Happily Handmade...

...for a dear friend who has just moved house.

Thought white would go with anything!

July's Scavenging Round Up

Following on from my quick 4 Day Hunt in Barcelona I am still on track with

my "normal" hunt.

During July I have found a few more to tick of Rinda's

2014 Summer Photography Scavenger Hunt list...

Here we have ...

4. A group of tourists - tourist queuing to catch their train home following a visit to Liverpool to see the Giants

9. A bakery 
and 
16. A sign in a language other than English

11. A horn - During a recent comedy night at a local theatre, the woman in the final act produced a horn which she played between her legs!

 and one of the Black Rhinos at Chester Zoo

14. A parade - two pics here - first is the little girl giant in Liverpool
and the second of the WW1 commemorative parade in town

and who could resist another
17. A lamp post

18. A water fall watched by some monkeys at the zoo

21. A photograph of you with something representing the season (recognizing that the season will be Winter for our friends in the southern hemisphere). Note: you may not use a substitute for this item.

Me and my fabulous little family spending quality TIME together with LOTS of maize until we all went our separate ways and got lost in the maze! 
Linking up here with Our Beautiful World where the prompt this week is TIME and is chose by Robyn

My whole collection so far can be found HERE
and my
Mini Four Day Hunt in Barcelona HERE

I am loving this year's hunt!

Success with Wearcrafts #3

Have you been following my glitter trail whilst I've been creating with

the fabulous new Success Kit from Wearcrafts?

Urban Market by Teresa Collins is such a gorgeous collection but boy am I sparkling!

Did you manage to grab yourself a kit? 

I hope so as you really wouldn't want to miss it.

I did add some extras this month 

so have managed a few more layouts than I would normally!

Today I am sharing another layout with you and
for this layout I have found a new challenge blog
another freaking scrappy challenge which hosts two challenges per month.
The first of the month prompt is
"Have you ever been recognized for something? Scholarship? Award? Employee of the quarter? Fifth place winner??? Published? Scrap or art journal about it"
and the mid month challenge is this sketch ...

I decided that I would just use the sketch this time and decided to use the photos of
us at the Kennedy Space Center.
My title (an Elbow song) is created using my Cameo

Don't forget Jen's and Virginia's blogs for more inspiration.

TOP TIP - I strongly suggest that you keep
your eyes peeled for the August kit.
I have already played with mine and you would be daft to miss it!

Stuck @ The Studio

The current challenge over The Studio Challenges Blog is a link up with Stuck!?Sketches

Just look at these vibrant, fun colours

and along with this sketch I'm sure there'll be lots of people out there having some fun!

I certainly did...

I played with my stamps again thanks to the previous challenge and came up with a very bright page telling the story of how not even the biggest gobstopper would shut the child up!!

Have you played with your stamps lately - go on, have some fun!

Success with Wearcrafts #2

A couple of days ago I shared two layouts created from the fabulous 

Success Kit 

available over at 

Wearcrafts.

The kit itself is only £5 but as I love this collection so much I indulged in a few extras!

 For my 3rd layout I decided that I would join in with a sketch challenge and chose

the new one over at Scrap365

I love simple sketches and have pretty much stuck to this one like glue.

My layout tells the story of how Gramps (my Dad) always called the child Alfalfa due to her having
a cute cowlick which always curled from the top of her head.

I'll be back in a couple of days with my final layouts from this kit,
but if you would like more inspiration Virginia and Jen have some in abundance on their
bloggy things.

Nothing but Inks & Stamps

Today I have decided to play with some stamps and join in with

The Studio Challenges

If, like me, you have a drawer/cupboard/folder full of unloved/unused stamps, this is the perfect challenge for you!
So come on, get those rubber things out and get stamping.

I used a few digi stamps/brushes before printing onto my 12x12 and then used "real" inks and stamps to add to the layout.

I love how this layout has turned out using nothing but inks and stamps.
I probably used about 2% of my stamp hoard on this page - I really must try
to use them more often!

Success with Wearcrafts #1

This month's 12 Pledges Kit over at Wearcrafts is Success.

When I saw this kit I just knew I needed all the added extras and got my order in quick with Jen.

The kit is released today so be quick if you want to get your sticky kits on it.

Just look at what you get for a fiver...

5 sheets of fabulous double sided paper, a doily (yours won't be scrunched like mine!)

glitter card, glitter material, two gorgeous butterflies, a length of ribbon and a bag of sequins.

I also treated myself to the rest of the collection...

For my first layout, I wanted to create lots of circles to depict the tunnels on the International Space Station. Whilst visiting the Kennedy Space Center last year we got to pretend we were astronauts way up there in space. Clambering through the tunnels was pretty difficult but just look at the effect in the photo it created...

I used nestabilities to die cut the glittery circles (I don't do fussy cutting) then used my Cameo to create the linked blue circles. My story is told on the pull out tab behind the photo.
The wordy paper "subway" is great for creating titles.

The second layout tells a sad story of a bunch of 5 cousins.
I love this happy photo taken circa 1971 (I'm second from left)
however 43 years later only 3 of us lead "normal" lives whilst the other two lead somewhat sad
and unhappy ones in a place that the rest of us don't know.

I've never used sequins on a layout before so this was a first for me and those butterflies are just gorgeous. I have obviously used some added extras for my layouts here but what a kit.

A fiver - that's all it is!
And you could always add some extras in from the Urban Market collection.

Virginia will be on her blog tomorrow with some of her creations and I'll be back on Sunday to show
one or two more of mine. Jen has also been creating a glitter trail over on her bed blog.

Never Give Up!

Hello to all you lovely Counterfeit Kit readers/followers.

This month we have a teeny tiny hop for you and we're hoping it's just because

the sun is shining and nobody wants to be indoors creating.

Leslie will have sent you my way and Cindy follows on from me.

The full list can be found at the bottom of my post just in case you want to start from the start and finish at the finish!

Onto my creation for this month's hop.

I was going to create a panel card to fit with CH#3 but then

I found that chipboard triangle on my desk so I changed my mind and created a

second CH#1 which is to use more than five triangles on your layout.

 The title here is quite ironic as the layout is all about hubby giving up smoking

and just in case you can't read the journalling here under the flap...

Here you are in the 2005(ish) on a mini cruise to Norway. Nanny and Gramps were looking 

after 

Imogen and this was supposed to be a lovely relaxing few days away from it all.

However, at the time, you were giving up smoking and you were “hell” to be with. 

OK, you might be smiling in the photo but being in the small cabin with you for 3 days was 

probably the worst 3 days of my life! 

The ultimate came when you threw a tantrum because you wanted to hold your own passport

and you stormed off ashore. The ship set sail again later and I had no idea

whether yu were onboard or not.

I could easily have divorved you at this point.

You continueed to smoke until I gave you an ultimatum, fags or me? 

and Imogen rolling you a fag out of A4 paper sealed the deal.

We’ve been through a lot, you and me, this being one of the hardest but it does show that we

can get through anything with our love for each other.

(Photo circa 2005 / Journalling July 2014)

I didn't know the story of the child rolling up a piece of paper for him until today but

it and my threat obviously worked and we've had nearly 10 years of a smoke free house.

What are you glad you never gave up on?

Let me know before you hop to Cindy's blog.

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

Lisa      http://lisahausmann.blogspot.de

Tina      http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com

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

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

Cindy    http://www.cindyscreations-cinmfoster.blogspot.com

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

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

Veggies

The prompt at

Our Beautiful World

this week is

Vegetable

and being a vegetarian, this is a great prompt for me especially as my dear friend Helen
has an allotment and is always bringing yummy goodies around for me to use.

Just today she gave me these lovely specimens...

...which I believe to be a Summer Ball Courgette.
She gave me a normal courgette too but not sure how that would have looked in a photo!!!

Anyone have a recipe???

One of Five

The July challenge over at SJCrafts

is One of Five

which basically means we have to choose one of each of the following to use on our layout.

The Shapes/symbols are: Butterfly - Banner - Star (or this could be a sun) - arrow - circle.

The Phrases : Summer Days - Right Now - You and Me - Explore - The Story ... 

Colours: Yellow - Light blue/Aqua - Red - Black - White    

I chose 

• Circle
• The Story
• White

You may notice a flap at the bottom of my layout, this folds back to reveal my hidden journalling

(and lots of it). 

It gives a private message to the child when she may possibly read it in years to come.

I have loved this challenge and have a backlog of ones I want to join in with!!!

Have a great Sunday.

Can You See The Trees?

The prompt over at

Our Beautiful World

this week is

WOODLAND

and where better to take some fabulous photos than one of our country's

National Trust sites.

Away for  a few days with a girlfriend, we visited a couple of places

just perfect for me to capture this shot of a newly planted woodland.

I wonder what it will look like in 10 years time, maybe I will go back and take the same shot!

I was also delighted this week to have won one of the blog hop prizes from

Our Beautiful World,

Thank you!

Have You Realised Yet...

...just how much I'm enjoying my new toy?

I can make anything and I love it!

Why did I wait so long to buy one?

Anyhow, enough of my gushing as I need to show you my latest creation.

Made with my July Counterfeit Kit and my new toy (!)

I found a silhouette of the world map and created an SVG to cut.

The great thing about it too, as I said yesterday, is that I also have the negative to play with at a later date - win, win!

I was also able to use up loads of leftover alphas too which is always a bonus!!!

What shall I cut next?

What tool/machine could you not do without?

Negatives

Have you ever gone to throw something away and then looked at it again

only to find that you can use it!

I do this quite regularly!

Today I was cutting some polaroids on the Cameo and had already put the negative into the recycle box when I decided I could make something out of it.

Quickly retrieving the item and adding a few more "cuts" I had created

with said machine and hey presto, look what I made...

I'm pretty pleased with how this negative created the focus of my layout.

What have you thrown/been about to throw away before realising that everything has a use???

Sorry For the Delay...

...but I am happy to announce that my 500th Blog Post winner is.....

JEMMA

I would say, get in touch but I will bring your prize on Thursday :)

Búsqueda del Tesoro

Well I hope I got that translation right!

Last week I was in Barcelona with my hubby while the child was in the same region on her annual school music trip.

Some of you may remember that last year we surprised her by turning up at one of the concerts

(the look on her face was priceless)

however this year she knew we would be there although she was slightly mortified to find out that her teacher had invited us to join them on their Barcelona bus tour.

(We declined through fear of her never talking to us again!)

Anyway, I wondered if I could complete Rinda's

2014 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt

all in one go, in just 4 days.

So with one list printed, phone and camera at the ready and husband in tow, do you want to see how I did?

1. A sign welcoming people to your home town (or a nearby town)

2. A garden gnome

3. Birds on a wire (Ok just the one!)

4. A group of tourists

5. A rack of post cards

6. An urban street scene

7. A rural landscape

8. A tattoo on a person (weirdo alert!!! If you've got a tattoo, expect photo to be taken!)

9. A bakery

10. A photo bomb (someone found lurking in the background of photo; the lurker may have intended to disrupt the picture or may be doing it unintentionally, but the background lurker is a surprise to the photographer)

(just as a took this photo the moped came into my scene)

11. A horn

12. A mascot

13. A sunrise

You gotta be kidding me!
I wasn't getting up that early on my holiday

14. A parade

FAIL

15. A juggler (yep my own personal juggler!)

16. A sign in a language other than English

17. A lamp post

18. A water fall

19. A public garden

20. A bus (not a car, truck, lorry, camper or RV) with a picture painted on its sides.

21. A photograph of you with something representing the season (Yikes!)

If you find something on the list too difficult, you may substitute one of the following items for anything on the list, except for Item #21:
Alternative A: A kite, hot air balloon or blimp
Alternative B: A bird house

I didn't get the alternatives either to make up for my two fails but hey not a bad shot in four days!

I will of course still be completing it the normal way and you can where I'm up to HERE