Scrapwhating?!

I've been a very very very bad scrapbooker of late. My poor desk has sat unused and unloved for a good few months now. I got taken over with all things woolly and completed neglected all my lovely paper, glue and ribbon. However, a couple of weeks ago I gave myself a good talking to and forced myself back into the craft room and spent some time with my first love! Here's what I've been doing.

First up, a LO I've had planned since last summer, a good old mi hearties piratey one about Xander's pirate day at school (ahem, last June!):

 Bit of a more tricky one next. I wanted to scrap about discovering Xander had autism. This pic was taken the day after we found out. I decided in the end to keep the autism part on some secret journalling so it is there just for me and him, and the main LO to be about how he's still our special little boy:

 And lastly a chance to use some lovely lettering I picked up the other week, plus I couldn't leave her ladyship out of my crafting now could I?!

Kind of into it now, I think with the evening's being lighter it makes it much more pleasant to go out to the craft room. Now for the 300 half finished projects stacked up in there....

Journalling A Very Shivery Christmas

So December is upon us and that means, amongst other things, one of my favourite Xmas projects: Journal Your Christmas. I took part for the first time last year and just loved doing it so was keen to do it again this year. The only trouble last year was it was so time consuming: I made my own album, made every page a different size, shape etc. So this year I decided to not stress and make it simpler, after all it's about writing about Xmas so the format shouldn't really matter. So, I bought myself a ready made album and made a promise to myself that I would stick to one page size all the way through!

Dec 1st's prompt was to write a manifesto about what your Xmas was going to be. Mine had one main word: SIMPLE! For too many years I've been tired or ill or run-down at Xmas because I've taken on way too much, so this year it's about simplicity both in general Xmas stuff and my crafting. You may get a handmade card this year but you may get a shop bought one, it doesn't really matter as long as I send you a card does it? And am I really going to get people walking out at Xmas dinner because the stuffing's Paxo rather than a home made one?! And do you know what, as much as I'm sure my friend's kids love knitted/sewn toys, are they really going to complain about one bought from Argos? Nope! So why make it hard on myself? There will be some home made cards and some home made gifts, but there will also a lot more things purchased in the old fashioned way (oh and the new fashioned way, god bless Amazon!).

 

Day 2 was all about the weather. Oh how I laughed when I looked back at last year's entry  and saw how I talked about how we rarely get snow, what a difference a year makes! Obviously yesterday's entry just had to be about snow. This year as well there's an extra prompt in the JYC class that focuses on photography. As my photography could do with vastly improving I thought I'd have a go. So the 1st prompt was about the rule of thirds so I took a pic using this with my picture focusing on the hanging basket covered in snow in the left upper third:

And just to emphasise the point of how chilly it is, last night was one of the coldest nights for a long time, down to -9C here. This was my car this morning:

Very pretty but that ice was on the INSIDE and took forever to clear!

Right, off to today's entry which is to do with the aforementioned cards. I have a plan, it's just dragging my bum into that freezing cold conservatory to do it!

Crafty Catch Up

Do you know, we've not had a crafty catch up for a while. Shall we have one? Just a quick one?

So was going to this in date order but I just can't get my head round Blogger's new picture uploader and tend to find myself fighting with pictures trying to move them, so I'm just going to leave them as they were uploaded!

First of all (well wasn't but for the purposes of this post let's just pretend! ;)) I went to my first crop in months last weekend. Only managed 3 layouts but that's 3 more than I would have got done on Saturday if I'd have been at home! First there's a couple of Halloween ones:

 And then one of Emily being enrolled in Brownies. Need to add something to this I think but it was for a challenge and I was making sure I got all the challenge elements in:

 I've been weedling a mean crochet hook a lot lately. I've made a runner for our bed using the wave stitch which I love:

And then a little baby blanket for Rob's boss's new baby:

And there's also been a couple of Fimo fairies. First of all one for Evie's birthday:

And then one for Elise's birthday who coincided with a huge funghi crop in the garden (why is it when we plant stuff it never comes up and yet these things can grow of their own free will?!):

Right back to the craft room, I have a whole pile of C******** things to get on with!

For the Love of Paper!

Been a bit of a naughty scrapbooker lately and, er, not really been scrapping! I'm afraid all things woolly/wooly (seriously, I have an English degree and still don't know how to spell it!) have taken over a bit, especially since I discovered the crochet, and my patterened papers have laid untouched for a few weeks. Plus, coming up to the colder weather, it's so much nicer sat with something warm and woolly/wooly on your knee infront of the telly than sitting in a cold dark conservatory with paper.

However, this last weekend, my house over at UKS, The Green Buttons, threw a little mini cyber crop to try and get everyone's scrapping mojo going again. I've always enjoyed the cyber crops before so, I got the conservatory heater fired up, stuck on some lights and dragged my bum in there. I'm so glad I did as there have been some lovely classes and I'm liking the results!

First up a pre-crop challenge to blow off the scrapping cobwebs. This was to scrap the end of summer. I just had to pick this song title, that always creeps into my head around September:

Another pre crop challenge was a sketch so I scrapped Em and Jet:

First class of the weekend involved some stitching. Usually I would pop over to my mum's and borrow the sewing machine but seeing as she was on a cruise ship at the time, I had to make do with punching holes and hand sewing. It took forever but I'm pleased with it, and I got to scrap one of my favourite recent pics:

Next was a great challenge to use up some of those scrap bits of paper we scrappers accumalate. Here's a pic of our very own PM in the making, Councillor Gillard:

Said Ms Gillard even had a go at this one herself:

About time for a boy layout me thinks. This challenge was to make a border out of a paper punch. This heart punch I used for my cousin's wedding invites last year and I like that it's a bit unconventional using hearts on a boy's page. It's also a classic pic that was just crying out to be scrapped:

A bit of a head scratcher next. A challenge to produce a LO incorporating string, a clock and the number 8 or 10 (there were logical reasons behind all these, wish have vacated my head now!). Took me a while to think about this but eventually did a page for the kids' birthday book:

And finally, a new one for me but I absolutely love it. It was to produce a mini canvas based around a birthday. I decided to do 2, one for each child. I think what I loved even more was, as it was a small canvas, I got to use up even more scraps and so only actually paid out for the basic canvasses, everything else was out of old kits:

I can see canvas projects being added to my 'things to craft' list!

There's a few more classes on there I'm going to save for future, but for now I'm happy that I've made my paper stash feel a little bit loved again so it doesn't start glaring at the box of wool across the craftroom floor!

Pages From The Weekend and a New Favourite

As promised, here's the finished layouts from the retreat this weekend. First of all I scrapped the pic of me, Joolz, Ann and Ally from our BBQ a couple of weeks ago, using this month's kit:

Then a couple of pages using June's kit which consisted of some gorgeous welly and umbrella papers:

The 2nd one of these I incorporated into a challenge set by Ali yesterday. We'd all been coveting a lovely LO she'd done with a patchwork loveheart. So she challenged us all to do a LO with a patchwork shape and 1 photo on. We put them all to a vote and woohoo, I came 2nd!

Next up a LO using some jungle papers that were on sale last week when I went to the craft shop. Ideal for scrapping the Elephant Parade we saw when we were down in London last month:

Now, I started another couple of LOs, but got side tracked by a brand new project (and nope, it wasn't the wine, though there was a bit of side tracking on that front! ;)). Kirsty has been making little Fimo fairies and we were all admiring them at the last crop. So this weekend she brought her box of Fimo for a quick lesson. OMG, I am addicted! First of all, I got all pre-planning and made a couple of models for Xmas: here's Santa and Mrs Claus:

That was all I intended to make but once I'd done them, I couldn't stop! So, I made a fairy for Em and a pirate for Xander:

How blooming cute?! They only stand about 1 1/2" high and I can't believe that I managed to do something so fiddly with my big man hands! And best of all, the wonderful Kirsty gave me some Fimo to bring home so I can do some more.

So, have a couple of LOs to finish and I can see a couple more fairies popping onto the blog before the week is out! ;)

And....Relax!

I've had the most fantastic weekend!

On Friday, I dropped Xander at school and headed off to the Dales on my first ever scrapbooking retreat. It was for the girls at my local crop but as I've only been going for just over a year it's the first chance I've had to go. It's also the first weekend I've had away on my own in nearly 5 years, so I was SO looking forward to it.

Our crop leader Kirsty organised it and not only did a superb job, but also surprised us with treats on our beds and little crafty kits. She's one in a million that girl!

We got stuck in straight away to some scrapping and it's been non-stop crafting all weekend. It's also been lots of naughty food, wine, chatting and cheek aching laughter!

TBH, I've not really done as much as I could have probably got done with 48 hours of pure scrapbooking time, but who cares?! I've had a lovely chilled weekend with no 5am alarm calls, no 'Muuuuum, he just hit me!' etc etc!

Most are still there crafting away until tomorrow but I did come home today. It was lovely having a break from the kids but it was also lovely coming home to them, I really really missed them but feel all the better for having some quality mummy time.

I'll photograph and upload the stuff I did later, which includes my new craft obsession that Kirsty taught me; but for now here's a pic of me and all the fabulous girls that made my weekend so special!

All Cropped Out!

Can't type much as I've scrapped so much this weekend I actually have repetitive strain injury and have my right arm bandaged up! Who knew scrapbooking was such an extreme sport!

Anyway, was my second ever cybercrop this weekend and have loved it. Was even better as I went to my local crop yesterday so we did some of the classes together. All in all I've done 8 single layouts, 1 double and an exploding box. Here's a slideshow, I'm now off for a lie down!

Pre-Scrapping Scrapping Update!

Big big scrapbooking weekend this weekend. UKS are hosting a cybercrop which I am very very excited about. I did my first ever cybercrop back in November and I just loved the classes and really liked what I produced from them (here and here).

Anyhoo, I thought I should maybe post recent LOs before I get bogged down with LOs to post from this weekend's crop. I've been mainly doing the weekly challenges at UKS lately. First of all the final page for my Antigua album:

Then the first LO for my new project, a holiday album. This sketch was part of the challenge:

And then I adapted it to make a double LO:

This one was for the UKS monthly challenge, entitled 'Silly'. Face it, there could only be one subject!

And finally this week's challenge which I did of Emily's trip to Brownie camp:

So scrappers watch this space. If scrapping bores you rigid, I'd avoid the blog for the next few days! :P

Scrapping Update

Do you know, I've been a very naughty scrapbooker of late. The scrappy mojo got lost for a while but it's gradually creeping back in! So, here's a little update of the latest layouts for all my scrappy mates out there; plus my very newest scrappy mate, Miss Ally of Andbag, who is a recent convert!

First up, a scrapbook page about Em's visit to see Miley:

Then a couple done at the crop back at the beginning of Feb (note to self, blog more often woman!):

My layout for Marie's UKS challenge from back in November that I er, completed 2 weeks ago (hangs head in shame!):

And finally, this week's UKS challenge - to scrap a fave holiday, use the colours in that country's flag (red, blue, yellow, black and white - eek!), to use a new kind of journalling (don't think I've ever been stupid enough to stamp journalling letter by letter before!) and something else I can't remember!

The craft room is now finally tidy though so hopefully that will encourage a bit of a scrapbooking roll now!

Is That Spring I Spy?

Hands up who thought that not only was winter never going to end, but that we'd actually entered a new Ice Age?! After the worst winter in donkeys, I think most of us had forgotten what sunshine actually looked like! However, it's been really rather pleasant weatherwise the past couple of weeks and it looks like Spring (my favourite season, yay!) may just be around the corner.

Cindy has taken to her 'reclining in the sun' spot on the windowsill:

We finally have a lone crocus in the graden. OK, so it looks a bit sad all on it's own but I can see others on the way:

For the past few days, both the washing and the kids have been chucked out in the garden (think Em may have got a bit too excited by the sun with the shorts though, not quite yet Em!):

And, joy of joys, it's actually light enough and above sub-zero for long enough to get in the craft room and do some scrapping:

After a bit of a scrapping drought, I ran off this springy-coloured layout in an hour:

Of course, it helps to have a lovely subject to scrap, my wonderful Grandad!

Here's hoping that, in true UK style, we haven't peaked already and are resigned to a Spring of grey clouds!

JYC Complete!

Before I post, I just want to ask if anyone can spare anything to go to the Haiti Earthquake Appeal. As some of you know, I sponsor a boy in Haiti and we are so worried that he and his family are OK. If they are, they will have lost everything so if anyone can help them, then please donate. Venald and his family live in a tin hut and his dad earns £15 a month so I think even a small donation would be a fortune to them!

Thank you!

So, finally I have completed the JYC journal! Got a little behind but, a few snow days from school have helped me to catch up. And do you know what? I actually really like it! Not often I scrap and am pleased with what I've done (seems to be a crafter's thing, we're all so critical of our own work!).

It's 37 pages long so I ain't posting all those pics so below is a Slideshow. Here are the pics of the cover:

And I just love how full it looks:

And finally, the pages!