28 March 2011

* House Renovations Update ~ Part 1!! *

When I said to Hubby back in January "I think we should decorate the lounge" and he readily agreed, I honestly never expected it to become the huge renovation project that it has, and to still be going on in April! Initially we thought we would just paint the walls, put down new flooring and curtains/lighting etc. We liked the idea of a wall papered feature wall and maybe a new fireplace if our budget would allow.


It all started here and then we started stripping off the old wallpaper which you can read about here and see the "Before" pictures. Once we had got all the old wallpaper off we could see the room really was in a bad way and we had some decisions to make, do we try to patch the plaster up, hang lining paper, paint and hope for the best or do we get the walls and ceiling replastered and "do a proper job"? Decisions!!


We got some quotes for the work, priced up the materials and after some serious number crunching and a generous input of cash from a lovely relative we decided to go for it!!


So the old red brick fireplace was ripped out, I think my hubby enjoyed the demolition! The skirting boards and coving had to go, the horrible ceiling wall paper ripped off (why on earth did people put paper on a ceiling in the1970s & 80s??..Pointless!!)

Then, the builder/plasterer came in and quickly got started. He pulled down the old window that previous owners had put into the wall between the hall and lounge (where originally the door was), which so many visitors commented on as it looked so odd.


and replaced it with a door (yes, back to how it was orginally!)



He sorted all the walls out, repairing the holes and loose plaster and replastered all the walls and ceilings. The replastered chimney breast and fireplace was already looking so much better.



He sorted out all the odd jobs as well, like removing old, disused wall lights, put in a new TV aerial socket as well as repairing the archway through to the dining area, which once a spirit level was used was clearly not straight!! I'm pleased to say it now is definately straight!! lol! It was a lot of work and our house resembled a building site whilst it was going on.



As this is a long post, and photo heavy I'm going to be back with part 2 over the weekend! If you've got this far, thanks for reading and have a great evening!!

25 March 2011

* Look what the Postie delivered! *

I've been stalking the Postman this week!!! Then on Wednesday the doorbell went and there was Postie with my box of new goodies ...... Well, a girl needs to treat herself once in awhile doesn't she? I have several Layouts sitting waiting to be put into an album but as my albums are literally bursting full I needed a new AC D Ring. I love all the new recently released papers so just had to get a few ... there's some Crate Emma's Shoppe, Crate Neighborhood and Echo Park Little Girl. Some Kraft and 3 Packs of Thickers fell into my basket too. Right off to sort out some photos to go with my new papers!

24 March 2011

* Two Layouts *

Hello .... How are you? .....Another beautiful, warm and sunny day here and today I have not one, but TWO Layouts to share with you.

First up, these photos were taken a couple of years ago on a day trip to the New Forest Wildlife Park, where we were able to get very close to some of the beautiful tame animals, our favourites being the Deers.



I used some of the lovely October Afternoon Papers, my Martha Stewart Border Punch, Hero Arts Journalling Stamp and a few other bits from my stash (gems, brads, stickers etc).

This next page is based on a sketch in the current issue of Scrapbook Magazine. The photo was taken a couple of years ago and one of the few that I have of the 3 of us together where no one has closed their eyes or looked the other way! lol!


I didn't waste much time in cutting into the MME Stella & Rose papers that I got last week for this page. I also opened a new packet of glitter Thickers that arrived in a yummy box of new stash yesterday. I will share the rest of my new puchases later or tomorrow!

Looking at this page again, I feel as if the space on the left needs something ... I'm not good at leaving "white space" on a layout. Maybe I'll put some journalling there, what do you think?

Before I go, if you have arrived here via Shimelle's Blogging for Scrapbookers class please do leave a comment so I can stop by your blog too!

22 March 2011

* Spring is in the air *

Well, it definately feels like Spring is here, with the lovely weather we have had this week.

I love this time of the year. I love that the sun shines but it's not so hot that my car becomes almost sauna like (sadly I don't have air con!). I love seeing the flowers and in particular the daffodils. I love that I can hang the washing out to dry on the line in the garden. I love that we can get out to enjoy the local parks, beaches and country side without needing to pack wellies and brollies and wrap up in several layers of clothes. I love that I get to take lots of photos!

Here's a few from last weekend!


Beautiful Daffodils!

We took the stabilisers off of H's bike ... she got the hang of it quite quickly!


Having fun in the Play Park!

I have finished another scrapbook page and another almost done so will be back soon to show you!

Hope you are having a lovely day enjoying the sun, enjoying some craftiness or anything else you may have planned!

18 March 2011

* Happy Red Nose Day *


Happy Red Nose Day!
H's school are having a "Bad Hair Day" today to raise money for Comic Relief. The children pay 50p to go to school with their hair in funny, wacky or unusual styles and/or colours!! Each morning H protests when I attempt to brush the tangles out of her usually very straight hair so this morning she thought it was brilliant that I didn't even bother to brush it but just scooped it up into high bunches and tied red spotty ribbons!! A little backcombing and hairspray & she was all ready to go!
I'd love to hear what you've been up to for Comic Relief!

15 March 2011

* A little new stash! *

So, as I feel that I have lost my way with scrapping lately, I thought a few new papers and pretties might help me find my mojo. So yesterday I took a trip to my local Hobbycraft and then headed to a craft shop near Southampton that I'd not been to before. According to the RAC website it was going to take me about 40 minutes to get there...but guess who got stuck in a big traffic jam caused by an earlier accident on the M27 !!! Took me well over an hour but it was worth it. Apart from all the DoCrafts and Papermania stuff there was some nice goodies so I treated myself to a few bits, not that much as pennies are tight at the moment, but hopefully should be enough to inject some life into my stash!

You wanna see what I got??



I could have gots lots of the MME Stella Rose papers, they are gorgeous, but at £1.25 (!!!) each, a little pricey at hobbycraft so I only got a few. I've not had a go with misting yet but love the effects I've seen on blogs so I got a blue one to have a play with, some Craftwork Cards Candi which I will probably use more on cards than layouts and a Cuttlebug embossing folder.

So, now the plan is get some housework jobs done as fast as I can so I can get an hour or two at my craft table!!

Have a fab day!

12 March 2011

* Fun in the Sun *

Hellooo Everyone, hope you are well and enjoying the weekend!
Yesterday I had a couple of blissful hours to myself and sat down at my craft table and played with pretty paper and photos. I pushed paper about, had a good ol' rummage through my stash, not quite sure what I was doing, inspiration and ideas completely absent. Does that happen to you? Eventually I had a browse through some blogs and came across this sketch on the very talented SJ's blog and this is the layout I finally ended up with based on the sketch.

I sanded the edges of the photos, something I rarely do but I love the effect.

And a close up!! Oh how I adore these little butterflies!

I feel as if I've lost my way a bit with scrapbooking at the moment and I'm not happy with the layouts I've made recently. So much so that I am thinking about placing an order for some new 12 X 12 papers, even though I can't really afford it :( ..... but new stash usually helps me find my mojo again!

Hope you have a had a lovely weekend and had time to craft!