WOOHOO WHAT'S ROCKING YOUR WORLD THIS FRIDAY

Quite literally as I clicked the 'post' bit on my Rocking Your World Friday last week, did I meander over to Susie's blog and found that I'd Rocked her World by recommending a good read - which brought a big big smile to my face!  

Then the doorbell rang - confused?  And there stood the postie holding a big brown box?  Still confused? Then the little light - that little glimmer remembering some blog candy I'd won from Kim a few weeks ago!  Well you could have knocked me down with a feather I tell you! How amazing is all this!

Absolutely amazed and in amongst it was this little beauty - how gorgeous (and edible LOL) does this look - my kind of cupcake the ones that you can only admire and not eat LOL!

And to add to it Kim has sent me enough goodies to make my own - can't promise it will be anywhere near as good but can't wait to have a try - full instructions on Kim's blog!

So my Rocking Your World this week literally started as I posted last weeks - how awesome is that!  


So has anything else Rocked My World this week - yes I won a blog challenge - I often see lovely blogs and challenges but never get round to doing or sorting - but Scrapology's lovely blog had the most fabulous sketch as a January challenge and so I set too and did the Weymss Bay layout that I put on my blog a week or so ago and guess what it won!  There were some gorgeous gorgeous layouts that joined in the challenge, so I was gobsmacked when they announced me as the winner!  So another Rocking Your World for me this week!  If you fancy having a go, head over as they've got the February challenge on there now! 


Cash and Carry shops that sell white take away bags - yes I know I'm sad but I like to make my own giftbags whenever possible and these are the best base to start with so that I can tart them up (technical term meaning to make them look pretty LOL) and often get them to 'match' the papers of the item enclosed in the present - how OTT is that or should it be OCD!  Can't help it it's just the way I am! 


Scrapping time - ooh so many evenings stretching out in front, no alcohol no naughty food eating (also known as Weight Watchers to everyone else) means I have to keep me occupied and that means scrapping - not the fighting sort - you know the paper variety!  I've made quite a few layouts up to now - I love them I tell you - love them!


Another thing rocking my world this week is Jamie Oliver's sea bass recipe in the 30 minute cookbook and hubbies enthusiasm to cook - I mean I didn't know that I actually liked sweet potatoes (I really didn't - tried them before just not my cup of tea - but did them at the weekend and fell in love!)  and the veggie recipe was awesome - who'd have thought you could make brocolli more interesting - now don't get me wrong Mr Oliver's obsession with Olive Oil (which he adds to everything) doesn't exactly work with Weight Watchers - so where I can, I remove it (or if hubby is cooking ask him to step away from the olive oil bottle lol) and where it needs some I use a tiny amount and count the points so it works!  Just to prove the point of how lush this tea was I photographed it - steam and all!

My son's new favourite saying which is 
"How's your day been?"
Which is lovely but a little surreal when he asks you at 7am and you've been up 10 minutes - I mean how are you supposed to answer that!  I usually say 
"So far it's not been bad!" LOL - love him to bits!


then there are crafting evenings - last nights was lovely with Mum doing her journal for Christmas (in February she's growing a little tired of it and if I'm honest she's started making stuff up just for the sheer hell of it) However, one of the things she decided to document last night was that when we were younger she used to make "Weebles and Wombles" WTF!  Actually Mum Melanie declared you actually made Care Bears and Popples (which she would then sell to family and friends in order that she could buy Christmas presents for us lot - bless her)  but then niece decided Melanie must have got that wrong and told my Mum it wasn't Popples it was poppets - confused we were - so let's get this right my Mum did 

Make care bears and popples when we were younger- true so much so that we used to get fur balls from all the fur fabric in the house LOL 


She did not make little plastic characters that wobbled but didn't fall down
(weebles)
neither did she make characters that wander around Wimbledon common (Wombles) 
and finally she didn't make tiny chocolate covered mint sweets in a box (poppets) 

Just thought I'd verify the name of the DCWV stack that I keep mentioned that DH bought apparently isn't called Truly Madly Deeply (but maybe it should) it's actually called - wait for it 

Then last but not least crafting - forgive me for a Christmassy layout (technically it was November but it was for Christmassy things) but they need to be scrapped let's be honest! (that is scrapbooked not thrown away LOL)

This is us making Christmas cakes and puds before Christmas 
then the close ups - stamped images Paperartsy me thinks - onto colour paper and card stock and then cut out - think it's called paper piecing but I might be wrong LOL

Chipboard word inked in pine needles distress ink and then glossy accents - yes I should have got the versamark out and then the clear embossing powder but the words couldn't be and bothered comes to mind so did it this way instead.

Hope you've all had a grand week, if you join in add yourself in the comments with your link so we can come and visit.  If you don't have a blog then leave your gratefuls in the comments - if you are saying you don't have any gratefuls then dig a little deeper I think you'll find you do - just one - go on think - seeeeeeeeeee now you're smiling!

SISTERS

I really shouldn't have to think about the title - but I did - wonder if I'd be better off doing the title after I've done the post - what do you think?

Anyhow I know lots of people go a wandering on a Wednesday morning so thought I'd do the same and share a layout entitled Sisters! Ah the inspiration strikes - got my title - derrrrrrrrrrr - what am I like! I won't tell you what the original title was but let's say it wasn't very inspiring!

The papers are from the Truly Madly Deeply DCWV stack, now I love these papers so much but I do struggle with what I call the "almost done" pages - you know the ones that have a board and a design and a space for your photo - I don't do cutting and sticking I do scrapbooking - so how to alter the "almost done" page so it feels like a full blown scrapbook page?  

Firstly I cut the center of the almost done page out so that I had the square bracket shape separately, then attached it to another paper in the pack!  

Die cut the photos, some cardstock and some of the paper and arranged in a group!  Used some thick ribbon on the photo as it had a yellowy background that didn't go with the pink pages! 

 Close up of the dry embossed black card (hearts of course), the frame with the title and some brads to add to the feel of the layout!

 Then Tim's mask from the set I bought around Christmas (it had pumpkins and trees etc in it and this gorgeous heart) little bit of distress ink in Victorian Velvet I think it is (I always want to say plum LOL) and then hand cut the mask out leaving some of the "outer mask" in place - to create a handcut embellishment! 

Stamped some journaling blocks and hand cut those to document the moment!

the mask was also used directly onto the paper at the bottom right of the page.

 I have to say this is one of my favourite layouts that I've done in a while (and yes there are some that I make and then growl at afterwards because they don't float my boat as it were!)

 So here is to celebrating sisters - my sister Melanie is amazing and I love her to bits - we seem to be very much in tune with each other at the moment which is great!  If you fancy meeting her, head over to her blog - her post from yesterday was truly inspiring!  Here is the link my sister Melanie

Hope you're all having a great Wednesday!

AND RELAX....

So after the fraught day of yesterday today was a little bit calmer - of sorts.

As I said sometimes you have to have the rain in order to enjoy the sunshine!

Today has been plain old weird - but fun - so I don't mind so much!  

We decided to head to a certain cash and carry today after obtaining a card for it!  We told said 10 year old that they sold all sorts of things including foods in giant sizes (also known as catering packs to you and I) the idea was somewhat lost on him - he thought this meant everything was giant!  He was going to take his lego keyring so he could compare it with the giant version that would obviously be there - we started to think this trip might not live up to his expectations LOL!

Anyhow we eventually found it and wandered around - these places are so damn big - managed to find my fiskar cutter's blades at a very reasonable price - so had to get three packs of those and some take away bags - I so love to make my own gift bags given half a chance so now I have 125 to keep me occupied, then we bought strange food stuffs and lots and lots of fish!

Whilst walking around we also found the giant condiment aisle - said 10 year old could not stop laughing that they sold in his words "paint decorating pots of tomato ketchup" followed by "Dad Dad you have to see this giant Tabasco sauce" followed by - "Mum look at this sack of sugar" - all very amusing but when we hit the sweet aisle it was drool city - honestly!  

Anyway it was a fun trip, spent far too much but it was fun, stopped off at Melanie's for a cuppa and to take my Mum some monk fish we'd bought her which was at a bargain price!  Melanie and John were on their usual form which means funny - Mum was chatting about her busy week despite the fact she's not been hundred percent and all was good!

Yesterday we bought some fish from the supermarket, Melanie was at our house when hubby was buying it - so he got her some 'bargain dab' - now some of you who know Melanie know what great company she is - she's also an amazing Mum but she's not very confident in the kitchen - so I was a little worried at the prospect of her cooking a flat fish on the bone!  

Anyhow - we got the inevitable phone call this evening

the first one was 

"how do you gut a fish?"

she wasn't keen on the fact it was staring at her anyway - so hubby had to convince her that had already been done

then she cooked it Jamie's Oliver style - apparently burning the first lot of pancetta and pine nuts and then without a fish knife managing to turn it into - as she put it - something that resembled scrambled egg!

She'd chopped some parsley up and wasn't sure if she should use the stalks - but she did - so when she came to eat the scrambled egg like substance she couldn't tell if it was bones or parsley her description of her tea tonight

"Graveyard on a plate"

whilst telling me the above tale - you should liberally scatter it with swear words - because that's what the conversation had - I laughed til I cried - please don't be put off cooking again Melanie (I daren't even go down the soup broth fiasco) but next time maybe a filleted fish might be more appropriate!

Love ya hun and for those of you not friends with Melanie on facebook you might not have seen the new 'do' - doesn't she look amazing!

And then just because it's Sunday a little more crafting - this one was using a scrap lift off my new 'group' on UK Scrappers - I've not been in a group before it's a whole new experience LOL.  The style was quite busy and I wasn't sure if I could pull it off but I really like the finish layout of hubby, me and my sister - (before the hair colour change)!

 Then the detail rub ons, glossy accents and ribbon

 Stitching as always

 and a mixture of embellishments!

Hope you've all had a great day!

EMOTIONALLY A BIT RAW TODAY PLUS SOME CRAFTING!

You know how it is - some days no matter what, you are just that little bit more raw emotionally than you mean to be - today is one of those days.  Sometimes it's best not to over think things (I'm trying not to) some days it's best just to go with the flow (I'm trying to do that) but sometimes your mind wanders and you vary between mighty cross to mighty sad.  

This'll be cryptic but it's the best way 

 I am a hard person to know - I know this, 

I am a hard person to live with - I know this 

I have high expectations for myself and I'm never ever afraid to be me - people around me know this 

 you never see a 'diluted' version of who I am - as it simply wouldn't be me!  

So for those that get let into the inner circle - and believe you and me there are very few - they get the real me - both my good points and my bad.  Now don't get me wrong this would indicate that I obviously think I'm 'perfect' wrong - far from it - I am my own worst critic - I just have a strong sense of being - for this I do not apologise and those around me know this.

So today I'm feeling a little emotionally raw when the inner circle is feeling a little bit oval in shape at the minute 

I haven't changed - I am who I say I am 

So today I'm feeling raw - so thought I'd share some crafting plus ruglets on (little man's name for rugby when he was little and it's stuck) and I'm crafting, I've managed a single page layout for which my Urban Faeries team on UK Scrappers will be mighty pleased - I'll share it later!  

But for now here's one I prepared earlier and just to make you smile - yes this is Harry Potter lego that I've documented!  Little man was sooooo pleased with it on Christmas day a present from his Nutty Nannan and Boxing Day morning was spent building said lego!

Up close - I used my DCWV Christmas Stack again - which is bright and vibrant - do you like how I got the Christmas tree in the background - one of Shimelle's ideas!

 And the other page - I honestly never thought I'd find somewhere to use my 'eloquently evil' stamp on a layout!  But here it is! 

And a little more up close from the glossy accents on the rub on title

to the hand cut stamped journal blocks

to the usage of old brads (using up that stash in 2011)

and finally a close up of the stamp 

So there you have it an emotionally raw Saturday - but hey you have to have the rain in order to enjoy the sunshine don't you!  

Perhaps it's time to return to the art journals - now where's that paint!

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - this one feels longer than usual grab a cuppa!

Here we are again on Rocking Your World - how are all the lovely Rockers and Rockettes out there this morning?

 So what's been Rocking my World this week - apart from the wind outside which is Rocking everything at the moment - particularly wheely bins who seem to be doing a Friday morning dance routine to a different tune to everyone else - always find it slightly unnerving when they start walking around on their own! 

Anyhow that definitely isn't rocking my world but here a few glimpses of what are:

Propeller Theatre group for the last two Saturdays have been simply spectacular - both productions were fabulous Comedy of Errors - slapstick and Richard III which was exceptionally bloody - they seemed to enjoy the macabre part of that play and this would have been great apart from a slightly queasy niece who doesn't cope with blood much whether it be real or fake!  If they come to a theatre near you grab yourself a couple of tickets and head down there and if it can be one of Shakespeare's comedies I guarantee an afternoon or evening full of laughter!

Jamie Oliver for encouraging us to eat different types of fish other than tuna, haddock and the ever depleting cod - this has led to purchase of basa and cobbler which in turn have turned out to be Vietnamese fish which defeats the object because we're supposed to be generating a demand for other fish around our sea shore - I mean Vietnamese fish must have be biggest carbon footprint to get here don't they?  I now have a mental image of a fish with exceptionally big feet made of carbon - has anyone else got that image or is it just me?

Crafting nights with family even when one isn't very well but is mighty sensitive who in turn upsets me whose feeling mighty sensitive and then gorgeous sister does the mediator bit for the remainder of the evening - I mean it doesn't sound like something to be grateful for but with the crafting eventually we all calmed and had an enjoyable evening - we were all doing different things - my Mum is trying to finish her Christmas journal, I was on with a 12 x 12 layout (nothing new there then), Melanie is on with her tattoo book and my niece was card making!

A big grateful to hubby and son - who whilst we were crafting last night played with the nerf guns - big plastic yellow and orange things that fire little foam darts - they were shooting each other and it was just so funny to here as said 10 year old could not stop laughing - honestly - if you ever needed to lift your spirit all you need to do is listen to those two playing and it absolutely makes your heart light - I love it! 

Making my own images - yes I know this sounds strange but after a few weeks of stamping the same images on cards I thought I need a new supply of stamps or alternatively I need to do my own - being the frugal (or is it tight?) self I decided to see if I could create some images that I could cope with on my cards, so I spent an evening drawing with a black inky pilot pen - now I am not an artist at all - I can't drawer portraiture at all - but quirky and weird now that I can do!  So I spent an evening doing just that - some have been a roaring success others quirky but made me step back and say - whose card could I put that on?  Then hubby - bless him, scanned them, played with them, tidied them, changed them to JPEGS and encouraged me to print a page with the images reduced in size - ooh I felt like I needed to do an acceptance speech at an awards ceremony when he handed over the first copy to come off the printing press - sorry I mean printer -  it was like creating my very own stamps!  Hubby has now gone on a copy writing mission which has made me laugh quite a lot that he things they are good enough that someone would want to copy them, but I'll keep him amused by doing just that - I'll get round to putting a couple of the cards on shortly to see what you think.  But this has definitely been a highlight this week added to which when I showed my niece she said she didn't know I was so good at art - I thought she was being sarcastic but she said not - she genuinely thought they were brilliant - maybe their is an artist in me somewhere (although she only does quirky)

A few other happies from the week

Blueberry and Raspberry porridge is gorgeously yum (in fact sat eating it in between typing right now) 

Evenings full of DVD's we haven't watched in an age we've just finished the four Die Hard films in reverse and Brucey gets more and more hair each film LMAO! 

New and inspirational blogs - love them! 

A good book to read 

Weight watching because it's just becoming the norm

Preplanned and prepared lunches - the absolutely saviour of my week! 

Finally (before the crafting obviously) I just wanted to ask a favour - if you happen across here can you wander along to my sister's blog and give her a cheer - she's having a tough time juggling everything at the moment and has only recently returned to work after a period of long term illness and now her workplace is putting pressure on her when she's only just returned, added to which she's back juggling home etc and despite setting her mind to a healthy regime has well and truly fallen off it a the moment!  - just go tell her that no matter what happens

"You can handle it!"

As promised crafting this is a double page layout I did when we recently changed cars!  It isn't something I would 'normally' scrap but couldn't help it because it's the newest car we've ever had (just need to pay it off now LMAO)

The pages up close

 

Then the detail which is always the fun bit - I used a tyre donated (albeit temporarily - it had to be returned good as new) from said 10 year old in paint to create the tyre tracks! 

Then I cut out of the Tim Holtz cogs die some bronzy coloured mirror card and then put it through a couple of cuttlebug embossing folders - I tried for a uniform pattern initially but the best one I used was the one with assorted Christmas baubles and decorations on - because it was a sporadic pattern on a die cut paper it looked very much 'steampunk-ish' - I use that word loosely because there are crafters out there that do it a lot lot better, then I used a baby wipe and black paint to cover the surface and then wipe some of it off to highlight the pattern - what do you think?

 

And it's so easy to do - I tell you - just so easy and so effective - don't you agree that the first of the two pictures is the better of the two - more industrial! 

Then I used up some more of my older embellishments in the way of hearts (because they were red and went with the layout LOL)

 So there you go another Friday post and the first into February!  As way of an update I've managed 38 Christmas cards to date and not a sign of stress anywhere LOL.

If you join in and Susie bless her did her Rocking Your World hours and hours ago so here's her link

Scrapbook Susie  

If you join in put your blog post 'address' thingy in the comments block!  If you haven't time to do a blog post or don't have a blog and fancy joining put it in the comments box!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous day!  

A FABULOUS SKETCH

I love blogland and the camaraderie of it all and I also love how sometimes you come across something and for the life of you you can't workout how you found it you're so glad you did - this can be said for the Scrapology blog  which had a fabulous January sketch challenge that I fell in love with - and it was a double page layout to boot!  I love sketches, when you need a boost to your inspiration a basic layout can lead to some great crafting - so this is what I did last night and checking on the blog this morning - I haven't missed the window for the challenge!  Phew!  

I'm really pleased with the finished results and it means the four photos of us on the beach haven't been split up into different layouts but combined to show the 'whole' visit!  

 The pages up close - I changed the circle for a heart and of course it's stitching! 

 I'm not sure said 10 year old was really grasping the idea of skimming stones - more like throwing rocks! 

I made an error on the stamping at the end of embracing life - I put the exclamation mark on it's side which just made me seem very special - but being a true Virgoan this would have driven me insane, so I hand cut some hearts and placed them next to the statement and went round them with a black pen - twice to make it look intentional!  I am a great believer that anything can be recovered if you set your mind to it!

So here's to discovering new blogs - thank you Scrapology for a fabulous design - can't wait to see the February challenge!  Off to post my link - hope everyone's having a great Wednesday - it is Wednesday isn't it?  Apparently it was Wednesday yesterday too (see previous post) - sorry - don't know whether I'm wishing my life away, whether I can blame my cold or whether I'm just losing the plot! 

CHRISTMAS PAPERS DON'T HAVE TO BE JUST FOR CHRISTMAS

One of my pledges this year (I didn't make resolutions) is to blog regularly - so here I am - did you miss me? Did you? What do you mean no - LOL!

Anyway a very quick Wednesday post before my poor eyes give out completely - they've spent 8 hours looking at one of these flickering VDU screens so have to be quick! 

I spent quite some time doing this layout, using some very old basic grey papers I'd got which were technically called Dasher (if my memory serves me) primarily because they were Christmas papers - but I love Christmas papers that turn out to be just that little bit versatile!  On this layout I literally sat cutting the larger flowers out which was most fun, glossy accents and journaling along the leaves, some stitching (well you have to don't you) and a hand cut frame - hard work but worth the effort because I'm really pleased with the finished results!  Managed to use a few brads up in the layout too so using up old supplies

stamped the title, used glitter pens to colour in and then glossy accents to finish 

then the stitching led to some more stamping

 and finally the handcut flower highlighted with glossy accents and a brad!

 Hope everyone is having a good evening, I've read a few blogs tonight where life is throwing the odd curve ball at people and so just to let you know that you're in my thoughts! If you happen to pop by say hello!