A BIT OF MID WEEK CRAFTING

Actually can you call Thursday mid-week - I suppose really Wednesday would be mid-week but I didn't get round to doing this post then!

So thought I'd share the Kelburn Castle layout that I've done, I know I've shared the pictures before this is to prove that they do get converted into layouts LOL!  I loved this castle - it was awesome and made for a great layout - double page of couse! 

 Used some whimsical papers - mermaids and unicorns on them from my giant K & Company stack!  Stamped title which I then coloured in (it's just the outline) and then lots and lots of photos, found a few old embellishments to play with and all is good!

I'll be back in the morning to let you know what was Rocking my Week!

SATURDAY CRAFT POST!

Good morning everyone thought I'd pop on a quick Saturday morning posting of a double page layout I did recently documenting a weekend at Center Parcs! 

I decided on a double page layout, because we've been a few times I didn't want to do a mini book for it but had enough photos to warrant putting a double page together! 

 Page by page

 and then close up of the stitching and glossy accents - completely addictive glossy accents - love them!

 Had a great evening - hubby managed to make a three course meal for tea last night which was all pointable - how amazing is he - together with a gorgeous drink to boot that was non-alcoholic!  Love him!  

Today - bit of cleaning then off to the theatre this afternoon to watch 'Comedy of Errors' wonder what said 10 year old will make of that! 

ROCKING MY WORLD ON FRIDAY !!!!! and some crafting

Wow - blink - yep missed it - a whole week gone in the blink of an eye - how on earth did that happen! 

 So here we have it this weeks list of gratefuls, what a joy to look back at the positivies and celebrate them - it feeds my soul!  Fancy some of the positive feel good factor join in, leave a comment and a link to your blog then we can all be grateful together, no blog?  Don't worry leave a small list of gratefuls in the comments box that way everyone wins!  Woo hoo

Anyway this weeks list in no particular order

Bumping into Liz in Meadowhall last weekend, Liz was on art journaling two course at Dyan's last year, we bumped into each other as we were heading out of/in to Paperchase, it was so lovely to see her!  So big wave to Liz!!!!!!  Funny thing was Liz said she'd only been reading my blog that morning and yet I didn't know she had because she hadn't left a comment, I was amazed people out there that visit my blog how surreal I assume it's just the handful of people that leave a comment (if I'm lucky) but apparently not!

Weight watchers, the new system seems to be working eight pound weight loss in week one is something I was mighty glad of - really got me off to a positive start!  I'm writing a blog on my weight dilemmas on a different blog because let's be honest you're here mainly for the crafting!

Clarity - it may seem a strange thing to be grateful for but time to be clear in my own head is something that I love, at times I seem to run around my life busy 'doing' without 'being' so mental clarity is something to be grateful for because it allows for clear thinking me time!

Family reading, teetotalness, menu planning, hubby's homemade soup making, fruit, milky coffees, options hot chocolate as my daily treat, my glider (even though I still hate getting on it), MP3 players, headphones, crafting time, film watching ...

Just thought I'd list a few one liners all together, the ability to craft at night whilst hubbies watching films is proving brilliant - he gets to watch what he fancies (even if it's not my cup of tea) and I get to craft.  It also means that I get to watch films that in all honesty I'd have put off otherwise, this weeks film list has included 'Shoot Em' Up' which is a crazy crazy film - recommended by my sister to my hubby who absolutely loved it - my thoughts - it was very strange!!!!  Lock Stock because we haven't watched it in a while and last nights little number Revolver now there is one very very deep film!

So my list of gratefuls is full and plentiful this week, you might think that you haven't got anything that you could list, so dig deeper and think harder.  Did someone pay you a compliment, did you have time to read a good book?  Receive a phone call from a friend?  Have a happy moment that made you smile?  Enjoy a good meal?  Whatever it is if it lifted your heart and fed your soul then it's something for your grateful list and let's be honest the greatest one to be grateful for "I'm alive, I've had another amazing week living on this planet in the middle of a huge universe and for that I am eternally happy"

Crafting because let's be honest I've made you wait long enough haven't I

 

This little number was made using the paperpack my hubby Craig who the photo is of, bought me for Christmas I absolutely adore Die Cuts With a View paperpacks, so utterly versatile, high quality and utterly gorgeous so it seemed only right to document this gorgeous photo with them as I broke into the pack!  

So what's Rocking Your World this Friday?

CRAFTY MONDAY

Good evening bloggers how do I find you this fair evening - well I think it's fair - fairly mild, fairly dry - yeah definitely fair! 

Thought I'd do a brief Monday post because I can, had a positive day managed to lose some weight - woo hoo - have to see my other blog for the details yes I've finally succumbed to using my other blog again - let's hope it's more permanent than the last few attempts at losing weight LOL!  

Just thought I'd share another double page layout with you again from Beatrix Potter world in Bowness this time documenting the gorgeous bronze statue in the garden.  I was so pleased because I finally managed to use a 'free' stamp I got with a magazine ages ago of Jemima Puddleduck never thought that would happen!

 the other page 

 I'm loving the double pages at the moment, they are such fun to do I'm also enjoying my nestability dies that I bought recently - hadn't realised just how versatile they actually were!  

I was asked an interesting question yesterday - when buying a Big Shot - if you were to buy three versatile dies for it what would they be?  Mmmmm what do you think?

 

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY...

Good morning Rockers and Rockettes how are we all this morning?  Friday - the word "phew" comes to mind.  It's been a busy busy week primarily work, but trying to get into better habits at home have meant evenings have looked a little different this week, not in a bad way, just in a - 'this is going to take some getting used to' kind of way.

Anyway this is the time of the week when you slow down and take a little while to glance over your shoulder and make out what positives and gratefuls you've got for the week.

The first grateful has to be the arrival of my weight watcher pack, (despite the points calculator not working) I've still managed to work through on the plan this week and wow has it changed!  I'm still ploughing through the reading material, but seem to be set on the right path at the moment (despite there still being Christmas cake in the house LOL).  I'll let you know how I get on.

Hubby for embracing the changes I'm making - these may seem normal to everyone else, but sometimes when you get in from a long and usually stressful day at work, are tired and have to face making tea from scratch its become all too easy to reach for a quick processed meal from the freezer or worse still a takeaway - but not now!  We've worked together to put some great meals together and get this - have prepared in advance lunch for work - again something we haven't done in quite some time, so big thank you to hubby for that!

Long long long evenings of crafting, sheer and utter bliss if I'm honest, once little man is in bed, I sit at my craft table, hubby finds a DVD to pop on and we while away a couple of hours in each others company.  Wednesday night's film was "The Bone Collector" which I've not watched previously and with it being a thriller it meant that I didn't get sleepy in the slightest whilst crafting, sat on the edge of my seat yes - sleepy nooooooooo!!!!

Blogging friends because I love to see glimpses of your lives, its wonderful to find out what you're all up to, what you're creating etc.  I've learned this week that my scrapbook class has been permanently cancelled (boo hoo - just waiting to find out the details).  It isn't that I 'needed' to go and learn new techniques etc, although it has to be said that when new ones arrived Sandra was amazing at getting us in the 'know' but it was the friendship that I've built up with the other participants and I'll be sad now that they aren't going ahead, it was my two hours of girly chat on a Monday evening.

Finally blueberries - yes bet you weren't expecting that one, they've been a welcome and new addition this week into our lives and make porridge that little bit more interesting - who said I can't be grateful for a fruit LOL

So that's my list this week albeit brief, have a go yourself, think about what has made your life that little bit better and nicer this week and join in, leave your link in the comments so we can come and visit.

Mustn't leave you without crafting as I'm getting into better habits on this front also, problem I've currently got is that I've gone into double layout mode and as a result show you twice as many pages in half the time - so I'm running out of pages to share - must get on with some more lol and yes that is the great leaning tower of clocktower in the background, alas it is no more!

The papers I used were from a scrapbook that I bought at TK Maxx after Christmas, the papers are gorgeous as are the embellishments etc, only problem is there was only one of each page, so with a little imagination and little of my own stock I managed to get them to work on a double page!  Another page from the Chatsworth country fair.  Hope everyone is having a grand Friday

WEDNESDAY ALREADY????

Good morning all and how are you this fine Wednesday morning, I like Wednesday's primarily because there's no breakfast club (so a slightly later leaving time) and I pick little one up from school which means a three o'clock finish - hurrah!  After a mighty long day yesterday it's nice to allow me to catch up with me - if that makes sense!

So the weight watcher pack finally arrived, and I read and searched and searched and read and then rang them and said - "How am I supposed to work out how many points I can have?"

The answer - the electronic points calculator in the pack - mmmm me confused then the damn thing didn't work grrrr - but I'm on plan nonetheless trying to get my head around what's allowable, what's manageable and definitely what's changed!  I've also managed two nights doing two miles on my glider - I hate that thing, the only way I don't hate it is to have music playing in my ears (MP3 player) and be reading at the same time, but I've discovered it becomes more leisurely gliding in those instances because I can't glide fast and read grrrr - so I'm having to cope, plus the time I've been using it at is usually little man's TV time where he watches repeat after repeat of utter rubbish on TV - the last two nights have been 'stealing, accident crash' type Police programmes!

So still doing the whole teetotal-ness it's bliss if I'm honest not missing it one bit, only difficult part of last two days was hubby cutting himself the world's largest slab of Christmas cake last night - I have a slight weakness when it comes to such things and it smelt absolutely divine - but he's in Christmas crap eating mode hoovering up what rubbish is left so he too can join me on plan come next week so I shouldn't grumble (much)

Anyhow thought I'd share a couple more layouts, I'm galloping through pictures - which is brilliant - I'm loving getting things scrapped!

This is another double page layout from when we visited Beatrix Potter World in Bowness, the garden outside in the height of summer was simply magical!  I managed to use my new nestabilities dies on this (next time something new comes out I'm going to find out about them - I assumed they'd be hard work to use in my big shot but turns out they aren't - what they turn out to be is utterly addictive!)

I chose subtle peaches and greens with a hint of pale blue, I used sequin waste to colour the peach paper, I stamped dragon flies and cut them out, I stamped the lettering and covering them in glossy accents

 Used a bit of ribbon in the main picture on the second page to help tie it together and overall I'm really pleased with the outcome! 

Finally I'll leave you with another Christmas gift (yes I'm still trying to show you these) 

I made two of these both different but similar (I'll share the other later) this one for my brother, I scanned photos from a holiday we had in 1997 and had them printed, then I created this book using a Voodoo Vixen template that I adore.  I created a document of the holiday, I don't think my brother had any of this information or photos so it was an unexpected gift.  I kept a diary that holiday so I used the information to create a mini book, although I had to laugh I seemed to document what we bought and what we ate more than what we saw - how times change when it comes to journaling!  Apologies for the slightly blurry picture

 The inside of the book looked like this!

So there you have it a little mid week posting, I'm enjoying blogging more frequently!  Hope everyone is grand this morning!  If you pop by say hello - particularly if you always pop by and never say hello then leave a message I'd love to know who is out there today?

SUNDAY MORNING MMMM....

Good morning bloggers, today finds me in a particularly positive mood primarily because of my awesome family, we've sat and had a chat this morning a little reflection on the week, how we are doing with our pledges and plans for 2011, making little adjustments along the way and keeping positive.  

Tomorrow sees the official start of my healthy eating in 2011 - I am so tired of eating the rubbish that's been around the house just ready for some nice clean eating and new points system to boot, I'll keep you informed of my progress.

I sat last night looking at some photos and some papers but it just wasn't coming together (it was looking rather twee argh!!!!) so I worked on the circle journal that I'm behind with I found a little piece of paper was waving at me out of a box and suddenly paint and paper and ink and stamps and the page was done - quite impressed if I'm honest LOL wasn't expecting that!

Got to head to Melanie's in a bit - my washing machine died before Christmas and she's been my saviour over the last few weeks letting me use her machine in the interim whilst I'm waiting for the new one to arrive!  Bless her.

Another layout to share with you this one was fun to do documenting little man's lack of enthusiasm to actually shoot a gun with bullets.  We were at Chatsworth's country fair and we paid for him to shoot at a target, when he realised the gun had little bullets in them he simply freaked out and Craig ended up using his "go", however he was quite happy to use the air rifle as can be seen in the layout.  It was nice to journal the story as it shows that despite having a few games on the PS2 and Wii that involve fighting (namely lego characters I grant you but still fighting nonetheless) that he wasn't quite so enthusiastic when it came to the real thing. 

Another teacher gift from before Christmas, this one done for his main teacher, with a little of my arty Christmas photography to boot (ie tree in background)

 How's everyone this morning and how's the weekend?