snowflake

My daughter who is 7 made this amazing decoration from white paper:


I've found a similar tutorial here, they look awesome hanging up!

around the house

it's feeling a little more like Christmas.....





We haven't got our real Christmas tree yet but will do that on Saturday. For now we have a fakey kids tree in our kitchen (above) and the children have small trees in their rooms with lights on, very cute! How's your decorating going?

Aaaahhhhh only 18 days to go....

it's quite scary to actually write that in! Where did 2011 go and more to the point where is December going!!!! I am off christmas shopping this morning and hope to make a big dent in my list!

Whilst I am doing this you can be thinking about what to make for Decembers challenge over at Truly, Madly, Crafty. I made a start on my Christmas journal and hope to show more pages as I go!


What things are you making in the lead up to Christmas?

Challenge at TMC

There's a new challenge over at Truly, Madly, Crafty and it was a christmas photo inspiration. I took inspiration from the colours, the glitter and the shapes for my layout, and here it is:


Why not go and take part and check out the shop too, there are lots of new goodies arriving!!!

Oh and there is a fab christmas planner that you can download for FREE!!!!! Check it out here

ENJOY!

10 things on the 10th

Following Shimelles example and doing a '10 things on the 10th'. So here is a random list from today of 10 things on my mind....

1. Realising I am no good at waiting for news when either of my parents are in hospital having procedures done, it scares me!

2. Wondering when I will do my Christmas shopping

3. Thinking of all the things I need to get done

4. Crossing things off my project list

5. Packaging up finished projects to be sent out

6. Smiling at the opportunity of working with a new publication

7. Planning the next few weeks of work and play

8. Organising for school and tots group tomorrow

9. Wishing for more hours in the day

10. Trying to appreciate each day more and more


What are your 10 things?

I heart Autumn!

Despite a dreadful forecast this half term week hasn't been that bad. Had a lovely day on Monday with the kids and their cousins and Sis in law. Got some lovely pics of very tame squirrels, leaves and lovely autumn ness! Here are a few:

new kit in at Truly, Madly, Crafty

Maxine has a lovely new kit in at TMC and it is gorgeous!!!! As soon as I opened that box I loved everything in it!!!! It's called AUTUMN MARKET and the colours are wonderful. Here is what you get:

Autumn Market Kit includes:

- 8x 6"x6" Crate Paper Farmhouse Patterned Papers

- 8x 6"x6" Bazzill Cardstock - 2 sheets of 4 colours

- 1 piece of 10x10cm Apple Fabric

- 6x Jenni Bowlin Farmer's Wife Journaling Cards

- 8x Jenni Bowlin Decorative Brads

- Crate Paper Lemon Grass Rub-Ons

- 5x 24" Lengths of ribbon

- 48" of Twine

- Approx 28 Buttons in Autumn tones

- 1 Jenni Bowlin Paint Dabber Optional, please select from the drop down menu below (You will receive 1 of either Chicken Feed, Cough Syrup or Brown Sugar)

Here are the things I have made so far using the kit, but I have plenty left:



1 cute little tag with a fave quote on it

a fun card

and two 6 x 6 layouts, a great size to work at for something fun and crafty if you dont have lots of time on your hands. They look really dinky too!


Go and check out the kit and do link us up if you create something with it!

Truly, Madly, Crafty....

has a new challenge up for this month, as we have finally hit Autumn we are asking you to use leaves on your project. Make sure you link us up to your project! Here is what I came up with, I love all the autumn colours and love taking photographs this time of year especially if there is some delicious light too!

New sketch

There is a new sketch up on Truly, Madly, Crafty today and I had the pleasure of coming up with the sketch and a layout based on it. Here it is:




And here is the sketch:


I used some new Amy Tangerine patterned paper, AC thickers, Elles Studio tags, Echo Park stickers, and some mica mist in rose pink. If you would like to use the sketch please link up to what you have created with it.

a little something...

I made for the new ECP challenge which is to use SIX patterned papers on your project. I went small and did another little ATC, with six different patterned papers using a stamp shaped punch and a nice little quote. I really like doing these, they take a few minutes, a few scraps and a few words. Why not give it a go?

New job!

Yesterday I had a nerve wracking morning, as I I had an interview at a local Secondary School for a little job in their art and photography dept, and I got the job!!! It's just 8hrs per week, so I can still do my design work and magazine stuff, but it's something a bit different and I'll be supporting the art teachers and students. I start next month sometime.

Back to school and some kind of normality

It's been VERY quiet here, mainly due to the 6 weeks school holidays, a 2 week trip around Europe and getting ready for going back to school. Here are a few pics from over the break:











So, today the children are back to school and the house is extremely quiet. I am getting organised, planning work, writing lists and generally getting back to it.

Here are two projects I've done in the last week. Firstly a page for the Truly, Madly, Crafty challenge blog, the theme is 'new':


I used all 'new' stash, which was lovely and the journalling is about Freya leaving infant school and starting in her new junior school.

This one is for Easy Craft Projects and the theme is yellow, I also used one of the digi images from the sponsor, which was a very funky rock chick girl!


Go and check out both challenges and take part!

I am also thinking about doing Shimelles LSNED this month, I did it before, but already it's the 5th and I dont really have anything to show for it, so it may be a notebook and pen job and then I'll pull it together into something else.

I plan to post here on a regular basis this month, so come and see me and say hi!

recipe challenge

Hi all, the newest challenge over at ECP is a recipe challenge, which I loved. We had to use paint, ribbon and a button. I decided to keep things small and fun and chose to do an ATC card, use a quote and alter it and have fun doing so. I love this little card and plan to do some more too.


If you want to take part just post a link to your project over at ecp and you could win something!

oooh delicious!

The cover of issue 3 of Mollie Makes has been released and it is gorgeous! See it here. I really need to learn some crochet so I can make some of those lovely flowers.

Truly, Madly Crafty – New kit on sale!

A new kit has gone on sale at Truly, Madly, Crafty and it is a travel kit, see it here. I had a pleasure of getting my hands on one of them and working on some projects. The kit has loads of lovely embellishments in it, which can be used for cards, layouts, books and a whole host of other things. Here are the projects I made using the kit:


A simple and bright card


a 12 x 12 page


and a mini book. If you visit the blog here you can see the rest of the mini book I made.

I have loads left too, so can use them on my summer layouts over the next few weeks.

time is running...

.....out! Ok it just feels like it is always running away from me. Seriously, how did it get to be almost the end of June! Got some great photos to post and have been very busy working on some card designs all of last week, ended up doing 17 designs for a card company, but took up all my week. Everything else will be happening this week!

ECP new challenge up!

A new challenge is up over at ECP, as of Friday, and it's a photo inspiration challenge this time. I loved the photo and was inspired by the colour and the shapes. I made a simple card, but I think its quite effective.


Hop on over and have a go!

10 things ... done

I am pleased to say I completed my list of 10 things to do, the wedding was fabulous and today we are all recovering and remembering the fantastic time we had and thanking our lucky stars that the wedding wasn't today in this torrential rain!

10 things...

I need to get done before my friends wedding tomorrow:

1. Give myself a lovely pedicure (as my new shoes really do show my feet off!)
2. Charge camera battery in readiness for the gazillions of photos I will be taking.
3. Print out more colouring sheets ready for children at said wedding.
4. Get the poster I've made for the happy couple printed and put in frame and wrap!
5. Write the card.
6. Practise my reading.
7. Iron my new dress.
8. Apply a light coat of Johnsons holiday sun.
9. Got to have a manicure.
10. Pray for good weather as it's a very rustic kind of wedding in their garden, complete with bunting, tea lights, haybales etc!

Linked from Shimelles post here

I heart poppys!

I don't know what it is about these flowers, but they are so beautiful and free and sum up summer and loveliness! So when my hubby said he'd spotted two whole fields of poppys I said we needed to go on a photoshoot trip!!! Here are some of the photos:

Truly, Madly, Crafty....

I've just posted over at the Truly, Madly, Crafty blog.... go and check it out to see the things I made with the gorgeous Summer Dreams kit! Here's a sneak peak....

challenge 39 @ ECP!

New challenge is up over at Easy Craft Projects, the theme this time is 'For Dad', so I did a layout about me and my Dad, with a photo I love of the two of us. I was really pleased with this one.



Why not go and take part? Leave me a comment if you do.

scrapping

I was on a roll today and after some time wasting, I got in gear and worked on four pages today and I love them all!!! I will post them soon when I'm able. I also applied for a DT position, so we'll see if anything comes of that, as I am sure loads of people have done the same thing. :-)

I'll post some layouts tomorrow, but for now here's a lovely photo of me taking photos on our trip to Italy last year:


I am currently trying to plan our route for this summer and it is a bit of a headache, but trying to make it fun and inspiring for me.

scrapbook magazine

I have some pages in the new issue of Scrapbook Magazine, which I have to say is full of great layouts and lovely things! The pages I did had to be inspired by maps, here are mine:



And also inspired by our roadtrip last year, I loved doing these pages. Do you have any travel or map themed projects?