshop.  I admit, I broke my stash diet here but only a little bit.  I used some of the stuff on Thursday when my friend came over for a scrappy play date and I managed to catch up on a few projects.

So we are now 2 weeks into the school term and I have no plans to visit or be visited by any babies or dogs this week, or to go to or host any crops.  I've also decided that as I didn't get off to a very good start with all this going on, I am not going to try to catch up or continue with LSNED this year.  I have too much to keep me occupied to be going backwards.  I can start exercising again this week and my new course starts in about 10 days time so I need to get as much done as I can before then.  Look at all these lovely books!

My routine will be a little different from now on that it was before the summer holidays but I really hope it will take me forward as I have really stalled in the last year or so with all the goings on and I can really feel the difference in my mood.  I thought if I shared my resolutions here then I might be more accountable to actually continuing with them.  So:

I want to get back to my running and hopefully start to attend the regular Park Runs held locally.
I want to make real progress with my weight loss and head towards losing another 2 stone.
I want to engage more with the children in the precious times that we have together now.
I want to get back to enjoying cooking by planning ahead and researching my Slimming World recipe books.
I want to stay in control of the house in terms of the housework, the de-cluttering and the decorating.
I want to make positive progress with my shoulder injury.
I want to keep on track with my coursework and start to look for outlets for my work.
I want to make progress on my unfinished projects and keep adding to my haul of finished layouts.
I want to make progress with my photo workflow.
I want to be calm and happy and feeling like I am moving forward.

Feel free to nag me, if you got this far you deserve it! ;-)

Bye for now
xx

You Are Lovely

Firstly I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been in touch recently both in the comments, and by private e-mail.  My Story Telling Sunday post which featured the loss of our first baby, and my WOYWW post about being at my Great Nephew's birth that morning prompted some amazing messages of support and love from people across the world, most of whom I have never met.  I feel very privileged to be part of such a wonderful on-line community that takes the time to show complete strangers that they care.  You are all lovely!  

And with that in mind, I realised that I had one more layout to share from the Scrapbook Getaways retreat in the spring!

Oh ho!  What's this?  Another 6x6 inspired layout?  (Don't forget that the 6x6 Celebration challenge is still open at S J Crafts for a few more days if you fancy being in with a chance of a prize!)

How cute is Miss Bella standing by the... erm... pink flowers at Beaulieu?  I seem to be doing more and more double layouts at the moment and the 6x6 pads are cracking for this.

I used My Mind's Eye Lime Twist here which isn't available now but they have just released their new 6x6 collections called The Sweetest Thing.

Once again I used my bunting punch by Stampin Up and changed the look a bit by stitching through it.  I also borrowed someone else's teeny Stampin Up punch for the little flowers on it.  If you are interested in any Stampin Up stuff then I do know a lovely person (Fiona) who can give you further information.

I used up some random bits from my stash (I am REALLY trying to use up odds and ends) including this cute but very cheap umbrella charm and some but expensive shiny brads.

I'm particularly fond of that folding ribbon embellishment there.  Layouts often don't feel finished to me without ribbon.  I went to the Artful Angels crop yesterday and a wonderful little shop called Handmade Treasures visited us with the most delicious collection of ribbons and buttons.  I...ahem.. may have purchased an item or two so expect to see some glorious and more unusual pretty ribbons coming up here soon.

Bye for now
xx

Ready for September

Well that was August.  Over in a flurry of showers and the occasional sunny moment.  September will bring a few changes here at Castle Johnson with Bella at preschool for 3 days and me going back to studying with the Open University.  I will also be going back to the gym to test the progress on my shoulder (or not) and I'm hopeful that by the end of the month, I will be the lightest that I have been for many years and dipping under the next stone mark at Slimming World.

Of course I will be recording this journey with Shimelle's Learn Something New Everyday.  You don't have to be a scrapbooker or a crafter of any sort to join in with this particular class because this is about the lessons we learn everyday and recording them in whichever way suits us individually.

I've mentioned before about my album, saved from last year, so here it is.  This is a bare chipboard album covered with Pink Paisley "Old School" papers and random bits from my stash.

This is the inside cover and I've cut all my pages to size and hole punched them ready to go.  I plan to do a lot of journalling this year.

This morning I finally finished my owls.  These will be the date markers with a little white number on their smart tummies, and I think I will add them to a label shape for the journalling.

Louis would like to show you his book that he made too.  We used the papers that come with Scrapbook Magazine (which I dislike intensely but are perfect for the children) and glued them back to back.  Then we cut them to size (6x4 so we can easily add photos where needed) and he rounded all the corners.  Then he cut the title element and wrote it out (several times as he wasn't happy with it) and made his own owl and a little flag.  He got very excited about we put it all together and almost combusted when I showed him how to insert the pin into the foam tape of the title!

He's got lots of different papers in his book and the spare bits are in a bag.  He has punched some shapes ready to decorate his pages and made a little pocket for these and his gems that he wants to use.  I tell you this kid is a chip off the old block!

September also sees a return of the Artful Angels crops and I am so excited because I get to take my new bag.  Look at this beauty!!!

The fabulous Lunch Lady Jan made it for me especially to fit my trimmer which won't fit in my rolling tote.  It is exactly what I wanted - pockets on the outside for my keys and purse and long straps to make it easier on my shoulder.

She chose the fabrics herself and I think she knows me well enough that she got it spot on, literally!  Pink polka dots and a pink and aqua tea cup fabric!  (She knows I love tea!)  She also made it extra sturdy by using a special backing.  I love it!

Louis took some photos of me "wearing" it but I looked awful so I ended up just holding it out so you can see all its gorgeousness.  I am very lucky to have such a talented and wonderful friend and I am planning a little something to say thank you in return.  Now if you'll excuse me, I have a cup of tea to drink.

Bye for now

xx