as usual way way behind on posting. here are 3 of my latest pages. I have been too 2 crops and been very unproductive and small world and the flower page are the sum total of 12 hours LOL but lots of chatting was done

the class is so much fun

and it really is inspiring me to add extra stuff to my pages and to think about what I am doing. Look through what I have already (and as Alan would say there is rather a lot!)

Today not a new prompt as such but inspiration. Try to include all the things we have been asked to use on one page. I think lots of people are already doing that but the difference is if you post these pages there is a prize for one lucky person! So I couldn't help myself I had to make a new page.

Celebrate - our disney christmas tree

I used up left over paper and photos from my journal your christmas, there's ribbon, metal and cardstock too. Fingers crossed I win and get to do a whole 'nother shimelle class for free

As usual I start of meaning to do lots and my blogs just drop off. Well I am here again mainly because I am doing another of Shimelle classes (www.shimelle.com). This one is all about using up your stash. Items that just look at you all the time and you rarely use or they aren't in fashion. At the same time we are making a book - Celebrate Life. I am following along (sadly to the detriment of some of the other classes I am doing but I am sure I will catch up some time!

PS excuse quality of the pictures I really should take them in the daylight!

This is the cover - and was based on using metal. So I dug out those metal edged tags - removed the middle and replaces with bazzill. I used brads in the border paper and then found a metal alphabet that I picked up in Joannes for a dollar. Even going so far as turning a 'a' upside down to make the last e!





This is page 2. Using up scraps of patterned paper. Being as I am not really a patterned paper type of scrapper what I did was go through my stash and find papers that went together that I could use throughout the project. Did well I found a couple of sets that I had picked up from the poundshop with the idea that if I only used one page from them I was still going to be ahead of the game. What a find!

And who could resist this picture when the border on it reads - i'm celebrating.










This page was to use up plain cardstock. Mmm not sure I managed, see the pattern on there LOL. But I am trying to carry through the classes so while there is no metal on there I did manage to add ribbon

This page celebrates good food. A challenge was also set to use photos from different times. You can't get much different - winter in our kitchen in the UK and autumn in the Animal Kingdom Lodge in Florida USA




The challenge here to use ribbon and to pleat ribbon. So thats what I did - making the pleats with my new mini sewing machine the kiddo's bought me for christmas. This page celebrates the special relationship between Alan and Beth.

the girls and I finally got together again on Saturday after a few false starts and we worked on this years year book. We try to grab a few photos each month so that looking back we can see what we did each month. This year is slightly different as I made them a tag set for christmas each containing a sketch for the month so it will be fun to see the different interpretations. Not so different maybe this month as we all used the new sizzix bigxl die to make a pop up snowman. We had wonderful fun and eventually after numerous gluings they all worked.

52:10

finally the photo the right way up :o)

This is the page that is fullfilling 2 weekly challenges - 52 sketches in 52 weeks and 52:10. We were challenged to write about the changes in the last decade and while it was suggested we might like to do a before and after we only got the after picture.

The sketch was a challenge too as I am using a 12*12 to do a 6*12 - - well it keeps me quiet

so far behind

I can't believe I got so far behind - but I lost the gadget to upload photos - course I find it today in the place it should be so now the camera has no batteries!

I will upload my journal pages I took till the batteries died. I haven't quite finished I have left some pages till I can get the photos printed off. With the new year starting I have also started a album using prompts from Dollysdreamings and the sketch challenge over on Scrappiestdisneyscrappers@yahoo.com. Nothing like combining two things - double acheivement each time I make a page :O)

snow

we have snow. The place looks lovely but its a total nightmare trying to drive. I was supposed to go with friends to a fairly local pub for a meal - after I had slid around a few corners and had real trouble going up a hill we decided that we should go even local - somewhere from where we could walk home if necessary. Had a great night. Alan had put on the lights to welcome us home and it was so nice I had to take a picture - will be using it in my JYC somewhere!

JYC 8 and 12

Yes I finally caught up - or did I since its technically the 13th maybe not LOL

Page 12 documents that this year christmas is changing and we have new things happening. Boy and girl friends coming and a party for the hayton side. It will sure to be fun and maybe a new tradition!

On this page I used a cake frill to make the border. Great find for 19p






Page 8. I have trouble with memories of christmas past - I documented the loss of Harley-David etc last year and it helped. So this year I wrote of Beth's trip to the Kids Christmas Party at work and having a fun time. And how she is not a girly girl so party dress are out :O)

A photo will follow

Again with trying to do things differently you can see that this is not a oblong page :O) The white is cut from felt - another product used.

days 7, 9,10 and 11

I managed today to get done 4 of the missing 5 pages from my JYC!

This one - to do - documents rather than christmas things - wrapping etc what I had to to-do was attend the Rusty Pickle classes. And great fun was had by all. It was nice to spend time with my scrapping buddies too





This one is the one on traditions and while I had documented lots last year I still hadn't mentioned the School Nativity Play. As we have a wonderful daughter in law who manages to get us tickets each year we are able to keep up this traditon and attend our Granddaughters plays. Trying to keep with the different mediums the Angel is a wooden ornament that I picked up from Hobby craft on a recent visit.









Wrapping paper - this year of course a new design each. And extras too as both Doms and Sarah-Jaynes girl and boy friend will be joining us at some part during the festivities

This one will have to wait for its photo until i can get them printed. Todays prompt was the christmas tree and as I had documented our wonderful Disney tree last year so this i covered the US tradition we adopted. Each year we buy the children a new christmas ornamant. Sarah's goes on her own tree, Doms and Beth on ours until they are have their own when i will pass them onto them.

I love this and Alan and I have great fun trying to find the perfect one for them.




Yes I still have 8 to go back and do! but it will get caught up ...soon

behind!

OH Boy now I am two days behind on JYC. Most of yesterday was taken up with 2 Rusty Pickle scrapbook classes ran by Lance Anderson the owner of RP. This is the 2nd opportunity I have had to take classes and while they are expensive they are wonderful!! I loved both books and as usual learn't a few new techniques which will no doubt make their way into my books. Beacuse of course Rusty Pickle books are made to stroke not use!


TODAY Alan and I actually started wrapping pressie and one lucky child has all of their wrapped and ready to send to Santa. Course it means that we still have 100's to go but feel better that we started.

Tomorrow I have some time in the afternoon and hopefully I can get some pictures printed and some pages made. We will be taking Beth to the Christmas Party at work so most of the evening will be spent in the company of our wonderful Granddaughter

JYC and a flower wreath

Sundays JYC day. The prompt - memories good and bad. This year decided to write about Fenwicks window. A large department store in town who have a wonderful display each year. My parents used to take us as children to go look and then visit Santa and then Alan and I did it with ours.
I did take a picture this year but sadly it is very blurred and not useable so I had to make a window with paper. But keeping with the different mediums it is a shaker box.










Making a flower wreath








I was reading this ........... http://dollysdreamings.typepad.com/dollys_dreamings/
and was lead to this .....http://efemera-ink.blogspot.com/2009/11/back-to-basics.html

And what you see above is the result. Sadly I don't have a holly punch to add leaves but I love the flowers. I used up all the scraps of papers left from our adventures with the advent matchbox tree. So apart from a few buttons which were already in the stash it didn't cost anything to make - well just time!

PS I forgot to mention that I too bought the large fiscars oval punch from Home Bargains for 99p ! what a bargain as one scrap store I was in this week had the same punch on sale for £14.00.

days 4 and 5 JYC

Day 4 - the prompt what is perfect. I chose to write about the most perfect christmas film - Miracle on 34th street. Yup I believe in Santa and YES I cry every time but boy do I love that film














DAY 5 - all about advent and counting down. Yup you guessed it - I love advent calenders and we have them all over the place. This year I documented my love and also the new one the girls I crop with made. Because I can't print photos a copy of the one that will go in the circle is below. The Pooh advent calender is made from material and padded. Keeping with the theme of trying to use different mediums within this years album.



Not sure what happened to the light but at least you can almost see it. We planned on making this from January and spent the year collecting the large household matchboxes and of course bought paper in the sale. It took a full day but it was worth it in the end

Page 3 of Journal your christmas. The prompt was about cards. I only send shop bought cards, no hand made ones here, and then as we are very green at work and don't send them I only send a few generally to the states- each one that I do send includes a small handmade stocking - each year a different design. This is this years - the blue material that I used for the wedding favours from our vow renewal and a gingerbread man with disney buttons of course.

I am really trying to be more 'adventurous with my scrapping so am layering, using flowers, ribbons and patterned paper along with my ready made number tags - I am having great fun :O) I also wanted to make the album more ......... not sure what the word is but different sizes pages, and later different mediums. So the page is a hand made envelope which is only 7.5 inches long so shorter than the 12 inch of the other pages :O)

I do need to get rings so I can start stringing the pages together.

Here is page two :O) The prompt was weather and as I covered my love of snow last year and I searched and found this photo decided to document our love of december in Orlando. The journalling reads:

Oh the weather outside is... cold wet and miserable. Its a great time to recall our decembers in Orlando. What a combination shorts, t-shirts and christmas hats. We all love how disney decorate for christmas - themed trees, snow on main street. A favourite memory is driving from the airport with all the houses shining with light galore.

Journal Your Christmas

yes its that time of year again. I love this class much as I love christmas so I have declared that I will do it all again

So here is page 1. Not sure I can do a page a day but at will catch up on weekends

I know I know - how long since I last wrote ....

my excuse is that I wanted to be able to post pictures and without a working computer that was really hard. Well things have changed and hopefully that means an improvement.

First I have joined a blogging class (yup and I am already 5 days behind but I do intend to catch up) and secondly we have a notebook and a dongle (ie mobile broadband) so I can get on-line. Not 100% sure on the photos yet as I can't seem to find the software for the camera and with no disc drive its hard but I can only hope we can find a way to make it work.

Well anyway - yet again I am setting off with good intentions lets hope we can keep it up. After all its nearly time for Journal Your Christmas again which means a scrapbook page a day all through December. I am trying to clear the decks so that works and I am scurrying like mad to get the christmas sewing done in time.

We shall see :O)

May holiday

well first so much for writing regularly :O(

The weather here has been glorious for days! We went last weekend to Mablethorpe in Lincolnshire for a few days by the beach in a caravan. We love Mablethorpe it really is an unspoilt english seaside town. We spent hours playing and walking on the beath with Beth. My dad and she had such fun building sand scultures



















Alan made Beth Yeti footprint and she loved running along the beach jumping in them. As you can see I tried using the multi photo button on my camera - well something new learnt :O)

Mothering Sunday

Today is UK Mothering Sunday and Doms brought me a wonderful card from him and Sarah-Jayne (AKA Sassy) and he had made his Dad and I breakfast in bed. You know it was a wonderful gesture and I did appreciate it - BUT I looked at the time 9.00am and thought maybe I could have laid in. I then realised there was method in his madness - he had to be at football for 9.30 and Mum had to give him a lift. Kids you have to love them.





Later in the day I was talking to my Friend Carol in the States and we were discussing the Vow Renewal and I promised to dig out some wedding photos. As this was pre-digital all I have are snaps so I took a picture of the snap and sent it along.






Its not very good quality but I am sure you can get the jist. No photo of Doms as he was just a twinkle in his Daddy's eye as they say but you can see Sassy and their big brother Harley-David.

Alan and I were clearing out our wardrobe this week and you know I have the full outfit - dress, hat, flowers, shoes and all still in there. Not that I could get anywhere near getting in the dress but hat, shoes and rose - maybe I can find my something old quite easily. Surprisingly couldn't find the something blue - now where did that garter go ......

Ohh and PS I have Sarah's dress, umberella and Harley-David's bowtie and cumberbund too! Nope not a horder as Sassy would say - just sentimental

on the move Gently!

After a trip to the physio who was really pleased with the progress made with my back over the weekend he suggested that it maybe help me to feel better if I went out and got some fresh air. After nearly 2 weeks more or less confined to the house (and the sofa for the bulk of that) Alan and I didn't need telling twice. When ever I need to blow away cobwebs we head to the beach - sea air is so good for you :o)

We only stayed 30 mins (didn't want to do any damage or over do it) and then came home. It was so wonderful to be out in the fresh air even if it was cold. Course when I got back I had to lie down but it was worth it.

While I was taking photos of Alan on Sunderland Beach my friend Jud in the States was taking photos from his back door of NASA shuttles taking off - check out the fab photos at : http://iJud.blogspot.com