How fast........

.....did this weekend go?!?!? I had another lazy weekend but can't believe it's nearly over.  I say lazy but I did have to do the housework, washing, ironing, dog walking........wow when I list it like that I can see that I haven't been lazy at all.

I did some scrapping, stayed up late to watch Children In Need (for which I had embarrassed myself all of Friday by wearing my pyjamas to work!) caught up with I'm a Celebrity (I really hope Stacey or Shaun win) and spent the rest of my time sleeping or vegging on the sofa......good times.

Here are some layouts to share:

We'd been out for the day and popped into Sainsbury's on our way home, mainly because there is a Starbucks there, and Maddie decided to wrap one of the scarfs round her head!

I just could not resist this title because I can just imagine her saying it!

This was a crop kit from Gottacraft.  As soon as I saw the bright yellow I knew exactly what photos I wanted to scrap.  When me and Maddie went on the elephant hunt in London one of the elephants we really wanted to find was Daisy A) because it's one of Maddie's middle names and B) it's my favourite flower.

I decided a few months ago that I was going to do a Book of Me.  After a visit to the loft to find the photo box and then a couple of hours sorting through the box, remembering stories and laughing at dress sense, I found a healthy number of pictures to scrap.  This one of me was taken 20 years ago, I look deep in thought but in reality I think I was just watching ducks and swans on a lake!

I just love the decorative brad I used in the centre of this flower, like the papers it came from one of the Sarah's Cards kits.

Apart from cooking dinner I have no other jobs lined up today other than to finish another BOM layout I started yesterday. 

Jo x

It's Freeeeeeeeeezing!

I was up early scraping the car this morning after a visit from Jack Frost.  Everywhere was white and the only sound to be heard was the other early risers removing ice from their cars, probably thinking the same as me....."I need to get some de-icer"!

I had a fantastic, relaxing weekend.  I stayed in the warm, in my PJs and scrapped, knitted and read.  Here's a couple of layouts to show you:

This is one of my nieces, her sister tends to feature in more of my layouts but that's because her sister can sense a camera from 100 yards away and always rises to a photo opportunity!  I love making these rosettes, I got the tutorial from MaryAnne over at UKScrappers. 

Another simple LO for Maddie's 16th Birthday, still got loads of photos to plough through from that day!

Just looked out of the window and the fog is descending, I've got a long drive today but would much rather be sitting in the warm getting my album ready for Journal Your Christmas.  At least I'll be with my sister, Jess, for the long drive.  She is always happy and bubbly and I'm sure we'll have a laugh which is what I need right now.

Stay warm

Jo x

Happy Birthday!

My blog is a year old today!

In the year since my blog started I have:

Got a job I love.

Learnt to knit socks.

Learnt to ring bells.

Baked more.

Scrapped more.

Actually started and FINISHED one of Shimelle's classes!

Made new friends and remembered the old.

Been to 2 craft shows, 1 christening and a wedding.

Completed a whole wedding album......I will get round to blogging it.

 

This year of blogging has been a happy one and I am going to blog more regularly from now on.

 

The only sad thing to happen this year was my nan dying last week.  She'd just had her 86th birthday and her life was amazing.  She was a lumberjill in the Land Army, a nurse for Bernardo's looking after 10 babies at a time, she travelled the world, had an amazing sense of humour, limitless energy and patience and I shall miss her terribly.

 

Thanks for stopping by, I have some lovely layouts to share soon

 

Jo xx

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At Last

The finished socks have now been given to their intended owner and here's his lordship modelling them:



He says they're comfy and keep his tootsies nice and warm I however think he looks a bit camp in this picture:



It's a bit blurred because I was laughing so much!

This afternoon I'm scrapping and watching Michael Myers to get me in the mood for Halloween :0) xx



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Sunny, Lazy Sunday

I was up with the lark this morning so that I could ring the bells at church and I finally think I'm getting the hang of it.  I'm not scared that I'll miss the Sally or break the Stay anymore, just need to work out call changes.......all a foreign language if you don't ring bells!

I finished the socks at last yesterday but forgot to take a picture, I will though.

Today I've actually been scrapping.  I love Crate Restoration papers so it was no hardship at all when both of the kits I subscribe to used it this month.  I got stuck right into the one from Gottacraft, I know it's naughty to start on a new kit when I have so many older one stacking up but what the heck, I love this range :)

Maddie and her godmother Clare being stupid with a tomato shaped bottle of ketchup when we went out to dinner recently!

It was a great evening at a lovely restaurant we've been going to for many, many years, the butterscotch tart and custard they do is to die for!

I can't decide what to do this afternoon, attack the Sarah's Cards kit or start knitting my hat......maybe I'll surprise myself and do both.

Hope everyone has had a fun and relaxing weekend.

Jo x

I'm Back

Life has been racing past, even payday seems to be arriving quicker than ever which can only be a good thing!

I've done a few layouts but I've been mostly knitting, racing to get a pair of socks finished for Paul's poor, cold feet!

Here is a layout I did using a kit from Gottacraft:

My beautiful niece looking a bit like a rag-a-muffin!

I have got a wedding album to share but it's taking me ages to re size and edit the appalling photos I took of it.

Off to watch Shutter Island and knit some socks.  I won't leave it so long before posting next time.

Jo x

Cupcakes

I just love them so Paul designed this beautiful tattoo for me. It now adornes my right thigh and I love it!



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How....

.........can I be expected to take beautiful, composed pictures with models like these?












x

Bad Blogger

Someone, mentioning no names, moaned and complained....oops I mean happened to say that I hadn't blogged for a while.  It's true and the reason is that Paul was here for a couple of weeks and we were out and about doing bits and pieces.

We went to The Glitter Pot and the Craft Barn and then had cream tea, it was a really lovely day until we hit traffic on the M25!  I have never turned the car off and got out of it on a motorway but we were stuck there for 3 hours and Paul was not happy.

I was ok because I was having fun looking at all of my craft purchases!

While Paul was here I dragged him off to a crop with me.  He got a page kit from Gotta Craft and here's what he came up with:

I think it's great for his first ever layout, it's from New Year 2009 when we were working together in Paris. I also think it made him realise how I can sit at a crop for three hours and hardly get anything done ;) Here's what I did with my kit:

I used Sketch #61 from the Twisted Sketches site to do a layout of the day we went to Hampton Court with my friend Lynn. I've also done Sketch #58 but have only just got round to uploading it:

My gorgeous niece, she always makes out she doesn't want her picture taken when really she's such a poser!

Last week I did the UKScrappers Weekly Challenge.  The challenge was education, ABC or 123 and primary colours.  I used my bell ringing as the education element, I'm still doing it and I'm still loving it:

Finally I went to a crop yesterday and did the layout using the Gotta Craft monthly kit, I hadn't scrapped all week so to get back into it quickly I lifted this from the front page of the site:

I did start another layout which I'm hoping to finish today, also need to do the UKScrappers Weekly Challenge.  Me and Maddie are having a lazy Sunday watching all four Lethal Weapon films....once we've finished the Ocean films!  Plenty of time for scrapping today then! x 

Another Great Weekend

The weekend started early for me which was great.  Went to a crop on Thursday night and actually managed to get a layout done!

My nephews, they might be brothers but they're like chalk and cheese!

Friday we were  up and out early for our visit to The Tower of London.  Maddie was her usual happy self!

It was a lovely day but a lot of stairs to climb.

In the evening it was over to Mum's to see the birthday boy celebrate becoming one year old.

He was a bit more interested in watching all the other kids blow out his candle.

Such a cutie and I have never seen a baby smile so much.

Yesterday I took Jess to have her stitches out and then, after enjoying lunch with her and Mum, I came home and did some scrapping.  This is my take on the weekly challenge over at UKScrappers.  We had to make the background paper, I used stamps for this.  We had to emboss so I made the little frame, we also had to use a stamp so I popped one in the frame.  The doily is my lace element of the challenge and finally summer colours:

When I go out with Clare we always like to find somewhere to have a cream tea, hence the title:

I've done all of my housework and boring jobs and now I'm hoping to spend the rest of the day scrapping.  Hope everyone has been having a great weekend xx

Paul

Paul says I hardly ever mention him in my blog so here's a very Paul heavy post! 

Here's Paul:

And again:

We've been together for two and a half years now but are separated by 106 miles, he lives near the sea and I live near London.  It does mean the time we spend together is great.

He makes me laugh:

And he is the most talented man I know:

He did this tattoo for his son Luke from start to finish, design and everything.

He did this design for me.

My dad died a couple of years ago so Paul did this for me:

AMAZING

As well as drawing, painting and tattooing he likes to make models:

He can build and fix cars, do DIY and plumbing but he likes to relax too!

And he has the most wonderful, well behaved, beautiful dog Pippy:

So Paul, this post is for you to let you know I think you're wonderful and I love you with all my heart xxx

Only Tuesday!

I feel like I've done a full week at work already and it's only Tuesday!  Just two days left though because I'm off on Friday to see the Crown Jewels, hope the rain doesn't hit then!

I managed to get a couple of layouts done at the weekend.  This one was for the UKScrapper house challenge.  You had to use seven photos and a technique you had never used on a layout before:

A nice busy layout to remind me of the very busy day we had searching for elephants in London.  The new technique I used was to machine sew.  Never done it before because I could never be bothered to unpack the sewing machine for just a small thing but I'm so glad I did.  The red flowery frame is stitched and if you look very closely you can just about see it!

I loved hand cutting the flowers and layering them on.

The second layout was a Twisted Sketch, which I twisted on its side,  the required twist was red so I think I got that covered!

Right now I am sitting in front of the fan wondering if I am hungry enough to move away from the cool air to get some dinner! lol x

Early Start

To the weekend.  I had a half day today so I dashed home, did the housework, went to see my sister in hospital (she's had something done to the disks in her back) and now the weekend is mine!

I thought I'd share a few layouts that I did.  I volunteered to set the weekly challenge over on UKScrappers, I volunteered when I was out of work and had all the time in the world! lol The date came round for my challenge and to say I was nervous would be an understatement.  The challenge I came up with was to use bright colours because the hot weather has turned the grass yellow and brown, to use a title from a TV program or film, to use flowers because I love them and buttons because every layout should have them.  I had to come up with a sample page but I actually managed to do 3 sample pages in the end!

One of the rug rats belongs to my sister Jessica and the other belongs to my sister Jemma but they are always together.

This one of my brother Jon's and another of Jessica's and they are best friends.

I found it relaxing cutting out the pinwheels and I love the way they look.

And the 'monsters' belong to Jessica and Jemma.

I'll never be short of scrapping material with all these nieces and nephews about!  We all went to my Mum's the other day, my brothers, sisters, their kids and me and Mads and there were 16 of us there in total and 1 absent because he was stranded at his other nan's because she had a flat tyre.  Quite a group but I didn't have my camera....doh!

I'm now looking forward to a very scrappy and hopefully happy weekend xx

Relaxing, Sunny Sunday

I have had such a great weekend, it's been fun, relaxing and hot!

Last weekend I went to a Fourth of July BBQ hosted by some of the girls at the crop.  There were 10 girls from the crop there and would you believe we hardly took any photos! Not sure what happened there, we had plenty of food and drink though.  Here is the one and only picture that I took:

It was on the gate post and my intention was to start as I meant to go on but that just didn't happen.

I did this LO the other day from a sketch on the Twisted Sketches site, the twist was music:

I also twisted the sketch on its side to fit my photos.

I used a song title and music notes as my twist.  The pictures are of my niece and nephew, they're not brother and sister but they always seem to be together.  It's very rare to get a photo of them apart.

I also did the weekly challenge on UKScrappers.  We had to use a sketch, someone relaxing or idle, 7 of something and stamping or stitching.  I'll give you three guess what I used as the idle element of my LO!

The first picture of Maddie on her 16th Birthday!

You can almost see the dribble on her face!  I used 7 brads and sewed the button onto the flower so full points to me!

I went to my monthly crop yesterday and had a great time.  Managed to get 2 LOs done which is good for me, I also bought some dresses which is unheard of for me!  The dresses weren't for sale at the crop but at the Sainsbury's next door (thought I'd clear that up lol).

Today I went to a boot sale with my friend Clare and.....wait for it......Maddie!!! She actually got out of bed and bothered to come with us.  I got some lovely buttons which were attached to a child's top until I got home and snipped them off.  Clare stayed for lunch which was lovely and then I've just been having a nice lazy afternoon before I head back to the office tomorrow. x