ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY

Good Morning my beautiful Rockettes - how fair thee this morning?  Yes tis Friday again - can you believe it - it's also April - gulp - what's happening to the year!!!!!

OK - let's see what we can manage on the positive this week

1. Family working on a piece of art - sheer bliss for the weekend - given how bad my back was, I needed to stand upright for the majority of the weekend so we worked on a giant canvas and when it was my turn - Craig stood the canvas upright so I wasn't leaning.
2. Craig for being so considerate when we were at home at the weekend and putting up with me asking him to do pretty much everything, load dishwasher, empty dishwasher, fill washing machine, get milk out of fridge - you get the idea!
3. The new TV series Once Upon a Time
4. True Blood on FX - little bit of escapism
5. Black Dagger Brotherhood books (again - what am I like)
6. Sunday lunch out at a carvery on the spur of the moment! 
7. My Mum and my sister for having said 11 year old whilst I was at work!
8. Having a great team at work just for keeping going!
9. Popping to my Mum's on Sunday for a catch up and a cuppa - even if she did make me do graphs on her computer for her with the worlds worst program and some nonsense data!
10. A phone call from a friend I've not spoken to in ages - it was good to hear his voice!
11. My circle journal buddies for being so understanding with this stupid back - because I'm late sending this month's journal on
12. The snow for not amounting to very much here - which meant I could still get to work safely! 
13. The muscari flowering in the garden - a nice injection of colour now the tete a tete have gone for the year
14. Longer brighter days - now this I like!!!
15. Carmen heading back into blogland and facebook - we've missed you! 
16. The new blogger interface which I thought I might not like but just accepted was different - I've got used to it fairly quickly and I like overall - how's everyone else finding it?
17. Voltarol and TENS machines for keeping me upright 
18. My fantastic buddies here in blogland - I love catching up with your worlds!

There you go that is just about going to have to do for today!  Eighteens not a bad number though is it! 

So a bit of crafting as always (no sign of a Christmas tree in sight Susie you'll be pleased to know - anyone started their Christmas cards yet - tee hee)

 Up close, cut outs on die cuts with ribbon on foam pads, straight forward embellishment and I managed to use some of my Tim Holtz paper which is amazing because I normally just stroke it and put it away to be used another day!

So there you have it Rockettes my week of gratefuls a time to reflect, sometimes to dig deep and share with you what has made my days lighter and brighter! 

If you fancy joining in then Mr Linky for you 

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY

Here we are you beautiful Rockettes, looking at the week behind us and noting the gratefuls - such an important post each week for me so I don't write off a week with the attitude that it wasn't good.  Our lives are full of ups and downs, good and bad, positives and negatives, trying times and positive times and this post is about acknowledging the positive times because it's far too easy to become immersed in the rest.

So its time for

Let's see how we manage on the number of positives this week

1. Blue skies
2. Milky coffees
3. Dinner outside on the patio (in March who'd have thought)
4. Longer evenings with the clock going forward (even though I miss that hour and am always grateful when they give it back in October!)
5. Good staff team at work that just get that things are going to be crazy busy at the moment
6. Hubby for listening to me rant and rave and generally putting up with my pretty appalling moods at the moment that are predominantly linked with stress! 
7. Yorkshire Sculpture Park for providing a lovely afternoon to enjoy the fresh air - even if I didn't 'get' some of the sculptures! 
8. My sister for babysitting said 11 year old last Saturday so we could have some alone time 
9. Hubby for taking me for a great meal out!
10. Ross Noble for a great DVD that has me giggling all the time 
11. Said 11 year old for becoming a little more opinionated on things that matter (and making me smile when he ranted the words 'idiot government' at the TV on Thursday morning when they were talking about the petrol fiasco).
12. True Blood on FX on a Sunday night - pure escapism!
13. Washing machines and dishwashers for making life easier! 
14. Said 11 year old making me giggle on Sunday when he realised that the Sports Relief mile in the local town was full which made him very upset and teary and then deciding that the way we could 'make it up to him' (although he didn't say those words) was to discuss getting a pet - nice try matey but do I look that daft! 
15. Now on Thursday I pulled my back, so I'm sat currently as I type this with a TENS machine on having taken some voltarol and you might think that there is nothing to be positive about in this situation but that would be wrong.  I'm positive that I have a TENS machine, that I have a hubby that stopped to pick up batteries for the TENS machine on his way home, that I had voltarol with me at work, that people at work know how bad it is and that they are bearing with me - so there are lots of positives there to be grateful for that and that I'm still managing upright walking - fingers crossed that this continues! 
16. New recipes out of recipe book 
17. Final Kinetika session at the gym stating I've lost 4 inches since I start this in January (now just need to lose some weight LOL).
18. Hubby mowing front lawn at the beginning of the week before I got home 

Right peeps I think that's it for this week, just not feeling too clever so brain not in gear properly, however I don't think that that is such a bad list for the week.

Crafting - now no yelling at the screen - yes this is a Christmas layout!  Let's be honest it's almost April so in 8 months we'll be preparing for this again - stop yelling I tell you - I can hear you (tee hee).  Photo of the tree I love in Sheffield City Centre!  

Up close, the painted chipboard border, the hand stitching and torn paper. 

 Ribbon embellishment as well

Hope you've all had a great week and have many positives to be thankful for.  If you're joining in then please use Mr Linky below

Morning All

OK I'm trying out the new blogger interface thingy - it looks mighty different to what it used to - has anyone else tried it or am I the only one.

I'm having a tough week, too many work hours and not enough crafty play time makes Ginnie a dull person (apparently grumpy verging on evil in some instances - don't ask long story).  I could sit and have a good cry (I always think a good cry helps - don't you), but in all honesty I don't have time.  So for now I'm going to sit in my little gathering of stress and keep going until the stress disappears or I keel over - if anyone has a sensible way of calming my mind down can you let me know before I fry all my circuits and I know the answer isn't wine so don't need that as a recommendation LOL!

Right I'm sure you've not happened here to listen to me whinging so without further ado - layout of said 11 year old and his first day of school, we've taken a similar shot every year and I couldn't believe how much he's grown over the years, planning on doing a photo merge of the photos to show how much he's grown!

I used some K and company paper for this, mixed with navy blue and some Tim Holtz stickers that I've got, very simple embellishments if I'm honest, but sometimes they make the best pages don't they!

Up close photo which turns out when I upload it to be blurry - drat!  Hey ho, the letters were layered up and then put on foam pads and overlapped in places.  Used an assortment of odds and ends left over to create the page and a pair of decorative scissors to create the edges of the blue (yes I did drag those out, forgot I'd got them and they work just as well as those punch edges you can buy at great cost, provided you have a pencil line guide).  

Rocking Your World post tomorrow - crikey I'm going to spend some time today digging deep!

MID WEEK POST - THIS IS BECOMING THE NORM ISN'T IT!

Morning all - yes Wednesday again, Wednesday mornings mean one thing a mass catch up on my lovely blogging friends and all their amazing crafting work and their lives, utterly bliss.

Now this house is currently a craft free house - nope I'm not kidding - too many hours at work and not enough time at the craft table make Virginia a very very very dull person!

Anyway more layouts done previously to share, this is the Portabello Road paper from Papermania - I loved these papers, deep blues and reds - totally up my street, however, the downside to them - was the 'almost done' feel to them - I mean they were great papers just as they - what to do to alter them into feeling like I'd scrapbooked and not had a cutting and sticking session?

 Up close you can see how this was resolved, I tore some red paper and went over the original red on the page, to give it a more shabby look, I also stitched around all the navy blue triangles on the page, created an embellishment from painted chipboard and scraps of paper.  I used up a piece of vellum for a title and created some bunting for the journalling - overall really pleased with this layout!

So if you've got an almost done paper - take another look at it and see if by overlaying other colours and papers you too can create a scrapbook page!  Hope you're all having a great day!

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY

Morning All - how are you this morning, I hope I find you well - yes it's

Wow it's been one of those weeks - those dig deep and then dig a bit deeper to find the positives but I know they are there so let's see what we can manage

1. Craft night with my Mum, my niece and my sister on Thursday night - always a tremendous blessing.
2. Blue sky days - I love these - pretty please can we have some more.
3. A great team at work who seem completely unphased with what I've thrown at them recently! 
4. Making embellishments from scraps, great fun and no expense - now this I love. 
5. Mothering Sunday which meant beautiful handmade gifts and cards and pressies and flowers making me feel very special.
6. Gym at the weekend
7. Rugby 6 nations, even though we didn't win, thoroughly enjoyed watching (and crafting)
8. Marks and Spencers mothering Sunday meal - delicious lamb which we've not had for ages (too damned expensive if I'm honest)
9. Hubby for understanding me - always
10. Having a coffee outside on Thursday evening when we arrived home from work
11. English Heritage book coming through so we can start to plan days out this summer
12. Borrowing some of my mum's dies for the Big Shot to make embellishments - thanks Mum
13. My niece creating a beautiful peace of artwork to remember a friend of hers who passed away recently  from leukaemia at less than 13 years of age, it makes you appreciate life even more when you know how difficult some people's lives are.  
14. Asda delivery van arriving with food on Thursday - bliss - no trudging around the supermarket - now that's my kind of shopping (now Asda can you reduce all the prices because for what we got it really shouldn't have been that expensive should it?)
15. My new cookbook turning up through a recommendation from K last week, it's 200 budget meals - I'll let you know how I get on.
16. Trip to Hobbycraft last weekend to have a wander around and buy some new papers (because I obviously need new papers LOL)
17. Said 11 year old for not only buying me a beautiful potted plant from Homebase with his own money but also buying me a surprise present of a twin heart frame with his own money too, then wrapping everything up so beautifully for me to open on Sunday - fair made my heart flutter he did!
18. PC World for understanding that the printer was rubbish and we needed a new one
19. The Kodak rep at PC World appreciating that under no circumstances did we want another Kodak printer and for showing us the 'offers' that were on - which included a HP printer which we subsequently bought - let's see if this one lasts longer
20. Amazon for great prompt delivery we just want our (ACE dictionary now)
21. Steampunk embellishments turning up - really gorgeous if not a little tiny! 
22. Finding Steampunk clothes patterns on the internet - might even buy one (or two) 
23. A Brit winning Topshot on TV last week - love it! 
24. Cheese salad sandwiches for providing a more than adequate tea late on Thursday
25. Hubby for helping me write this post - knowing I'm totally wrecked bless him! 

Right there you go 25 gratefuls - now that I didn't expect!  On reflection my week was pretty damned awesome! 

So if you fancy joining in then pop yourself a post together and pop back here to link so we can come and visit, don't worry if you can't manage a list of 25, finding one positive in the week makes your heart lighter - don't believe me - give it a try and you'll see what I mean! 

Before I toddle off for the night (it's late Thursday) a bit of crafting for you - more awful red photos that I took a while ago, this time a photo of a field of poppies that hubby drove me too last year so we could see how gorgeous it was!  Also wanted to mention comments on the candlesticks in the background, I bought those years ago from a shop in Leeds we'd been after something like them for ages when we'd gone Victorian Gothic with knotwork in the last house, when we moved they ended up in the loft, but when we re-decorated late last year we dragged them out and decided that they fit just lovely on the wall and not only do they cast beautiful light but they also warm the room up (believe it or not).  

Up close ripped paper, hand journalling, hand cut butterflies and hand stitching.  

FOGGY THURSDAY - HOW'S YOURS?

It has to be said that it's a little on the foggy side this morning in Yorkshire - hold up what's happened to the tool bar at the top of blogger - that looks different - mmm - confused.  Anyway - thought I'd say hi to everyone and hope you're all managing lots of crafting - in a word I'm not, lots and lots of hours at work and very little play time makes Virginia a rather dull person, verging on grumpy and knowing her rocking post will require an amazing amount of digging deep to actually make a list that hits double numbers this week - but that's for tomorrow.

Today I'm here to show another 12 x 12 layout, I'm hoping that as my blog folder empties I'll be inspired to start refilling it - it's not worked up to now!

So the first one was during the fireworks display at Center Parcs last Christmas as I had already taken lots of firework photos before I thought I'd get shots of the dancers and their hoola hoops that were all lit up I love the effect I got with the camera!  This is yet another layout using the same 'sketch' with circles (same as yesterdays post), do you ever do that - get addicted to a sketch and use it over and over, in this case it was actually one of my sketches (for a change)

 Up close more ribbon goodies from Susie from her pre-Christmas bundle being used in layouts!

 Then the world's best squirrel eating - yes that is a crispbread - we were amazed at how much he liked them!

 Up close the embellishments were simply stamps used onto contrasting card and then the flowers coloured in with different pens!

I'm still hacking my way through scraps and will try and do a few photos as I go to show you what I've been wittering on about!

Hope you're all having a great Thursday see you back here tomorrow!

MID WEEK POST

Morning all - how you doing this morning?  I cannot believe we are on Wednesday already.  I'm having a particularly tough week (nothing new I hear you say), no playing with crafty items, just two very very long work days under my belt, two difficult meetings today and the gym later added to which I've got a vile cold that just won't leave me alone!  On the plus side had a good old heart to heart with my Mum and sister last night which was probably a little overdue and hopefully that will re-synch us (a little anyway).

Need to make some changes - you know the one when you are rattling around the same four walls (literally), need to explore new avenues and do some new things, even hubby is struggling at the moment.  He is doing the work, home, looking after his Mum merry go round (his Mum has alzheimers but still lives in her own home, obviously he has to do a lot for her given the circumstances).  We do however, have a willing volunteer to babysit on Saturday - so gulp - we're going to have a night out - what the hell is one of those???? No idea where we will go or what we'll do - it always turns into a bit of a damp squib if I'm honest because we are so out of the routine of going out together - but I'll try and put my thinking cap on and come up with something that will prevent that!,

Anyway - thought I'd just pop to say hello and hope all my fellow bloggers are managing some great craftiness at the moment!  I've had a quick catch up this morning but feel like I've still missed loads of blogs out so will be doing more catching up later!

In the meantime a layout to prove I still do do crafting just not at the moment - this is sooooo not my normal style if I'm honest, pale muted colours - me - really?  But they really seemed to emphasise the moody picture don't you think?

As you'll see I add to the papers with cut circles and then stitched around them with a muted blue embroidery thread

I then used some 6 x 6 papers (that I normally use for cards) to cut out and create the title.  I also used a piece of muslin fabric that the gorgeous Susie sent me before Christmas with some ribbon and some embroidery thread, I didn't know if this embellishment would work but was really happy with the overall effect - what do you think?

Up close the cut papers

At the weekend I started to empty my scrapbag (which is always a bit worrying) and started to cut lots of shapes to make embellishments with, I'd seen some gorgeous embellishments in a shop at the weekend and then I'd seen the gorgeous price tag and thought - really?  I'm sure I could make something on those lines couldn't I?  So I set too with my Big Shot, some stamps, some stickers, some foam dots and some glossy accents.  I'll show you what I made when I get chance - it might inspire you to reach for your stash and make your own rather than reach for your pocket?

Hope you're all having a beautiful and blessed week - hugs and sparkles!