WOYWW 274

Its been a while since I joined in with WOYWW dear readers but this Wednesday marks a very important part of our year - the children go back to school today!  I have such plans!!  Some of my plans for this week involve getting in my studio and making some stuff - woop woop!  Some of my plans involve getting my house back into some sort of order so that we are ready for house viewings at the weekend.  Our house sale fell through recently after waiting since April so we have to start all over again - meh.

So what is on my table of craft after such a long time?  Well...  Top left is my Learn Something New Everyday book that I am determined to put something in this year.  Its a class run by Shimelle every September and I made this book 3 years ago and never put anything in it.  2 years ago I changed the date on the front to start again and never put anything in it.  Last year I didn't even try.  I am keeping a record this year and trying to take daily photos so hopefully something will go in there at some point.

In the centre of the table I have some very exciting things!!  I was picked as a winner in a Cosmo Cricket giveaway on Facebook and within about 4 days I had a parcel arrive from America!  Inside was a wall sconce, 4 matching mason jar lids (I need wide necked jars now!), a sweet little pink hanger with clips on and a pad of 12x12 vellum!  If you know where I can get the jars from then please do let me know (in the UK) because I would love them to go in my new studio, if / when we move!

Right, on with the cleaning.  6 weeks of summer holidays and I don't even recognise my house anymore!  Don't forget to link up with Julia if you want to join in with the desk hop :-)

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 265

When I take  my weekly photo for WOYWW I realise how much or how little I've been in my studio.  A few days on a bit of a scrapping frenzy last week and my room is a tip - I blame Shimelle and her weekend of inspiration.  In the end I started rolling over stuff that I had piled on the floor (lots more out of shot on the floor too) and I needed some space to start some fresh thinking.

Its a bit of a shocker even for me but I make no apologies.  I traveled around a few desks last week and so many people were sorry for their mess.  Don't be sorry people!  We are creative and busy and happy in our art and of course we make a mess and things get moved around but it is OUR space and OUR art!

Now it looks more like this.  The pile on the floor is "to be sorted", the pile at the back is scraps that need filing and the pile of cardstock on the left is erm... a pile of cardstock that needs putting away.  When I have a lot of stuff to put away (again there is more out of shot) I tend to make piles like this so I only have to go to the place where I keep the cardstock once and the scraps pile once, etc.  I end up with a big tray of embellishments to sort out too and I am dreading this.  I seriously need to pare back my stash and that is going to be on the list once I have tidied up a great deal.

This week I have also been sorting Lego into colours ready for some drawers to be labelled.  Sounds very OCD doesn't it?  I'm a big Lego fan and we have lots of different sets and these days they have lots of very unusual shaped pieces and so finding them is easier if things are in colours.  And I like doing mindless tasks like breaking apart and sorting small bricks :-)

So that's me for the week, how about you?  Sharing is caring so don't forget to link your creative space to this wonderful blog hop at Julia's Stamping Ground.

Bye for now
xx

Rise Up and Fly - Shimelle Challenge

This is the last of the layouts that I managed to get done from Shimelle's weekend of inspiration.  This challenge was to scrapbook with a pink colour scheme which is something I don't do all that often despite having a little girl.  A page featuring miss Bella wouldn't be hard but I had something different in mind.

I bought these gorgeous My Mind's Eye papers in the S J Crafts sale and I was desperate to use them.  The collection is called Spread Your Wings and Fly and it made me think of my niece and how much she has blossomed since she found her niche as a Personal Trainer.  I changed the title to fit better with the images of the hot air balloons rather than relating it to wings.

I wanted to use the paper with the balloons in the top corner so it left a nice trip at the bottom for the small photo.  I have scrapped this photo before but with a different story.  I couldn't find anything that felt right to add to the stack for some texture other than some gems and bakers twine so I cut another balloon from another sheet of paper and added some pop dots to lift it at bit.

Sophie left college not knowing what she really wanted to do and it took a while for her to realise that her passion for the gym could be something she could share with other people.  Since then she's gained experience and qualifications and has become the assistant manager of the gym.  She has an expanding client base and has started developing specialist training programmes as she continues to grow and develop and it is a pleasure to see her spreading her wings and really taking off.

Bye for now
xx

Meet Opal - Shimelle Challenge

I've been meaning to scrap this photo for years, literally.  It was from our Round The World trip, no prizes for guessing where!  It was actually at Steve Irwin's Zoo in Brisbane and we were really sad to have missed him by a couple of days (well that's what they said but he might not have actually been there for months!)

It was one of those magical experiences that you never forget,so soft and fluffy!  We had to hold Opal under her bottom because koalas have no rib cage so holding them under the arms like a baby to pick them up would crush their internal organs.  To pick them up from the floor you have to hold their hands and dangle them!

I was able to use some new supplies (Glitz Finnley from the S J Crafts sale) and some very old ones.  I've had those lime green Doodlebug letters since I started scrapping and the little koala button from even before that!  I threw in some new Project Life cards and some felt leaves and back gems - it feels great to use some really old stuff!

My travel album has kraft card stock on every page so as well as the background I used a couple of Tim Holtz die cuts from my ancient stash too.  

The page was inspired by this challenge from Shimelle using half page photos.  It's certainly larger than I normally scrap but not quite half a page.  

I've still got a few more to share but they will have to wait until later after I've travelled back from sunny Wales.  Yes it is sunny - it was supposed to rain hard all day here but it has been beautiful!

Bye for now
xx

Hang Tough - Shimelle Challenge

I managed to complete a few of the challenges from Shimelle's cyber crop last weekend.  Unfortunately I had to bring them to Wales to photograph as I ran out of time before we had to leave.  The weather decided to take a turn for the worse and I have struggled to get clear pictures but I will keep trying!  This first one seemed to be the better of the bunch and was inspired by this challenge.

I used Echo Park's All About A Boy collection which is in the sale at S J Crafts currently.  I'd forgotten how much I loved the bright colours.

I used the TOUGH banner from the sticker sheet for the title and added some more stickers and chipboard pieces for interest and texture.  I wanted to get across the fun and adventure that the girls were having when they climbed the wall at the play centre where Bella was having her 5th birthday party.

A couple of brads from a Halloween collection by October Afternoon and some very old gems and it was job done.  It took me ages because I couldn't decide on the papers but once I had done that it came together quite quickly.

I had a great time scrapping old and new photos and using old and new stash.  There was a wonderful sense of freedom as I wasn't doing a project or a DT assignment or making a rushed card for someone etc.  I'd forgotten how much I love scrapping and as such there are a few more projects to share over the next few days.

Did you join in with the challenges too?

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 264

Its been a few weeks since I've been able to join in with this wonderful crafty blog hop but I've been in my studio a bit more this week and so felt compelled to share!  I love being able to have the doors wide open but it usually ends up with things being blown onto the floor (I did actually put those layouts on the floor to be photographed though, the wind blew other stuff!)  You can kinda see here that there are piles of stuff growing on my desk....

Strangely the piles from this angle don't look as precarious as they do in real life... perhaps its because you can't actually see that the things on the bottoms of the piles are smaller than the things I have balanced on top!  I'm in a very "let's get on and scrap" mood rather than a "putting things away" mood.  I blame Shimelle and her weekend of challenges!   And no, I don't know why there is a duster on my desk either...

But there is of course a full cup of tea...  Thank goodness!  Lots of lovely papers and photos and ideas and general chaos - perfect!  You might be wondering what that embroidered thing is next to my ATG...  Well actually there are 2 things - one is a stuffed heart that looks like it should hang in the wardrobe smelling nice - but it doesn't smell of anything.  The embroidered thingy is a piece of linen that hangs on your wall for you to display your loo rolls in.  Both items brought back from Malta by my mother "for our new house".  Grief, it almost puts me off moving...

I'm hoping to share a few more layouts and get back to being busy on my blog so please do watch this space.  For now, why not link up your creative room / table / spot on the floor with the lovely Julia (back from her Spanish hospital ordeal and we wish her a speedy recovery!) at Stamping Ground for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday.

Bye for now
xx

It will be fine...

Its been a little while since I shared any of the layouts from Shimelle's Return to the Collection class and I still have a couple more to go.  Here I used a Papermania kraft sheet for the background and more of the Echo Park For The Record collection.  I also misted a little in the corners and did some painting and stamping to add detail and layering. 

 

I promised that I would explain the background to this unexpected holiday and this layout really does that so this will be the first page in the Kos section of the album.   I can't remember where this photo was taken so I used it as a reason to scrap the backstory a little. 

On the journaling block, in case you can't read it, I've written what we were thinking at the time.  We hadn't expected to be on holiday at all because I should have been about 6-7 months pregnant at the time.  We had lost our first baby at 5 months a few weeks before this and I had been in and out of hospital and we'd been through tests and the funeral and were still waiting on the results of the tests while we were away that would determine if we could go ahead with trying for another baby. 

We decided to take a last minute booking and have some much needed R&R time together but we couldn't really forget for more than a few minutes.  I drank water at a fertility fountain, we tried to get healing vibes from the Esclipion, anything and everything to try and get us back on the road to being parents as quickly as we could.  We ate lots, chilled out watching England win the Ashes and relaxed as much as we could but I ended up getting tonsillitis and laryngitis! 

We had a lovely time though and when we got back we received the news that we were clear to try for another baby and thankfully we got pregnant again straight away.  I wish I could have told myself that the results would be good and we would have our family before long.  I wish I could have told myself that it would all be fine.

 

Bye for now

xx

Nisyros

Another one from the Greece collection for you today - this one is about the little village of Mandraki on the island of Nisyros.  This is where you dock into when you visit the volcano on the island and it is so typically Greece!  Lots of white box houses edged with blue and narrow steep paths - perfect for bimbling about.  Which we did.

This was another layout from Shimelle's Return to the Collection class and it is definitely one of my favourites from this series.  I added some cream coloured card to mat the photos and back the circles behind the gorgeous floral paper.  The card has a slight corrugation which adds to the texture a bit and the colour picks up on the cream in the background print.

I also added some Papermania travel related washi tape to the Echo Park collection that I used throughout this series.

Oh how I am yearning to bimble around sun bleached buildings right now!

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 245

Its Wednesday, so its WOYWW, so let's get straight down to business - no time to shilly shally.  I have officially finished all of the layouts I can possibly get from the collection I've been working on through Shimelle's class.  The one you can see on the desk is the penultimate layout.  I just about have enough scraps left to eek out a Valentine card for Management - ssshh don't tell him, just between us 'kay?

I was enjoying a little play (hence the full cuppa) Tuesday afternoon when I took this during a brief moment of sunshine - hurrah!  I really feel for anyone experiencing floods etc right now - it is truly awful.  There can't be much more water left in the sky to fall can there?!

Last week I mentioned that I was heroically trying to log all my layouts / blogged projects / photos etc and part of that is filing this pile of layouts!  You can see the spotty tablecloth that I used to have on my desk which some of you might remember.  You can also see why I choose to use Taffy pink albums by American Crafts :-)

Its been a creative hive of activity here at Crazy Towers.  Miss Bella wanted a friend to come over to make a Facebook page!  Kinda cute that she got it mixed up but she did actually mean a scrapbook page obviously. I knew I would have to tackle the children's art room in order for this to take place - gulp!

Being by the back door means all manner of outside items get left here.  It leads through to the utility so it bugs me that it is so messy.

There was nothing else for it.  It had to be done.  I put some funky music on, grabbed another cuppa and set to it.  I'm pretty pleased with the results but I just need to keep on top of it!

The insect home you can see on the windowsill there is patiently awaiting our baby stick insects to be big enough not to be able to squeeze through the holes!  We have 6 so far of just under an inch long.

The trolley on the left is what I sort the washing into, nothing to do with crafts at all.  The basket on top is full of Slimming World magazines that I need to sort through and pull out the recipes.  The shelves there are also the place where I keep my vases etc.

Our little guest took to scrapbooking like a duck to water and was overheard to say "I love your house.. I really love doing this!"  Also Louis finished a lovely page which I promised I would show on the blog very soon and said he had forgotten how much he enjoyed scrapbooking!  This all made my heart literally sing!  I find it hard to have little friends to tea but it is part of my One Little Word progress and I have to say that it was lovely to see the three of them sat there singing along to the radio and cutting and sticking while I pottered about at the stove.

Anyway, enough about the crafting going on here, what's going on where you are?  Pop over to Julia's Stamping Ground to link up with other desks around the world.

Bye for now
xx

Hello Sailor

It's a corny title, yes?  We finally had a little bit of sun here at Crazy Towers so I finally managed to photograph the projects that I've completed so far from Shimelle's class - Return to the Collection.  This is the layout from video 2 but still using photos from Kos and Echo Park's For The Record 2.

These photos were taken on a boat trip while we were in Kos which involved fishing and a brief stop at a cute beach for lunch.

This was a great push for me to have a go at stamping and then half covering it up to add dimension with layers.  I'm definitely going to try this again.  

There are lots more to come but for now I must prepare to go to the Strictly Come Dancing live tour!!  So excited!!!

Bye for now

xx

WOYWW 244

I know it looks a mess but I promise you that I know exactly where everything is and there is actually an order to proceedings... sort of...

No seriously, its a hive of creativity at the moment, so much so that I am in danger of utilising every room in the house for something.  Lets begin with the desk seeing as that is what What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday is all about. Feel free to share your desk too over at Julia's Stamping Ground.

I was encouraged to get a bit painty with this layout (from Shimelle's new class) using white acrylic paint and Glimmer Mist on an acrylic block.  The idea is that the gap and the beginnings of the paint are covered with another piece of paper and you just see the edges of the paint as an extra layer.  However, it went a bit wrong after this.  I had pencilled in where the lines of the paper were going to go but still managed to stamp in the wrong place.  This meant I had to move the paper and so one of the pencil lines was visible.  Why did I not just rub it out I hear you cry?!  Well that will be because the painty / misty layer was protecting it... Ahem...

Its almost finished now so I'll be back in a couple of days to share that.  I'm still using Echo Park's For The Record 2 for some Greek photos and still loving it.

I've also been really OCD this week and I've been sorting out all the photos and putting them all in order. This means I can go through my albums on the computer and work out which ones I haven't printed.  I seem to have very few photos from 2007-8 so there are plenty more to come I'm sure!

I don't think I'm going to run out of photos to scrap any time soon!

As part of this big sort out I've had to work out which layouts / stories are in my albums and which ones have been blogged.  You might be seeing some very old layouts here as a result!  This particular layout started life as an 8x8 but I couldn't make it work so I added a few layers and put it onto a 12x12 instead.

 I think I made this in about 2011 not long after I had started scrapping (2010) and it remains one of my favourites, especially from my early years.

It was the first time I had tried doing my own thing with layering and clustering embellishments so I was pretty happy with the way it turned out.

Obviously there are things I would do differently now but isn't there always?

Time for a cuppa and a scoot around the desks.  I have a LOT of blog reading to catch up on!

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 243

Good morning, good yawning!  It's Wednesday again - time for a snoop around some creative spaces.

I'm scrapping my way out of another crash (depressive low) probably caused by being ill for a few weeks and all the birthday celebrations being over.  Last week I felt so bad that I couldn't even craft and Sunday was spent on the sofa.  This week however it is all change!  I made 2 layouts on Monday and I have another in the offing.  They are all  as a result of Shimelle's class "Return to the Collection" and I am using an old Echo Park collection called For The Record 2.  You can see one of the layouts on the pile in the middle and the next one on the black mat ready to go.

If you look carefully you can see a red word near the pencil case - heart, my word for the year.  I need to get someone to take a pic of me holding the word (which I die-cut on my Silhouette) and then that picture will form part of my One Little Word project.  I'm hoping to get that done before I lose the die-cut under a pile of art sediment! ;-)

This is the first of the layouts from the class.  I'm using an old set of photos from a holiday in Greece, so old in fact that they have the negatives stored with them!

I thought the blue and white colour scheme was very apt for photos of Greece with all the blue seas and the blue and white houses etc.

Nissyross is an island just off Kos in Greece that most people visit because of the volcano.  It's not dormant (I wrote the journalling before checking my facts - rookie error!) but it is not erupting (obviously) and you can walk into the caldera if you are brave enough.  It is hot and you have to wear proper shoes and be careful where you walk but it was an amazing experience.

I've just realised that there is a black gem missing from the flower on the right so I shall rectify that but that was not the only mistake.  Can you spot it?

How about with the following picture?

Yes, that's right, in my fuggy headspace I cut too much off of the ledger paper for the inside so I had to break it up and cover the joins to make it fit!  Thank goodness I have a lot of 12x12 cardstock in colours I don't use so that I can make a patchwork on it!

I think, in the trade, that is known as a partial scrapectomy ;-)

This post is brought to you by the letters WOYWW with the lovely Julia.

Bye for now
xx

Its not too late!

We may be well into December but its not too late to get organised for recording your festive season.  I'm loosely following Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas with a bit of a daily diary aspect too.  This is my desk at the start of the month (temporarily cleared off to accommodate wrapping...)

I keep everything to hand when I'm doing an ongoing project like this because it helps to narrow down the decision making and gives continuity by only using the supplies on the table.  I'm using divided page protectors this year so that I can do a lot or a little, depending on time, inclination and story.  Its also easier to think in smaller chunks and it is a lot less overwhelming than filling a full 12x12 page everyday.

This year I'm going with the gorgeous Bundled Up by Crate Paper because it matches the Winter Project Life kit that I had.  Its not a usual Christmas colourway for me because I'm usually quite traditional but I just fell in love with it.  Also I like that it is wintery and not just Christmassy so will be useful for any snow pictures too.

I also picked out a few of the papers from the new Crate Paper Maggie Holmes collection called Flea Market because the colours matched so well.  It pads out the variety nicely and is perfect for those days that are not full on festive.

My punches are all here at the ready too.  Aside from continuity and limiting my options, I find that they inspire me when they are out like this so I get a good start for deciding on the design of each pocket.

A cake stand is a perfect organisational station for projects like this.  I have adhesives in the top, trims and ribbons and enamel dots in the middle and cut to size cards and Project Life cards etc in the bottom.  Then I have various bowls of washi tapes, buttons and twines, stickers and the Bundled Up ephemera.  My little heart shaped bowl has my very small embellishments like the Studio Calico veneer stars and snowflake brads.

 I keep a flower pot of my most used tools out and some off cuts of coordinating plain card and then in theory I don't have to move from my desk for anything other than another cup of tea.

I also grabbed some older supplies including some music paper, stickers and vellums etc.  In theory it should all fit into a smallish tote when I want to scrap elsewhere although I might have to leave the album behind.  Its the American Crafts D Ring Modern album on the left there but I have yet to design the front.

My JYC time each day helps me to rekindle the magic and make sure that what's important stays important.  Its a breather and a time to reflect and remember what its all about.  That is different things to different people but the sentiment is the same.  Take time this year to have a moment to embrace the magic of this special time.  Its not too late to jot down some thoughts, take a picture or two, or make something pretty.

I'm going to be posting regular updates and some of my journalling so I hope you'll come back and share your thoughts with me too.

Merry Christmas!

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 236

Two weeks today people!  Two weeks!  I have no idea if Julia will be hosting a What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday on Christmas Day but I think it would be very interesting...  How many of us have to make room for guests to sleep or eat I wonder and how many desks will be laden with new stash or covered with the remains of a late night wrapping frenzy?

Anyway, here's mine as of Tuesday late morning.

The bottom layer and all the bowls are for Journal Your Christmas which is well underway.  Then the first 2 presents of the year appeared on the pile from my lovely sister-in-law and you can see one of the jars of scrub that I've been making for teacher's gifts.

About 5 minutes after I took that photo I cleared the lot off ready to start the great wrapping fest of 2013.

I have lots of sellotape, lots of paper and tags and I have my Christmas scented candles going.  I also sing along to my Christmas CDs (badly) and wear a Santa hat.  Today I have also finally steamed my individual puddings and made one of four cakes.  It was Bella's nativity yesterday and Louis's this evening so they are all done and dusted.  I am on a roll!

Here's a little sneak of the festive soap I've been making too.  This was before the final layer went on.  I'll be making some more at the weekend and will share a more detailed post on it then.

Some exciting news just in is that S J Crafts has a Design Team call out so if you have an active blog and would like to be part of a fantastically friendly team then hop over there and find out more!

Bye for now
xx

My Christmas Manifesto 2013

How are you getting on with recording your Christmas memories this year?  I am really enjoying documenting my December with Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas and as always we started out with our manifesto.

So many people are having a hard time this year and with our recent fundraising for the Philippines and accidents and illnesses in the family, it didn't seem the year for poetic phrases about sugar plum fairies and sparkles of joy.  That's not to say I'm not hoping for magic because I am, very much so.  This could well be the last year that my son especially believes and so recording it and trying to make it as magical and special as possible is still right up there, but with an understanding about others less fortunate, more so than ever before.

As well as setting out my intentions for this season, this page also sets out my intentions for my colour scheme and embellishments.  You can see the splashes of gold from the Studio Calico stars and polka dot vellum from Shimelle's Christmas kit and the Studio Calico veneer stars and Bundled Up papers from S J Crafts.

This page is the reverse of the double page that I shared in the previous post because I loved the pink snowflake paper so much that I couldn't bear to hide it!  Ahhh... pretty paper... it's definitely my kryptonite!

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 234

Ahem... 

In my defence it is that time of year when random things get dumped in my craft room because anything that doesn't belong to someone gets left there on the assumption that it is therefore mine.

To be fair, most of it is.  Some of it is only mine for a small time.  The things that are definitely mine are... the feet that you can see at the bottom of the picture.  There was so much on my desk that I had to stand on my chair but it meant going around the other side of the desk so to me it all looks upside down.

On the plus side a messy desk is a lot more interesting, even for the person's desk that it is because looking at the photo means that you realise where you left things...

So.. the pizza box is my delivery from Shimelle getting ready for Journal Your Christmas which starts on Sunday - yikes!  Working clockwise you can see a couple of funny shaped boxes that are actually selection boxes for the children.  Next to that is yet more sweets in the form of candy canes but I'll come back to those.  The thing that looks like a cocktail is actually a Hello Kitty electric toothbrush - another present, as are the pouches of Lego Friends.  The grey parcel is a Skylanders towel - yet another present, as is the crochet book further on round (but not for the same person...).  The very old Enid Blyton book Cristina's Kite is something that needed sticking (which I have just done) and the reel of sellotape has been returned after use by one of the children but not to it's proper place... gggrrr..

The white pizza box is a present for me!  Its a set of 60 Porject Life page protectors in 6 various styles so that should keep me going for a while.  I will be using some for my Journal Your Christmas and some for a little something after Christmas too.

The rest of the stuff, including the candy canes, is for some Christmas presents I have been making.  Last week I made soap for the first time and I loved it!  You can't see from this angle (I'm doing another post on it) but it has pink and white stripes and then the top layer has crushed candy canes in it with a little cane on top.  You can see left over blank soaps for the next batch, colouring agents and peppermint oil.  My room smells rather lovely and minty as a result!

Is your desk as messy as mine or full of random things?  Show us do, because sharing is caring!  Link up with the lovely Julia at Stamping Ground and share What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.

Bye for now
xx