12 Pledges @ Wearcrafts (Part One)

It's that time of the month again when Jen reveals the

12 Pledges Kit

over at Wearcrafts.

This month the kit is made by Glitz Design

and Jen has aptly named it

"Optimism"

Having just opened her Creative Craft Space up there in the North East she is always so optimistic

and happy to give things a go. 

Life is too short not to try don't you think and I have no doubt that

her venture will be a raging success.

My layout is all about how the child says she hates walking BUT I think she is truly a secret lover of walking.

I have added a few extras into my £5 kit.
The Instascrap by Leeza Gibbons doesn't have to be used for PL pages and the quantity you get in these packs is phenomenal so why not share with a friend?

Due to their excellent value for money these kits fly out of the door
(and stock is already limited)

so be sure to grab one if you're interested.

Virginia, my fellow Dteamie has already posted her fabulous creations with the kit HERE

and I'll be back in a couple of days with more too.

Card Frenzy

I keep saying it and I'll say it again

"why oh why do I leave these cards until the very last minute?"

I have been so rubbish lately in keeping up with things, so much so that it meant I had 3 layouts, 18 cards and one kit to put together in the space of 48 hours whilst preparing and cooking a 

3 course lunch for our neighbours!

I know I work better under pressure but really, that was little too close for comfort!

Here are a few of the cards that were thrown together last night...

I love this one which I found on Pinterest.

So, 10 cards, 3 layouts and 1 kit to go....

Spots

The prompt for this week's photograph over at

Our Beautiful World

is

spots
and I can't wait to wear my new shoes...
(hmm, like I really needed more shoes!)

although you may have to catch me when I fall over in those heels!

A Weekly Hop

Last week I was invited by Jemma and Virginia (thank you ladies)

to take part in a blog hop tour and you can see their post by clicking on their names. 

Following on from these two is going to be a pretty daunting task as they have answered their questions so brilliantly and in depth that I'm going to struggle to come close.

Let's try...

1. What am I working on? 

Currently I'm working on keeping my head above water! Sometimes I can be "ready" for anything days or even weeks in advance but then other times, like now, I'm just constantly chasing my tail wondering why I didn't get things done when I had the chance instead of sitting, staring at the world around me and wondering where to start. Do you do that, think you have plenty of time and then PANIC!

So there are a few things that are keeping me busy right now...

A card that was meant to be with its recipient yesterday

My June Counterfeit Kit

(it's a lovely choice next month so be sure to join in)

and

a recipe book to hold all these tried and tested recipes...

You will hopefully see the finished product sometime next month

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I'm not sure it does to be honest with you.

I do have this love of white space as you can see by these layouts...

however I've recently tried to steer clear every now and again to avoid being "samey" as you can see...

It's one extreme to another don't you think?

Is there a happy medium out there somewhere?

3. Why do I write/create what I do? 

I started my blog a couple of years ago in order to make it easier to join in with online scrapbook challenges etc and since then I've just blogged more and more.

"Oh Blog It" is mainly for scrapbooking purposes but the odd "other" post will find its way in there too, maybe a card (like Jemma and most scrappers I think, I started out as a card maker) or a photograph just to break up the "norm".

I love joining in with memes although I do forget every now and again to join in.

4. How does your writing/creating process work?

I just blab really when it comes to writing my blog but really envy those people like

Abi and Rinda

who have such a wonderful way of creative writing.

My layouts are 99% my own and ideas generally just pop into my head about how I want to scrap a photo or how I want the layout to look or how I want to tell the story.

There are many photos that I want to scrap over and over again whether it be for the love of the photo or for how many different stories can be told through it.

I will join in with challenges but I generally very loosely follow a sketch.

I prefer prompts or colour combos as, that way, the finished page is less likely to

look like somebody else's.

I do love to see how different people interpret sketches though - it amazes me how many different looks you can get from one sketch.

Next Monday, June 2nd, 3 more bloggers will (hopefully) keep this process going by nominating 3 more of their blogger friends to post the following week.

I am passing the blogger baton to... 

Rinda... 

is totally inspiring with her many posts of her family life and her daughter's enterprising chicken business. 

She also runs the Summer Photography Scavenger Hunt which kicks off on Sunday and I will definitely be joining in with that one. 

Gemma... 

a friend on planet earth and not just in blogland, 

Gemma blogs her everyday life for her kids to look back on in years to come. 

Sue... 

maybe better know as Miniowner on UKS. 

She creates some fabulous cards and layouts and I for one would like to know more 

about her creative process. 

Guesting @ the Studio (Part 2)

This month I am delighted to be guesting at
The Studio Challenges

The first challenge which was sketch inspired went live on May 11th
and today sees the launch of the second challenge ...
Selfie
create a layout using a Selfie picture
 (a photo you took of yourself, there can be other people in it but you must be in it too!!)

Now whenever I take a selfie I always tend to have a double chin
(note to self, get selfie lessons from DD)
however the one I'm using on my layout today is my favourite ever selfie!!!

The footprints have been in my stash for a while now. I cut them out of the bottom of a shoebox in the hope that they would come in handy (or should that be "feety")
I've also used the definition of the word "walk" from an old dictionary
and my journalling asks the question
"I wonder how many miles our feet walk in our lifetimes?"

You have until the 11th of June to link up your selfie layouts.

Hop, Skip and a Bucket List

Where do the months go?

It's blog hop time again over at the Counterfeit Kit Blog and this month you will have hopped over from Tina's Scrap Corner

It's a small hop this month so you're nearly halfway there already!!
I wasn't sure which challenge to join in with for hop but having already done Ch#1 and Ch#2
wasn't it the right thing to do Ch#3?

I knew what I wanted to do but then I ran out of printer ink so that layout will have to wait.

I decided to use a photo of me in my very younger days with my perm hairstyle (don't laugh)
to document how I wanted to become a man - yes you heard right, a man but not a man with dangly bits just a woMAN who can do a man's job!
So hear is my layout "the year I became a man"

OK, so my layout doesn't have a visible bucket list but the story is about one of the many things on my bucket list over the years and how I accomplished it by joining the Navy.

It's now time to wish you well as you continue on your hop with our May Guest Designer, Laura.

She has produced some amazing work for us this month that's for sure.

Thank you Laura!

Stop Press!!

I may have a little competition going on on my blog very soon.

Watch this space.

CKCB           http://www.counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com

Lisa              http://lisahausmann.blogspot.de

Tina              http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com

Lesley          http://ohblogitifyoucantbeatthem.blogspot.co.uk

Laura           http://beadsbuttonsandbirds.blogspot.co.uk/

Leslie           http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com

Julene          http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com.au

Jemma         http://just-jimjams.blogspot.co.uk

Lucky Girl!!!!

Just look at the beautiful gift I received in the post this week...

Please excuse my freckly chest - it's the necklace you're supposed to be looking at!

It is handmade by Jen's Dad who is a jeweller and silversmith and I feel

very proud to be wearing this wonderful piece of artwork.

I was totally overwhelmed by Jen's generosity

and wanted you all to know just how lucky I am to be on her Wearcraft's design team.

So from the bottom of my heart, Jen, thank you so very much

for making this girl cry and

for being such a wonderful "boss".

All Out!

Today I'm showing the last scrapbook page I created for LOAD before bowing out.

Back in February by determination to keep up saw me neglecting my family slightly

so when I was having one of those days this month I decided enough was enough

and just didn't do it.

I thought I would wake up in the morning feeling like I'd failed but the relief of not having to keep up outweighed that failure feeling and I haven't even read the prompts since!

I may catch up at some point but with the lovely weather we've been having that doesn't happen very often, who actually wants to sit indoors scrapbooking?

I love the look on this girl's face. Even as a toddler she was a keen little cricketer and went on to join a ladies team. This year she has taken the decision not to play because she doesn't think she's good enough and because the bowling affects her neck after the assault last year.

One day she may decide to play again...

Bathtime!

Well, this morning I was nominated by two fabulous people, Jemma and Virginia
to carry the blog baton onwards.
Please take a moment to hop backwards to their blogs,
 I was quite overwhelmed at the things they wrote about me
My forward blog post will be next Monday where I will nominate 3 bloggers
to help the baton continue its journey.

Also today I've been favourited over at

The Studio Challenges Blog

for my McDreamy "number" page.

Their May Sketch Challenge is one I've already joined it with as Guest Designer.

Why not join in, go on...hop over and take a look!

We've had some fabulous weather over the last few days and this

gave me the opportunity to sit in the garden with my camera

on hand to grab some decent shots of the birdies.
I was hoping to grab a good one of our mating blackbirds cooling off in the bird bath for
Our Beautiful World's prompt this week
"Bath"
however one practice shot and my battery was dead!

So, instead I took my phone into the bathroom
and you get to see my legs!!!

Ho Ho No!

I don't know how your children reacted to Santa but my DD

hated him as you can see by the photo I have scrapped today.

I'm playing along with the sketch challenge over at 

The Memory Nest.

June 1st is the closing date so you have plenty of time to join in.

We took her to Santa's Grotto in the town centre just before she turned one and  scared her to death!

The following year at toddler group, her own Daddy played the role of Santa and once again she screamed the place down. The poor thing, she did eventually learn to like him when she realised he brought presents!!!

Why not play along?

Did your kids hate Santa?

It Doesn't Have to be Christmas!

Here is a layout I created for the LOAD7 prompt which was

"the most wonderful time of the year"
Yes, I do like Christmas but I also

love getting together with the girls for some scrappy time and

thoroughly enjoyed our little retreat back in March.

I used Jessie's chosen sketch as a starting block which also had to include a song title.

I can't wait until the next one!!!

A Chance of Rain?

Clouds is the prompt for this week's photograph over at

Our Beautiful World.

Having just created this layout for

CH#1 - Weather Related

 at the Counterfeit Kit Blog

I thought I would post this as my picture....

Will you join in with either of these prompts?

Talking of challenges, CH#3 is up over at CKCB today.
The challenge is to include a bucket list on your layout.
Why not nip over and see what the DT have made to inspire you.
I will be sharing mine during the blog hop on the 24th

and there is still time to join in.

You can find all the details HERE.

I'm Glad I Became a Mummy!!!

Today I'm joining in with

Challenge#6-All things Motherhood

over at the Challenge Yourself blog.

OK I know I'm not totally in the photo

but it is my arm and hand - does that count!?

I really love how this layout turned out and tells the story (from a LOAD prompt)

of what I believed when I was growing up.

Whenever anyone asked what I wanted to be, I would answer

"a Mummy"

Later on in life I was told I would never have children and therefore

very happy to be sharing this special layout.

Right Across the Middle

SJCrafts's May Challenge is all about

BINGO

The DT came up with some cracking projects and Jemma

of just-jimjams fame

brought the grid to our monthly crop last Saturday.

I went right across the middle for mine and used

1. A transparent photo cover

2. A metal camera paperclip

3. a digital stamp

The prompt was from LOAD and was all about

"mum I'm board"

and tells the story of how I used to love playing the Game of Life 

and constantly begged people to play with me.

It has now come full circle as I bought an ipad edition for DD for Christmas.

It is however much more enjoyable to play as it requires less setting up!!!

Pippy Love

Scrap and Play have their first challenge up and with LOAD well under way

too, I was in need a bit of something to get me going.

This sketch was perfect.

The LOAD prompt was "Puppy Love" and asked us to scrap about something that we loved 

when we were growing up.

I changed my title to "Pippy Love"

and the journalling reads (hankies at the ready!)...

"There was Billie Beans and Mouse, Rabbit and so many others that I loved and cherished. However, there was one that got away - Pippy Long Stockings was one of my favourites until she vanished. Our Primary School was holding a Blue Peter Bring & Buy sale and as I walked through the school gates to see what I could buy with MY pocket money, another young girl had just done the same - she was walking out with MY Pippy Long Stockings. My Mum had given her away. My husband says I’m a hoarder and I think this is the reason why - my Mum gave everything away, my first ring, my Brownie Uniform with all my badges and all those sentimental other things that I wish I had now. I vowed I would never give anything away that held sentimental value which is why our loft is full of

teddies. clothes, bikes etc etc etc.

I found out recently that Mum does keep ALL my handmade cards - knowing what she has always been like, this news brought a lump to my throat.

Imogen will probably curse me in years to come when she has to sort through all those things that I have kept although she is a bit of a hoarder too so I think she will understand!!! "

What did you love when you were growing up?

Are you a hoarder?

Wearcrafts Winner

Good evening one and all and welcome to the prize giving.

Just popping by to say thank you for joining in with my challenge for the

Wearcrafts NSD Event and to thank the fabulous Jen for organising
and running a fab event - didn't she do well?

The lovely Virginia (my fellow DTeamie)

had the horrible task of picking just one winner.

(I'm glad she had to do it!!!)

"They were are lovely but one stood out"

and the winner is

Karen Cass

with this fabulous layout...

Karen please get in touch so I can get your prize to you.

While I'm here, a quick share of another LOAD layout.

I used the Scrap365 sketch to create my layout but, once again I seem to have missed the deadline.

How can a May Sketch challenge close on May 12th!!??

Anyway the prompt was all about telephones and here I tell the story of how technology

has evolved in just a few years.

When I lived at home, we had a party line and I often used to listen in to our neighbour's conversations!

This is another photo that I recently "found" of  little DD.

Once again, congrats Karen, look forward to hearing from you.

Laugh It Up

Today sees the launch of

Challenge #2: Safety in numbers

over at the Counterfeit Kit Blog and we are asked

 to choose one embellishment to focus on in our layout and use a lot of it!  

I had a whole pack of labels in my kit this month

and decided that every single one needed to be on my layout...

you can't really tell but they are ALL there.

I recently found this totally scrappable photo of my daughter playing swingball in the garden.

I think she was maybe 3 or 4.

I would love to know why she was in fits of giggles and I can only imagine her "Daddy" rolling

around on the floor having been hit by the ball in a sensitive place!!!

What have you got in your kit that you can use a lot of?

Or will you randomly add something?

Whatever you do - LINK UP!

Guesting @ the Studio (Part 1)

I have been playing along with 

The Studio Challenges

 for a while now so when I won their March challenge - M is for...

with my "for the love of music" layout

and was invited to be their Guest Designer, I got quite excited.

The first challenge this month is to create a layout based on the following sketch...

If you're a follower, you will know that I'm a bit of a rule breaker when it comes to sketches

 as I prefer to do my own thing but this one was just perfect for the photos I wanted to use :)

Here is my take on the sketch.

I have used different alphas for "E" and "R" to show the royal link

Will you stick to it like glue, rotate it or break the rules, like me?

Whatever you do don't forget to link up.
You have until the 11th of June.

I've Been a BAD Rebel!!

I really have been a BAD rebel.

For the last couple of months (due to life) I have

failed badly in my DT duties over at

Punky Scraps.

Well NOT anymore...

This month we have a mood board AND a sketch for you

to work from. Just look at that fabulous sketch created by Lee.

Having recently bought these exact acrylic colours, 

I got my messy on and came up with this...

I found a wonderful quote about blue eyes on Pinterest and knew exactly what I wanted to do.

People with blues eyes are kindheartedand always look for the best in people.They are hyper and love to laugh.The love affection and enjoy to show theirs.They tend to be quiet at first,but once you get to know them they never shut up.They are the best at pretending to be happy and tend to please others before themselves. They are loyal and like long committed relationships. They love with all their heart and are hard to forget if you get the chance to love them. They are passionate and their passion will consume you.They make amazing friends.

This is my daughter to a "t" and if course she takes after me!!!

All I Ask of You

Here is the sketch

for the May Sketch Challenge

over at Life Paper Scrapbook

My layout was from a LOAD prompt which was to think about a song that brings

back memories.

Back in 1994 I was taken to see Phantom of the Opera in London.

It was here, during All I Ask of You that he proposed to me.

I obviously said "yes" and

we married 6 months later.

Next month we celebrate our 19th 

anniversary.

This layout also complies with the NSD CKCB CH#2 that was set
by Jemma.
She asked us to feature BLACK and/or WHITE (or mix them to makeGREY) along with shades of ONE other COLOUR.

What song brings back memories for you?

1P&20W

Linking up with

One Photo & Twenty Words

over at

 Creating Paper Dreams

Spending time with her Gramps

is so special to her.

Chatting, laughing and enjoying

each other's company.

Such precious moments.