DARCY'S 52 WORDS - SMILE and MONDAY MORNING

Another page from Darcy's 52 words - this was a hard one because life was complex at that point in time so I wrote about where I was at, I loved extending the image and tattooing the lady, I'm not good at heritage scrapbook layouts and often blame the muted tones and colours, but I love the sepia tones of this double page!

My book has lots of depth to it and documents moments in time for me so I'll always remember where I'm at, it's one of my favourite reasons to art journal because I can deal with the tough stuff, scrapbooking is always about happy occasions for me, very rarely will I document tough stuff, occasionally in the past when I've lost a loved one I do a reflective page but predominantly is documenting happy times in this household, my art journal is good for whatever emotion I'm going through but it comes into it's own when I'm worried, or stressed, when things seem to be getting to me and I'm struggling, sometimes I use the page as a way to rant with no intention of ever re-reading what I've put so I don't put it in order (it would seem like utter drivel if you read it 'normally') but sometimes I just jot notes down on my page to remind me of the time and the emotion I was feeling.  

I haven't really touched my art journaling for a while, there are loads of examples in magazines of art journaling these days but the trend is more often than not very brightly coloured using lots of spray inks which I always find utterly messy, my favourite medium for my pages is good old fashioned acrylic paints and more often than not I use my fingers to paint with - not brushes.  My art journaling has become more of a picture based diary and I have utterly loved the words that Darcy has provided, she's also given a heads up as to what to write about but I've simply used the word as a prompt.  It's probably the first long term commitment that I've made on my art journaling side, I've started the 365 day diary twice and lost it - maybe because I don't really 'get it' I started Shimelle's document a day per month a couple of years ago but the last couple of entries are far from enthusiastic, but this one has stuck with me, I've got behind, I've caught up, I've got behind again, there's been no pressure to do the pages by a certain date or point and that is what I've loved about it.  So a big thank you to Darcy for providing such a great challenge that I've thoroughly enjoyed and now as we look towards 2012 she's doing a postcard challenge, now this one should be interesting - dare I join in again?  

So here we are at Monday morning DH toddled off to work, so I got up for a shower then faced a rather untidy house again, we'd managed to use every piece of crockery in the drawer, dishwasher full of pots, tumbler going full blast and a basket full of ironing not exactly the happiest start to a Monday morning.  But I'm going to get it all sorted so the rest of the day is mine (just having a little blogger break - as you do). 

Said 11 year old has discovered the joys of Wii fit again so has just jogged through the dining room in his pyjamas of course!  Rest of the day?  Well not sure yet, got some more wrapping to do and may pop to my sisters.  What's your Monday looking like? 

DARCY'S 52 WORDS - WILDERNESS

Another page in Darcy's words this one was hard to pull together but persevering with paint and merging the images in meant I was eventually happy with the finished page

Today has been a strange one up to now, stopping in bed til gone nine then a mad dash to the shops to sort MIL a pre-lit Christmas tree out because hers is from the 1960s and DH is worrying it won't be flame retardant, then Morrisons to buy icing sugar and marzipan for the cakes, back home and a quick breakfast and now plans for the rest of the day, we've been playing with the Christmas food list, which is always interesting because we spend so long sorting that out and spending on that that we have no money left to buy food for the rest of Christmas - crazy stuff.  

Still umming and ahhing over the gingerbread challenge grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr another painful task if I'm honest which I swore we wouldn't do again but I keep thinking maybe we will?

Finally said 11 year old and his funny comments 

The first this morning when he got in the car

"Dad have you used that stuff that kills ice?" 

also known as de-icer to you and I

and on leaving our estate and following a tractor pulling a trailer full of hay which kept falling on the car DH said "It's snowing" to which said 11 year old said 

"No Dad it's haying" 

Bless I love these funnies much fun!

Hope your weekend is fun too

ROCKING YOUR WORLD AND DARCY'S 52 WORDS - COMMUNITY

Crikey I hadn't clocked that it was Friday this morning - honestly - I've been really good recently and remembering to prepare my Rocking post in advance but not this morning it's going to be done on a wing and a prayer!  So here goes

First up has to be the KS2 presentation at school and church this week, said 11 year old played Moses (the story was the Jesse tree before you get confused) and we thoroughly enjoyed both evenings, he was a tad stressed about it despite it being a non speaking role but I know from when I was that age you get to a point where you don't want to be doing things like that any more and I think he's approaching that time now.

Then there is the Panto at Sheffield Lyceum Theatre on Sunday - the Dame stole the show as always he - sorry she - is amazing - thoroughly enjoyed it, laughed and giggled our way through the whole show, some of the innuendos by passing the kids whilst entertaining the adults!  It's always a fabulous show and I suppose it's becoming a part of our Christmas tradition.

Hubby preparing a gorgeous tea on Monday was lovely, particularly given that I'd had a difficult day at work, coming home to a home cooked tea is always lovely - so thank you sweetie it was gorgeous!

Wentworth's Christmas Craft Fayre and Farmers market last night was great, particularly the hot mulled cider and as I wasn't driving managed a nice cup full of that, said 11 year old managed a buffalo burger for his tea, we bought some tasty sausages and some baklava's, we looked at some gorgeous hand made quilts and bunting, admired the sweeties in the sweetie shop, wandered around the garden centre and had a thoroughly enjoyable evening despite how cold my feet were (why oh why didn't I wear my hiking boots - will I never learn).  We met up with some of my family whilst there and had a bit of a chat at the same time.

And finally hubby stopping in bed a bit longer this morning meant we had a little lie in beyond the usual 6am - which if I'm honest given how tired I am was much needed!

Today is said 11 year old's last day and thankfully we haven't woken to snow, it should also technically be my last day but if you believe that you'll believe anything - I am actually hoping to get enough done to be able to down tools and get into the Christmas spirit of things, I need to have a thorough clean and tidy this weekend and I can't remember the last time I did any crafting - so that's another plan for this weekend of what I want to do.  There is nothing on our Christmas calendar this weekend so we should be free to just get on with things!   I daren't even visit Toni's blog this morning because i'm fairly sure the countdown to Christmas has just reached single figures the word gulp comes to mind - anybody out there actually ready?

So there you are another Rocking post for another week completed.  What's been Rocking your world this week, it might only be one thing, one tiny comment, one phone call, one moment but if it made your heart lighter and made you smile then you have something to be grateful for!  Mr Linky at the bottom for anyone joining in to come along and point us in the direction of their post so we can come and visit but firstly a bit of crafting.

Now you'll have to forgive me because I've been releasing these pages one at a time and although the post above is positive my choice of picture for the word community completed in the summary isn't that positive - but I can't give you the posts in the wrong order must be the Virgoan in me - sorry!

Another post on Darcy's 52 words - you can see when this one was done - the word that week was Community and I found it was a time to reflect on the week as a whole, I painted in a make shift Union Jack and included the journaling along the red and white - as I've said before it reflects the time I was living in at that point!

It also allowed me to question what the word community actually means.

Mr Linky below for you

DARCY'S 52 WORDS - PLEDGE

Here we go with another art journal page with Darcy's 52 words, this is one of my favourites from the whole book if I'm honest - one of my tattooed ladies haven't done one for an absolute age, I had to extend the image considerably and I used the mirror to include my journaling!

So what weather have you woken up to this morning?  DH set off mighty early to get to work and returned just after six having lost the back end of the car on a roundabout, thankfully he recovered the car but felt it was better to come home and see what it does rather than attempt to carry on.  It appears to be going now as we haven't woken to a wintry wonderland (too much) this morning, but the weather for tomorrow looks decidedly different - we'll have to see what that brings.

Last night was part two of the Jesse tree story, this time held in church and it was brilliant, thoroughly enjoyed the story despite a few technical difficulties and this time we had a few song sheets so could join in if we wanted.  Another late night for said 11 year old but with only two days to go hopefully it won't make too much of a difference, plus lets be honest they aren't exactly doing a lot at school at the moment. 

Hope you are all having a beautiful and blessed day and hoping that you are starting to feel a little more festive, apparently my lack of festiveness is not an isolated case, quite a few of us are feeling it at the moment and finding the season rather stressful and fraught.  So how do we regain the spirit of the season?  

DARCY'S 52 WORDS - ALLIANCE

This is the first post of quite a few where I'll be catching up with Darcy's 52 words, not that sounds like I'm behind, which technically I am but not as much as it would appear, I did do quite a few pages in the summer which I have yet to share with you - this one is the word Alliance and was around the time of the start of the RIP Resurrected circle journal which is what I documented about - having a group of us together again with a commonality of rock music is fabulous!

I thought it summed things up just great using a music note punch I've got and very rarely get the use of!

This week is proving a little on the tedious side, things are mad at work which is good and bad at the same time, good because it keeps me on my toes and the days fly by, bad because I have sooooooooooooooooo much work to do that it's scaring me, today will be day two of probably one of the worst payrolls I've run this year with the exception of April's which tops the lot by a long shot.  Despite best efforts yesterday I didn't come anywhere close to completing it - so I'm faced with that challenge this morning - boo hiss!

Last night saw said 11 year old's KS2 presentation (known as a nativity to everyone else), we thoroughly enjoyed the evening which was held in the school hall, the children were awesome, the costumes fantastic and a few solo parts were sung - some very brave young children out there!  Tonight we get a repeat performance but this time in church which will give it that extra special edge because I don't think there is anything nicer than a church full of people during the evening listening to something as precious as a child's nativity.  We were faced again with the 'don't take photos' statement which drives me nuts, fair enough not taking photos with flash during the performance, but not being able to take photos generally has basically taken away our right to record our children's lives - needless to say we stole a picture of him on his own at the end in his regalia but it really does sadden me that in this day and age we are deprived of recording moments in history.

Some of my favourite carols were sung from Silent Night to We Three Kings, all the old favourites were included and it made it an incredibly special evening, the only downside that following the 12 hour day at work on Monday and the late finish of the nativity meant a late night for us all, so this morning I am absolutely shattered, could really do with a lie in at some point!!!

How's everyone else, from my last post it would appear that I'm not the only one struggling to get 'into' the festive spirit of things at the moment, I don't know what it is about this year that is making it feel so very different from previous years, perhaps I'm too busy at work?  Or maybe not done enough 'Christmassy' things to be feeling it - whatever it is I wish it would go away so I can get into the right frame of mind, and I'm sooooooooooo behind on my journal your Christmas it's scary!

Oooh this isn't the happiest of posts is it - I do apologise - I think I must be tired!

So I'll leave you with something to smile about - you'll have to forgive the marks on the photo it's an old picture but that is me playing Mary back in about 1976/1977 and if I'm correct that crib was the same one used last night - I kid you not!

TEACHER GIFTS

 Well as we fast approach the last week of school these are the teaching assistant gifts created this year - altered clipboards, I found loads of inspiration on the internet, found some 'blanks' at a large national stationery supplier and set too with papers selected by said 11 year old!

Forgot to photograph this one post ribbons but you get the idea, the letters at the bottom cut with my Big Shot, to try and make it more durable the bottom section of each clipboard has been mod podged

 I included a ribbon at the bottom of this one

 These papers were out of one of those massive stacks that have chunks of co-ordinating papers

 This one proved interesting to try and fit a rather long name on it!

I was pleased with these once done, they are all wrapped up upstairs ready for distribution next week!

Well here we are only days away from Christmas and I'm still not feeling particularly festive, we did however, manage a Panto on Sunday - oh yes we did!  Which was very good apart from the child behind kicking the chair constantly through the performance, strangely enough I would have stopped said 11 year old if it had been him when he was that age but the Mum seemed oblivious bless - the joys of being oblivious it must be nice!

The best part of the panto has to be the Dame - he is absolutely hysterical and one of the main sponsors of the panto this year were Sheffield's Supertram so the part when he came on stage dressed as the tram was pure comic genius so very funny!  But it still didn't manage to get me into the festive spirit - mmm how do you get into the Christmas mood?

Now the giggle tonight, well me and hubby trying to order Domino pizzas from Pizza hut - most confusing - we didn't realise until it was too late - but it did make us giggle (quite a lot).  I know pizza shouldn't be something you have for Sunday lunch, but in all honesty we couldn't be bothered with cooking once we got home, it was enough to sort showers out without the thought of cooking.

So your challenge today is to tell me what gets you into the right frame of mind for Christmas?  Is there a particular point where you are 'there' or perhaps an activity you do?  A bit of quiet reflection?  Anything you like?

Hope you have all had a good weekend.

RIP RESURRECTED CIRCLE JOURNAL - STEVE TYLER

Well this is my next entry into this circle journal, now this one proved challenging because my printer decided to die just when I needed it, now I've resurrected it for now but it seems to be still be acting about (much to my disgust but that's another story), not wanting to let anyone down, including myself (I'm a stickler for deadlines) so I pressed ahead, well I say I it is actually 'we' because for this one I needed some expect cutting from dear hubby, I knew what I wanted but with the deadline fast approaching it was a tall order - "why" you may ask - well because my inspiration for this layout came from the Nine Lives album, and this is what we created

Close up the background page was stamped and painted, then the letters cut out and applied and yes there are blue letters behind the black letters

Saying Live For Ten

Behind the right hand page I've created a pocket and used a photo that was thankfully included in the book in case of printer errors!

 And on the back some interesting facts to add to the album

 then the lanyard at the back

 And the back of the lanyard

 I actually thoroughly enjoyed creating this even though it was hard without the use of a critical item, what it shows is that we can be versatile even when faced with non working printers.  The next circle journal arrived yesterday but with a posting date of the 1 February 2012 I have plenty of time to resolve the printer issues before then!