Probably Too Late...

...to enter into Elle's Studio Sketch 24.1 but I gave it a go anyway.

Here's the sketch

and here's my page

Maybe next week I'll be on time!!

Fail!!!

:)

It's not even the end of January and I've FAILED but my excuses are good!!

I've been at school most of the week and had no sleep for 2 nights.

Yes, HE'S got MAN FLU!!!

What are men like? Us women just get on with it but men just feel the need to mope and feel sorry for themselves.

Anyway onto a completed page that I promised two days ago.

It's January Week 4 already and I've just done January Week 3!!

The criteria?

1. Use the sketch ✔
2. Use stitching (well I used thread!) ✔
3. Use paint ✔

So having failed to blog yesterday, a double blog won't go amiss today.

A very quick page and I'm up to date with the Weekly Challenges on UKS.

January Week 4 criteria

1. A holiday theme (holiday photo)
2. Food or cooking (do you need help with that one :P)
3. Bling or something red
4. Lots of journalling (yeah!)

And my page...

Thank you, Bijoux Belles, for the challenge - I just LOVE how you chose them :)

Have you ever had a "moment"?

Today has been SOOOO busy!

Went shopping first thing to make sure DD and her "bodyguard" had something in for tea.

{Bodyguard Explanation - DD hates being "home alone" and I feel guilty dragging her to my many meetings at school. Even though the dog is here I always have to find a friend to come round to keep her company!}

So, what is easier to cook than a pizza? Answer - you can't cook it when it's missing!

OK so I know I put it in my basket, and I know I paid for it because it was on my receipt but then it obviously sprouted legs and ran off. Thinking I'd had a moment and after looking in the obvious places, I looked in the dishwasher, washing machine, bin, garage and every other place I could think of but it was nowhere to be found :(

Returning to the supermarket to ask if I'd left it, the lovely lady, who must've felt very sorry for me, told me to just go and get another one! "It happens" she said.

Didn't have a clue what I was going to blog about today but with my "moment" and the fact than I won a  Carta Bella Paper Pack on the Scrap365 Blog Party today has given me plenty to babble on about.

I was delighted to see that I'd won this gorgeous paper pack and can't wait for it to arrive so I can "stroke" the inside!!!

And tomorrow I hope to finish a page I started 3 days ago....

Jaws!

Today I'm taking part in the 

Purple Pumpkin January Sketch Challenge

why not have a go yourself, you've got until January 31st!

I also have the pleasure of escorting my DD and her BFF to Manchester for a bit of retail therapy and a bite to eat before they head to the arena for The X Factor Live.

Should I ...

1. Do more shopping

2. Find a cosy corner in Costa/Starbucks

3. Something else

?????

Challenge Catch Up

This week I've been so busy with my "visitors" I've hardly had the chance to eat never mind scrap so today when DD's visit to a local college was cancelled due to the snow I was quietly cheering inside.

Today I've been catching up with Weekly Challenge No.2 on UKS set by the Scatty Scrappers.

The challenge was to use the following sketch, use new stash, and use 5 of something,

This photo of DD was taken on Pier 39, San Francisco on our roadtrip in 2012. We had all been quite disappointed to find that all the churros and donuts we had come across so far were coated in cinnamon (yuk) As you can see by the big smile on her face, this bucket full of donuts were just sugared. Needless to say we all felt quite sick after eating them :(

Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog Hop

Welcome to my first ever participation in a blog hop!!! This is the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog Hop and I hope I get it right!!!

Hopefully you have found me by hopping over from Jemma's blog, but if not and you want to take part click HERE to get back to the start.

So the challenge was to design a layout using ONLY...

• 3 patterned papers
• 3 embellishments
• a 3 word title

and what a challenge it turned out to be.
I'm normally quite a quick scrapper but with those ingredients I was STUCK!!!

Eventually, after trying 4 different photos and a variety of different papers, I managed my layout and then got stuck again on the title. So many 2 or 4 word titles jumped into my head but 3 words?

"My Little Mermaid" is probably one of the most difficult challenges I've attempted but I got there in the end.

I've used 3 papers, a 3 word title and my 3 embellishments include a brad on my circular photo which is allowing my photo to be hinged for journalling under, a string of beads under my title and a circular string frame around my photo.

 

 Thanks for hopping my way.

Please leave me a comment before hopping over to Lucinda's blog.

Full Hop List (just in case you're lost!) 

Jemma Sharrock http://just-jimjams.blogspot.co.uk/ Lesley Graffham http://ohblogitifyoucantbeatthem.blogspot.co.uk/ Lucinda Messman http://www.scrapbooksandcows.blogspot.com/ Shir Benovich http://shir-benovich.blogspot.com/ Leslie Smith http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com/ Julie Hearn http://spendlesscraftmore.blogspot.com.au/ Kate Blue http://kateblue.blogspot.com/ Tricia Simmons http://triciasimmons.blogspot.co.uk/ Lisa Johnston http://thesimplelifewithlisa.blogspot.com.au/ Julie Jeavons http://jsquaredscrapspot.wordpress.com Rebecca Delo http://howiburb.blogspot.com/ Tammie  Lisa Hausmann http://www.lifeinterruptedthenscrapped.blogspot.com/ http://lisahausmann.blogspot.de/

And Relax!

I'm glad to say the visitor have gone and I can now relax and do those things that I actually WANT to do.

As I said yesterday, it's Friday in our house today and it couldn't have come at a better time. I'm going to indulge in a couple of glasses of wine, rest my very tired body and wake up in the morning to a whole day to myself. Me, just ME! How selfish!

Tomorrow will bring some crafting back to my blog but until then,

CHEERS :)

Getting Through Quite Nicely :)

The "visitors" have arrived so today has been mostly spent running around making sure their needs have been met.

I think I've managed that (gold star for me!)

All I want to do now is have a nice long soak in the bath to relax but DD has cadets so have to do the taxi bit :(

Looking on the bright side, it's Friday in our house tomorrow which only comes round every 8 days (work that one out) and Friday means WINE.

So the sketch I was working on yesterday (before I was rudely interrupted) was Sarah's Cards January Sketch by Vanessa. A nice simple sketch where I've printed a lot of journalling in the white space background. I've followed the sketch completely this time in order to know where to print my text. If you haven't got an A3 printer you can easily scale the sketch down to 8.5x11 (or is it 8x11.5 - I can never remember!)

 

Unexpected Visitors

Well I was in the process of a layout today and happily scrapping at my desk when I was informed of imminent visitors.

Everything is on hold and I hope to photograph a completed layout tomorrow although there is a chance that the visitors might stay another day :(

Wish me luck

Old Stash but "no new stash"

Cal and Leanne have started an "Old Stash, New Stash" Challenge on UKS.

Although I can't really take part in the New Stash bit, I am doing the Old Stash part.

Here's the sketch (a nice simple one for me)

 And I've rotated mine anti-clockwise

Sketch Challenge and a Giveaway ...

Another sketch challenge at Elle's Studio to keep me entertained and out of mischief!

I'm sure there will be plenty of mischief to be had at Mr Gary Barlow's birthday bash tonight :)

My friend Jan is conjuring something up but isn't telling :(

Anyway, back to the sketch which I have rotated 90 degrees clockwise. I love simple, so this sketch was right up my street.

This photo was taken on an Orchestra school trip to Germany last year (2012) where the orchestra played in several small villages. The girls had a great time and DD commented on how pretty and picturesque the villages/towns were.(She has soul)

Treblemakers

and to be in with a chance of winning a massive amount of flair buttons from Purple Pumpkin, go and share on Facebook, blog, or do both for a double chance to win :)

Purple Pumpkin: GIVEAWAY!!! WIN 50 Flair Buttons!!!: 

Now with only 4 hours to go I MUST prepare myself for the Captain :)

Highly Strung

Here is a LO using the messy stuff (having been afraid to use messy stuff for a long time, I seem to be doing it more and more) to showcase a photo of DD on a hammock outside our cabin in Forks last year. It was a glorious day and we'd just had half an hour in the owner's hot tub. Not realising there were loads of midgies around the hammock she happily skipped over to it and settled in. 

When she saw the little creatures buzzing all around her she became rather "highly strung" especially seeing as this horrible Mummy made her stay there and smile whilst she took the photo!!!

Us scrapbooking Mums eh? :)

Have I Got Scrap For You ?

Have I Got Scrap For You - January 2013

One of the challenges is to scrap a LO using small photos.

I know I've used this photo before but I thought that it fit quite nicely with my masked heart. I've kept the LO simple in order to keep the focus on the photo ...

 

52 Card Challenge Week 3

Week 3 already!!!

This week Nat has chosen "colours" and the idea is to use two colours from those shown below.

I've used pink and aqua

Scrap365 January 2013 Sketch Challenge

Having never taken part in a Scrap365 challenge and with my New Year challenge to myself to use my new room and old stash (and new stash), I thought there was no better time than now to give it a go.

The sketch Scrap365 January 2013 Sketch Challenge is a great sketch created by Morag Cuts and although it is Christmassy I've adapted it to suit a beach photo!!!

I really enjoyed playing around with this sketch using a texture medium, sprays, stash (old and new) and even the proverb on the bottom strip of the paper from Authentique was just perfect for my layout :)

My husband and daughter always muck about when I'm trying to get shots of all three of us but I actually like how this one has turned out.

Reuse & Recycle

Today I've made a card using nothing but recycled items for a challenge over at Scrapology

I stumbled across this challenge through Sue and it's just perfect for me as I have a box full of tags off clothing, scrapbooking packaging and a whole load more.

There's a great prize too for this challenge. Lou has kindly offered a whole loads of goodies for the lucky winner. Just look at all the yumminess she is offering...

My card uses a jeans tag and ribbon, the backing from some alphas, some card that was used for keeping my papers flat to bring them back from the USA and the "hello" greeting is from the front of a booklet from when I had a free Graze box.

 

Elle's Studio Sketch Thursday (10.1.13)

Back to challenges today and again using items out of my scrap box (apart from the lovely papers) as they seem to be mounting up. I'm slowly getting through those sheets with just one or two stickers left on them.

So this challenge is

Sketch Thursday @ Elle's Studio

Here's the sketch

and I've flipped it 90º clockwise and more or less followed the sketch exactly

A Swingin' Good Time

How could I...

...not blog this!!!!????

Had a great time last night at the The ButterMarket, Shrewsbury.

Quick Scraps

Busy day for me today, shopping, cooking (yes, all those boring things we have to do) and out tonight, so just a quick page using scraps today from me.

I'm off to see James Arthur tonight in Shrewsbury and hoping he sings Let's Get It On but anything will do really.

Day to myself tomorrow so hopefully the creativity will flow. I find it so frustrating when you have the time but the brain says "NO".

Anyway, here's my page...