Wednesday 15 September 2010

I'm a World Explorer

I had an exciting Amazon delivery today! I ordered Keri Smith's How to be an Explorer of the World. It's by Keri Smith who's Wreck my journal I've had before. I love the way Keri approaches the world: no rules, no worries, just honesty and fun!

The opening page tells you to flick the book open to a random page and start. I did the 'Right Where You're Sitting' challenge. The idea is that you write 10 observation of the things around you. Here's what I put:

1. There is an empty paracetamol packet on the table.
2. The sound of the hob (my pasta cooking) is loud!
3. From here I can hear Dave pulling up in the Mini :) (turns out it wasn't Dave at all)
4. The photo frame on the hi-fi unit is wonky.
5. The paint roller (Dave's in the middle of painting the hall) casts an interesting shadow.
6. Kira has left the green cat toy ball on the floor under the curtain.
7. I like writing lists, it's calming.
8. Dinner smells good!
9. I really am tired but haven't allowed myself to stop all day.
10. Our sofa definitely has the slouchability factor.

What a wonderful way to take stock of all the little things around us!

Friday 10 September 2010

Back to normality

So this week has been manic to say the least, we had a full on 5 days back at school and I had 30 children to get to know. I had a great week. Sadly there was no time for scrapping, although I am looking forward to re-starting the school scrapbooking club in a couple of weeks time and visiting Hobbycraft for some supplies!

Here are a few more of my creations from 2010:

Afternoon Tea

I love this photo! I didn't realise it was being taken (as with so many great photos)! But I love the effect. The piccie was taken at the Pooh Corner tea shop, and the pink is a Pink Piglet cake (how cute!!) One of the things I have been trying to work on this year is using up scraps - and this page was made entirely from left over paper and cardstock from other pages. I often find that 6x12" portrait is a hard size to scrap with but then sometimes it works for the photos you have (well I think so anyway!)

We need a photo
This page was actually competed as part of a challenge at a scrapping Cropfest weekend I went to. We all got the same kit on arrival and we weren't allowed to add anything to the kit other than adhesive, ink and we could use stamjps/ Sizzix for titles.

I felt really lucky to win the challenge (we all vote for our favourite and there is a small prize at the end) but I'm just glad I was able to scrap these photos that I love in a way I really like and makes me smile!




Tuesday 31 August 2010

Some more of my layouts from 2010

Some more of my layouts from this year's album:

Roald Dahl

Photo taken at the Roald Dahl museum, my thoughts for the layout were to put as much of an emphasis on the journalling as the photo. The title is stamped and the stickers were bought at the museum.
Friendship

I just love these photos of my friends and wanted the pics to take centre stage on the layout, so I used craft cardstock and some of my favourite stamps. The quote reads "Friendship isn't a big thing, it's a million little things."
Raindrop Deer
Photos taken at Ashdown Forest Llama Park. This layout was part of a Chinese Whispers challenge. This is where you scraplift a L/O (making some creative changes of your own), then pass your L/O on for someone else to scraplift. This layout was the 3rd in the chain, I will try and find photos of the whole chain to show you soon!



Sunday 29 August 2010

Just recently

Being the school holidays I have had more time for scrapping (hooray)! Over the next few days I will be uploading some of my recent LOs.

Getting to know Oscar


I absolutely LOVE these photos of my friend's little boy and I that she snapped whilst we were playing (and secretly I love the fact that we accidentally co-ordinate with each other). Originally I completed this layout on the circular patterned cardstock but when I inserted it into my album I fortuitously placed it on the back of a navy layout. We did lots of spelling-type activities and the turquoise letter stickers are meant to reflect this.

Pooh Sticks


Also whilst I was staying with my friend, we visited Pooh Sticks bridge which was fantastic, a little bridge that has been maintained to look just like the bridge in the Winnie the Pooh stories. I loved the fact that it wasn't a great tourist attraction, just something you happen across whilst strolling through the Hundred Acre Wood. I made this LO from scraps of patterned paper (I have been working hard to use up some of my many, many scraps!)

Take a peek..

... into my Scrapbook album for 2010. I have long admired scrappers who are able to mix and match their layouts, inserting different sizes and orientations so smoothly. So this year, i decided to be brave and take the plunge. In my album are the usual 12x12"s (plus doubles), 8x8s", 8.5 x 11" in both orientations, 6x6" and 12x6":




And I found that actually, despite my reservations, this has allowed me to be free with how I scrap and not be restrained by a 12x12 layout. I never thought I could feel confined by a 12x12 size page and sometimes this still works for me - so well. And on other occasions, I like the fact that I have a small area to work with or of a different orientation. It's more fitting to me and how I work.
Over the next few days I will be uploading some of my favourite layouts to share with you from my 2010 album!!




Monday 23 August 2010

Sorting out the craft space

One tidy craft space!

Over the summer I went to stay with a lovely craft friend of mine, she has the most gorgeous craft space and we spent time attacking her room which involved moving furniture, sorting out clutter and buying new storage to re-home all of her lovely crafting stash!

All of this got me thinking about my craft space which has become rather cluttered recdently. So I decided to make some changes:






If you're anything like me, and a little short of space, you will constantly be trying to sort and tidy areas around your house. My favourite space is my craft room/ spare room. I spent some time with stash covering my bed and looking at the things I needed in reach of the desk, and the things I could file on the shelves, next I had fun making tags to label the baskets, result - a tidy space, mega organised that makes me smile!






Sunday 22 August 2010

M-I-A

Missing in Action!

I have to apologise for my long absence from the world of blogging, things at work have been mad but I have thoroughly enjoyed everything I have been doing at school over the past few months!

However, The summer holiday has allowed me to catch up with some crafting, scrapping and creative organising! Will be posting lots of images over the next few days to share with you lovely scrappers!
I have had some lovely square frames hanging in my scraproom for some time, and I have selected these L/Os from this year and last years' albums to go in them... I didn't select the ones I thought were necessarily the best, but simply the ones that make me smile :)






Friday 8 January 2010

Just before Christmas we had a whole lot of snow that settled on the ground, deeper than I remember. We have just had another 3 days of school (we went back on Tuesday) and then then school was closed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and we had even more snow! It is so beautiful outside, this photo was taken just outside my house:

Friday 1 January 2010

One little word: Time

Each year Ali Edwards sets a challenge to choose a work for the year. Mine this year is TIME.

I never feel as though I have enough time, so I resolve to find time for scrapping, for friends, for Dave, for reading, and for me.

I hope I can do this, I just feel as though I can find a better balance for all the balls I feel as though I am juggling.