a box full of flutters

Addicted to pinning?

2012-02-08T12:43:00.000Z

Is anyone else out there suffering from Pinterest addiction? I have just realised how dangerous joining this site actually is. It has already swallowed hours of my free time just browsing and oohing and ahhing at all the visual loveliness. I had heard that because the site is invite only it is difficult sometimes to get an account but the blogging world is full of kindness and Cristian Monroy offered me an invite. Does anyone else need an invite as I want to pay the kindness forward? If you are looking for a Pinterest invite then leave me a comment letting me know what you would pin on your boards and I'll pass out some invites x

2012-02-08T11:44:00.000Z

Looking at my photos from last month I realised that January can be beautiful too...

Busy bee

2011-08-22T23:55:00.001+01:00

Yesterday I started out on this lovely cardi from Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker. I have already completed a full repeat of the pattern. I have only been grabbing 15 mins of hooky time during my breaks at work, I can't believe how quick it grows or how easy this pattern has turned out to be.

Really I should be working on my two blanket WIPs but I find it really hot working on blankets when the sun is shining.

I am also in the middle of attempting to make a dress for my workmate's wedding. I have chosen a stupidly complicated pattern for only my second proper (from a commercial pattern) dressmaking project. It has boning and a lace overlay and all sorts of headache inducing stuff. I have managed to borrow a dressmakers dummy from my mum's friend which has helped enormously. I have discovered that there is nothing harder than trying to fit a bodice to yourself! Only problem is I only have until September 3rd to get it done. I know how I'll be spending my next four days off work!

I have also treated myself for a lovely "just in case" dress from Phase Eight that I figured will be ok for the wedding dressed up with heels and jewellery but will also get lots of wear as a casual dress with sandals for what might remain of the summer...

Folksy Finds

2011-03-13T11:32:00.000Z

adorable polymer clay mole

cute brooch

holga bottle opener

beautiful glass bunting

Crochet baby hat

2011-03-09T11:14:00.000Z

Really enjoyed crocheting this baby beanie hat found on ravelry. The pattern can be found on The Dainty Daisy. Its the first (non-granny) chrochet pattern following I've attempted and after 1 failed attempt...

Mental note: wrong yarn + hook size = hat sized for a tennis ball!

I'm pretty happy with how it actually turned out.

I have a patten for a lovely cardi with shell stitch pannels and knitted rib cuffs and waistband in one of my crochet books but not quite sure I'm feeling brave enough for that just yet...

Pretty flowers

2011-03-02T17:43:00.005Z

After the what has probably been the worst 4 day shift I have ever experienced at work I really needed some cheering up. Luckily yesterday was sunshiney and spring-like (albeit a bit chilly) so off we went to Dunham Massey for a wander around the gardens and a bit of afternoon tea. The Winter Garden is looking so lovely right now with all the pretty spring flowers coming up.

On a roll

2010-10-11T17:22:00.003+01:00

I really seem to be on a roll with digi crafting at the moment. I recently made my first all digi greetings card - a new home card for a friend who just moved. My digi scapping is progressing in leaps and bounds right now, I even found myself hunting out a tutorial to teach me how to create a torn paper edge. If you too have the need to make your own digi torn paper the really helpful tutorial I used is here. The kit I used for my layout was from The Daily Digi, their monthy kits are huge and great value for money. I love the cartoony style of this particular section of the kit, especially those dotty clouds!

Christmas Crafting

2010-10-02T09:20:00.000+01:00

I found this rather adorable reindeer pattern while blog hopping ages ago. It has been on my "things to do" pile for far too long so I finally made a start on a little christmas embroidery. So far so good, though I think I need a little more practice at embroidering in straight lines as he has rather wobbly legs!

Check out Andrea Zuill's blog for lots of fantastic free patterns and her Etsy for some of the most adorable prints. The goldfish print is definitely going on my christmas wish list, so sweet x

Off to look for some inspiration for handmade christmas gifts now, any ideas?

Digi scrapping

2010-09-30T00:31:00.002+01:00

As a birthday present to me I treated myself to the Now We're Rockin' with Photoshop class over at Jessica Sprague. I actually managed to complete all the lessons during the 4 weeks which is a first for me, I rarely complete online classes and never within the class timeframe. I really enjoyed the lessons, was impressed with the new skills I was learning and pleased with the finished layouts, all of which helped motivate me to finish the class. I am tempted to join the next session of Digi in Deep to add to my new found Photoshop skills and am also keeping my eyes peeled for the next pen tablet class as I am still getting to grips with mine and really don't think I have found out its true potential yet. Anyway here are a couple of the layouts from the lessons...

Layouts challenge

2010-09-29T13:44:00.004+01:00

Feeling rather guilty about the growing stack of untouched Scrapagogo kits building up under my desk I decided to set myself a challenge to make a layout from every one of them before my September kit arrived. That didn't sound too tough until I realised that I had 10 kits completely unused meaning I had 10 layouts to make in just under a month. Amazingly I did manage it and have finally got around to photographing and uploading the results. I have now discovered that having a deadline really helps to get me motivated to get things done.

Here are a few of the layouts that I created...

Sweet - using July's kit

Cute - using February's kit

Kiss - using March's kit

Beautiful Sunset - using August's kit

Folksy Finds

2010-07-19T10:05:00.000+01:00

adorable knitted fox

amazing thaumatrope

cute driftwood boat

fun rainbow plushie

recycled tin can tealight holder

Cornwall holiday snaps

2010-07-17T20:16:00.003+01:00

Oh to be back in warm, sunny Cornwall rather than here in damp, grey Manchester. It's feeling more like late autumn than midsummer to me right now. To bring a bit of sunshine to my little world I decided to make a start on editing my holiday photos today. These were all taken around Tintagel castle

I can't believe the photo of the kestrel, my guy took that with my little Fuji point and shoot!

Lovely Artwork at Feed Your Soul

2010-06-27T15:55:00.000+01:00

I have mentioned this site before but I am always amazed by the talent of the artists and their generosity in offering away their prints for free download. There is so much beautiful variety and with me being someone who likes to change my wall art regularly this site is perfect but don't take my word for it, go check it out for yourself!

Animal House

2010-06-24T15:18:00.000+01:00

In Haworth just before Christmas I spotted this little house shaped thimble rack in a second hand shop. I just knew it would be perfect for my collection of Lammermuir Designs animals, most of which had been put away in a box for ages. The wood of the house is quite dark so I lightened things up a bit by adding some Cosmo Cricket Earth Love papers to the back wall of each slot. I think these papers are gorgeous and they really compliment the soft colours used on the animals.

Think this guy might be my favourite!

Crochet inspiration

2010-06-19T15:02:00.000+01:00

I have fallen in love with the Granny Stripe Blanket pattern over at Attic24. Although I am still working on my blanket sized granny square I am itching to spread my newbie crocheter wings and try something a little more challenging. Not too challenging though, so I have limited myself to a baby blanket for my first forray into the vast crochet world outside of my little land of granny squares. I have chosen to use the same yarn as Lucy (Stylecraft Special DK) for this HAL (thats a hook along apparently!) in Lemon, Spring Green, Sherbert and White. It really is lovely and soft (and so, so affordable) and the colours make my heart sing.

Lego Love

2010-06-13T15:39:00.000+01:00

How sweet is this little Lego house? My guy found a cute little Lego set at the local supermarket. This is my dream home in Lego form! It sits on the shelf above my craft desk and is guaranteed to always make me smile.

Granny Square Progress

2010-06-10T14:44:00.003+01:00

As promised here is a quick photo of my granny square so far. I am taking this work in progress down to Cornwall with me this week so hopefully I'll be able to fit in some happy hooking in the sunshine by the sea...

Granny Square Love

2010-05-15T14:28:00.009+01:00

I am currently in the middle of two crochet projects and being a crochet newbie I am feeling rather proud. One is a giant granny square that will hopefully make it to blanket size eventually if I have enough matching wool. The other is a pile of basic granny squares that will hopefully also make it into a blanket. I love the fact that I can crochet on the move or while watching tv and that despite being a complete begginner I can create something that looks quite good (unlike when I knit and anything more complicated than a stocking stitch scarf looks like it has been attacked by a crazed kitty). I'll put some photos of my crochet projects on here as soon as I get around to taking any. In the mean time I have been dreaming about my next project, some of these may be a bit ambitious though...

source

Basic Grey Challenges

2010-03-30T14:52:00.003+01:00

Following the prompts on Shimelle's class I have finally realised just how much unused patterned paper I possess. A large proportion of this stash is Basic Grey and while blog hopping the other day I discovered the BasicGrey Challenges blog. The current challenge is to create something based on the theme of Tutti Fruitti so I decided to finally cut into my supplies of BG Obscure to make a card. I also used the BG hello stamp, a Prima bird stamp and my new Tim Holtz tattered florals die

Something from almost nothing

2010-03-22T01:07:00.004Z

I have joined the class currently being run by Shimelle in an attempt to reduce the stash mountain that is rapidly building in my teeny tiny flat. Since class started I have been at my mum's or at work and without the time or the energy to get started. However the prompts so far have been great and I can't wait to get going while I am off this week. There have also been some challenges this weekend which inspired me so much I got creating as soon as I got home from work. The result is this cover for my class album and a very, very small dent in the mountain!

(Sorry about the poor photo, but it was taken at 1am)

Bad, bad blogger!

2010-03-20T10:40:00.002Z

I have been so bad at keeping up with my blog recently. No internet for the last month or so really hasn't helped. Because of this I have decided to make a rather late new years resolution, perhaps a spring resolution instead - at least one post a week. This may not seem much to most of you but for me it is going to be quite a struggle! To assist me I am planning on joining in with lots of challenges. This week it is Gothic Arches and the theme for this week is 'Wild and Wacky'.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do but didn't have a suitable stamp, so instead I resorted to my favoured transfer technique with my very not printable vellum and a picture of a zebra. I also used a prima background stamp and a curly bracket stamp (basic grey I think) stamped and embossed as his false moustache!

Away so long...

2009-10-23T10:24:00.008+01:00

Wow, I didn't realise I had been gone quite so long. A two week camping trip, the busyness of returning from a 2 week break and then a horrible cold/flu/something or other that I am still trying to shake off two weeks later. Suddenly it is almost halloween and so I have settled down to making some christmas decorations, obviously.

A trip to Hobbycraft for some foam pads and DST and I found myself coming home with one polystyrene cone, one polystyrene ring and a pack of 30 Fab Foam snowflakes. And without the DST - doh!

So far I have a tree covered in punched circles of DCWV papers from the Christmas Wishes stack and decorated with Papermania Sparkling Trims held on with sequins and pins. I just need to paint the aerosol cap trunk which I'll do as soon as I find where I put my gold paint!

An almost completed wreath made from curled strips from an ancient Papemania Paper Pack inspired by this one on the Bo Bunny blog by Juliana Michaels (oh to be able to justify making a wreath from such scrummy papers).

Right now, because my brain is feeling fuzzy and I can't manage anything more taxing, I am adding glitter glue to the Fab Foam snowflakes. Hopefully they'll look pretty hanging in my windows come Christmas time.

Finally, a bit of cuteness from our camping trip...

Gawsworth Hall

2009-08-26T15:36:00.001+01:00

A little while back we had a trip to Gawsworth Hall to see Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles. The performances are in an open air theatre with the beautiful hall as a back drop. It was so much fun and I can't wait to go again, if you live around the Macclesfield / Congleton area I would definitely reccomend it. There is also a craft fair there this bank holiday weekend which I might check out if I get chance.

Red Panda Love

2009-08-26T10:32:00.003+01:00

Inspired by Shimelle's sketch I finally got around to scrapping these photos from a trip to Chester Zoo almost six months ago. I really love red pandas, they are one of my "must see" animals whenever I go to the zoo (along with otters, tapirs, monkeys...). This sketch was perfect for a multi photo layout and the digi template Shimelle is giving away made it really easy to do.

Well, it was easy apart from the stitching, that took ages. I had been planning to just zip round the edges with my machine but it has finally decided to give up the ghost. I have taken it to pieces and attempted to doctor it with some super duper super glue and am currently giving it 48 hours to set before I try it out. In the end I resorted to a Papermania stitch template which has been lurking amongst my tools (unused) for ages. I love the end result, especially as the thread is sparkly, but boy did it take a long time (and more patience than I thought I had!)

Check out the Scrap Like You Mean It section on UKS for loads more inspiration from Shimelle.

I am having a happy day today. My shift at work finished yesterday so I am at the start of four days off. My guy finishes work at 1 today and is coming round to see me. I just got a box of yumminess delivered from Sarah's Cards (AC Blue Skies if you're interested).

Wishing everyone a happy day too :)

Pants?

2009-08-22T15:10:00.000+01:00

I seem to have a thing for pants at the moment...

I just had to have these cool pants from Topshop. The little monsters glow in the dark which makes me smile. I especially love the little guy with the tooth, I think he may be the inspiration for some halloween embroidery.

Also my guy brought me this book home from the museum shop the other day, he knows me so well :)

Beautiful Things for Free

2009-08-20T11:03:00.003+01:00

I love, love , love this site. I can't remeber how I arrived at it while blog hopping but if it was your blog that pointed me in the right direction then thank you so much (xoxo)

"Feed Your Soul is a free art project. Each month artists are invited to participate and to contribute a print which is totally free and available for download"

I am in love with this print by Naoko Stoop

Which one do you love?

Finally....

2009-08-18T16:06:00.003+01:00

a real, bona fide scrapbook layout at last. No idea where my mojo had slinked off to but seems it has decided to make a reappearance. Hurrah!

I now have 4 days off work and plan to make the most of them. Expect more layouts real soon and the mini books I have been working on thanks to the Summer Minibook event on UKS.

How sweet is my guy?

2009-08-09T21:58:00.004+01:00

After a recent camping trip to the Lake District with my lovely boyfriend I made him a mini book with some of the photos we had taken. He was really please with it, which made me happy cos its the fiorst time I've given him anything like that. Well anyway, when he came round to see me on wednesday afternoon I was in a creating kind of a mood. I couldn't think what to do about this as it seemed rude to start crafting when he had come over just to spend time with me. I explained this to him and he said "you make something and I'll make something too". He told me that he wanted me to have a book full of photos of our holiday too. So first of all he set about wading through my stash of patterned papers to pick out his favourites. I have to say he has really good taste, he picked out lots of my favourite ones.

Choosing the papers took him about 2 hours which gave me plenty of crafting time. The only problem was he said that looking at all the patterns made him feel travel sick!

This Wednesday he is planning to choose the photos...

Fat book swap

2009-06-25T15:19:00.003+01:00

I am in a fat book swap on uks at the moment and have just completed one page (out of 8). I have another almost complete, it just needs a little something more. A couple more are waiting for their backgrounds to dry before I can carry on with them. There are a couple which are ideas I am trying to work out how to realise and a couple for which I am still waiting and hoping for inspiration to strike.

This one was on the theme of "purple" and is a piece of aluminium foil embossed with the shape of a grungeboard swirl. I attatched it to some mount board then painted it with acrylic paint and some perfect pearls before sanding it to reveal the silver swirl. Sadly the photo does not show the pearlecent finish very well, in real life it has a lovely shimmer.

Back in the creative groove...

2009-05-20T10:56:00.003+01:00

Or nearly there anyway!

I've had so little time to be creative over the past few weeks that what little I have done has been for swaps and things with definite deadlines.

I am hosting an eco themed circle journal which has just started but of course being my usual disorganised self, I forgot to take photos before I posted my journal off. I guess that means it will be a nice suprise when I get it back though as I'll have forgotton what it looks like in 10 months time. I am in the middle of a repurposing themed layout for the next book in the circle right now.

Another CJ I am in, I just did an entry on the theme "Words of Wisdom". I am really enjoying playing with my stamps at the moment and although this page is pretty simple I had fun with it.

Recently I sent off a set of stamped twinchies for a swap. I really enjoy the size of these so I think I'll be on the lookout for another swap.

Long awaited cushion photo!

2009-04-07T14:12:00.003+01:00

Finally, the cushion I was working on (rather later than promised but I kept forgetting to take a photo in the daylight). It is made from brown corduroy with the bark pattern backstitched in white embroidery thread. The leaf is made from two layers of felt backstitched with green embroidery thread.

Bubble tea?

2009-03-15T17:02:00.005Z

While in town on friday indulging in some crafty shopping I treated myself to a bubble tea/hot choc drink and a custard bun, oh how I love custard buns.But ever since a question has been puzzling me. What do you call bubble tea when it is actually hot chocolate?? On the menu in Ho's this delightful drink is called "pearl bubble tea - chocolate flavour (hot)" but that seems a bit too much of a mouthful. I also bought some of the coolest fabric I have seen in ages, I will try and get a photo as soon as I am at home in the daytime. Working shifts really does not help my photography, I need daylight.

How cute is the image on the cup lid?? I have kept it and plan to use it for something, no idea what but I couldn't throw it away!

The cushion mentioned in my previous post is now finished and just waiting for a chance for a photo to upload here. I love it so much and have already cut out the pieces to make another for a special person who seems to love my cushion almost as much as I do :)

L x

Crafty daydreams

2009-02-22T18:27:00.003Z

Work is very quiet today so I have been daydreaming about the cushion I want to make when I get home. I have also been naughty and have been blog hopping when no one is looking, there is so much lovely inspiration out there. The blogs of my RVA classmates are especially pretty...

L x

Project number 3

2009-02-21T02:02:00.005Z

"What happened to number 2?" the more observant among you are asking. Let's just say it's not a come home at 11pm and start playing with the sewing machine kind of project (or at least not for me and my limited sewing skills - I need all my wits about me for that one!)

Anyway, this project was much more up my street so I got home from work and got stuck in. How cute are these felt teepees? If I can find the space to display them, I think I might end up with a teepee village. Now I just need to find someone who looks more at home by a teepee than Stitch does!

L x

Project number 1

2009-02-18T22:18:00.005Z

Well I finally got around to starting on the first project from Rachel and Elsie's class. I have the cover finished and the pages are ready to decorate. I am going to fill it with things that I am in love with right now, I just need to get some photos printed off and I'll be ready to go. Sadly I'm at work today so not much time for play now until monday, can't wait to see the next project though!

L x

It must be love...

2009-02-18T14:05:00.001Z

How fabulous is this skirt? I fell in love with it at first sight, the print was just too cute to ignore. Knowing full well that it was far too short for my taste (and my thighs), I went ahead and bought it anyway. When it arrived I fell even more in love, it is made of the softest sweatshirt material and feels devine.

Happily (well not happily at the time, at the time I was heart broken) I had a top made from a gorgeous print fabric that had shrunk in the wash (I must remember to buy everything from primark at least a couple of sizes too big). With a bit of cutting and the use of my much neglected sewing machine I had the skirt of my dreams.

I feel much more customising is on the way...

(Check out the AD LOVE etsy store, her hoodies and tops are fabulous too)

L x

Cybercrop creations

2009-02-12T20:01:00.005Z

Having not felt very much in the mood for scrapping recently I have done a few mini books and CJs but not much else. The UKS cybercrop was just the kick start I needed to rediscover my missing mojo. There were some really inspiring classes on offer and I am now itching to scrap some more.

Some of my creations from the weekend...

L x

Bad, bad blogger

2009-01-21T16:17:00.004Z

Well, I'm back. Not that I really went anywhere. I've just been crazily busy the last few months and to find enough time in my days to sleep and eat a few things had to go. Unfortunately, one of those things was my blogging time :(

New year, new start and a resolution to get my blog up and functioning again. I have a bunch of stuff I created over the last few months that I want to share. And there are loads of ideas buzzing around in my head as well as some half finished projects I want to show you.

I have signed up to Elsie and Rachel's new class which I soooo can't wait to get started on. So much cute inspiration - eeeep!

I'll be back later to share my lovely new skirt with you

Hugs,

L x

More Prizes!!

2008-07-28T11:24:00.002+01:00

Check out CTYD today, I have set a recycling challenge and there's a prize up for grabs!

And the winner is.....

2008-07-24T14:58:00.003+01:00

Pamala who said

"My fav way to spend my bday is by sleeping in, then going to breakfast, then taking a ride with my dh on the back of his Harley, then maybe going somewhere fun, hmmmmmm how about the Grand Canyon, taking a little helicopter ride over, then zipping over to Niagra Falls to catch a view of some lovely water, then of course out to dinner someplace really scenic and lovely, have a wee little party with lots of friends and family and chocolate rapsberry cake and then a nice little ride home. :)Realistically it's getting to sleep in an hour or 2 past my normal 5 AM get up time, and some chocolate cake. Maybe a bike ride with dh too. :) he he A girl can dream, can't she? ;)"

This one really appealed to me as I've always wanted to visit both the grand canyon and niagra falls. The fact that it is unlikely for anyone to enjoy all of this in one birthday doesn't matter to me, I just love the idea of it and I have to say that chocolate raspberry cake sounds pretty yummy too!

So Pamala, please get in touch so I can get the mini book parcelled up and on its way to you.

Because I am feeling generous today I also have an early birthday RAK for dddeeebbbzzz who is going to Disney (I've always wanted a Disney birthday!)

Flower photos

2008-07-19T20:29:00.003+01:00

Been crafting today but as it is DT stuff, I can't share it just yet. Instead I'll let you see what else I was doing today - more playing with my new toy, lol.

The photos are of some of the lovely flowers we saw in spain. I used the magnetic lasso tool in photoshop to select the outline of each flower. I then inverted the selection to select the background and converted the selection to black and white. I wanted to make the flowers really pop from the background and to allow the detail to show up. I think I might get frames for these and use them to brighten up my kitchen walls as they are a bit lacking in art at the moment.

I can't wait to try using this technique on portraits as I think it could be a really great way to improve photos with a distracting, busy background.

New toy!

2008-07-18T19:27:00.003+01:00

Today I popped into PC world for a bit of a mooch, I'm thinking about getting myself a new laptop so thought I'd have a look. Well you'll be glad to hear I didn't make a spur of the moment laptop purchase, I did however come out with my purse a bit lighter and a new toy.

I bought myself a Bamboo, which is a writing tablet that lets you use a pen instead of a mouse. I have to say I like it better than a mouse already, even just for things like surfing the internet its fab, the tablet has scroll, back and forward buttons making life so much easier.

Well in the package there was also a copy of photoshop elements 5 so I have just been having a play this afternoon (I've been a psp girl up to now as I borrowed that from my mum but think I'm already converted), I don't do much digi at the moment but I think that is all about to change! The pen makes all the fiddly stuff so much easier than with a mouse. I haven't braved doodling on my photos with it yet but that is next on my list...

40 days - mini book giveaway

2008-07-15T08:36:00.001+01:00

Today I have a mini book up for grabs. All you have to do to win it is to leave a comment on this post telling me about your favourite way to spend your birthday. I'll pick one comment and send you this mini book along with a few matching embellies so you can decorate it and fill it up with whatever takes your fancy.
If you'd like a better look at the prize then just click on the corners of the book on the widget below and drag to turn the pages (fingers crossed it works, its the first time I've tried this one)

Also a quick reminder to check out the Guvs blog to see all of the 40 days posts so far

ETA - i forgot to say you have until midnight BST on Wednesday 23rd July to enter. Check back on Thursday 24th to find out who's won!

My Freedom - Time

2008-07-12T09:50:00.002+01:00

I finished my first pages for the Shimelle class last night on the subject of time. I have the photos and journalling ready for the next pages but making them will have to wait as I have some DT projects to finish off first.

Also just a quick reminder to pop over to BTYD to enter my challenge and win some pink stash.

Dans ma maison

2008-07-11T21:54:00.006+01:00

Cette semaine, dans ma maison il y a la tour Eiffel!

This week the theme over on dans ma maison is the Eiffel Tower.

Doesn't that stash look yummy? It could be yours if you head on over to the CTYD blog and enter the challenge I've posted on there. The challenge is to create something predominantly pink. It's worth entering just for those beautiful american crafts ribbons, so what are you waiting for?

Bunting

2008-07-10T23:05:00.006+01:00

Bunting seems a strange thing to be making, but there is a mixed media bunting swap going on over on UKS. Having so much spare time I thought it would be fun to join in, why do I keep doing this to myself?

I had my first play today using clear resist ink and my crafty individuals stamps. I'm not too sure about this one at the moment, it may or may not end up in the final selection. I think I'll have another play tomorrow and see if anything better appears.

(Sorry for the awful photo, its dark and it wouldn't scan because of the glossy paper)

Also just a quick heads up, its my turn for a 40 days post over on the DT blog. Check it out, there's some yummy stash up for grabs!!

In my pocket...

2008-07-09T22:24:00.007+01:00

I have been loving all the little pockets on hels blog over the last few weeks and have been meaning to join in but just haven't found the time. But when I saw that the theme this week was a little bird I knew I'd find the time to join in. My pocket is fairly simple, but it gave me chance to make use of my little owl stamp. I'm supposed to be working on DT stuff this evening but I'm a bit lacking in inspiration.

Sneaky Peek

2008-07-08T09:30:00.001+01:00

A very quick peek at my first DT project. You'll need to pop over to BTYD later on if you want to see it in it's full glory lol!

More celebrations

2008-07-07T11:50:00.003+01:00

Just a quick post as I dash out the door to work. The BTYD blog is celebrating 10,000 visitors with a bunch of fab embelies up for grabs. Check it out here...

Prizes up for grabs!!

2008-07-05T16:17:00.004+01:00

We are on to day six of the 40 days event today and there's already loads of stuff up fo grabs! Check out BTYD for todays prize, a stunning mini book created by Alix (well worth entering for I think you'll agree).
If you haven't got involved in the fun and freebies yet then check this out. Some of the past few days prizes are still up for grabs and there will be something else on offer every day for 40 days. I have to say the stars and stripes stash sounds particularly yummy! Aren't birthdays great?

And just in case you came here to see what I've been up to here's a quick card. I used the twinchie I made a while ago as a topper. Think I'll be making a few more twinchies and stashing them as toppers for speedy emergency cards when I forget peoples birthdays, which is most of the time. (Not sure why the "just for you" stamp looks kind of blurry its not like that really - honest!)

Its a suprise!

2008-07-04T10:22:00.003+01:00

Only a quick post as I'm back at work again today. I have just started working on a new mini book, I'm quite liking it so far, the covers are done I just need to fill it with something yummy. Check back on 15th to find out more (you know you want to!)

An award for me? Really?

2008-07-03T15:37:00.009+01:00

The lovely Dan really knows how to cheer up a girl with a poorly knee. I arrived home today to find out that he had given me an award. If you have'nt been to Dan's blog yet you really must, it is full of inspirational yummyness! The link is here just in case you missed it before ;o)

The rule connected to this award are as follows

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog (its up there ^^^)
2. Link the person you received your award from (yep)
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4. Put links of those blogs on yours
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the boys/girls you've nominated

I nominate
Sarah (aka Smelly) my uks teamie and mini book queen
Donna and her fab photos
Tinkerbelle
Linda
My new DT friends
Ruth (who has some stash up for grabs)
Alix (who is giving away a lovely bag)
Jay
Guv (aka Beverley, lol)

As if being given an award wasn't enough, I stopped on my way home to see if my local craft shop had anything new. They've got the new core'dinations cardstock which I've been lusting after for ages so obviously I had to have a couple of sheets (or 12). A few other bits fell into my basket too (I had a £5 loyalty card to use towards it so went a bit mad). The owls and leaves at the bottom are papermania acetate sheets which I thought looked fun! (oops just realised they're upside down doh!)

Oh, and my first DT kit was waiting for me when I got home and its so scrummy!! All in all a pretty good day!

40 days of fun (and prizes!)

2008-06-30T14:38:00.002+01:00

You really, really need to pop over to Beverley's blog. There's lots of fun to be had in the next 40 days and lots prizes to be won too, one of which will be provided by yours truly - but more of that later ;o)
I have been awol for the last week or so because my dodgy knee has decided to play up again. I can't drive so I have been stuck at my mum's for the past week. She kindly took me to pick up the rats and my craft stuff though so I have been able to do a bit of scrapping.
My mum can always find a job for me, even if I can't stand up. I have just spent one and a half days re-hanging all the droplets on a chandelier. If you love beautiful antiques then have a look here, that is where my mum works - lucky lady!

La musique

2008-06-20T22:13:00.003+01:00

The theme on dans ma maison this week is music. Multi tasking as usual I created a music themed house for the little boxes swap. For some reason this ended up being a much girlier house than the ones I've made so far, kind of pink and shiny.

Wishes atc

2008-06-20T10:57:00.004+01:00

Just a quickie today, being at work really does shrink my crafting time. I really need to practice stamping on to acetate - I love the effect but my hands just don't seem steady enough to get a crisp image.

Been working on something with the rather scrummy K&Co Urban Rhapsody papers. Can't show you just yet though, its a suprise ;o)

Twinchie

2008-06-19T01:28:00.002+01:00

The challenge on Wednesday Stamper this week was to try twinchies. I've tried inchies in the past but they're a bit too small for me. This one was done in a bit of a hurry as I've been at work all day. I have to say I think it looks better in real life, the scan hasn't picked up the colours very well through the shine of the utee. Pretty sure I'll be making more of these as they make a nice change from atcs

Little boxes made of ticky tacky...

2008-06-18T09:30:00.002+01:00

Spent yesterday evening making a few more little houses and the whole time I was doing it I had a song going round in my head. I have an ex boyfriend to thank for teaching it to me. I've added it to the player at the bottom of the page if you want a listen. Be warned however, it does get stuck in your head!

Back at work this afternoon so playtime is over for a few days...

Exciting news!

2008-06-17T12:40:00.003+01:00

If you look here you'll see why I've been bouncing around like a mad thing the last couple of days. I found out on Saturday and have had to keep it a secret until the announcement was made today - absolute agony!!!

Whilst trying to keep my mouth shut I kept myself entertained playing with my stamps. The images were stamped using staz on then coloured using crayola felt tips and a water brush (classy I know but I can't afford enough of anything else to give me a good colour range). I then sealed them with a layer of glossy accents. If you do this before the colour has quite dried then the colours bleed together a little which I really like (most noticeable on the bird)

But I don't like purple...

2008-06-16T17:07:00.009+01:00

I really didn't think I liked purple and then all of a sudden it kind of sneaked up on me. I got some Autumn Leaves Techno Pop papers ages ago and finally got around to using them on a layout for the UKS weekly challenge. Once it was finished I realised that there was purple everywhere.

Then today I was playing with my cuttlebug embossing folders and dies and ended up making a thankyou card and guess what colour I used?

Spain

2008-06-15T10:04:00.003+01:00

Well I got back from Spain on Friday evening and wish I was still there. The weather was lovely, hot but not too hot, I'm not too good with the heat. There were so many beautiful flowers everywhere that I have lots of pictures like this one!

Horses on the Balcon de Europa in Nerja. I loved all the mountains everywhere, we even saw snow on the tops of the Sierra Nevada

We went to the Cuevas de Nerja which were amazing, unfortunately the photo doesn't really do them justice. I just need to get myself sorted and then I'll be scrapping like a mad thing!

Green house and green fingers

2008-05-26T11:41:00.002+01:00

The theme on dans ma maison this week was the colour green. I think that was the theme for my whole bank holiday weekend. I ended up going to my mums and helping her to help Nigel build a tree house for his daughter. First off I used my limited green fingers to help digging up bushes to clear a space, then I ended up laying a path of granite cobbles through a flower bed. At 10pm we were painting the house and of course it was green.

Hopefully I should be getting some photos from my mum so will share soon...

This house is made from corrugated card paint dabbered in various greens with a die cut slide mount window frame and another crafty individuals stamp behind. The gold wire window bars seemed like a good idea until I tried to scan it!

Altered Tin

2008-05-21T14:54:00.003+01:00

Well my altered tin is done, and it was an absolute nightmare to photograph. That'll teach me to cover stuff in gold acrylic paint and pva - far too shiny. Used various bits and bobs, my stampboard from the other day, sheet music stamped and aged with distress inks, a postcard cut from a sheet of Tim Holtz doodads, a few flowers, buttons and a charm from a uks swap.

Off now to do the boring stuff, need some toiletries and bits so have to make a trip to Boots. Would much rather stay in and play!

Work gets in the way...

2008-05-19T23:19:00.002+01:00

Not had chance to do much the last few days as I've been at work. Managed to get my BIA book finished on Saturday night but only by staying up after work until 3am. I suffered for it the next day though as I had to be back in work at 11am. Much coffee was required to get me through the day. Thats the problem with the shifts I work, when I get home around 10 or 11pm I'm wide awake and don't feel like sleeping until the early hours.

Last night I had a play with my new Crafty Individuals stamps and a bit of stamp board I got in a swap at christmas. Really like the result, I'm now altering an Altoids tin to stick it on.

Un Papillon

2008-05-17T10:26:00.006+01:00

Aujourd hui, dans ma maison il y a un papillon. Okay so my french is not too great but I am really liking this little house. My Crafty Individuals stamps arrived yesterday so obviously I had to make use of one on here. Also used my neglected alcohol inks and a bit of aluminium foil. The lovely people as CI put me some freebies in, not just the one advertised in the shop but a whole 5 free stamps (ok I did spend rather more than I had intended but all the stamps were so yummy)

I also did my first UKS weekly challenge of 2008. The challenge was to use a sketch, stamp, use ribbon and doodle. I managed to do all of them and am quite happy with how it turned out, another page for my mums scrapbook lol!
And just because I felt so guilty about you all thinking I had a beautiful scrap room I thought I'd better put the record straight. It is not a scraproom, that is my house, I live in a studio flat! And it usually looks more like this...

Or sometimes even worse!!

Little Houses...

2008-05-16T14:49:00.006+01:00

Well I have just signed up to this. Seems little houses are becoming a bit of an obsession! Really enjoying the whole altered art thing now (well enjoying getting messy and covered in ink anyway, lol!) I don't have anything creative to post yet today, still working on my mini book for the 123 BIA swap on UKS and have ideas for a couple of layouts I want to get done. Really should go clean out the rats and do the washing up, I'm back at work tomorrow so need to get all the HW done today. The crafty stuff is so much more fun though!!
I'll leave you with a few more photos...

My scrapping area

(it doesn't look like this today)

Bluebells at Dunham Massey

Dans ma maison il y a...

2008-05-15T21:39:00.003+01:00

Found a fab site while blog hopping the other day. Dan had a house he had created on his blog that was so amazing that I wanted one too. So I hopped over to dans ma maison il y a to find out what it was all about. Afraid my altered art is not yet up to their standards but I did really have fun making my little house and will be going back tomorrow to see what is going to be in my next house! (This weeks theme was "une petite fille" by the way)

Sun at last

2008-05-13T17:12:00.003+01:00

Had a busy week last week (hence no blogging). My mum came up for a visit and to do some shopping for the holiday (any excuse to shop lol!!) Once we'd had enough of shopping we decided to make the most of the nice weather and spent the day at Tatton Park.

Book of Me

2008-04-29T23:36:00.002+01:00

Well I finally got around to doing some more to my A-Z art journal. Think I everyones on about H by now and I'm only as far as C but I love the pages I've done so far. Have an idea for D which I might to tomorrow but then haven't a clue what to do for E!

Cybercrop Madness

2008-04-27T19:00:00.006+01:00

Well despite being at work for most of this years cybercrop I am really happy with what I got done. I got home at 11 last night and started scrapping then didn't stop til the birdies were singing at 5am this morning, at which point I figured I had probably best get some sleep! Even managed to get another class done when I got up and the layout uploaded in time for the deadline at lunchtime. Really need to start putting everything away now because my room looks like a scene from some movie where the bad guy blows up a paper factory!! Why oh why can't I put each piece of stash back where it came from as soon as I have taken it out, admired it, and decided not to use it?

2008-04-21T22:33:00.002+01:00

Well I finally got around to tidying my ribbons, I can't stop stroking them now cos they look so pretty. I just have to make a start on my desk, I can hardly see it under all the junk I've dumped on it.

Might leave it til morning though, I bought a matress topper today which I can't wait to try out. It feels so cosy and squishy that I'm really looking forward to getting into bed for once.

2008-04-20T01:24:00.003+01:00

Not doing so well keeping up with things at the moment. Off for a few days so hoping to get caught up on a few things. My a-z book still hasn't got past A. I have printed off a few photos for b and c though so hoping to get those done tomorrow. Along with a load of layouts that I have ideas floating around in my head for, and a couple of paintings that i really need to get done. And horror of horrors, I have to try and buy a bikini! Definitely not looking forward to that one.

Got a few layouts done at crop last weekend. I can't believe I actually cut up my bam pop papers!

2008-04-03T22:23:00.002+01:00

I made a start on the planner for the ukscrappers cybercrop today. Its an accordian book with space inside for timetable, class lists, etc. I used my new Melissa Francis alphabet stamps that arrived today - I think they'll be getting a lot of use. I've also made a start on sorting out my ribbons today. If I ever finish I'll post before and after shots....

Holiday...

2008-03-28T20:04:00.003Z

My mum has just booked an apartment for the two of us in Nerja (Spain) in June. I can't wait! We decided on 2 weeks in the end and I'm so glad we did cos it sounds like there's loads to see in the area. Now I just need to get organised and book our flights and car hire and we'll be sorted.

I've finally started to get some scrapping done. Done a couple of layouts and finally made a start on my Bo Bunny Believe book I got in the advent swap on uks I'll post a pic when I finish it.

I've signed up for the cypercrop on ukscrappers so hopefully that'll give my creativity a boost. Unfortunately I'm at work for most of the weekend but I still hope to do loads of the classes and challeges.

Chatsworth

2008-03-14T23:33:00.003Z

Went to Chatworth with my mum the day after mothers day and had a lovely walk along the river. The weather was very cold but sunny, on the way back to the car we even got snowed on!

There were loads of trucks, cranes and things going on around the house. When I got back I found out they'd been filming a remake of The Wolf Man with Anthony Hopkins and Benicio del Torro! Didn't manage to snap any photos of them though - shame I don't have a better zoom on my camera!!

A-Z Art Journal

2008-01-16T19:27:00.001Z

Well I finally made a start on my A to Z art journal today. I'm quite happy with this page, not sure how "art" it is though. It's all about how much stuff I have so I used A for Acquisitive. I was struggling for a word so had a bit of a leaf through a dictionary and couldn't believe it when I saw this, its so applicable to me!

My first digi layout

2008-01-14T13:18:00.000Z

I finally took the plunge, I've gone digi! I know its nothing spectacular but boy am I proud of this layout. My first bit of digi scrapping!

I realised the other day that if I could get my head round digi scrapping then I'd be able to scrap wherever I go. Unfortunately most people seem bothered by snippets of paper and glitter all over their carpet - can't think why. This way I should be able to scrap whenever the mood takes me - just need to get to grips with everything now. I know what I want to do, trying to tell psp to do it is the hard part...

I used Shabby Princess Holiday papers and brad and a Miss Mint Christmas charm.

My Mug

2008-01-10T18:55:00.000Z

Well, here is my first photo for the overlooked challenge. I love this mug and use it all the time (even though I have plenty of other pretty mugs). The dog has such a great expression and its a really comfy mug to hold (is it just me that finds certain mugs uncomfortable?)

It posed for the photo shoot on my craft table, next to a piece of my home made christmas cake. I was am so proud of that cake, its scrummy, only problem is I only have enough left for a couple more slices.

The flikr group looks great so far http://flickr.com/groups/629710@N21/pool

Challenges

2008-01-06T16:08:00.000Z

Think I may be overstretching myself a bit, I am signed up to 3 challenges for this year already, and they're all quite demanding!! (and I haven't finished Shimelle's Christmas journal yet) Anna Louise Bowkis' 365 days involves a photo and journalling prompt each day and a layout prompt each week. So far I am up to date with the journalling but definitely behind with the photos. Looking forward to the first layout prompt though... http://scrappingangelsuk.typepad.com/365_days/ Then there's the A to Z art journal on It's a Creative World. I've never done an art journal before and I'm so looking forward to getting messy and trying something new. I am going to do a book of me and have a pretty good idea what I want to do for my first page. I haven't made a start yet but plan on getting some supplies tomorrow and playing while I'm off work this week http://itsacreativeworld.typepad.com/its_a_creative_world/a_to_z/index.html The last one is Ashley Wren's Overlooked, all about capturing the little things in life. She is going to post a photo prompt, followed by a journalling prompt then a layout prompt - starting tomorrow http://thoselittlebigthings.blogspot.com/ I'll post some pics on here as soon as anything gets done. Looks like I'm going to be busy for a while! So much for a rest after Christmas....

A page from my Christmas journal