Achievement

Today's LO is about achievement!

This LO is called Just 19 because that was the age I was when I got married. I have now been married for 33 years and in my book that's an achievement!

The challenge on UKS was to use yellow and include a butterfly.

I therefore decided to make mine all yellow

and white with just the tiniest hint of green inking on the edges.

The tag tucked behind the photo says:

They said it would never last- they were wrong
33 years and still going strong

The photograph was taken n my honeymoon in Italy

More red, white and blue?

Hi all

Just when you though you'd seen the last of all the Jubilee and Olympic themed LO's along comes another challenge on UKS that asked for red, white and blue to be featured.. this time in honour of St.Georges day.. which of course is proper and right!

So, I didn't have any St Georges photos I wanted to scrap so here is another Lo for 'The Story so Far' album that you may already know I'm doing.

I had saved the tiny, pretty bunting from some M & S food packaging from last summer.. I just knew it would come in handy some time! lol.. and the Union Jack heart was from a Really Useful Storage Box that I bought last summer too. I then used a die cut heart and some lace and coloured cardstock to create a simple, white space LO with faux stitching around the key element of the heart.

Thanks for looking

April week 3 UKS challenge

I took a look at this weeks challenge on UKS and decided it was right up my street!

A colour challenge and scrap someone you love! Easy! The colours were gorgeous too.. plum, pink, green and white.

I'm currently in the middle of a 'The Story So Far' album for my dear son and fiancee which I plan to give them before they get married in June.

I chose this picture of them because it was a really special day- taken at my other sons passing out parade on a freezing cold day in January 2011. I have journaled all about the day on the reverse of the lacy clock on the top right hand corner.

There was a lot of fussy cutting for this LO and I confess I used a kit from Total Papercrafts but I did my own take on it. The patterned papers were Prima: Overture, Prelude, Box Office and another (sorry can't remember)

I used Maya Mists- Pink Lemonade to add further plummy/pinks and inked all of the edges in black.

Thanks for looking!

Wedding favours

What an industrious day I had yesterday.

I spent all morning blitzing the house and then felt I deserved some crafting time. With my sons wedding looming I have several items to make and one of the mammoth tasks was to make the wedding favours for the tables. These are to be in the form of wine glass charms in organza bags.

So DIL to be and I sat down and worked out our bead 'arrangement' and off we went.. not as easy as you might think believe me! lol

After a few nightmares and giggles we cane up with these.. 50 for the men with crowns on- to follow the them of the wedding (which is Kings- due to my surname) and 50 for the girls with hearts on with a little crown embossed on them. The girls have pearls and crystals on and the boys have just crystals.

Then of course we had to make the little inserts to go inside the bags and cut to fit... it was a propoer little sweat shop for a few hours.

Here is the end result... and the whole thing came to less than £20 for 100 guests.. rather good value I think and it was precious bonding time with DIL to be.

Have a great Monday everyone

Yesterdays scrapping

Morning all!

Today I'm uploading my latest LO's from two challenges set by UKS.

The first is to create a LO from a sketch which I flipped to suit my own LO and papers here

Secondly I made a LO that was set from a challenge set by THe Green Buttons House at UKS. It was a fab idea.. it asked us to take the third letter of our user name (in my case A) and look at the member galleries of everyone starting with that letter, I found a member called AnniB. She has a very uncluttered style which I appreciate and so I used one of her LO's.. here

I then made my selection of photos, papers and card and set about using up some of my scraps. I matted all of the pps too and ended up with this  LO.. which I am really pleased with. Thanks AnniB

Counterfeit Challenge Fab Five

I'm so thrilled to be chosen as one of March's FabFive from the Counterfiet Challenge blog! The first month I've joined in and was selected... Yay.. Go me... For more of the Fab Five see here! 

http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/

Counterfeit Challenge no 2

Here is another LO I have made from my counterfeit Kit for March. As the colours I chose were very summery I am having great fun going back over old photos finding pictures of my dear Son in his childhood.. it is bringing back so many happy memories and I can't wait to delve into the box of photos again.

As you can see it is very different from my last kit LO but I have used the same/similar papers here. I used up the final piece of cardstock that I had inked to change it to match my dress in the last kit LO I did. There's none left now so there isn't any chance you'll get bored with it..lol

Week 3 UKS challenge

Here is a LO that I created tonight for a challenge on UKS set by Weaselwise aka Woozle from my team, Scrap Happy in the Green Buttons House on UKS.

I used a kit supplied by Total Papercrafts but adapted it from the LO that they had devised as I wanted to go 'off piste' and do my own thing.

Thanks for looking

Pre-wedding Garden Party stationery

Morning...

Todays blog features some invitations I have made to a garden party I am hosting in May.

As I am mother of the groom rather than the bride I am playing a rather hands off approach to it on account of the fact that the brides parents want to take charge (lots of lip biting going on!) lol

So... to put my 'organising gene' to good use I decided to host a garden party 2 weeks prior to the big day for the actual wedding 'party'. I call it my pre-wedding 'wedding party' party... not easy to say when you've had a glass of wine on two! lol

I used an embossing folder from Couture Creations called 'Butterfly Hugs' and cropped it down to fit a 5" square card and matted it on teal CS as that is their accent colour for the big day and then added three crystals and a stamped 'invitation'.. such a simple card that anyone could do. I don;t often 'do' cards so it had to be simple!

I am having great fun making decorations for the party (please God let the sun shine) or all my paper decorations will be papier mache! Paper chains, tissue pom poms, jam jar candles-the list goes on. I'm having a great time. The table planner is next for the actual wedding.

While surfing the net for some ideas I came across these rather gorgeous free printable labels/tickets that are wedding themed. I thought I'd share them on here in case anyone can make good use of them too. I've printed a few off for the post wedding scrapbook album. Enjoy these here.

U R My Son shine....Counterfeit Challenge 2

I have made my first LO from my Counterfeit Challenge kit, as below.

As my son is 30 in June and he will be getting married the day after his birthday I wanted to do a LO that reflects how I have always felt about him.

Both my boys are my pride and joy- and yet, no, I'm not one of those clingy Mums! lol

I do however, want him to know how I feel so I have created a hidden pocket with the following words:

When you were very, very small
I used to dance with you cradled in my arms
You were my precious angel and when I held you close
love overwhelmed me....

I used to wonder what kind of life you'd lead
What would be your first word, your first job?
What kind of man would you become?
and would your life take you far away from me?

Then I'd hold you even closer.
I'd give you an extra kiss and an extra squeeze
and whisper 'I love You' one more time.

I knew you were too young to remember my words
but I prayed you would never forget them
Now you are a man
There are days when I still long to cradle you in my arms
and dance with you once again

Although I miss my little boy I am so proud of the man you are
and who you will become

When I think of you love still overwhelms me.
And as we both grow older and memories fade,
please never forget these words that you were once too small to remember

"I Love You"

The papers are predominantly We R Memory Keepers and I sponged the photo mat to match my dress.

The photo was taken at an industry awards night for Estate Agents (my son is also an Estate Agent) and I won best overall Estate Agent.. so we celebrated and partied quite hard that night!

Favorite Song Lyrics CJ pages

Here are my pages for my CJ. Batgirl21 from UKS chose Favourite song lyrics and I chose Mr Blue Sky by ELO as it brings back so many happy memories of the 1970's when I was first dating my husband. Aaahh.... happy memories. The photos flap open and the lyrics for the songs are hidden underneath.
The last verse of the song tells the story of the sun going down so I incorporated a picture of the setting sun. Both photos were taken in St Lucia to celebrate my 50th birthday

Happy Mother's Day

Hey all

Here is my latest LO for the March challenge on UKS where we have been challenged to create a LO using mauve, orange, yellow and green... Not my usual type if palette but it is good to scrap outside your comfort zone sometimes... That's why I like to accept the challenges laid down sometimes.

As it is Mother's Day he's in the UK I have made another LO featuring my son as he cooked my scrumptious lunch today he's 9 in this picture and now he's 29

Counterfeit Kit challenge

Here is my counterfeit kit from UKS that I have made for the March challenge. Now all I have to do is make a few LO's with it. Can anyone tell me where I can find an extra couple of hours a day?

Another busy weekend

Just one last blog before I head off back to work for 4 days.... so probably no time to blog until Friday.

Here are two of the LO's I made at the crop I attended in Golden Green, Tonbridge, Kent on Saturday.

They are both of my son.. the first one when he was 10 months old and the other when he was 23 at my nephews wedding.

Feb week 4 challenge

Made this for the last weekly challenge in February.

Challenge was to use up some scraps at least 4, use yellow or circles and to show a celebration.

This was taken of me with my Mum at my cousins wedding last year and I've been waiting to find the right time to use it.. so here it is.

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend so far.

Butterflies and orchids

Hi all... had a great few days. Although I've been working I have also been out a lot this week too. I had a lovely day yesterday. as I went to RHS Wisley with my Mum and Sister to see the Butterflies in the Glasshouse exhibition and we had a lovely time. I am putting a few of the hundreds of photos I took below so you can appreciate the beauty that I saw. No doubt they will be appearing on scrap layouts soon!
Off to a crop today so hoping to get some more LO's done and my latest CJ pages (especially as they have to be posted by Monday!)

CJ.. Things that make you go WOW!

Hi all.. here are the latest installments of my CJ. The 'France Living' Maggie chose a theme of 'Things that make you go Wow!' which was so inspirational... choosing what thing that made me go Wow was so very difficult... I live in a beautiful rural area with views from the back of my garden that make me go WOW! as each season changes and my first instinct was to select one of the many times I have felt compelled to snap the ever changing view from my garden.. but in the end it was an easy choice.

My husband is a London Firefighter and as part of his role he has to attend many well known London Landmarks, theatres, museums, art galleries etc in order to familiarise himself with the layout of the building in case he ever has to attend in the event of a real emergency.

I therefore chose a view that, at the time, was totally unique! He had to attend the new London 'Shard' which is the tallest building in Europe.. towering way above all the other landmarks in London, such as The Gherkin, St Pauls, The Post Office Tower etc.

I chose this view as he managed to take some incredible photographs whilst he was up there. The one thing I didn't mention in my journalling was the fact that the building wasn't finished by a long way and these pictures were taken from about 2/3rds of the way up.. in a cage on the OUTSIDE of the building.. waving about in the wind!!!! Rather him than me... it is now open to the public.. but wasn't at the time.....

I used Prima Printery papers and some Websters Pages pps and I hinged the left hand photograph with journalling beneath.

Thanks Maggie for photographing these and sending them to ma.. I forgot to do so before I posted them off to her! Doh!

Snap 2013 and CJ Disney

Yesterday I received my latest instalment of my CJ entitled... Favourite Places. Heidi sent me this lovely LO that I will treasure. It also brought back happy memories of my trip to Florida when my kids were small.

As I mentioned I am also doing Snap 2013 on UKS too and this week I was challenged to take a photo of an unusual door. Here is my take on this:

Snap 2013 and Photography

One of my favourite pastimes, when I'm not scrapbooking of course, is photography.. but sometimes just photographing my, mostly oblivious, dogs.. can be either boring.. (another dog, another field type thing) or challenging (getting them to sit still).. the results can be lucky (in my case that is most of the time) or just downright bad!

One of the things that therefore makes me think outside of the box is the Snap 2013.. a Photography challenge that the lovely Sheila sets for us each week. She chooses a theme and each Monday uploads a challenge for the week. Most weeks I manage a new picture based on the theme- but sometimes I have to use a photograph from my library.

Fortunately I have to use my camera during the working day so I can often get to take my picture whilst out working, so I'm a lucky girl.

This week I was challenged to photograph a kitchen utensil on a macro setting which faded into the background so this is my take on it. Watch out for next weeks episode!

and here is one of my lovely 3 dogs too

Busy weekend

Hey all.. sorry I've been absent for a few days. I've been busy with other life things.. like getting a new car as my old one was dying and everytime I took it out it seemed as though something else went wrong with it! Well I now have a nice new (ish) shiny black Renault Clio to travel around in.

I also went hat shopping for my sons wedding in June and managed to find the perfect hat to hire for the event. Pictures below

I also went and collected my long overdue specs as I sat on mine in December and I had been managing with a very old prescription pair.

I also had to finish my next CJ page instalment as they have to be posted tomorrow. They are all finished now but I can't share them yet until I know my next recipient has received hers then I can upload.

Thats all I have time for this morning but take care and enjoy the rest of the weekend :0)

CJ update

Hey all...

I'm afraid I don't have any crafting pictures to share today but I am really looking forward to getting home tonight to get my next two CJ pages finished as they need to be sent by Monday.

I have to do two 4" x 6" LO's featuring things that make you go Wow! I can't share what they are going to be about yet but as soon as I can get them on here I will do.

I'm getting into the swing of thei blogging thing now and I am soon to launch you into the unsuspecting world. Until now I know I've been talking to myself, but as soon as I pluck up the courage I will mention my blog on UKS and add it to my signature on there too. Hopefully by then I will be a bit more confident in bloggin and I wouln't feel so self conscious.

Escape route

Hey all... Another day at the grindstone today but I'm planning my escape route! As much as I love my darling cottage I am seriously thinking of selling up so I can take early retirement... And also because my husbands job as a firefighter is in the line... Watch this space..best get ready for that work  thing

Snowy Sunday

Yesterday was a really miserable day.. snow showers all day and bitterly cold.. So a perfect day for crafting!

I headed off into my craft room and made another three layouts.. each for my sons 30th birthday.. oh  didn't I mention that I was making an album to celebrate the occasion? No? Well I am. His birthday is in June.. the day before he gets married and I don't want the week to be all about the wedding and his big birthday to be overlooked.

I am several layouts in and here are my latest offerings:

He's about 4 in this pictre

He's about 13 in this one

And he's aged 9 & 29 in this one

So many to do and so little time.

I forgot to mention that I also made the reply to my sons wedding invitation..I was rather pleased with the way t turned out.

Here it is

CJ Pages and life

I really must get into the habit of posting on here more regularly!

I've been busy with wedding planning and scrapping in between working full time.. but I still make sure I get some me time in there too.

I'm currently doing a CJ with some people on UKS and I am loving the themes they've chosen. The first one is 'Childhood Memories' and I chose Scrabble.. it was a big family game of ours when I was growing up. Here are my pages

Wedding planner

Well this week I've been playing with a wedding table planner and deciding if I can manage with the Dies I already have or if there is a chance for some retail therapy!

I've made several samples for the bride to be to choose from so now I am awaiting her decision.

I'm off to my craft room now to design my Monthly Challenge for UKS with a sketch challenge . Watch this space.

Invites

Hi all.. sorry for the absence. I don't know where the days roll by to. I've recently been busy making some samples of garden party invites for a party I'm hosting in May. I can't decide what to do yet so I have been making lots of samples. I asked Dear Husband and he said why didn't I send a different invite to everyone.. men.. how daft.. lol

Welcome

Hi all.. welcome to my new blog. I have decided to start a new blog for all my crafting requirements as I am always wanting to subscribe to threads but seem to be unable to without a blog.

I started a blog some time ago but it was about my rescue blog Bella and it never got off the ground.

This blog will be dedicated to my love of crafting- especially Scrapbooking in which my three dogs feature heavily.

Watch this space for regular updates.