Shimelle's Blog Party

This weekend Shimelle has been hosting a Scrapbooking blog party over at Shimelle.com with loads of inspiration and challenges. There's been prizes along the way too for entering the challenges.

I've not been able to play along as much as I would have liked... busy, busy weekend here...but did manage Friday evening's sketch challenge which you can find right here. We had to take inspiration from Shimelle's layout/sketch.

This is the layout I came up with

I am working on a couple of the other challenges this evening and hope to have a go at some of the others throughout the coming week, even though it will be too late to enter for the giveaways it will be greatto get more of my ever growing pile of photos scrapped!

Thanks Shimelle for the party...it's been fab!

Couple of cards....

...as promised in my last post!

I have two cards to show you....

It was my friend's daughter's 1st birthday earlier this week. I made her this card using a Kanban die cut toppers and matching card pack. Great when you need a card in a hurry!!

I have had this Clarity stamp for absolutely ages and I still love it and use it loads.

For this card I stamped it onto patterned paper, heat embossed with black embossing powder and cut out the hat and outfit. I then stamped it again onto white card and heat embossed the image. I inked the edges with distress ink and a blending tool, coloured her skin and gloves with promarkers and then pieced her outfit on top of the image. The background is the same paper as the outfit.

I hope you like!

I can hardly believe the school holidays are almost over, the last 2 weeks have gone so quick
but we have packed a lot in. I'm planning a quiet, relaxing weekend! Hope you have a lovely weekend too.

Thanks for all your comments, I really do appreciate them!

Some scrapbooking...at last!!

Just wanted to pop by and quickly show you a couple of layouts I've managed to get done.

I'm trying to give myself an hour (at least) of scrapping time each evening, to help me relax at the end of the hectic days we are having this school holiday!!

This first LO is using the new My Mind's Eye Quite Contrary papers and stickers.

And Some Close Ups!

I was pleased with how this one turned out, I wanted it to be pink and girly!!

I have a big box of photos taken back in the 1980's and 90's before I had a digital camera. A lot of the photos aren't that great, busy backgrounds and blurred or fuzzy but I am slowly working my way through them as I want to scrapbook my memories.

This particular photo was taken sometime back in the mid eighties on a day out to the New Forest and shows my Mum and Dad and Gran relaxing whilst us kids were off playing!!!

I do have a few cards to share as well but I will wait until tomorrow now for some decent light to take some pictures.

Enjoy the rest of your evening....!!

Ally Pally!

On Saturday I left my home at some ridiculously early time (6.15am to be exact!) to catch the train up to London to go to the Big Stamp and Scrapbook Show at Ally Pally. The sky wasn't quite this blue (almost though!) .... I've cheated a bit and posted a photo I took on my last visit last September as I forgot to take my camera with me this time.

It was a great show, the best yet!! I watched loads of demos both in the demonstration area and on the stands and picked up some great ideas and techniques that I haven't tried before.

I treated myself to a few new bits, mainly scrapping stuff and papers but a few Lavinia Stamps ended up in my shopping basket too!!




With all the sun we have had lately and signs that Summer is not that far away Hannah and I both got new flip flops this weekend. I took this photo today so that I can make a layout about how we both love to wear our flippy flops as soon as the sun is out!

As always, thanks for stopping by and I'd love to hear what you have been enjoying most about the sunshine, why not leave me a comment so I can stop by your blog too!!

1 More Sleep to go!!

Just one more sleep to go and I will be off to HERE !!

The Big Stamp and Scrapbook Show at Ally Pally!

I wasn't going to go this year but had a last minute change of mind and booked my train ticket a few days ago. I can't wait!! Although I'm not looking forward to catching the early train at 6.40am (Eeek!) up to Waterloo. I'm on a stash diet at the moment so I'm going to be very good and not buy very much (except I do need some journalling cards/stickers). I'm going to spend time watching the demonstrations as when I've been before I seem to miss them as I'm so intent on shopping!!

Anyone else going??

Bank Holiday at Honeybrook

I love Bank Holiday Mondays! That extra day to rest and relax is so precious and enjoyable!

Easter Monday was spent at Honeybrook Farm which is about 30 minutes drive away from us.

We had a lovely day out and I took loads of photographs, here are just a few of my favourites!

Being as it is Springtime there were lots of baby animals,

the cutest of which has to be this little guy!!

A walk to explore the farm's land bought us across this chair...isn't it great??!

It was all carved from wood!

And finally I love these two pics and can't wait to get them printed and scrap them!

Sorry my posts have been mainly family/personal chat lately, I used to keep 2 blogs and keep my general chat separate from craft but it got too much keeping them both up so I now just do this one.

I will try and post something crafty soon!

Happy Easter!

It's April, already....how fast is 2010 going?!

Happy Easter to all lovely bloggers!!

I hope you have had a lovely Bank Holiday weekend and enjoyed a chocolate egg (or two!)

The weather has been glorious today...very spring like! After Easter pressies were exchanged this morning, an easter egg hunt for Hannah and Sunday lunch all done and cleared away we got out into the garden for the afternoon. I nearly broke my back weeding the flowerbeds and clearing up the garden from after the winter months but it was so worth it to see it all looking nice and tidy. Hannah had great fun riding her bike up and down, playing on her swing and practising with her skipping rope. A really nice day!

I love this time of year with the lighter evenings, warmer days and flowers coming out in colourful displays everywhere, so thought as I haven't got any pics of crafty projects that I can show you just yet and I totally forgot to take any photograps in the garden today I would leave you with this gorgeous spring photo, which reminds me I must get some daffs for the house!!

image by photoeverywhere.co.uk

Right, off for more yummy mini eggs and some scrapping, a perfect end to a lovely day!

I hope to have some crafty stuff to show you soon. It's not that I haven't been making stuff its just that I can't show you yet!

Enjoy the rest of your Bank Holiday weekend!