Rocking Your World Friday - 21st of 2020

Good morning lovely people tis Friday time for 

So another week of lock down, we have been a little sporadic with our walks, but when we have manage to go after a long work day it has been most welcome. 

I was mini book making last week but didn't get chance to share, these have been made with minimal paper and all the scraps from the bigger books that I've been making, they measure around 5 inches by 5 inches and were great fun to make, I'm grateful I have a time consuming hobby that provides a product at the end of it

The embellishment on the last one came from a pack of embellishments I picked up in Aldi recently, it was nice to find some scrapbook things whilst doing our weekly shop.

For Mother's day said 19 year old and his GF bought me a basket of plants, whilst they looked lovely they are always impractical for watering and as one was definitely looking grim I decided to repot them to give them at least a small chance of survival (I'm not known for my green fingers when it comes to house plants), unfortunately I was lacking on the plant pot front but had saved some yogurt pots, so hubby drilled some holes in them and here they are with my peace lilies, I'm hoping they flourish, but time (and watering regularly) will tell. 

Last Friday my Mum had ordered a skip (whilst the recycling centres have reopened they are limiting what you can get rid of) and I had volunteered us going and getting rid of the stuff for her, we were in an outdoor space so when I got there I asked her to identify what needed to go and she left us to it, within a couple of hours the items were loaded up, the skip was full and she was much happier.  

Said 19 year old then went on Monday and spent time clearing a piece of land and putting together and positioning her new greenhouse, it isn't massive and is fairly lightweight but it gives her a focus outside that she hasn't had in a while and she was mighty giddy to get it put up.  It came complete with internal racking so she is most giddy and we managed to get her some seeds both flowers and vegetables.  Said 19 year old also got some compost picked up and when we were on our walk recently we spotted a sign at a house saying 'free tomato plants' so hubby went and knocked and the lovely lady gave him 4 plants.  If there is anything to be said about lockdown it is the community spirit that has become so apparent recently. 

So some of you will remember that a few weeks ago we had a VE day social distancing picnic on the  close we live on, a few of us took a few photos that day and I had some of them printed, I decided to create mini book for each of the neighbours including one for a neighbour's Mum and Dad who were there that day.  I knew the papers I wanted to use but knew my stocks were greatly depleted (Papermania's Portabello Road), I went browsing places like Ebay and whilst I found some to buy most were part packs.  I was chatting to my Mum about it on the phone and she said "I've got some of those, I'll find them out for you, it makes a change for me to be able to provide you with scrapbooking supplies rather than the other way around" and so she provided me (at a distance of course) with a bag that not only contained the majority of a 12 x 12 pack but giddy as you can get a pack of 6 x 6 too, which was the size of the mini book - happy days!

So last weekend was spent creating 9 of these little beauties, I literally spent all day on them on Saturday (which in hindsight felt a bit much)

A view from the top you can see they are all made up of various pages of differing size

I had to use a few additional papers from my own stack to finish them off but I was pleased with them overall. 

Once completed I wrapped them in brown paper and string (like parcels from the second world war and hubby delivered them.

The ladies sent messages of thanks and it was lovely to find that they all liked them it was definitely worth all the effort. 

The rest of the week has been mighty busy work wise, three out of the four days spent working and one at work itself which is as busy as ever.

Next grateful has been the lovely weather and whilst we've been busy inside working we have still managed to enjoy the early evening sunshine and blue skies.  I took this on our walk yesterday, I love the palm plant flowering. 

I hope you've had a grand week too, if you fancy joining in pop a post together come back and link up so we can come and visit. 

REVENGE OF THE KP NUT TIN!

So mission accomplished I conquered the second KP nut tin with vigour - YES!!!

It was a struggle and it almost had me heading down duplicate of first tin but I persevered (yet again) to conquer it and hopefully create a second tin which looks different from the first (please tell me it looks different!)

It started out basically the same colour as the original when it came to the painted background, but then I had to take it off in a different direction!  So out came scraps (yes literally) of papers I've used in a mini book previously, a little bit of hand cutting of the snowmen and the statements on the brown paper at the bottom, I've threaded some ribbon through the lids (with the help of hubby who didn't mind the good old fashioned hammer and setter because my cropadile wouldn't deal with the lip on the lid) and then used up (yes using up old stuff again!) some beads I've had foreverrrrrrrr - that came from a certain children's toy store - that my 9 year old wouldn't be seen in now if I paid him!  The word spelling out the contents of the tin - being gingerbread houses - just in case you don't want to tilt your head sideways! Looky - how pretty does that ribbon look through the top!

 Then the contents - please excuse the circle of white paper in the picture didn't realise it was there!

 The book itself has been threaded with ribbon this time rather than a book ring! 

I've used photos from our gingerbread houses at Christmas last year, for any of those who've followed my blog for a while you'll know that for the last two Christmases we've had a gingerbread house challenge where we build a giant gingerbread building (it was a Church 2008 and a Castle in 2009) with houses for all the family to decorate between main course and dessert on Christmas day!  This last year was no different and we had some great fun doing them so this captures some of the close ups from the day!

Isn't he cute - jelly baby on a sledge outside the castle walls!

Then the marshmallow snowman outside the castle walls

Bates Motel - generated by my Little Brother John - he said the building lent itself to this!

Including an icing massacre! 

Then Bate's Motel in all it's glory

and the jelly baby soldier guarding the draw bridge on the castle

and the jelly baby army guarding the top of the castle

and then there's dear hubby - who puts up with my crazy ideas even when I up the goal every year and he really doesn't mind cooking gingerbread until the late hours in early December and then putting the buildings together! 

I've had a great weekend, bits done around the house, ironing pile conquered!  Time with family, crafting time, blogging time, a bit of geo-caching time and stuck to my slimming world plan it doesn't get much better than this!  I've read my stars for this week and it's indicating disruption - I don't normally read such trivia but the ones in the Times newspaper have been spot on recently - so I'm a little apprehensive as to what this week might bring me!  We'll have to see, I'll let you know if they were a load of non-sense or whether they had a point!

ROCKING MY WORLD FRIDAY! AND USING UP THOSE ALTERABLES

Well it would appear I've been very much missing in action this week - the week has flown, primarily filled with work work and a bit more work and no where near enough crafting!  I mean what is that all about!  

Anyway let's get this grateful list together so I can start my Friday with a clear head and a happy heart! 

Number one has to be hubby this week - he's had to listen to so much whinging from me this week I tell you - not that's he's done anything wrong he just has to listen to me rant and he is such a good listener - so thanks hun - you're a star!   Promise normal wife will return as soon as things are sorted!

Number two is my son (well he's number one as well if you know what I mean) he's had SATS this week at school which I still think are a lot for a 9 year old to do but he's taken it in his stride got his head down and not complained once!

Number three - my Mum and my sister at slimming world this week made me laugh so much it was good to spend time with them - I've never seen two such relieved faces when they got off the scales knowing they'd lost some weight LMAO!

Number four - a day off - yes you heard it hear first I'm taking the day off and because hubby and son helped with mass clear up and food shop last night I actually haven't got anything I 'have' to do - so that surely means a bit of crafting!

Number five - my daily mantra - thank you for another day on earth to spend with family and friends - it's awesome! 

I could go on and on but this week I'm grateful for the people in my life, including my blog friends who keep me sane - completely and utterly sane! 

So here's to sharing a little bit of crafting!

What do you think of this?

This started shape as a papermania bare basics frame costing me £1.99 - I bought it last year, dismantled it (ie front from back - literally) painted it didn't like it and put it in the box of alterables! 

Finally dragged it back out of box and then went in search of some chipboard and some card or paper.  I didn't have any papers that I wanted to use as the background to the book so I thought - use something you don't like.  Now you'll be wondering why do I buy things I don't like - well I don't really what I do like buying is things in bulk I don't see the point in buying cardstock by the sheet when I can buy a 50 sheets which work out a lot cheaper on a sheet by sheet basis.  The problem that you have with this is that you end up with cardstock this colour

and in all honesty - wishy washy green doesn't do anything for me.  So here I am with frame in hand and some pale green card stock that I don't like.  I also have an absolute mass of photos taken in the Beyond Limits - Sotheby's sale at Chatsworth House last year - where loads of amazing pieces of artwork were displayed in the garden for all to admire and for some to consider purchasing (not us though - point click - ooh and aah over it and onto the next one)

So dearest hubby Craig cuts me some chipboard the same size as the frame just slightly wider and I set too cutting the cardstock to match.  Then for the paints.  And look what I ended up with I literally got a dry household paint brush and some acrylic paints and kept painted until I was happy with the effect.  I'm calling this my 'avatar' phase because no matter what happens the papers at the moment keep turning blue and purple!

After painting, I stamped a few (but the ink was taking forever to dry and Little Miss Impatient here couldn't be doing with that)

Then I grabbed some of the Die Cuts with A View - Garden Party papers that I'd bought for a bargain at the weekend and started to add bits of them to the pages, backed the photos in plain cardstock, little bit of type written journaling and it was starting to come together.

Got hubby to punch holes in the spine - one inch apart (and as the frame was 10 inches tall I ended up with 9 holes) threaded through some organza ribbon from the top - went straight down and then back up to create this gorgeous cross stitch effect and tied with a double bow! 

So here are the pages in all their details

Apologies for the ones with a juanty angle - back being mean to me this morning!

Here are some close ups of the paint effects!

So here you have it the finished book

and i love it, I love the way it feels, I love how many photos I got in it - I love the fact I'm using up what I've got and it's not costing me to go and buy more 'stash'!  So another alterable sorted.

So if you're joining me on this challenge of using things up - then let me know by leaving me a message and I'll come and find your blog.  Likewise if you're telling the world what's rocking your world this Friday - let me know! 

I've got loads of other things to show you including a pop up book, a scrapbook page, a double page layout and hopefully - fingers crossed they behave themselves - the KP nut tins!  They are my project for today! 

ALTERED CHALLENGE ONE - VANITY CASE ALTERED

So anybody that was reading my posts over the weekend will know that I've set myself the challenge of starting to alter some of these 'alterables' that I've got - I mean we're all guilty of gathering these 'supplies' which we promise at some point to alter into something wonderful and amazing and I'm no different.  So this challenge was the larger of the two 'vanity cases' purchased earlier in the year.  I bought them due to the gorgeous clasps on it and then quite promptly they got put away.

After I'd studied the vanity case it became apparent that to try and paint or alter the box I would be left with a vanity case that most probably wouldn't shut, as the fit was already incredibly tight.  So the only sensible alternative was to work with the colours of the box, I'm glad I picked this one out of the two vanity cases I bought, because this one was definitely the harder to work with because the colours and papers just aren't 'me'.  So I set to with the remnants of a K and Company pack of paper and my circle cutter and had fun creating a book in colours that I wouldn't normally choose but that I think has documented a fabulous day out.  

I created a book with my circle cutter and then chopped off one edge to emulate the box itself, added papers to the front and back of the vanity case and the inside (thus altering the item) and then generated a bind it all book, mixing the papers, adhering photos and generally having a good old fashioned play.  

I've left some of the pages very simply so as to not detract from the papers, on other pages I've add strips of torn paper or flowers or a combination of the two!  So here we have it challenge one completed! 

And just a reminder of how it started 

Not a bad start, its the KP nut packaging next!  

We had a fabulous weekend we managed to mow the garden, pop into town for ample supplies to help with my current weight loss plan (Slimming World), watched Avatar on DVD (and it is spectacularly fantastic) had some craft time (see above) and did some geo-caching!  We have however refrained from photographing us finding these geo-caches because otherwise I'm going to end up with an eclectic mix of photos of us sat in various rural localities holding a tupperware box! 

And finally Anecdote of said 9 year old

We were in Hobbycraft on Saturday and wandered passed the paper mache section, where there are blanks to paint up as you see fit (and before you ask no I didn't buy any - I have enough alterables on my hands LOL) when said 9 year old finds what is a dome lidded pencil case, 

"look at this Mum it looks like a coffin" 

"mmm - a little morbid little man, it's actually a pencil case" 

"Ooh" he says then happens across another one slightly small but deeper in shape with a removable lid with wire threaded through the top to emulate a 'flip flop' look.  Said 9 year old removes the lids and looks at me quizzically

"This one would be good for a hamster"

Puzzled look on my face

"You couldn't keep a hamster in that it's too small and not an all suitable"

Then the penny drops

"You mean as a coffin?" I said bewildered

"Yeah Mum don't you think?"

I think we're verging on morbid - definitely morbid - but he did make me chuckle!