ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - GRAB A CUPPA THIS IS EPIC!

Good morning one and all - I'm running a little late but sooooooooo needed that shower, unfortunately the heating also kicked in at the same time so now I'm running a little on the warm side - whoops - anyhow why are we here?  Well the question is what's Rocking Your World this Friday?

First up was the theatre last weekend - Marti Pellow in the musical Jekyll and Hyde, we had to fight our way through the snooker 'traffic' (world championship snooker was on at the Crucible as we were seeing the musical at the Lyceum and they are next to each other), together with getting slightly sidetracked with the foreign market in Fargate but we made it, just the three of us, wasn't sure if hubby and child would cope with wall to wall singing but they did and enjoyed the musical to boot, probably not what you'd call child entertainment and there were a few parts with raised eyebrows but when quizzing said 10 year old afterwards he seemed to have missed the questionable parts!

Then Sunday we headed to Bolsover Castle in glorious sunshine, despite the sun it was still extremely cold when you got caught by the breeze (which we did quite often) so we clung to walls - don't believe me?  A photo to prove it -  me and my sister 'clung' to walls - and no we weren't ignorring each other whilst on phones we were in fact listening to the history of Bolsover on one of those sound thingies!

Then there was the barbecue's at my Mum's last Friday night (forgot about this one - all sense of order lost LOL) she decided to have a barbecue because of the wedding - forward planned you may ask?  Nope spur of the minute as usual, but it was a grand night with good company.

My sister and niece stopped over on Sunday night, we sat up chatting and nattering, had pizza for tea and many many many garlic breads (don't ask) and then sat and watched The Tourist on DVD (another thing that Rocked my World) honestly the DVD is brilliant loved it - Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie - great stuff!  We all enjoyed it - sent hubby on a popcorn hunt to the local shops (he found some phew!!!!!!) after the kids headed up to bed we decided we weren't tired so we put on another film - Taking Lives with Angelina Jolie - I'd forgotten how many times I jumped when this film is on and Melanie was no better - we had to watch Russell Howard's Good News afterwards to help us sleep LOL!

Royal Mail for getting my mail art to their destinations! 

Then there is a day off - you asked did I go and shop?  Hell yes I shopped so here is how it's looking, this was the state of the dining table on my return!

What did I get? Well I got some plastics which I needed

then I got some promarkers reduced down to £6.49 a pack (every time I see these I think I'll buy some and then I think I'll wait til I see them cheaper, then I see them cheaper and I don't buy them - go figure)

 Then I bought some spray fabric paint - no idea what I'm going to do with them (yet) but I'll let you know it'll either be a complete success or a miserable failure LOL!

Then I got this book, it's absolutely fantastic - I love it sooooooo much, normally I'd have waited to source it cheaper but wanted to bring it home straight away so bit the bullet and paid that little bit extra for it!

Finally I bought this - I can't make my mind up whether it was a great idea or not - I'll let you know - if it ends up gathering dust on the coffee table or if it sparks a run on the sewing machine then it will be worth it!  Watch this space

Then I went to Homebase and bought this - not exciting but necessary!

Then I bought these in the sale - thinking of using the images for art journaling

Then I bought this recipe book

I loved the inside cover of this where there is a dedication to curvy women - it says "to all the curvy women out there who are constantly calorie counting.  Remember, no man likes to chew on bones!" More interestingly I actually came home and cooked out of it (and it was yum)

A couple of t-shirts to play with (or destroy depending on the state of my spray fabric painting!

then I popped to my sisters to pick up my Weight Watcher pack (need a re-read)

Then on to my brother who has loaned me these to help with the t-shirt project

And then home to have a proper look at the CJ I had picked up from the Post Office and look at the beautiful goodies Carmen had sent me as my prize from a recent draw she had had, she'd asked what I'd wanted and I said to surprise me and this is what I got - gulp - absolutely awesome and she's a mindreader - honestly this girl is utterly amazing!  The two masks I don't have but have wanted for an age (I almost ordered them at the weekend but held back) and I'm fighting with the dregs in the bottom of my glossy accents bottle!  Added to that the stamps are absolutely gorgeous I promise to share what I make with them - they will all be appearing on a journal page near you LOL!

Then I toddled off to the Charity shop where my Mum works and picked these up - no idea what I'll do with them yet - any ideas?  I've removed the flowers but wanted to create something 3 dimensional inside but not sure - you know when you buy something and think it's a good idea and you're not sure why and then you seem to lose the plot when they are sat in front of you - well that's where I'm at.  The frames are really well made and I don't want to lose the 'box' effect on them!

Then finally I got a cheap game for said 10 year old to play on the second hand XBox we bought recently (Xbox rather than an Xbox 360 - so the games are proving interesting to try and find) anyhow he was more than happy with my £1.50 purchase!  And yes before you ask I did tell him to sit up straight after I took the photo! 

So there you are hold up a 12 x 12 layout for you - quite happy with this one it came together really quick!

Close up showing the faux stitching around the title and really stitching around the photos!

A Darcy page on Puddles - sorry for the appalling photography this one proved hard work to photograph!

Then another page from my A5 journal when we went away for the weekend to Scarborough back in February!

Finally (I promise)

• listening - child laughing at TV
• eating - actually eaten the usual morello cherry and blueberry porridge with banana
• drinking - was tea - need more!
• wearing - black top and leggings
• feeling - tired at the moment but looking forward to some crafting today!
• weather - overcast but bright - weird
• wanting - to get this post on my blog!
• needing - some fresh air
• enjoying - life it's a true blessing
• wondering - if my CJ buddy will get in contact soon! 

So we are finally at the end of the post - pat yourself on the back for getting here - yes it was an ultimate post but it was fun wasn't it - Leave your comment and the details of the link if you're joining in - haven't bothered with Mr Linky this week - he's driving me nuts! 

HAPPY THURSDAY MORNING TO YOU

Good morning one and all - I hope I find you well - it's Thursday morning - "so what" you may all be crying - and my work place is used as a Polling Station - yep I can hear it now - "so?"  - so it means we can't go into work today and despite the odd bit of begging and pleading I've decided - wait for it - to have a day off - yes you heard right - then added to that I've decided to take tomorrow off as well - well I've got 128 hours to get rid of - yes this is what I'm 'in credit' by at work - so you can tell why mentally I'm doing a happy dance can't you?

So what am I going to do as a lady of leisure today?  Well off to Post Office to collect a parcel (which I'm hoping fingers crossed will be a circle journal that's on it's way to me) and then maybe a jaunt to Hobbycraft and then maybe a wander around Meadowhall, perhaps a tootle to a craft shop?  Wander around a garden centre - are you getting the feeling that I'm going to be doing a bit of retail therapy?  Yes I think I may well do just that it's good for the soul!

Talking of good for the soul - crafting (my eternal saviour in keeping my head together) - more pages to share - this one for Darcy's 52 words and if you've not joined in yet - why not - it's been a blast! This page is called 'Fooled' and shows 'art' that I didn't 'get' you know the stuff where you just can't work it out - now don't get me wrong I believe all art is good and that for someone this stuff would have blown their mind - but for me - it looked like someone had had a bathbomb fight in Lush and 10 attempts to put a shelf up on the wall - it just didn't float my boat and as it was in the long gallery so it had taken quite some time to trudge over there and find - so we were a little disappointed - however on the plus side we had a great walk!

Now onto one of my favourite layouts from this challenge - the word was 'today' and on that particular day we'd been to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and seen some amazing Sculptures - so this is the page I did - I love the summery feel to it - think it's the colour choice that I like!  I did the journaling on the head on the right hands side of the page - can you see it! 

Then onto a challenge that was set on Scrapology for their April sketch (I think I'm too late to join in the challenge but I did enjoy it so thought I'd share here regardless) I think it was the bunting that got me hooked and the one used on my page is a pale green and pink Union Jack and if you want to use it yourself head over to UK Scrapper - it's in their digi section and was a PDF download, I just printed it onto cardstock and cut it out - backing it onto green card (to match of course) and then using it on a layout!  Don't you love a freebie and when it's as gorgeous as this - honestly you could have a field day!  If you can't find it holler and I'll point you in the right direction.

I'm sure you are going to want a close up on this one buttons sewed onto cardstock and used as embellishments and cross stitch around the edge in little crosses

 and then the title - using various different alphabets I've had forever and then drawn around not neatly (on purpose) with a co-ordinating blue pen!

 Then a couple of layouts from my A5 journal - ooh aren't you lot being treated at the moment! 

Planning on doing some more crafting later as I didn't get chance last night or the night before and I'm now behind on Darcy's challenge (I've got three words to go at) and I've found some more sketches to have a go at as well - bliss!

In answer to a couple of recent questions - Susie wanted to know where I find my images - in all honesty Susie I find them from all over - the 'Deceit' page (the one with the gagged woman being faced with a pavlova)  was actually a Sunday Times image from an age ago - I remember cutting it out thinking - I'm never going to be able to use her but it's such a good image - the Sunday Times magazines often give some great images to use, other than that we have a great magazine stall in the local market and he charges between £1 and £1.50 for magazines and there I can buy some crazy magazines that I wouldn't normally buy!  More recently as I've been documenting where we've visited I've been using the promotional leaflets they give you - which is fantastic because it doesn't cost a single penny - hurray! 

Joanna has some mighty fine eyesight because she spotted the journalling on the A5 page last time with the words

"if I had my life to live over again, next time I'd find you sooner so I could love you longer"

These were the words inside my Valentines card this year and they stopped me in my tracks - they make a lot of sense when it comes to hubby and me and I didn't want them to get lost in the passage of time so my art journal seemed like the ideal place to put them! 

Toni commented that she'd probably have thrown away a mistake (refering to the Deceit) page in temper and in times gone by Toni I'd have been with you - but I actually find it quite therapeutic to keep working on a page to get it right even if it means practically re-doing the page - the hardest part was toning in the flesh tones to try and make them not stand out but it was certainly a challenge - I've actually discovered that I'm quite good at picking colours out - it's something I've known vaguely in the past - you know the thing - when you buy a duvet set for the bedroom and then you spot something to go in the same room but you're not sure whether it's the same colour - I can tell if it is - or if it isn't!  

Finally and if you've got to here - give yourself a clap and a pat on the back and reward yourself with a steaming mug of tea - but not before you leave a comment LOL!

• listening - Burning in the Skies - Linkin Park
• eating - actually eaten the usual morello cherry and blueberry porridge with banana
• drinking - it's empty - sod - was drinking tea it was nice hence it being empty
• wearing -green floaty top and leggings
• feeling - excited - retail therapy here I come
• weather - grey and overcast but it's brightening up a little
• wanting - to relax and enjoy a couple of easier days
• needing - some plastics for my 12 x 12 album - I'm running out and a flame thrower for our front garden which I hate with a passion!
• thinking - I've had a good week
• enjoying - listening to music 
• wondering - whether little things sent in the post are going to reach their destinations? 

Say hi if you get here - it's always lovely to know whose visited!

WEEKEND IN A BLINK OF AN EYE DECEIPT (DARCY'S CHALLENGE) AND ART JOURNALS

Good morning one and all - I hope I find you well - it has been a fabulous weekend and despite working through bank holiday Friday I have managed to enjoy a long weekend!  Unfortunately there hasn't been much in the way of crafting going on boooo hisssss - however, I plan on making up for that this week!  

I don't know what it is about blue sky days but they just make you feel so positive - ready to take on the world!  Just fabulous! 

We've mowed lawns (that's the royal we obviously - hubby did front lawn due to it's ridiculous gradient and my back not being a great combination)

We went to Bolsover Castle which was fantastic if not a little on the cool side - dragged Melanie along for good measure - we spent most of the time hiding next to sunny walls to try and avoid the harshness of the spring breeze!  

We went to the theatre to see Jekyll and Hyde (a Broadway musical starring Marti Pellow) - wasn't sure if hubby would be impressed or child - but it has to be said they both seemed to enjoy it!  

We wandered around the foreign market in Sheffield which all smelled divine.

Melanie and Nirvana came and stayed for a night and we watched 'The Tourist' on DVD - such a good film - really enjoyed it!

So it's been busy busy busy 

How was your weekend?  Was it fun and busy, or calm and serene?

Then onto the word deceit - now I think you're going to be expecting a long rant about someone or something but in actual fact it's Darcy's 52 words challenge and this is my layout for the word deceit - it was an absolute nightmare to do because I in my infinite wisdom decided there was a P in the word yes I spelt it deceipt - what an idiot!  I then had to procede with vast quantities of paint - because I hadn't written it once - oooh no I'd written it over and over and over again - all with the incorrect spelling - and no before you ask I couldn't leave it it would drive me nuts!  So here it is all sorted! And despite fighting with it it's one of my favourites!

Little bit of crafting - just tidying up some 'older' layouts (about a month old LOL) this one of hubby making the almost infamous gingerbread castle! 

Close up showing the extensive layers on this one

and finally a layout from my A5 art journal

Hope you like - if you meander along - don't forget to say hi!  Hope you all have a beautiful Tuesday!

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY , DARCY'S 52 WORDS, A LAYOUT AND LIFE IN GENERAL

Well can't we tell we're back at work - hardly any chance to blop this week - boo hiss!  

However, it is Friday and therefore it is time for 

I'm going to use some of the beautiful things that happened last week for this - hope you don't mind too much!

Firstly is my hubby - on our wedding anniversary he provided me with the following (remember I didn't have time to do anything, no present, no card nothing, how utterly useless am I - my excuse is work related but you know that).  So what did I get

well first I got this which is a piece of citrine, one of the stones you can use to celebrate your 13th Wedding Anniversary

and then I got this - a piece of lace he'd managed to find when we were trawling the shops in York which is apparently a traditional way to celebrate your 13th Wedding anniversary

And finally he presented me with a silver wrapped parcel - that turned into this when I opened it 

So first thought was it's a book...

then the next thought was - it's a funky journal 

and then I opened it and went gulp....

it's a spa day for the two of us to share a rasul treatment (something about clay) followed by use of the spa facilities at Thoresby Hall - double gulp 

did I cry - nope - why not?  - too much shock - I couldn't believe it - I mean honestly I was absolutely blown over and the joy of the gift because we're sharing it - means that it's a treat for him too!  I did manage to get him a crystal when we were in York but I never imagined something like this!

So a big shout out for hubby today!

Next up has to be the beautiful blue skies weather we've had recently I mean honestly it's been amazing and it meant our week away was even better than expected due to the fabulous weather such as the day we went to Castle Howard

And the time at York Minster (more carvings from the west doorway)

together with the underneath of the screen in the Minster - how utterly gorgeous is this!

then there was this little beasty at the National Railway Museum!

Other things Rocking My World This Week!

Hot milky coffees
My half assed attempt at Weight Watching
Coming home to a tidy house from holiday was enough to make me giddy
Crafting time in the evenings (and free bunting which have really made a difference to a couple of layouts I've been playing with this week)

Right off to work (I know I know but the logics are it will be quiet because everyone will be at home and I'm hoping to be home in time to watch live footage of the wedding!)

but before I go a 12 x 12 layout that I did recently not one of my favourites but it'll do!

and my replicate page with regards to Darcy's 52 words - I really enjoyed doing this page - such good fun! 

And finally Mr Linky - I'm hoping you can see your links this week - if you can see numbers and no links hover next to the numbers and you should see them appear as if by Harry Potter magic - don't forget to leave a comment so I can head over and see what's Rocking Your World this week!

HAPPY TUESDAY (WELL IT WOULD BE IF I WASN'T BACK AT WORK!)

Ooh look at me little miss organised - a quick post (but with lots of pictures) of a gift I made my cousin who got married last summer!

It started out as a Papermania frame that I then disassembled (actually got hubby to disassemble - he didn't like the glint in my eye as I wielded a craft knife LOL) and turned into a book, thus creating the main gift, the colour scheme was predominantly creams and whites and ivories therefore I used lots of pastel papers and inks to really set the scheme off without being overpowering!  I then laced the book back together!

A few of the inside pages - too many to put them all on but you get the general gist

the back of the book

and then with this I also did a set of wooden boxes with little mini books inside so she could put wedding memorabilia in from the day - these are the outsides of the boxes

and these are the books inside I was pleased overall with them and sent the gift through the post apparently she was in tears when she received it because she loved it soooo much! 

So there you have it - I haven't abandoned my mini book making just not done as much as I usually do!