CurlyWiggles

OWOT - January

2012-01-24T17:57:00.000Z

We've introduced a new weekly challenge over at the Truly Madly Crafty Blog called One Word One Technique. We have assigned a different technique to each month of the year and each week has a specific word. The idea is that you create a project, be it a card, layout, art journal page etc based on that weeks word and using that month's technique.This month's technique is paint and my word is GO!

i decided to use paint for my title & finally busted out some Amy Tangerince goodies to do a page about a trip i took to Manchester last June. Does the design of the page maybe look a little bit similar? Perhaps a bit like the last page i posted? i'm ok with not reinventing the wheel every time :)

Jolly good fun

2012-01-15T20:24:00.000Z

i recently started having a tidy up in what i like to think of as my 'making space' and realised it's not just been a really long time since i had a sort out but also since i put any pages into my albums. Anyone else have this problem? i counted and there were over 60 pages, plus there are at least another 7 in progress. Ooops.

i also haven't been so great at sharing those pages here or anywhere online. i guess i have been going through one of those phases where i just want to stay away form my laptop. This also means i owe a lot of people e-mails (sorry if you're one of them!). But i'm giving myself permission, because i'm still scrapbooking & having fun.

And speaking of fun, here's a page i did during the JBS Mercantile online crop back in October. This challenge was based on a sketch, which i stretched into a two-pager. The Royal Wedding was a really highlight of 2011 and i'm excited for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations this year! i've scrapbooked this event before, but it was an occasion i took lots of photos of & have lots of thoughts about so i felt i wanted a couple of different layouts about the day.

Papers, Chipboard, Stickers, Rub-Ons: Jenni Bowlin Studios Other: twine, embossing powder.

TMC January Challenge

2012-01-03T20:54:00.000Z

Happy New Year to you all! i truly hope that 2012 brings wonderful things for you all.

A new year, a new challenge on the Truly Madly Crafty Challenge Blog. There was a huge response to last month's challenge and it would be great if that continued. There's some other fun challenges planned which i am excited about. This month's challenge is nice and easy, the theme is 'anything goes'. So all you have to do is submit a new project. i used it as a chance to use up some of my new goodies from the MME line 'Everyday Fun'. i LOVE this line! i adore the kraft papers, the stamps are right up my alley and the embellishments are so freaking cute, especially that garland. i think it's such a fun twist on the banner trend, i want to use it on every page!

i snapped this instax photo on my 29th birthday (yes it's my last year of my twenties, eek!). And i used a list format to summarise the highlights of my day.

TMC December Challenge

2011-12-06T21:56:00.000Z

This month's challenge over at Truly Madly Crafty Challenge Blog is to use Christmas images & colours as your inspiration. i decided to use it as an excuse to get started on my Christmas decorations. i mostly used Jenni Bowlin products, a few of which are available in the shop. You've got all month to take part in the challenge and there's a Bo Bunny Project Kit up for grabs as a prize!

TMC are also on the hunt for 2 new members to join the Design Team. Hope over here for the details of how to apply if you're interested!

TMC November Challenge

2011-11-09T21:43:00.000Z

I was recently asked to join the Design Team over at Truly Madly Crafty & this month's challenge is up on the challenge blog! It's to take inspiration from this photo:

i chose to draw inspiration from the glittery baubles and added glitter to the back of the Hambly overlay to add some sparkle to my layout.

Papers: Echo Park Mist: Studio Calico, Pins: Maya Road, Ribbon: Making Memories, Stickers: Sasafrass, Echo Park, Overlay's: Hambly Screenprints, Tag: Elles Studio, Stamps: K&Co, Studio Calico, Other: Tiny Attacher, German Glass Glitter, Tab.

i hope you'll check out the blog to see how the other ladies interpreted this challenge and play along, there's some Bo Bunny up for grabs!

Handmade Halloween: Documenting with Instax Photos

2011-11-04T18:56:00.000Z

As i said before playing hostess is busy work so taking pictures isn't a priority. However, something that i try to do at Halloween is get instax photos.

Last year i pegged them to a garland i made.

And then they ended up in my scrapbook. i use divide page protectors to store them. These are usually used for storing collectors cards, but they're the perfect size for instax pictures.

i don't really feel that i need to accompany the photos with a lot of journalling so i just went with word stickers. i plan to do something similar with this years photos too.

This is what i did this year to display them at the party. It's something i've been wanting to try for a while.

i bought the frame at ikea and removed the back and the glass. Then stapled in the string to hang the photos on to. To make the tags i stamped and embossed a print design directly onto the kraft tags. Then added some Echo Park stickers using double sided tape. Really simple, but definitely a project i love. Plus i can reuse the tags on other Halloween Projects.

Handmade Halloween: My Costume

2011-10-31T22:21:00.000Z

We hosted a Halloween Party on Saturday night. It's one of my favourite events of the year. But playing hostess is busy work. So busy that i hardly got any pictures. Which i'm now kicking myself about. But i do have this one to share of my costume. i decided back in February when i saw the film that i was going to be the Black Swan. And i quickly realised that i already had nearly everything i needed to make my costume. Handmade costumes are the best. Happy Halloween!

Handmade Halloween: Haunted House

2011-10-28T20:48:00.001+01:00

i came across this beauty in a charity shop sometime ago and have been holding on to it waiting for the perfect

project. Then the idea struck me to turn it into a haunted house!

i think it's my favourite Halloween project ever! Here's a few detail shots:

i think i need to made a few more of these button embellishments to add to my scrapbook pages!

Handmade Halloween: Woodgrain Mod Podge Pumpkin

2011-10-27T23:08:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone! Today marks the start of my Handmade Halloween series. If you've been following me here for a while or on twitter (because i tweet about Halloween all year round!) you'll know that Halloween is my favourite of favourites. i'm not quite sure what it is about the holiday that gets me so excited, because horror movies terrify me, but i fully embrace it. i love to make decorations, concoct wicked cocktails, plan my costume, and pick pumpkins. Basically i love everything about it except the fact that the colour purple features so heavily.

Today i wanted to share a tutorial to make a pumpkin that you can use year after year. Here's the supplies you'll need:

*Scissors

*Fabric

*Mod Podge

*Foam Brush

*Paper Mache Pumpkin

i picked my pumpkin up in Hobby Craft, so i'm sure most major craft shops will sell them. Really there aren't many steps to decorating your pumpkin but it can get really messy! So be sure to cover whatever surface you're working on and be prepared to get sticky fingers!

Originally i was intending to decoupage my pumpkin with scrapbook papers but i couldn't bare the thought of using so much paper on one project! So i decided to use this lovely woodgrain fabric that i've been hoarding for some time. You might prefer to cut your fabric strips before hand, but i cut mine as i went.

You'll need to paint a layer of Mod Podge onto the surface of the pumpkin. i found it best to do this as you go as Mod Podge dries pretty quickly .

Then layer on a fabric strip.

And paint another layer of Mod Podge onto the fabric. Repeat until your pumpkin is covered! My pumpkin had facial features cut out so i made sure there was enough fabric to push through the holes and mod podged them to the inside.

So that my pumpkin looks spooktacular in the dark i've got some faux battery operated tealights to put inside (safety first people!).

i hope you enjoyed my project! i'll be back tomorrow with another one.

JBS Scrapfest

2011-10-22T10:21:00.001+01:00

Yes, it's been a while since i posted. And if you’re wondering why the blog has been so neglected over the last few weeks it’s because i’ve been busy with all my Halloween crafts. i’m REALLY excited to share what i’ve been up to next week in a Handmade Halloween series! So i'll be making it up to you with lots of crafty posts!

But this weekend i'm joining in on all the fun at the JBS forum for their Scrapfest online crop. i loved the last one they hosted and all the challenges that have been posted so far this time around are really motivating. So much so that i actually finished a layout in one sitting last night, which is the first time i've done that in a while! i took Waleska's colour combo challenge of red + black + turquoise as my inspiration.

i thought it was about time i shared my new hair colour :) i had it done about a month ago. i just felt like a change for the new season. When i first had it done it was really bright and i got quite a few stares! Now it has settled down a bit. It's nice being different for a while, but i think i'll go back to my regular colour after christmas.

i played around with twine a little on this page instead of going with my standard staple it down with my tiny attacher. And there's a real mix of old & new JBS products, i've been hoarding that die cut paper since 2007! i think that's what i love most about Jenni's products, that they are co classic and never go out of trend. Please pop into the forum and play along with us, you have all week to take part in the challenges so there's still lots of time. Hope to see you there!

October Daily

2011-10-06T20:12:00.000+01:00

You're probably already familiar with Ali Edward's December Daily concept. If you haven't you can read all about it here. i've never played along, nor attempted a week in the life but when Doris suggested an October Daily, i was all over it. October is usually a difficult month for me with all the seasonal changes going on so i wanted something fun to focus on aside from the ever growing list of Halloween projects i'm wanting to attempt. It's also my last month living with She Who Must Not Be Named and that's certainly worth documenting. Despite the colder days, darker nights/mornings and the impending doom that is winter, there's a lot to love about Autumn.

i made the mini from scratch. And it's very mini at around 4x6. It's similar to all my previous travel scrapbooks on the go like my Canada album. I find that it's easiest to keep up with an on-going project if i have a pre-made book. It's filled with lots of papers of varying sizes, along with transparencies, tags and doilies to mix things up a bit. The cover is made from some chipboard (I always hoard this from packaging for such projects) that i painted and stamped on with my Smash date stamp. i hand sewed the whole lot together, which made my fingers sore! And then put some 7gypsies fabric tape on the spine to make it a bit sturdier + prettier.

i'm taking pictures with instagram on my iPhone. i always have my phone on me so that seemed like the only way i was going to keep up with actually documenting October. i plan on printing the pictures in batch. And so far i'm journalling in it every day.

Are you doing an October Daily? Link me up if you are! And if you aren't there's still time to get started, there's a little support group going on over here. Do join us.

Scrap Rat October Kit

2011-10-04T21:57:00.001+01:00

The October Scrap Rat Kit is now on sale! i found this kit so inspiring, i ran out of time to get any more layouts done in time for the gallery reveal but plan to work on a few more as i still have a ton of product left over. My favourite pieces in the kit were the vintage crepe paper, the Jenni Bowlin Doily flowers and the Crate Paper Random Denim paper. i looooooved that paper! There were also a few things in the kit that i would never normally purchase like the Crate Paper Chipboard Accents, the Prima Resist Canvas pieces and the MME Beautiful Girl Labels paper. But that's the beauty of working with a kit, you sometimes end up challenging yourself to use stuff out of your comfort zone. And i ended up using these pieces as the main inspiration for a few of my pages.

Additional materials: Twine & Punch by Martha Stewart.

i got a little happy with my craft knife this month, which is something i almost never do! See what i mean about kit's pushing you to try different things? These papers were begging to be cut up!

I'll be back with my other layouts later in the month but in the meantime you can check out the DT gallery here.

Scrap Rat Kit October Sneaks

2011-09-29T22:38:00.000+01:00

The October kit is a beauty and there are sooo many embellishments included! My head was full of ideas but i was really short on time this month. Hoping to get a few more layouts done over the weekend. Here's a few sneaks. The kit goes for sale on Saturday.

i also have a tutorial up on the Scrap Rat Blog, please do go and check it out.

Circus Circus

2011-09-16T19:32:00.000+01:00

Firstly, thanks so much for all the supportive comments and e-mails i've received in response to my last post. i was anxious about sharing so much personal stuff here, but it turns out i needn't have been. It was a bit of relief to get it out there & i'll try to do honest posts more regularly, maybe once a month? i think a lot more people are struggling more then we ever realise, so remember to be careful with one another.

But now for happier things! Last summer, the circus came into town so She Who Must Not Be Named & i went along. i hadn't been to one since i was a kid so i was really excited.

Paper: Echo Park Paper, Crate Paper, Button & Ribbons: MME, Stickers: Sassafras, Crate Paper, Mist: Studio Calico, Maya Road, Punch: Martha Stewart, Banner: Pink Paislee, Embossing Powder: American Crafts.

This one mostly uses Studio Calico's Add-on Lollipop from February, plus the Crate exclusive stickers from the main kit and the Pink Paislee banners from April's main kit. i used some Zing! to emboss it. i wanted to use fun bright circusy products on this one, because my photos were black and white. Most venues are a bit weird about allowing SLR's into them so i just took a few pics on my iPhone, they're not the most amazing but in my opinion photos don't have to be perfect to capture the memory.

Some fun things coming up over the next week. Southsea Fest tomorrow. It's a local music festival and one of my favourite days of the year! i'm most looking forward to Matthew and the Atlas, Paper Aeroplanes and my favourite local bands The B of the Bang and The Dawn Chorus. i also just signed up for Amy Tan's class at Big Picture Classes, can't wait for that to start! Anyone else in?

Blogging from the heart: Lately

2011-09-14T23:24:00.004+01:00

Sorry about the blog hiatus there, but i've been working on some assignments and taking time out to enjoy 'real' life. Sometimes i just need to take the pressure off myself to keep up the blog. You know how it is.

Today Stephanie Howell posted something on her blog, inspired by this post by Ali Edwards, encouraging us bloggers to put a little bit of our real selves out there & blog from the heart. This is something i've been thinking about a lot over the past year with everything that's been going on with me. i struggle with how much to share here, i generally try to keep things sunny, because let's face it, you don't want to hear all my woe's. But i don't in any way want people to think that my life is all adventures and cupcakes (although there is a fair amount of those). And so, here's what's been on my mind....

Lately i've been worrying about the change in season. The change in weather, temperature & number of hours of light we get have a massive impact on my life because i suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. You can read more about the condition here. i think everyone gets a little affected by winter but for me it mean's i'm tired all the time, can't handle stress, have problem's sleeping, get depressed and essentially just want to hibernate. i can't tell you how miserable it makes me, how anxious & isolated i feel. Some day's, it is literally a struggle to get out of bed. It's been a particularly stressful year for me and we haven't had a great summer so the change in my mood & energy level's haven't been dramatic like they usually would (generally i am hyperactive, excitable and more sociable in the summer months). But i know things are likely to get worse over the coming month's. This year i'm hoping to alleviate some of the symptoms by using light therapy, because i'm determined not to let it control my life in such a huge way. i'll let you know how that goes.

Lately i've been getting really excited about Halloween and all the craft projects i want to get done.

Lately i've been missing the life i had a year ago, the job, the people that i got to hang with everyday, & the boy i used to know, before my world got flipped upside down. i've been wishing things could be like they were then. But i know they can't be and i need to focus on moving forward. And i try to remember that i will find happiness again.

Lately a lot of my friends have been settling down, getting married or having babies. It's not surprising given my age, and of course i am happy for them, but i just feel like we are not grown up enough for that yet! And it's freaking this free spirited girl out a little. OK, a lot.

Lately i haven't been very happy in my job. And i've been thinking about what kind of job would make me happy & what steps i can take to get there. Tomorrow i'm taking my first step, a beginners course in Adobe Illustrator at Bonzo Studio. i'm excited to learn and to see where this path will take me.

Lately i've been thinking about this amazing hobby i have. How all these stunning layouts i see on blogs and in galleries and super inspiring, but all i really want to do is tell my story and have fun in the process. How i'm grateful for all the connections i've made through this shared love. i just got to hang out at Lara's for the weekend and it was awesome.

Lately i've been thinking about how important it is to look after yourself. To keep your mind well & look after your body. i think this is something that you start to realise more and more as you grow older. i'm certainly more mindful of what goes into my body, especially since i took the decision to go vegetarian, but i need to work on doing more exercise (and cutting back on chocolate!).

Lately i've been wishing i could be better at managing my money and strong enough to resist temptation. It's an ongoing battle that i am likely never to win.

Lately i've been listening to Catching a Tiger by Lissie a lot. It feels like she wrote the album about my life.

Lately i've been really thankful for the friends in my life. Who know me. Who will hug me when the tears fall and tell me it will be ok. Who are at the end of the phone whenever i need them, even though they are far away. Who can make me laugh until i can barely breathe. Who will get drunk with me, do silly things and dance until we can't dance any more. Who go on adventures with me. Who send me pictures of pugs because they know it will make me smile.

Who make my life so very full.

Scrap Rat September Kit

2011-09-01T22:37:00.000+01:00

Scrap Rat September Kits are now on sale and it's a pretty one! i can't get over how packed this kit is. My favourites are the mistable trims & alphas from Pink Paislee, they are a lot of fun!

Good Reads in July

2011-08-31T21:14:00.000+01:00

i started off reading The Game of Thrones in July. A few of my friends had recommended it to me, had also watched the show and were all kind of obsessed with it, and i wanted to get on the bandwagon. So i was really disappointed when i couldn't get into it. i didn't really dig the language, there were too many characters and i couldn't keep up with the plot or figure out where the book was going! It got to the point when i was about 7 or 8 chapters in but didn't want to pick the book up and avoided it for a few days before deciding to give up on it altogether. i can't remember the last time i did this with a book, i'm not sure i ever have. Had i not been doing my challenge to read 25 books this year i might have persisted with it, but the book is huge and i had the feeling it would take me a while to get through it, especially as i had no enthusiasm for it. Who knows, maybe i'll give it another try at some point. Or maybe i'll just watch the tv series.

Then i started The Help and fell in love with the characters. i missed them when i'd finished the book which is a sign that it is a most excellent read. They were just so well written. And it's set in the 60's, which is a decade i'm obsessed with. i don't want to tell you any more about the book, just go and read it, please.

eBook winner

2011-08-25T22:03:00.000+01:00

The winner of the Sassy Lil' Sketches eBook is...

Congrat's Olivia! Please e-mail me at alexa_gill (@) yahoo.co.uk so i can get the eBook sent over.

Elle's Studio Sketches

2011-08-24T21:16:00.000+01:00

In order to make way for some of the fabulous new Elle's Studio releases i've been trying to use up some the stash of journalling tags i've got from previous releases. i didn't need to look far for inspiration because there's lots of fun stuff over at Elle's blog including weekly sketches!

i stayed true to the first sketch i used, i just flipped it. It's based on a layout by Lisa Dickinson, love her graphic style.

Tags: Elle's Studio, Mist: Studio Calico, Maya Road, Paper: Girls Paperie, Stamp: Studio Clalico, Ink: JBS, Tape: Martha Stewart, Other: Twine, Tiny Attacher.

i mostly used tags from Elle's Project kit here to document my favourite thing about summer: picnics on the common! Although there haven't been many this year because we are having a typically British summer ie. no sunshine. i'm rather enamoured with that Martha Stewart tape that i found in my local Hobby Craft, it's very Cath Kidston and therefore, very me.

Here's the second sketch i used based on a layout by Melissa Mann, i've yet to see a page of Melissa's that i didn't love! Her designs are so original and her pages are always so colourful and fun.

Supplies: Stamp: Studio Calico, Tags: Elle's Studio, Paper: Crate Paper, Echo Park, Stickers: Crate Paper, Alpha Stickers: Sassafrass, Mists: Studio Calico & Maya Road, Large Rik Rak: MME, Ink: Jenni Bowlin, Kit: February Add-On from Studio Calico, Other: Tab

i ended up going a little crazy with the mist here (i think i used 6 different colours!) but i ended up really liking it and the night was fun so it fits the page.

And i loved this week's sketch based on a layout by Waleska Neris, whose pages i always adore!

Tags: Elle's Studio, Paper, Alpha Stickers: American Crafts, Sticker: Crate Paper, Mist, Stamp: Studio Calico, Ink: JBS, Other: Buttons, Twine, Eyelets, Tab.

Oh Canada, how i miss you! Glad to have use for that lovely AC paper and i'll never get bored of this SC stamp, i think it's my all time favourite. i love that Elle's tags work well together even when they're not from the same collection. And they are so easy to mix with products from other lines. i've been challenging myself to use eyelets lately. i don't think i've touched them since 2005 but i've managed to get them on 2 layouts in the last week and managed a grand total of 4 on this layout!! Have you been using any of your old stash lately?

Don't forget, there is still time to enter the Ebook giveaway!! i'll be drawing a winner tomorrow.

Shimelle's Blog Party

2011-08-20T16:22:00.001+01:00

If you're part of the scrapbooking community you'll probably already be aware of the Blog Party Shimelle hosted last weekend & what an awesome girl she is for organising such an event. Last year's was a lot of fun so i tried to complete as many challenges as i could this week. i think 6 pages in a week is some kind of record for me!

Chop Your Paper Challenge

Paper: October Afternoon. Transparency: Hambly, Alphabet Stickers: Sasafrass, Stamp & Mist: Studio Calico, Ink: JBS, Punch: Martha Stewart, Other: Embroidery Floss, Tiny Attacher

Oh my, how that OA paper scared me! But i was determined to use it. Given that i am not much of an embellisher anyway you'd think this challenge wasn't too hard for me, yet i still couldn't resist adding some hand stitching, stamping and misting. Photos taken with a disposable camera.

Add to the Story Challenge

Paper: Studio Calico Advert, Stickers: Jillibean Soup, Chipboard Button; Maya Road, Frame: K&Co.

Above is a layout that i did last year. To add to the story i used an American Crafts divided page protector to include additional photos and journalling. This is something i do a lot in my travel albums.

Half A Page Challenge

Paper: Crate Paper, Basic Grey, Brads: Basic Grey, Stamp: Studio Calico, Mistable Trim: Pink Paislee, Mist; Studio Calico, Tag: Elles Studio, Alphabet Stickers: Sasafrass, Other: Twine, Eyelet, Tiny Attacher, Kit: Studio Calico, Boardwalk

This is also something i do naturally on my pages from time to time, but i struggled to fit in my journalling on this one so i ended up hiding it away on the Elle's Studio Tag.

Grid It Up Challange

Paper: Pink Paislee, Other: Twine

Does this count as a grid? i'm not sure. i felt that the paper i conveyed the theme on this page well enough to manage without any photos.

Bingo Cards & Butterflies

Paper, Button, Sticker, Bingo Card, Journalling Card: Jenni Bowlin Studios,Tape: Pink Paislee, Stamp, Veneer Stars & Rub-Ons: Studio Calico, Ink: Staz-On, Other: Twine.

This challenge was to draw inspiration from the page that Shimelle posted. i also used a Bingo Card as my base and framed it with tape, like Shimelle did with paint. To carry on the old photo theme, i used a polaroid stamp. As for the butterflies, i'm afraid it's quite tricky to work those into a Halloween theme.

Hot Pink Hoopla

Paper, Chipboard Aphabet, Doilies: Cosmo Cricket, Alphabet stickers: Sasafrass, Stamp: Studio Calico, Ink: JBS, Stickers: Do Crafts Tape: American Crafts Other: Embroidery Floss

i figured hot pink would be fitting for these pictures of a girls night we had recently. And p.s. Kool-Aid works well as a mixer ;)

Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook

2011-08-18T21:41:00.001+01:00

i'm excited to let you know that i recently contributed to my first ever Ebook! It's no secret that i LOVE working from sketches, so this was a fun assignment for me! And Cherie's sketches are very versatile. To purchase the Ebook just click on the image above. Here's the official low-down:

At Sassy Lil' Sketches, we are happy to announce the first Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook has been released!

The Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook features about 70 brand new sketches designed by Cherie Averill.

You'll find sketches for layouts with one, two, three & multiple photos, you'll even find double page sketches Plus, sample layouts from talented designers that will spark your creativity!

Most of the sketches use standard photo sizes (4x6, 5x7, 8x10). To get extra mileage out of the sketches, switch it up! Use the sketches to create cards, double pagers, etc. If you need ideas for "switching it up", check out the cards in the Sample Layouts section or stop by the Sassy Lil' Sketch blog on Saturdays.

The Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook is available for online viewing or you can easily download and print it.

Visit www.sassylilsketches.com to get the Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook & get scrapping!

And the extra fun part is that i get to give away a copy of the Ebook to one of you guys! yay! Just comment on this post letting me know what sparks your creativity. You have until next Thursday to enter. Good luck!

Getting creative with twine

2011-08-15T20:46:00.000+01:00

You may have noticed that this year i've had a slight obsession with twine and it's made it's way on to most of my pages. Last week's challenge over at the SC blog was to use twine on a page and tried come up with a few new ways to use it.

My standard favourite thing to do is just to add twine as a border and use my tiny attacher to adhere it to my page. With this layout i did just that but tied on a few extra bits of twine to change things up a bit.

Paper: MME & Hambly, Twine: MME, Alpha Stickers: Studio Calico & Sassafras, Mistable Trims: Pink Paislee, Brads; Basic Grey, Mist: Studio Calico, Other: Tiny Attacher, Kit: Studio Calico Boardwalk

For this page i made hoops of twine. It's really easy. Just wind your twine around a circular object. i used an egg cup, but you can use something smaller or larger depending what size you want your hoops to be. i wound mine around the egg cup about 5 or 6 times and then secured it by tying it with more twine. i used a liquid adhesive to attach to my page, but you could also sew them on.

Paper: Basic Grey, MME, Crate Paper, Twine: MME, Stamp, Mist: Studio Calico, Alpha Stickers: Studio Calico, Sassafras, Border Sticker: Sassafras, Other: tiny Attacher, Kit: Studio Calico Boardwalk

They're messy and imperfect, but that's ok with me!

i really really love this kit! When i first saw the colour combination i knew it would go well with my New Zealand pictures so i'm trying to scrap with some of the 4x6 photos i already have printed. i am so used to scrapping with smaller pictures these days, i'm struggling a bit with the size, but i'm determined to use them!

Going Postal

2011-08-13T11:52:00.001+01:00

The fabulous Julie has been running a series lately called Going Postal. You can check out all the details in this post, but here's the gist:

Over the last month there have been giveaways, free printables and wonderful projects shared, based on the postal theme and you should definitely hop over there and check them all out. Julie also set up a Pinterest board to house all the projects. Lot's of people have got involved with this one and there are many inspiring projects from scrapbook pages to jewellery!

i've got lots of postal themed stash in my supplies so could easily have knocked up something new but i wanted to share with you one of my more unconventional scrapbooks. Most of you will know that i embarked on a round the world trip back in 07/08. Living out of a backpack i couldn't really haul scrapbook supplies around with me so i had to come up with other ways to record my memories. i had a travel journal (actually i ended up with two because the first one got full) which had pockets in for saving tickets and other memorabilia. i've referred to that a lot over the years when it's come to journalling on my scrapbook pages, but that's quite personal so it'd never been shared with anyone.

Something i can share with people though is my book of postcards. i picked up a postcard in every town or city i stayed in and wrote my thoughts about the place on the back. The good, the bad, what i did, who i met. There's not a whole lot of room for journalling so i just wrote down a summary, what stood out to me the most about a place and it's nice to have that snapshot to look back on.

i carried each of these postcards around with me on my trip with no idea of how i would display them. And then on my second to last stop, in Chiang Mai, i came across the perfect house for them. It even had the exact number of pages for the postcards i had collected. It was serendipity.

Each page is clear so you can see the front and back of the postcard.

What i like about it is some of the postcards are of things i might not have taken pictures of myself. And i've included some random details in my journalling that i might have otherwise forgotten. Like how in Tokyo everyone dresses their small dogs in designer clothes or how i had to dodge a dingo when going to the toilet in the bush on Fraser Island or how stinky Wai-O-Tapu in New Zealand is, or how Koh Tao Island in Thailand is full of people covered in bandages because the roads and hills are so dangerous for mopeds.

It may not have lot's of pretty papers or embellishments, but it is full of memories and so in my eyes it is a scrapbook. i hope this will maybe inspire you to include postcards in your future projects, maybe the next time you're on a trip you'll send yourself a postcard?

August Scrap Rat JBS Mini

2011-08-11T17:53:00.000+01:00

So i already mentioned how much i loved the JBS Haven papers in this months Scrap Rat kit. What spoke most to me about them was the theme of home. i've been meaning to document our apartment since we moved in over a year ago so this seemed like the opportunity to pull that together.

The mini is a real mish mash of the JBS papers and some of the vintage papers that came in the kit as well as some 7gypsies paper and even the packaging that came with the 7gypsies labels! i printed my photos really small so i could fit a couple on each page if i wanted to. Not many words here, mostly pictures & that's ok.

The New Girl

2011-08-09T20:20:00.000+01:00

i started a new job at the beginning of May. A new path for me... it was a scary decision to leave my previous job but it just wasn't a good fit for me any more. i had thought i would stay there for many years, for a long time i was happy but my last 6 months with them were incredibly stressful and took a terrible toll on me. So it was time to move forward.

Paper: Girls Paperie, Tags, Girls Paperie, Elle's Studio, Mist: Maya Road, Chipboard Alpha: Girls Paperie, Rose Button and sequins: Girls Paperie, Velvet Flower: Maya Road, Other: Tiny Attacher.

So far things are going really well. i am working with a great team, everyone was really friendly and supportive from the get go. It's a relaxed environment, which is ideal for me. The company genuinely care about their staff & i have witnessed this in many ways. i think that's a rare thing to come by in these hard times. i also work on flexi-time which makes things a lot easier for me. i've just had my 3 month probation review last week and it went well so i thought i'd let you all know about this new journey ( i made this page a few months ago). In all honestly it's not exactly where i'd like to be in life, working in an office makes me feel suffocated. i think that's the creative, free spirit in me. But for now this is my everyday 5 days a week.

You can't see too much of it, but in case you're wondering, this outfit is typical work wear for me. We're not under any pressure to dress super smart, we even have 'casual Fridays' every week. But i feel more in the mindset for work if my outfit is a bit fancy and professional. And if i can work in a vintage piece like the blouse above then all the better.

My Bavarian Aventure

2011-08-04T22:08:00.006+01:00

Confession: by the time i had written this post i had no enthusiasm to edit my photos. Second confession: i never had any real desire to go to Germany. Which is saying something, cause pretty much everywhere is on my 'must go to' list. i suppose i often overlook Europe as the weather if often too variable (as we experienced) and it's SO expensive these days. As it happens though my dad is based out there this year for a work project and so the opportunity arose to visit.

On my previous travels i've often encountered a lot of prejudice towards the Germans, which is a real shame. i had the good fortune to work with some German people on a contract i was working on this spring & my experience is that they are friendly and helpful, and this is also what we encountered travelling in Germany. i think their bluntness can be mistaken for rudeness. They just don't have the time for small talk which is ok with me because i can't stand it either! Somehow it doesn't seem to matter what they are saying to each other, it seems like they are angry, which can be quite amusing. But as i say, i've never experienced anything but niceness from Germans.

We stayed just outside Munich, it was about a 20 minute tube ride into the city centre. Their tube system is really efficient. Marienplatz is the old town and the architecture is beautiful there. i'm surprised that so much of it has survived.

There are cool buildings pretty much all over Munich.

Near to where we were staying was the Bavarian Film Studios, the biggest studio in Europe. Being the film geek that i am, i couldn't miss out on the opportunity to do a tour. It's a working studio, and Germany's major tv channel film a lot there, so the only way to see the place is on a tour and they do an English one once a day. Our guide was hilarious. We ended up doing the tour with around 40 American Exchange High School students who totally didn't get his sense of humour, which just made him all the more funny. There's a 4D cinema experience and the tour lasts about 1 1/2 hours. Quite a few major German films have been made there including Das Boot, and The Baader Meinhof Complex. Probably the most well know English Speaking film to have been made there is The Never Ending Story. And i got to ride Falkor the luckdragon! heeee!

The convenient thing about having a British passport is that you can travel through Europe without any hassle. And so we took a day trip to Austria for the day. Much to my despair the main point of the trip was to do a Sound Of Music tour. Urgh! i may love films but i do not like musicals! Take me to a theatre to see one, when they're on the big screen they are just too cheesy for my taste. She Who Must Not Be Named was desperate to do the tour and Dad expressed an interest to so i was dragged along. i'd never even seen the film so watched it a week or so before our departure and it was as hideous as i had expected. Knowing this you think i would have remembered to take my iPod on the tour with me, but i didn't. Massive fail. They played all the songs and the tour guide tried to make us sing along. As much as i despised being on the coach, it was rather lovely to see the Austrian countryside. And we did get to spend some time in Salzberg too which is also very beautiful. Although they are a little crazy about Mozart there and totally pimp him to sell anything from chocolate to umbrellas!

One of my favourite things we did on the whole trip was go to Neuschwanstein. It's the castle that Disney based Sleeping Beauty's castle on and it is magnificent. It's in such a beautiful area and there's an entire resort built for it, which is quite quaint if you ignore the tourist shops. There are actually two castles there, the first King Ludwig lived in until he was 17 and the second he had built but only lived in it for 172 days before his mysterious death.

It's a total tourist trap, but it's bearable. The only way to see the interior of the castles is to do a guided tour, which they are very strict about the timings of. If you ever end up going there, pre-book or you tickets. i am so thankful that we did because we avoided an hour + long queue. They are both over the top ridiculous inside, the interior of Neuschwanstein is entirely based on the music of Wagner. But the tours are interesting. You can't travel in Bavaria without noticing how crazy the people are about King Ludwig. It's surprising that over 100 years later he is still so dear to people's hearts.

Being a vegetarian i found it quite difficult to find food that didn't involve meat in the land of the sausage. i basically lived on pretzels, cheesy pasta and potatoes for a week. They also like their food really salty! But i did become obsessed with Spezi, a mix of coke & oranegade which strangely tastes like neither.

Yes this is a chocolate covered pretzel! And no i couldnt' eat it all!

So that just about sums up my Bavarian adventure. Germany was nice but i think i would have liked it better if there had been some more sunshine. Austria on the other hand, i adored and would love to go back! i now have dreams of living in an Austrian house in the countryside and prancing around in traditional dress all day :)

August Scrap Rat Kit Layouts

2011-08-01T22:12:00.000+01:00

It's the first of the month which means kit reveal over at Scrap Rat! When i first received this month's kit i tweeted about how in love i was with it. i do feel like this kit was made just for me! There's lots of navy in there and some JBS plus the vintage items this month were lovely and there's also some lovely crochet flowers from The Craft Garden! i love the Mini Pattern & Accessory papers from the JBS Haven line, and had lots of ideas for them. i think i'm going to need more sheets of those and i never buy more then one sheet of any paper!

Kit's are available now can be bought here.

i adore this picture of my mum in her twenties. i loved the pattern on the back of this playing card but wanted to use the 'B' too (my mum's name is Beverly) , so i just decided to cut the card in half so i could use both sides! i decided to use the 7gypsies stickers as a border here so cut them in half and lined them up the edge and added some hand stitching.

This dot paper from Echo Park was a bit intimidating to me, i'd usually just use strips of a bold pattern like this but i wanted to challenge myself with it. i decided to use it as a backing paper and added 3 of the 7gypsies stickers to create a visual triangle and then cut out the silhouette ladies from the JBS Accessories paper. i also added a few red dots by stamping the end of a pencil with distress ink.

i'll be back with some of my other projects during the month but you can check out my gallery here and also see what the other ladies did. i've also got a tutorial coming up on the Scrap Rat Blog later in the month so keep an eye out for that!

Sneaker Peekers

2011-07-27T22:28:00.001+01:00

i've got some peeks of my August projects using the Scrap Rat Kit, i've had lots of fun with this one!

You can see now why i like it so much, yes? Love me some JBS, and navy is my go to colour. There's lots of other awesome goodies in there too, but you'll just have to wait for the full reveal on the 1st to see!

i've been off adventuring for the past week but i'll be back to share some picture once i'm done editing.

July Scrap Rat Kit Layouts

2011-07-19T17:44:00.002+01:00

i was first drawn to the baby blues & pinks colour scheme of this kit, but when you dig into it there's lots of green's, oranges, red's and browns so there's a whole mix & lots of possibilities. My favourite embellies in the kit are the Studio Calico tags & those cute little Prima flowers. i just love the Cosmo Cricket Odds & ends papers too, they are sooo pretty! So far i made 3 layouts with the kit but i've got another 2 in mind before i go and split up the kit into my stash.

Photo Credit: Miss

i really wanted to make use of the tag elements in the Cosmo 'Scraps' paper so i cut them all up and created a border. This page is about a gig i went to in December with the girls. We went to see our favourite local band, The Dawn Chorus. they put a lot of effort in to make it look christmassy and even had homemade cakes (so sweet).

The seam binding is really easy to work in to a ruffle with a bit of double sided tape. i really like to use gems or brads to anchor ribbon, to give it a little something extra.

For this one i cut the bazzill pleated cardstock down to fit my page better. These were a nice way to add some stitched elements & texture to my page as i am not a sewing machine user!

See what i mean about those cute prima flowers? i loved the phrases on the Cosmo 'Junk Drawer' paper and cut it up to use as journalling. i cut this paper into 8 1/2" x 11" first so i could use the other side, and i still managed to get all these phrases out of the leftovers! So happy they've decided to include word stickers in this CHA release!

This is all i have to share for now, but as i said, i've got another couple of layouts in the works. i've also been playing with the August Kit this weekend and it is definitely one you don't want to miss out on! (Sneaks next week). Subscribers get exclusive vintage items each month, so if you like your kits with a side of awesome sauce then you really should subscribe! Some previous kits are also marked down by 20% at the moment, so if you had your eye on one of those then don't hang around. The May kit is one of my all time favourites!

So any Scrap Ratter's got any layouts to share with me using the kits? Please link me up if you do!

Good Reads in June

2011-07-17T19:39:00.000+01:00

First i read Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter. This is written by the guy who wrote Pride & Prejudice and Zombies, which i have not read but has gotten rave reviews. Basically it tells you the story of Abraham Lincoln's life, using extracts from his journals under the premise that he was secretly a vampire hunter. i LOVED this book. i was completely fascinated by Abe's life and the American history & politics of the time in which this was set. i never got taught all that stuff at school so i found it quite interesting and have found myself wanting to learn more about it. It's a very original.

Although the book has vampires in, it is not teen fiction. And it's quite gruesome in places, sometimes so graphic, i had to skim over paragraphs. It's not a mystery either, it reads like a real biography, written in the voice of Seth who is introduced to the story in the first chapter. The fictional character of Henry, a vampire who i was incredibly intrigued by, is also introduced in the beginning, which serves to remind you that this is a work of fiction.

The transition between fiction and history is seamless, using actual quotes and extracts from Abe's speeches and journal entries. Seth must have done an amazing amount of research on Lincoln. If you have an over active imagination like me and/or are able to suspend your disbelief then you'll start to get caught up in the story and believe that Abe was in fact a vampire hunter. It also has (photo-shopped) pictures in to support that vampires existed in that time. It's fun when characters from real life pop up in the story too. Not having a great knowledge of American history i'm not entirely sure which characters are real and which are fiction but i managed to pick out the more famous names.

If you know anything about Lincoln, then you'll already be aware that his life was peppered with sadness. i found the way Seth approaches the topic of depression somewhat refreshing. And it just makes Abe's accomplishments that much more inspiring knowing the difficulties he faced, both personally and politically.

One small disappointment, the ending is a tad cheesy and i was expecting better. It's not in keeping with what you are led to think Abe's beliefs are. But it does not lower my opinion of the book as a whole. i want to read this again and if it wasn't for my goal to read 25 new books in 2011 i'd do it soon.

Second up, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. i'm still not sure what to make of this book. This is written from the point of view of Bruno who is 9 & it's about his journey. Because of his father's job he is forced to move from a home he loves in Berlin, to a house in a new place, which he is very unhappy about. This happens to be situated right next to Auschwitz, but he is unaware of this and doesn't know who the people in the 'striped pyjamas' over the fence are. i can't figure out if his nievity is a wonderful portrayal of the innocence of youth or just plain ridiculous. i think most 9 year olds are more intelligent then that and kids living in Germany at that time would have to attend the Hitler youth. There are lots of discrepancies like this and it is quite a light take on the holocaust (besides the ending), which doesn't sit well with me. But overall, i did enjoy it, it's a quick read. It's last line is particularly thought provoking.

An Ode to Adam (and a mini)

2011-07-14T22:12:00.001+01:00

So i'm probs gonna be in mega trouble for posting this pics, but i think it's worth it for the comedy value!

This guy is one of my very best friends. He is the one who picks up the pieces when i've had my heart broken by other boys. Who builds me up when i've had disappointments. Who tells me i'm fabulous and gorgeous and truly means it. Who supports me in all my creative endeavours and pushes me to go for things that i believe to be out of my reach. And also puts up with the clickty click of my DSLR and even sometimes takes pictures for me on demand. He is the one i can guarantee will cheer me up when i'm in the darkest of moods. He makes me laugh from my belly and he brings out the funniest side in me too. He is the friend that i can rely on to compare everything that happens in our (separate) romantic lives to a Sex & the City episode (and honestly it's scary how similar they are to SATC). Who gladly goes on adventures with me. Who dances just as crazy as i do and doesn't care what other people think about it. Is the best shopping buddy because he knows my style and will pick out things that are perfect for me (also he's really tall and so can reach the top shelf).

This guy is better then Prosac, and i should know. Not sure what i'd do without him. Today is his birthday and i hope he has the most wonderful of days. Love you, sweet friend.

And because a blog post would be rather bare without pictures, i thought i'd share a mini i made recently with a JBS Dime Store kit, some vintage bits and some extra JBS goodies from my stash. It's of an adventure that Adam and i took in April of last year, as always. it was a fun one!

i need to make mini's more often, i love the satisfaction of finishing a project like this and holding it my hands!

Some magical music

2011-07-09T12:24:00.003+01:00

i had the good fortune to see a handful of my favourite bands live last week. i don't tend to go to many major concerts these days as my wallet just isn't that full, but these gigs were going to be too special to pass up.

First i went to see Arcade Fire in Hyde Park, London. They had an amazing support line-up. Including Owen Pallett, The Vaccines, Beirut & Mumford & Sons. i hadn't really listened to any of Beirut's stuff before but i loved their stuff. The lead singer's voice is a bit whiney but the trumpets and ukulele won me over. Mumford & Sons have always had a special place in my heart and have inspired quite a few of my scrapbook pages. They also performed some new material which is classic Mumford so i'm eagerly anticipating their new album. i'd been wanting to see them live since i first heard Little Lion Man so i was soaking them in.

i've been a long time fan of Arcade Fire and The Suburbs was hands down my favourite album of 2010 & they exceeded all of my expectations. Early on in the set they performed Wake Up and the whole crowd was singing along, it was one of those goosebump kind of moments. There were lots of other special touches which made the gig one of the best i've ever attended.

There was a tent with arcade games and a photo booth in. Of course, being a scrapbooker i thought this was amazingtons. She Who Must Not Be Named did not though and isn't even looking at the camera in 2 of the four photos :( i'll manage to get them on a scrapbook page somehow though.

There was also a cinema playing a 30 minute film directed by Spike Jonze based on The Suburbs Album. Inside there was bunting, balloons and deck chairs + logs for seating. Seriously cute!

Next up i travelled to Milton Keynes. i don't think i'll be venturing there again, it's all concrete and boringness. The concert, however was not. The line-up was Tame Impala, Death Cab for Cutie, Biffy Clyro & Foo Fighters. i was disappointed that no one seemed to know Death Cab for Cutie so the atmosphere wasn't great. Biffy Clyro are one of my favourite bands so i was super excited to see them again (you may recall that I got to meet them last year). i have never been that into the Foos, but i have to say they knocked it our of the park. Dave Ghrol is a true showman and Taylor Hawkins is probably the best drummer i've ever seen perform live. They also had a few special guests including Roger Taylor (Queen drummer) and Alice Cooper. i'm a massive fan of Queen so i was geeking out a little bit when Roger Taylor made an appearance, how amazing would it have been to have seen Queen perform live?! If only.

i took this picture from the top of the MK Bowl, it probably shows only a third or so of the size of it. The sheer volume of people was incredible.

SO now you can see i've been a little busy lately. i haven't had much time for any scrapping but i hope to remedy that this weekend. Have a great one everybody!

Scrap Rat July Kit!

2011-07-01T21:50:00.000+01:00

Just stopping in to let you know that the Scrap Rat July Kit is now available & it is SO pretty! i'm not a designer for this month, we take it in turns so you get double the inspiration! However, i heard the words Studio Calico & Cosmo Cricket and knew i'd need this kit in my hot little hands! So i purchased one. Which means i'll be back later in the month to share what i did with it. But you can check out the DT Gallery to see the other Designer's beautiful work.

The new Scrap Rat Blog also launched today & there's lots of fun stuff planned for it, so make sure you become a follower. If you hop over there now and leave a comment you'll be in with a chance to win an Odds & Ends Collage Kit from Cosmo Cricket (kit subscribers are already automatically entered)!

Happy weekend everyone!

British Tea Party

2011-06-29T22:12:00.000+01:00

Remember the British Tea Party we had in April for the Royal Wedding celebrations? Oh what a fun & special day that was! Well, i finally got around to doing a page about it.

Paper, Journalling tag, Crepe Paper Ribbon, Rub-ons, Sticker, Button: Jenni Bowlin Studios, Punch: Martha Stewart, Other: Twine, Vintage Crepe Paper, Vintage Milk Cap, Paint, Deckle Scissors.

This rosette was made using a vintage milk cap. i painted the inside of the cap. Then punched a piece of paper and layered a sticker and button on top. i then ruffled crepe paper around it. Blue + red, i will never tire of you!

Things are crazy busy around here at the moment, lots of fun stuff and adventuring going on. i'll share here soon! i'm looking forward to a quieter week next week to catch up on some scrapping, and visiting some blogs, so if i haven't stopped by for a while i'll come say hi soon! i hope your week is as wonderful as mine!

The Butterfly Effect

2011-06-25T11:05:00.000+01:00

Do you believe in the Butterfly Effect? i do. There's so many choices i've made in life that have altered the path of my future. There were a whole chain of events that led me to one of my best friends, Adam. And if any of them hadn't happened i don't think we would be in each others lives. That's a scary thought, but i also think some things are just meant to be.

Stamps, Paper, Stick Pin: Jenni Bowlin Studios, Alpha Stickers: Lily Bee Other: twine, Crepe Paper.

i know butterflies are kind of girly so perhaps not the obvious choice for a boy page, but in this case they support my theme, so i think i'm allowed :) Those Jenni Bowlin label stamps are one of my favourite purchases this year, seriously love them! The Lily Bee alpha stickers are just the perfect size for 8 1/2" x 11" pages or tags and are such great value.

Good Reads in May

2011-06-22T16:27:00.001+01:00

Just one book again last month. Fallen. Another supernatural young adult fiction. This one's a bit different though, it's darker and doesn't give too much away about the supernatural aspect until you near the end. The characters are somewhat annoying at times, as many teenage characters are. i get the impression there's a lot more character development to come though. In Fallen you're kept guessing about the moral stance of the characters and who (or what) they are. This book is clearly just building the back story for the other books in the series, which i'm hoping will have a lot more plot development and action in. Fallen is slow moving and mysterious, but in a way this kept me reading because i wanted to know what the heck was going on, so it's got suspense. Lauren does do a good job of transporting you to the school in which the story is based. Oh and it's quite cheesy, but most teen fiction tends to be, so be warned if you don't like mushy stuff. Basically, if you don't like this genre then it's probably not for you. But i did really like it and i'll be reading the rest in the series. i think it's a Marmite kind of book, you'll either love it or hate it.

Because of... effer dare 17

2011-06-20T18:56:00.000+01:00

Yay! The effer dares are back, and this pleases me so! i've missed those girls & they're crazy inspiring posts/creations. And this time April Foster of Studio Calico is playing along too, double yay! The prompt is 'because of...' This instantly made me think of everything my mum has done for me. When you 'grow up' (put in brackets because i don't really consider myself a grown-up) i think you start to realise what a huge responsibility being a mum is. It goes well beyond, cooking, cleaning and entertaining, it's the most important job there is! My mum's influence has shaped me into the person i am today, which most definitely is a good thing, because she is rather wonderful.

Paper: Cosmo Cricket, Sassafrass, Stickers: Sassafras, American Crafts, Flower; Sassafras, Alpha Chipboard: American Crafts, Mist: Tattered Angels, Maya Road,Kit: Back 40, Studio Calico.

As SC are sponsoring the dare i figured i'd used one of my kits. i'm nearly done with Back 40 so i got that out to play with. Just another page or two and i've officially 'killed' it, that'll be a first! This picture is of my mum and i, aged 11 months.

V Festival Crate June Sketch

2011-06-19T18:10:00.003+01:00

Yesetday i was discussing music festivals with a friend. i didn't go to one last year as i was busy moving in July and this year i have other adventures planned for the summer. But how i wish i could attend one! They really are the most fun. Our conversation inspired me to scrap a picture from the last music festival i attended. i designed this layout using the June Crate Paper Sketch, this one was reeeally fun to play with.

Paper, lace, buttons: Crate Paper. Mist, Alphabet chipboard: Studio Calico, Ink: JBS for Ranger, Other: date stamp.

i think this was my favourite photo from V Festival in 2009, such happy memories. This was my first time using the new chipboard letters from Studio Calico. Usually i find 'self-adhesive' chipboard letters not that adhesive (yes, i'm looking at you AC & MM!). But i was delighted to find that these are super sticky. Yay!

Playing with German Glass Glitter

2011-06-17T22:26:00.001+01:00

One of Jenni's tutorials over at BPC covered German Glass Glitter. So i had a play with some, it was a LOT of fun! The shine on this stuff is so much more sparkly then regular glitter. It is SO pretty. i'm officially addicted, and i need it in every colour! You should definitely try it out.

Paper, Card, Metal Banner: Pink Paislee, Alpha Stickers: Studio Calico, Other: German Glass Glitter, Vintage Ledger Paper, Brad, Embroidery Thread.

Now, a confession. i always do everything by eye. Never a ruler in sight. i don't know any real life scrapbookers so i'm not sure if with scrapbooking people usually measure things out (?) but that's not the way i roll. Things usually work out ok, but on this occasion, not so much! i'd already stuck the paper + photos down and written out the journalling when i realised that it was all placed too high on the page! ooops! It's been bugging me, but i can't figure out a way to rectify it, so it is what it is. The memories are down and i had fun making the page so i just need to let it go.

i used the German Glass Glitter in 2 ways. First i covered a brad in liquid adhesive then sprinkled the Glitter over it and shook off the excess.

i made this ruffle by sewing through a few sheets of tissue paper then using the same glass glitter technique on the edges of the ruffle.

i also used it on another page, on some JBS buttons to add some extra pretty.

Papers, Buttons, Stickers, Journalling Card, Alpha Rub-ons, Stick Pin. Mask: Heidi Swapp, Mist: Studio Calico, Word Stickers: Girls Paperie, Other: German Glass Glitter, Twine, Brads, Crochet Flowers.

Photo Credit: Alex Avery

How amazing is my friend Matt's Halloween costume? i LOVE that he made so much of an effort, he totally outdid me which is no mean feat when it comes to fancy dress, i take it very seriously! i think by the end of the night he was regretting that green face paint, hee hee!

Life In A Day

2011-06-13T20:20:00.001+01:00

i recently had the opportunity to attend a preview screen of Ridley Scott's latest cinematic project, Life In A Day. It's a documentary filmed on a single day providing a snapshot of what life was like in 2010 and there were 80,000 submissions from people all over the world! Obviously the film doesn't include them all. But the stories are wildly different and sometime surprising. This film is genuinely laugh out loud funny in places but also very shocking and sad. There is one particular cattle slaughter scene which this little vegetarian heart found to be very upsetting and brought the tears on. However, it is often moving in a good way, and i left feeling inspired about life. There was one Korean guy who featured throughout who has been travelling the world on his bike for over 9 years! He has some really interesting stuff to say and i think they should make a whole film about him! i was also amazed to see my home city featured in it.

i don't often give film reviews here but it really is very different to anything i've seen before so i thought it was worth a shout out. If you're at all interested in people, cultures or the world (which i'm guessing is all of you) then i think you'll rather like it! It's released in the UK this Friday 17th and if you book your tickets via the youtube page then you can donate 25% of your ticket price to your choice of charity from a selection (Vue cinemas only). If only you could do this for every film release, i might not begrudge the extortionate ticket prices! And they're also offering a money back guarantee voucher so if you don't like it, you can get your money back! Here's the trailer if you're still not convinced:

Sweet memories

2011-06-11T12:02:00.000+01:00

i will never get old of scrapping photos of cupcakes, or eating them for that matter!! This page is about the cupcake class i took with my sister last year. Photo taken with my Hipstamatic app. i just love doing fun girlie layouts!

Paper: Girls Paperie, Studio Calico, MME, Tags: Elle's Stduio Stamp: Studio Calico Ink: JBS for Ranger, Tape: Pink Paislee, Punch: Woodware Other: Twine Doily, Crochet flower, Lace, Pearl sticker.

For the border above the photo/tags i used a mixture of Pink Paislee Artisan Tape and scraps of paper that i had stamped on using the graph stamp from Studio Calico. i layered lots of the Girls Paperie paper to create the paper ribbon.

i hope you are having a fabulous weekend which hopefully will include a cupcake or two!

Butterfly Gardens

2011-06-08T22:36:00.000+01:00

On Sunday i was putting away a giant pile of layouts into albums. It's always fun to go through the layouts that i've worked on over the last few (or four!) months and appreciate them again whist i'm storing them away. i came across this one that i realised i hadn't shared here yet, it's based on a sketch in the Pencil Lines book.

Paper: Basic Grey, Ki Memories, Girls Paperie, Alpha Stickers: Sassafras, Stickers: October Afternoon, Mist: Maya Road Washi Tape: American Crafts Punches: Woodware, Martha Stewart, Other: Tiny Attacher.

LOVE that Ki lace paper, it has so many fun possibilities !! This photo was taken at a Butterfly Garden that i went to when i was travelling in Malaysia. i have a TON of photos from that day. There were a lot of unusual breeds of butterflies that were just SO beautiful (don't worry, i didn't use the flash, wouldn't want to scare them!). However i don't have the time nor the desire to scrapbook them all. To make sure they get seen instead of stuck on my hard drive, i'll print a load in 6x4 and store them next to this layout in some American Crafts divided page protectors. i tend to do this a lot where i've got lots of photos from one event/day, especially for my travel albums. i'm really bad at keeping 'regular' photo albums because i don't scrap chronologically, so i find this to be quite a good happy medium. So, i'm intrigued, if you're a scrapper, do you keep regular photo albums too?

I'm a Scrap Rat Girl!

2011-06-06T21:14:00.000+01:00

Just stopping in to share the exciting news that i'm part of the new Scrap Rat Kit's Design Team! This makes me very happy because i love working with kits, + Amanda's happen to be very fabulous!! She puts together some of the latest lovely stuff with some gorgeous vintage bits. Here's the yummy June kit:

The rest of the team are wonderfully talented and i can't wait to see what they create each month. And i know Amanda has a few things up her sleeve for the future of Scrap Rat so keep your eyes peeled!

And whilst i'm on the subject of DT's, my blog/twitter pal Julie Kirk is currently doing a series on that very thing. She's sharing some of her inside knowledge of working on DT's so if it's something you've been thinking about applying for, or you're already on a DT it's worth checking out, lots of good advice over there!

Lunch at Jamie's

2011-06-03T20:52:00.002+01:00

This week Jamie Oliver opened one of his Jamie's Italian Restaurants locally. My family and i were lucky enough to go to a preview day before it opened. Much to my sister's disappointment, Jamie wasn't there. Despite this, we did have a fabulous time! The food was sooo yummy! And our waiter was very knowledgeable. My family were nagging me to ask him to take a picture of us. i was moaning about the fact that no one ever understands how to use my camera and it was awkward trying to explain it. So when i asked him to take a photo of us i automatically started to give him instructions on how to use my slr. He interrupted me to say that he had a photography degree, embarrassed much?! Haha!

My favourites are the mocktails and the polenta chips.

And i didn't try the Eton Mess, but i will be next time!! Check it out!

For those wondering, prices are reasonable. Maybe a little more pricey then chain restaurants, around £10-12 for most mains but more for something like a steak (ew!). But the food is quality, and you can taste it. Although the portion sizes are quite small for the pasta, it is still very filling. We were seated at 1.30pm, i had 2 courses and i didn't want to eat anything for the rest of the day. The menu is quite different and i love the decor. So in my opinion it's worth it. Plus our waiter really did make us feel important and that's not something you get much these days. So, all in all i'd recommend Jamie's and i can't wait to go again! Lucky for me it's a mere 20 minute walk away. heee!

Good Reads in April

2011-05-30T22:47:00.000+01:00

eeps! It's nearly the end of May and i haven't done my good reads for April yet! Just one again, Warm Bodies. It's set in a bleak version of earth in which a zombie virus is spreading rapidly throughout the population. The story is told from the point of view of a zombie ('R') who resists his instinct to eat a living girl and feels the urge to keep her safe which in turn creates a chain reaction. This is a romance, but it's no where near as slushy as most young adult fiction. Even if you don't like the supernatural romance genre then i still think you'll like this book. And considering it's zombie context it's not too gory either, i'm very squeamish and i could handle it! It is a really easy read, but it does explore some deep issues about humanity, and mortality. The main characters are likeable, 'R' being very articulate (meaning it doesn't read like a zombie book) and more human than many humans i have come across in my lifetime, so you want him to have a happy ending, even though that seems impossible given that he is undead. It's funny, but subtly so, it's bitter-sweet in places, sometimes touching and well worth a read.

Mollie Makes Magazine

2011-05-25T18:58:00.000+01:00

i've been meaning to blog about this magazine since it first landed in my postbox nearly 3 weeks ago, because it is just so lovely & i think you'll rather like it. i'd been waiting in much anticipation for it's release and i was not disappointed! It's the kind of mag that i've been dreaming of for years. It's the perfect mix of vintage, home decor, crafts, cool happenings in the UK and the latest trends. I love the tone of the magazine and the design is so fresh. Jane and the team did a super job! Lot's of clean lines and delicious pretty photos. Annnnd it comes with a free (cute) gift every month! I already talked one of my crafty pals in to subbing and if you're reading my blog then it's a fair bet you'll love it too! It's available in shops in the UK now (although it seems to be selling out everywhere!) and there's a planned release for it in the rest of Europe, the US and Australia on June 9th. But if you can't wait, you can buy the digital version online. If you're not sure it's for you then they're blog is rather lovely too and will give you a good idea what they're about plus you can take a sneek peek of the mag. i hope you find it as inspiring as i do. Hurrah for living and loving handmade!

Getting sketchey

2011-05-23T20:32:00.000+01:00

As you know i'm a huge fan of sketches, they always get me inspired. Luckily for me two of my favourite manufacturers are now running sketch challenges on their blogs so i have even more of an excuse to play along with them! i worked on a few over the weekend.

First up, this sketch from the Sassafras blog designed by Marcy Penner.

All products: Sasafrass

i scaled this one down to 8 1/2" x 11" and i mixed 3 different lines from Sassafras, which just goes to show how easily their lines work together!

Next up this sketch based on a layout by Lory Bucaria for the new weekly feature on the Elle's Studio blog.

Papers, Butterflies, Sticker, Pin: Jenni Bowlin Studios, Glassine Envelope: Pink Paislee, Alpha Stickers: Cosmo Cricket, Cardstock: Core'dinations, Tags: Elle's Studio, Other: Twine, Pearl Stickers, Tiny Attacher.

i flipped the sketch for this one and did my own thing with it. To get those sanded squares on the grid, i created a mask using my square punch and a scrap piece of card so that i could control where i was sanding. Then i hand stitched around them with twine.

i got my baby back! (and the JBS winner!)

2011-05-22T17:38:00.001+01:00

My Canon Baby that is. And technically i didn't get it back, i just bought a second hand one as that was going to work out cheaper then getting mine fixed. Oh how i have missed her so! i'm a happy snapper again :)

Everything Studio Calico except the studs from Basic Grey.

Last month when i was reading Warm Bodies i came across such a wonderful passage that i instantly had to get up and scrapbook! i ended up using a quote from the book for this page: 'you should always be taking pictures, if not with a camera, then with your mind. Memories you capture on purpose are always more vivid then the ones you pick up by accident'. So true, don't you think? A good reminder to stay present and aware. This page uses my favourite papers from Studio Calico evvvvver!

And now for the JBS winner. Thank-you all for you sweet comments, i wish i could send you all some happy mail! i used the random generator to pick a winner:

Congrats! Please e-mail me with your address at alexa underscore gill at yahoo dot co dot uk ! :)

JBS May Featured Customer!

2011-05-15T16:56:00.001+01:00

i was surprised to discover that i am this month's Featured Customer Spotlight over at the Jenni Bowlin Studio's Blog this month! Being a huge fan of JBS products i was most delighted, and flattered that they would think to pick me! There's lots of exclamation marks used in this post because i tend to over use them when i am super duper excited!! So you'll have to excuse me...

To celebrate my excitement about the customer spotlight, i'm having a little give away of some JBS products!

For the chance to win, please leave a comment on this post. Internationals welcome! I'll pick a winner next Sunday. Thanks for sharing in my excitement! And if you upload your JBS layouts to their gallery, maybe you'll be picked to feature next on the blog!

And whilst i'm here i thought i'd share the latest page i did for Jenni's class over at BPC. The challenge was to use the dennison labels that came in our class kit.

Paper, Ink, Alphabet Rub-ons: JBS, Stamp: Making Memories, Other: Embroidery Thread, Paint, Vintage paper.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

Drink Shop Do

2011-05-14T17:34:00.001+01:00

Lasr Saturday i took a trip to London to meet fellow scrapbooker & blogger Lara. It was quite a delight to finally meet her and to discover that our passion for scrapbooking isn't the only thing we have in common.

We met at Drink Shop Do, a really lovely place to spend an afternoon. There's a vintage & sweet/ice cream shop out front and further back there's a tea shop. Everything can be bought from the chair your sitting on to the tea cup your sipping from. There are crafty classes hosted a couple of times a week from crochet to card making you can also arrange a little craft party of your own if you have enough people! i would highly recommend it if you're in the Kings Cross area, i certainly can't wait until the next time i visit!

There are lots of cake's on offer and drinks too: milkshakes, coke floats, pressed juices, herbal teas...the list goes on. i also induldged in a sherbet dip!

i am still DSLR less :( so i only took a few photos with my instax and my iPhone, but you can see some of Lara's lovely pictures on her blog here. And it's worth taking the time take a look around while you're there, because she is really rather talented. Getting to play with her 450D really made me itch to upgrade when i finally invest in another digital camera. i'm keeping my eye on ebay.

More iNSD Layouts

2011-05-10T20:57:00.002+01:00

A couple more layouts to share for challenges over at Studio Calico...

Kit: Joyride - Studio Calico, Paper: MME, Sassafrass, Studio Calico, Ticket: MME, Gems: MME, Wood Veneer Frame & Stars, Rub-ons: Studio Calico, Alpha Stickers: Sassafrass, Sticker: Jillybean Soup, Other: Embroidery Thread, Twine.

This one counts for the challenge to use wood or woodgrain on your pages the one for hand stitching and the colour challenge!

Paper: American Crafts, Hambly Tape: American Crafts, Rub-on: Embossing Powder: American Crafts, Ink: JBS for Ranger, Versamark, Mist: Maya Road, Stamp: Studio Calico, Chipboard: Maya Road, Alphabet; Cosmo Cricket, Journalling Card: Elle's Studio, Punch: Martha Stewart, Other: Toothpicks, Buttons, Glitter, Twine.

This one covers the challenge for stamping and using tape. i used one of those Maya Road clouds to make a cupcake this time and added a little glitter. And in case you're wondering...Raspberry and White Chocolate is my favourite flavour cupcake! You can always win me over with one of those ;)

A word on banners. i was not a fan of this trend to begin with and was hoping it would pass quickly, but lately i've found myself wanting to add them to my pages and now i kind of like them a lot. The trends usually get me in the end...

Think i'm going to try and fit in a few more challenges before the week is out, i seem to be a lot more productive that way!

Happy iNSD!

2011-05-08T20:21:00.002+01:00

What is iNSD i hear you say? {inter}National Scrapbooking Day of course! And actually yesterday was iNSD, not today, so i'm a little late. But yesterday was all full of fun-ness but no scrapbookey things for me, which a story for another blog post.

Anywho, i hope unlike me you managed to get some scrapbooking done on this wonderful day! i have been celebrating this amazing hobby today instead and getting crafty. This year marks a decade of scrapbooking for me and i am so thankful to have found it, not just for the creative outlet but also the wonderful people i've met along the way. If you'd like a giggle you can check out last year's post in which i shared a few of my very first pages!

This year Big Picture Classes teamed up with Creating Keepsakes for a Creative Crop, in which a different challenge was set every hour for 12 hours. i took part in a few including this one based on a sketch by Lisa Day.

Studio Calico Kit: Partly Sunny. Paper: American Crafts, October Afternoon, Studio Calico, Mist: Studio Calico, Alphabet Stickers: American Crafts, Stickers: October Afternoon, Flowers: Making Memories, Punch: Martha Stewart, Other: Twine, Tiny Attacher.

Around this time last year i started Flat hunting with my Bestie, She Who Must Not Be Named. It was a big decision to move in together, but one that has worked out happily. Mid way through our first day (and what turned out to be the only day) of flat hunting we stopped at a diner for lunch to talk things over. What better way to make a big decision then over pancakes and milkshake?

Some other fun things are going on in celebration of iNSD in a few of my favourite places: Studio Calico, Jenni Bowlin Studio and Elle's Studio. Be sure to check them out if you haven't already as they have challenges open until the end of the week! i'm hoping to complete a few more before the deadline, so i'll be beack during the week with more layouts to share. i hope you had fun on iNSD!

Elle's Studio Pages

2011-05-05T22:38:00.002+01:00

i have always been a fan of the stuff that Elle comes up with (she is so talented). As you know, i always handwrite my journalling so am often on the look out for places to house it, sometimes stickers and journalling dots can be a pain because my pen won't flow on them properly or the ink gets smudged, but not Elle's stuff! Anyway, i have fallen in LOVE with her latest release, handmade layers. It is the perfect mix of vintage and modern and has such a sweetness about it. And for my UK pals, you'll be pleased to learn that Elle's Shop has low international shipping prices too! Here's a couple of pages i did using the handmade layers collection:

Paper: Crate Paper, Alpha Stickers: Sassafras, Journalling Spots: Elle's Studio, Doilies: Cosmo Cricket, Mist, Stamp: Studio Calico, Ink: JBS for Ranger, StazOn, Other: twine embroidery floss, date stamp. Bottom photo credit: Adam Sayward

In March, i went to stay with a friend in Oxfordshire and we visited Blenheim Palace. We loved it there and had a grand time exploring the grounds and getting lost in the maze! i'd highly recommend it for a day out if you're ever in that area.

Paper: Crate Paper, Alpha Stickers: Sassafras, Buttons: Crate Paper, Journalling Spots: Elle's Studio, Mist, Stamp: Studio Calico, Chipboard: Maya Road, Pearl: Prima Marketing, Punch: Woodware, Embossing Powder: American Crafts Ink: JBS for Ranger, StazOn, Versamark, Other: Crochet Doilie, Embroidery Floss, Buttons, Vintage Lace, Beads, Date Stamp. Photo Credit: Steph Bracher.

i have to say, this is the most FUN i've had creating a layout in a long time. Which is saying a lot, because it's always fun. i think because i got a bit techniquey, it felt more like playing. i sprayed the vintage lace with mist to make it that light shade of pink. i use mist in this way so much these days, i wonder how i ever scrapbooked without it. And i enjoyed creating the ice cream cone too. i used a Studio Calico herringbone stamp to make the 'cone' and i double embossed a cloud chipboard piece with Zing! to create the 'ice cream'. Then i just glued some beads on for the 'sprinkles'. i was glad to get a different use out of the cloud chipboard piece. i think i'll be making a cupcake out of one next :) If you have any other ideas on how to use them, please comment and let me know!

Be Gentle

2011-05-02T15:52:00.000+01:00

i'm currently taking Jenni Bowlin's class over at Big Picture Classes. Jenni has always been a bit of a scrap crush of mine, way back when she used to appear in magazines frequently and desiging for Lil'Davis Designs. When she started her own line of products i was over the moon and i have quite a hoard of them. So taking a class with Jenni is a delight and it's inspiring me to use more vintage stuff on my layouts. This is a layout i created for our first Creativity Challenge, to use vintage millkcaps on a project.

Cardstock: Core'dinations for Jenni Bowlin, Buttons, Paper, Alphabet Stickers: Jenni Bowlin, Other: twine, vintage paper, vintage milk top, crepe paper. Tools: Sandpaper, Tiny Attacher.

Core'dinations is just about the loveliest cardstock out there, i always lightly sand it to highlight the pattern. Speaking of which, have you seen the latest Core'dinations line for Jenni Bowlin? It's soooo pretty! And completely different to anything they've done before.

i had some fun playing with crepe paper for this layout. i used my trusty scalloped scissors (yes, the ones i have had about 8 years and hardly ever use!) to cut the crepe paper and folded it around the punched cardstock. i also twisted it so i could use like raffia and tied it on the buttons, as i would with regular ribbon.

Remember to be gentle with yourself, and others too!

The Royal Wedding

2011-04-30T17:19:00.000+01:00

i know everyone is probably sick of hearing about the wedding by now, but i'm not! i have been getting more and more excited in the last few weeks about the special day and i loved watching all the footage leading up to the wedding and the ceremony itself. My favourite part was when William first saw Kate and told her she looked beautiful, so sweet. i think her dress was perfect it was so elegant and she looked radiant. Wills looked very dapper too. i'm pleased that they were able to keep little touches that made the wedding more 'them', like Kate doing her own make-up and Will's driving them to Clarence House in his dad's Aston Martin. They both looked so happy and in love, it melted my heart.

i for one was feeling very patriotic yesterday and wouldn't stop waving my union jack flag. i even wore a mini top hat fascinator and a dress with a pattern of the Queen's Guard on it. We had a little party at my friend Miss' (thanks love) to celebrate all things British and sipped on Pimms & G+T while scoffing scones and a wedding cake that Verity made (she's so clever!). My contribution was egg mayonnaise sandwiches and Raspberry and White Chocolate cupcakes, with a union jack theme of course! i made cupcake toppers and bunting designed by the talented SJ, you can download them here if you so wish. This was my first attempt at anything hybrid. All things digital normally scare me! But it was a lot easier then i thought, i just printed them on cardstock, cut them out and did my thing. Here's a closer look at the yummyness:

So what did you get up to? Were you as excited about the wedding as i was? Did you celebrate, have a street party? i'd love to know!

A Sassy Sketch

2011-04-30T15:45:00.001+01:00

There's a lot more happening over at the Sassafras Blog these day including monthly challenges. i decided to play along with this month's sketch designed by Valerie Salmon because i loved it so much. i can see myself using this one again, especially as the Paper Whimsies would work so well for this design.

When i was visiting Singapore Zoo, i was most excited to see the Orangutan's. i hung around for a while waiting to get my picture taken. But it turned out i was waiting in the wrong place! Luckily, i saw them all woalking back to their enclosure (hand in hand, so sweet!) and their keepers offered to take a picture for me.

Papers: Sassafras, Cosmo Cricket, American Crafts, Studio Calico, Alpha Stickers: Sassafras, Mist: Studio Calico, Bloom: Sassafras, Brads: American Crafts, Other: Button, Tiny Attacher.

Speaking of Sassfras, have you seen the new line Sunshine Broadcast? Love it! And they've released some new alpha's including a woodgrain print! Eeep! These alpha's are my most used and i LOVE woodgrain so i am particularly happy about this combo! Can't wait to get them!

Wonder Fish

2011-04-27T12:31:00.000+01:00

This week's challenge over at the Studio Calico Blog is to use a background stamp. i must admit, mine have been somewhat neglected, so what better excuse to get some use out of them?

Paper, Stamp, Mist: Studio Calico, Border Sticker: Basic Grey, Alphabet Stickers: American Crafts, Sassafras, Bloom: Sassafras, Ink: Tim Holtz for Ranger, Label Stickers: Li'l Davis Designs Other: Twine, Tiny Attacher.

Back in September i had a lovely trip up to London with my sister. You can read more about it here. One of the things we did was have our feel eaten by fish. Ha! Just kidding, it's a spa treatment in which Gara Rufa Fish nibble on your feet to exfoliate them. it's crazy but cool.

Good Reads in March

2011-04-25T12:40:00.000+01:00

March was a very busy month so i only got through one book, in fact I only just finished it mid April. The Shadow of the Wind (the translated version, i am not fluent in Spanish!). It's a historic mystery about a boy who discovers a book titled The Shadow of the Wind, by Julian Carax, in a secret library of Forgotten Books. He loves the book so much he tries to find more of the author's other work, but soon discovers that someone is destroying every copy of Carax's work and that his copy might be the last in existence. He becomes obsessed with the author and sets out to discover the truth about him, which leads him down a dangerous path.

This is an intricately woven, layered mystery about doomed love, cruelty, darkness, loss and hope. But it is not a depressing read, it is actually very intriguing and has lots of twists and turns. I cared about each of the characters in the story and could imagine myself in their world, because it is so well written. I also wanted to write down lots and lots of quotes from the book. In short, it's a classic, and how a novel should be.

In the Spring of Things

2011-04-23T11:54:00.000+01:00

Spring makes me really happy, because it means winter is over. And winter makes me really unhappy. When the sun starts shining and the flowers begin to bloom it's like i have had a personality transplant and i start to feel like me again. i start to get excited about life. Here's a layout about those thoughts:

Paper, Butterfly, Banner Stickers, Button: Jenni Bowlin, Ribbon: Making Memories, Alphabet Stickers: Cosmo Cricket, Mist: Studio Calico. Other: Twine. Tools: Tiny Attacher

Yesterday i spent a lovely day in the sun with some of my dearest friends. A picnic on the common, a stroll along the seafront, ice cream and roly-poly-ing down the hill. It's days like this that make my heart happy.

i hope that you have a wonderful weekend and that where ever you may be, your days are filled with sunshine! Happy Easter.

Be you

2011-04-17T21:15:00.001+01:00

The other day i was thinking about how much fun stuff i get to do. And how many wonderful people i have in my life. i'm getting much better at taking photos of that funness and those people, but for some reason it often takes me a while to get around to scrapping said photos. One thing that i never struggle to scrap about is me and what's going on in my head. What i like to call my 'scrap therapy' layouts. Pages to encourage me along, remind me to be my best self, to get my not so great feelings down. These are the pages that come most naturally to me, but i don't often share them with anyone. And i feel like i should. Because it's ok to be me, and it's ok to scrapbook about myself. No matter what anyone else may think.

i mentioned in January that i've been dipping in and out of The Happiness Project by Gretchen Ruben. What's resonated with me the most from that book is one of Gretchen's 'commandments' for happiness, to 'Be Gretchen'. Meaning she should pay more attention to who she is and not what she wishes she was. Do things she likes and not just what she feels she should be interested in. 'Be Alexa' is becoming a bit of a mantra for me. i've been on a huge personal journey these past 6 or so months and i'm having to face up to a to of truths and make some big decisions so that i can live a balanced, happy life and just be well.

i've had to pass up on opportunities recently because i knew that if i had taken up on them, i wouldn't be true to myself. And i don't regret taking those decisions one bit. i am still finding my way, slowly, but it is my way.

Here's a page i made to remind myself that being me is one of the most important things i can do.

Paper: Crate paper, Mini frame: American Crafts, Alphabets: Jillibean Soup, Basic Grey, Mist: Studio Calico, Punch: Martha Stewart. Other: paint, buttons, embroidery floss, crochet doilie, white pen. Tools: date stamp, tiny attacher

Ah, yellow + grey, you really are one of my favourite combinations. My beloved square punch always comes in handy when i'm in a funk, it's a good way to use up scraps and house embellishments.

My real reason for sharing this layout though, is to remind you that your uniqueness is the most amazing thing that you possess. There is no one else like you, and that is something very special, so be proud of it!

Loves.

Mother's Day

2011-04-03T19:47:00.002+01:00

Today is Mother's Day in the UK and i was fortunate enough to spend the afternoon with my very own mama. We took a picnic to the common and went to the Little Black Dress Exhibition that is currently being exhibited at the City Museum. My mum is the most caring person i know. i inherited my best qualities from her. Except for my curly hair, it's still a mystery where that came from.

When i saw this sketch over at the Stucio Calico blog based on a layout by the fabulous Emily Pitt's, it screamed 'instax photo' at me.

And i happened to take a picture of my mum + i this afternoon with my instax camera. i don't think i've ever scrapped a picture the same day i took it before. i used my favourite SC kit ever, Granny's Cupboard for this one, along with some sassafras stickers. i still dig into that kit all the time, i don't ever want it to be finished. It was the most 'me' a kit has ever been. And i'm still in love with that paper from Girl's Paperie (which i am sad to hear will be no more). i'm glad to finally have a page to share with you. i'm working such long shifts at the moment i feel like my life has been put on hold a little bit!

Paper: Girls Paperie, October Afternoon, Die Cuts & lace: K&Co, Alpha Stickers: Sassafras. Baker's twine.

Good Reads in February

2011-03-27T13:06:00.000+01:00

We're nearing the end of the month now so i thought i ought to post my Good Reads for February! Eeeep! i can't believe we're almost in April already!

i mentioned that i started reading The Host at the end of last month and i finished it after about 11 days. It's set on earth after an alien invasion. The alien souls are inserted into humans and erase them so that they can use their body's as hosts. The book is told from the perspective of 'wanderer' who is inserted into the body of Melanie, who refuses to surrender her mind easily. i struggled to get into it until around the 200 page mark and only really started to mildly care about the characters towards the end. There was no need for this book to be as long as it is (around 600 pages), it was far too laborious for me and i think if it has been shorter i might have enjoyed it more. The ending was kind of a set up for a sequel, but i'm not sure if Stephenie Meyer has plans to write one or not. In all honesty i wouldn't be that excited about reading it, but i probably would because i'm a curious kind of person and i like to know the whole story. There were some interesting parts, i enjoyed reading the descriptions of life on other planets, but it lacked the excitement and romance of the Twilight novels. So, overall this book was ok, not amazing, and i wouldn't bother to read it again. Also, the front cover creeped me out!

Next up was I Am Number Four, the movie is out right now but i haven't had the chance to see it yet. It's about an alien from a planet which gets destroyed by another alien race He among 9 other children flee with their guardian's. The book starts where who's i enjoyed the book, it's not as pacey as a lot of other young adult fiction but the characters are likeable and i think it's going to be a good series and is set up well for the next book.

One Day. Two Uni graduates meet on their graduation night and the book follows them on that day for 20 years. This is another book that's being released as a move this year and i LOVE the actors who are playing the leads. Three of my girlfriends raved about the book and so i was expecting a lot, which is probably why i didn't end up enjoying it as much as i thought i might. i did enjoy it, but i think i had high hopes after all the hype and it just didn't live up to them. i never really warmed to the characters or have any sympathy for them so the book was a bit lost on me.

JBS 'Be Our Guest' Online Crop Part 2!

2011-03-13T21:17:00.000Z

i had a scrappy day to myself yesterday and it was bliss! i completed a few more pages inspired for the challenges at the JBS online crop. i wish i could have played along with a few more as they were all super inspiring. i had a lot of fun with this crop and can't wait for the next one, big thanks to Doris, Jenni and the Team for putting so much work into the it.

Dina's challenge was to create a page based on the prompt 'this is me...'

Papers, Crepe Ribbon, Ticket: Jenni Bowlin Studios, Frame & Mists: Studio Calico, Twine from own stash.

i am all to aware of my faults and try hard to work on them to become a better person, the kind of person that i want to be. But we are all have our imperfections and i try to embrace that, so there's a few of my bad traits mixed in with some of my good qualities on this page, because we are are all imperfect - it's what makes us human.

Doris set a challenge to use at least 4 different patterned papers on your page without using a trimmer! eeep! Luckily i had lots of scraps over from my previous pages so this one wasn't as difficult as i was anticipating.

Papers, Crepe Ribbon, Journalling Card: Jenni Bowlin Studios, Alphabet Stickers: Sassafras, Mist: Studio Calico, Twine, Embroidery Floss & Ribbon from own stash.

These photos were taken in Stratford Upon Avon last April & they're of Shakespeare's Birthplace. i love that we have so much history to explore in this country!

JBS 'Be Our Guest' Online Crop

2011-03-09T22:06:00.002Z

JBS Mercantile has a new Forum (this is very exciting stuff) and this past weekend they had an online crop. Because of the time zone differences i didn't stop in for any of the chats but the DT set lots of fun challenges to play along with. A lot of them are still open until Sunday if you want to play along too! There are lots of gift cards for JBS Mercantile up for grabs! i'm hoping i might squeeze some more time for a few more challenges this weekend but i wanted to share what i've done so far. i decided as it was a JBS crop i'd try and use as much JBS product on my pages as i could. Turns out i have quite a stash of embellies but not so much of the papers and most of those i've been hoarding since 2007, eeep! Time to put them to good use me thinks.

First up was a sketch by Celeste based on one of her pages.

Paper, Crepe Ribbon, Month Card, Border Sticker, Buttons: Jenni Bowlin, Mist: Studio Calico, Twine from own stash.

i already included a photo of cheese and wine night for my Document 2011 but it was a really fun night so i decided to scrap it again allowing myself to add more detail in the journalling, they're not the best photos, but i am ok with that. i managed to use nearly all JBS products on this one, they coordinate so well! i even handcut the title out of one of the papers. i couldn't resist adding in the mist or the twine though. i toned down the navy polka dot paper using some of the JBS paint in malted milk. Jenni has done a fabulous video on ways to use her inks here. i've decided i need those buttons in every colour, i think they are probably my favourite JBS product ever!

Betsy set a challenge to use an oval on your page or card. i think it might have been years since i used an oval on my layout! i remember when i first started scrapping and they were all the rage, i even cut my photos into ovals, scary! Anyway, i had some of these scalloped oval journalling spots from JBS so i used one of those to house part of my title. One of my sisters turned 25 last week and i still can't get over it! We grew up together so have a special bond, i think it's only one you can understand if you're fortunate enough to have had the same experience. i am so proud of the person she is. This is one of my favourite photos from when we were littlies. Circa 1986. And yes i still have my care bear, but he is rather well worn, travelled and loved so is not in quite the same condition.

Scalloped paper, journalling spot, stick pin: Jenni Bowlin, Mist: Maya Road, Tape: American Crafts, Alphabet Stickers: Sassafras and American Crafts, Twine from own stash.

This was my very last Jenni Bowlin stick pin, waaaah! i need to stock up on some more, i love them dearly! i punched some hearts out of scrap paper to use as a mask for the Maya Mist which turned out a lot better then i was anticipating (mist can be rather unpredictable at times). And i used one of Jenni's lovely die cut papers, but i had to trim the edges a bit to make it work for my 8 1/2" x 11" page. Now i can use the other half on different page :)

Warner Bros Park Pencil Lines Sketch 200

2011-03-06T21:31:00.000Z

Sorry i haven't posted in a while, the last week or so has been crazy busy and i've been here there and every where. i just wanted to stop in and share another layout i did using a Pencil Lines Sketch, this time it was sketch 200 and i loved it.

Papers Sassafras Lass, Jillibean Soup, Alphabet: Basic Grey, Mist: Studio Calico, Doilie Stickers: Hambly, Flowers: Sassafras Lass.

i took these pictures when i was at the Warner Bros Movie World Theme Park on the Gold Coast of Australia. No one on my coach or in my room at the hostel were interested in going so i just went on my own. i started off on the kids rides thinking they'd be tame and i'd ease myself in, but even those were terrifying! i screamed my head off on every single ride. Haaaa! It was a really cool day though, i loved seeing all the characters because i am basically still a child at heart.

Speaking of Warner Brothers and theme parks, She Who Must Not Be Named discovered the other day that WB will be opening up the Harry Potter Studio's for tours in the spring next year!! i am geeking out big time about this and can't wait to go! And it's only about an hour and 45 minutes drive away. i am soooo excited!

I am loved

2011-02-23T23:25:00.003Z

So.....Valentines Day was over a week ago now. i like the idea of having a day to celebrate love, but i don't like all the commercial hype that goes with it or that prices for flowers and eating out goes sky rocketing or that you have to celebrate your love on this one specific day, what about every other day? Maybe i'm too cynical? But i guess i am on the fence about Valentines. Anyway, it got me thinking about how much i am loved by so many different people and how it really makes everything worth while and so the beginnings of a layout started to form in my mind. Because even though i am not in a relationship, i still have a lot of love in my life. And this i am so very grateful for.

Paper: Hambly, Crepe Ribbon, Rhinestone Button: JBS, Mist: Studio Calico, Alphabet Stickers: Making Memories, Journalling Tag: Geralyn Sy, Border Punch: EK Success, Twine, Embroidery Floss & Rik Rak from own stash.

Journalling reads: I may not have a special someone right now, but I have lots of special someone's who love me deeply and I feel their love every day.

Can i just say, i've had the JBS Crepe Ribbon in my stash for a loooong time and this is the first time i've ever used it. i'm not sure why it's been neglected for so long because i love it! Anyone got any more ideas for it's uses?

i was in the midst of working on this layout when a little happy mail arrived from Geralyn. i was the lucky winner of a give away she did on her blog of these gorgeous tags she designed and i knew the one with the hearts would work just perfectly for this LO. Thanks Geralyn! Aren't they cute?

And whilst i'm being sentimental, let me send a little love your way. i just wanted to say thanks so much for reading! And for those of you who take the time to comment, i appreciate it very much, you lift me up! Have a great day!

Kite Festival Pencil Lines Sketch 199

2011-02-21T16:02:00.000Z

i allowed myself a whole day of scrapbooking yesterday and decided to play along with a Pencil Lines Sketch. i like to save my favourite sketches from Pencil Lines and print them out so i have instant inspiration if i need a little help with design. i love that sketches can take some of the thought process out for you but still allow plenty of room to play and put your own spin on things. This is Sketch 199, designed by Mahlin Wiggur.

Here's my take on it. i originally wanted to scale it down to 8 1/2"x11" but then i decided to add in the kite and the clouds and it wouldn't all have fit so it became a 12x12. The kite is made out of some Sassafras banner stickers and i freehanded the stitching. It was a lot of fun to mix such bright colours, it's making me long for the summer!

Papers: Crate Paper, Echo Park, Stickers: Sassafras, Alphabets: American Crafts & Sassafras, Clouds: Buzz & Bloom, Ribbon & Buttons: MME, Mist: Studio Calico & Maya Road, Punch, Martha Stewart, Ink: Colorbox. Twine from own stash.

Art Wall February Crate Sketch

2011-02-18T23:40:00.003Z

It's been a while since i played along with a sketch over at the Crate Paper Blog but i couldn't resist this month's designed by Emily Pitt's, it was too fabulous. i scaled it down to 8 1/2"x11" and i also added a border, but otherwise i stuck to the sketch. i knew it was the perfect opportunity to use up some Restoration from Crate Paper and i'm obsessed with my tiny attached at the moment, so that saw some action. And a splattering of some White Mr Huey, of course.

Paper: Crate Paper, Alpha stickers: Basic Grey, Punch: Martha Stewart, Mist: Studio Calico, Buttons: own stash.

This photo was taken by my sister last month in Bournemouth. Check out her fab use of the rule of thirds in this pic, i'd like to think subconsciously some of my photography skills are rubbing off on her! My ma and i went down to celebrate her birthday and we all went out to lunch. On the way back we came across this wall, covered in tiles, each one different and individually hand crafted. It was was so inspiring. And what kind of scrapbooker would i be if i missed out on the opportunity to have a photo taken in front of it?!

What are everyone's plans for the weekend? Hope you all have a fantastic time!

Document 2011 - January

2011-02-16T15:52:00.004Z

i won't lie, it almost gave me a panic attack when i cut out the patterned paper for this project. i instantly wanted to replace it with kraft cardstock, it was too busy for me. But i talked myself round, kraft would be a bit plain and this is a good way to use up some of my stash. Besides, i want this project to be about Documenting. i'm using imperfect photos that i wouldn't usually share and probably wouldn't otherwise get scrapped. And for those occasions when i'm too busy enjoying soaking up the moment to take pictures i've got journalling, and lots of it. This project is not about aesthetics, it's about the stuff of life. i'd like to think that's what all my pages are at the heart of them, but i do usually pay a lot more attention to making them pretty then just trying to get the photos + memories down.

i decided to go with 6x4 photos so i wouldn't have to faff about with re-sizing plus i already had some of these page protectors from American Crafts. Sometimes they come in handy for my travel albums when i want to add in more photos. i'm just going to have a double page spread like this each month to show an overview of what i've been up to. i know a lot of people are playing along with Project Life this year, which looks fab, but that's too big a project for me to take on, this is much more manageable.

Click on photo to see larger.

Top right photo credit: Miss. Middle right photo: Michaela Gill. Project based on the Document 2010 Class by Shimelle.

This month i've included a photo of my diary, i take great care over the purchase of my diary, i'm very specific about what i want and i thought it would be fun to have a record of this years. i also included a picture of my camera because it broke this month :( and that was kind of a big deal for me. i miss it more then i could ever have imagined. Luckily She Who Must Not Be Named has kindly lent me hers. i included a picture from our Cheese & Wine evening and some from a night of drinking games and dancing. But there was lots of other fun stuff that happened which i didn't get pictures of, like Playzone for Matt's birthday, cake & afternoon tea with Katie, a visit from Adam for an entire weekend and an afternoon with Paul before he jetted off to Taiwan to start a new life. i also took a trip to Bournemouth for my mum's birthday where we had a family dinner. And i documented all the films i've watched and books i've read.

i already love this project and it's only January.

Milkshake Monster

2011-02-11T16:21:00.001Z

Happy Friday everyone!

i've had a relatively quiet week but i did go and see Swan Lake On Ice last night which was pretty awesome. i think ice skating is so beautiful and graceful and the costumes are always so sparkly!

Just wanted to share this layout with you today. You may have noticed of late i've been using a lot more scraps of paper and bits and pieces on my layouts lately and i'm finding this really works for me. And yeah i know chocolate milkshake isn't very healthy, but i love it and nothing will make me give it up! i do limit myself to a bottle a week, it's usually a special treat at weekends. It's even more of a treat to get a nutella milkshake from Shakeaway. Mmmmm...

Papers: Sassafras, Cosmo Cricket, Studio Calico, Stickers: Sassafras, Mist: Studio Calico, Button: from own stash

This was made using the Back 40 kit (which amazingly, is still available!) and Open Pasture add-on from Studio Calico, i'm making an effort to try and use up some of my older kits and this one has been getting a lot of use. i wear navy a lot so the Indie Girl papers from Sassafras work with a lot of my photos. i wish we could get full sheets of just the donut banner sticker from Sassafras as it's always my favourite on the sticker sheet. I already had to order another bottle of the Atmosphere Mr Huey because i'm almost out, i use it all the time! The photo on this layout was taken with the webcam on my laptop and then processed using Poladroid.

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend, thanks for stopping by!

CHA CHA CHA Wish List

2011-02-07T20:11:00.024Z

This time of year us crafters get terribly excited because the Craft and Hobby Association hold a big show and all our favourite manufacturers show off the new goodies that they've got in store for us (oh, how i dream of going one day!). i love it when the sneak peeks begin to appear and the show was held last week so we now mostly know what's going to be hitting the shops in the upcoming months. If money grew on trees, this is what would be on my *must have* list.

i'm not usually a huge Pink Paislee fan but i really like some of their new Daily Junque Collection, especially the Ephemera Pack

All the new Mr Hueys from Studio Calico. They are the best mists, hands down!

These doilies from Cosmo Cricket in every colour way!

i am a huge fan of Hambly and the new Washi Tape is SO exciting!! And i love the new woodgrain remix &moustache papers/overlays. They have a new colour, antique pink which is just lovely too.

The Girls Paperie was my favourite new manufacturer of 2010 & Margie has designed some more stellar lines for 2011. Kitsch is very Cath Kidston and so right up my street.

Round doilies from GCD's sweet surrender collection.

From Maya Road, kraft doilies, wooden buttons, and star pins in the yellow & white.

From Crate Paper the Portrait & Emma's Shoppe Collections. i'm so so happy they have released buttons & ribbon with these collections, they are my favourite embellishments of all time!

Resin flowers seem to be a popular trend this year & i love them, but these ones from Prima especially caught my eye.

The Lille paper tape from 7Gypsies is perfect for my travel pages.

This template from Crafters Workshop.

Kraft file folder from Jillibean Soup.

These alpha stickers from Lily Bee, there's so many stickers on one sheet, it's unreal!

So far i haven't felt the need to purchase any Echo Park Papers but their For The Record collection has changed that.

Everything from Sassafras! i love everything Sass releases and this winter's release did not disappoint. The Sweetly Smitten line (Co-designed by Michelle Clement) is my favourite though, can't wait to play with it!

And the new Smash line from K&Co looks like the journal of my dreams. Check out what it's all about in the video.

Ya, so basically i'm a sucker for doilies, washi tape, vintage, woodgrain and anything kraft. Those trends will never get old for me. What are you most looking forward to getting your hands on from the latest releases?

CHA CHA CHAllenges!

2011-02-05T14:53:00.000Z

The DT over at Studio Calico decided to set some scrappy challenges for those of us not going to CHA this week. You can see them all in the Challenges forum. There's often challenges posted there and sometimes it's just the prompt i need to get motivated.

Papers, stickers: Sassafras. Brads: American Crafts. Butterfly: Jenni Bowlin, Mist: Maya Road.

The first one i tackled was Tina's challenge to scrap a photo taken in front of a mirror (note the silly face i'm pulling, heee!). My DSLR is still broken but She Who Must Not Be Named is kindly letting me use her point and shoot. The idea for the layout also came from her. She pointed out a while ago what an extreme person i am, in the sense that i usually really love something or really dislike it, there's no real middle ground with me. It's the same for books, films, music, and people. i guess i am just a passionate person, it's the same with my emotions too.

Papers: Basic Grey & Girls Paperie. Brad & Alpha: Making Memories. Stickers: October Afternoon. Mist: Studio Calico

Next up was Sasha's challenge to scraplift a DT layout from the Candy Shoppe Gallery. i chose to lift the design of Stephanie Howell's Sweet Lucy layout., because i loved it so much. i love using those OA stickers as journalling spots.

Good Reads in January

2011-02-01T13:59:00.001Z

One of my goals for 2011 is to read 25 books. i thought i'd share with you each month what i've read to help me keep on track! i am not really good at summarising stories, but i will try and give a brief outline. i should point out that some of the books i'm reading at the moment have been made into films and will be released this year, which is why i'm trying to read them now! i find that films almost never do books justice so i like to try and read the books first if i can. If i saw the film first, i would probably never bother to read the book. i like to have a picture in my head of the characters when i'm reading and if i know which actor is going to play someone then my imagination gets overridden.

The Saga of Darren Shan, Vampire Mountain

Much to the disgust of some of my friends, i am a huge fan of young adult fiction. i love books about vampires,werewolves, wizards, fairies etc etc If it's a fantasy land that i can get lost in then i'll probably like it. The Darren Shan books are aimed at a slightly younger audience then 'young adults', but i still enjoy them. They are really easy, quick reads and i like the humour of the vampire, Mr Crepsley. This is the fourth book in the series. In the first Darren Shan becomes a Vampires Assistant.

Never Let Me Go

i'm not sure what to say about this book without giving away the main spoiler. And i'm still not sure what i think of it. i did kind of enjoy the book, but i wasn't gripped and i was a bit disappointed with the ending. There are some interesting themes though which are worth exploring.

Water for Elephants

This is a new favourite. It's the best book i've read in a long while, I read it in 2 sittings, which is very rare for me! It's told by a grumpy elderly man, Jacob, living in a home who tells the story of the time in his early 20's when he loses everything and jumps on a train to discover it's a travelling circus. He soon gets immersed in circus life where he becomes the vet. It's set in the great depression era of the 1930's and you really do get transported to that time, which is probably why i liked it so much. It's clear that Gruen did a lot of research! This book has some cruel characters and some that you'll grow rather fond of (Rosie, the elephant was one of my favourites) but they're all very real. You also begin to like both Jacob at 23 and at (what he thinks might be) 93. It's a story of love and of hate, and one you should definitely read.

i just started The Host last week & so far i'm not loving it. i actually bought this a few years ago when i was obsessed with the Twilight saga & even got it in hardback (i hate reading hardbacks) because i wanted to read it so much, but it's just sat on my bookshelf. i'm struggling to get into it but i don't like to give up on books so i'm going to give it a bit more time.

i usually have a non fiction book on the go which i dip in and out of. At the moment it's The Happiness Project which is resonating with me. i'll let you know what i think of these two when i'm done.

Love for my Mamma

2011-01-30T23:04:00.004Z

Paper, Stickers, Brown Alpha Stickers: Sassafras Lass, Blue Alpha: Cosmo Cricket, Stamp: Studio Calico, Butterflies: Jenni Bowlin

It's my mamma's birthday today. She's the most amazing mum of all time. i'm sure most people think that, but mine really is. She is so generous and caring and selfless. She has done so much for my sister and i and we love her forever and always.

Halloween is my favourite

2011-01-28T12:24:00.005Z

i've mentioned before how much i LOVE Halloween. You know how in the The Nightmare Before Christmas the town Mayor starts planning the next Halloween on the 1st of November, and freaks out when they realise Jack has gone missing and is all like 'We've got to find Jack! There's only 365 days left until next Halloween! (364)' well, that's me. At least that's what one of my friends suggested this last December when we were watching it.Yep, i'm a total Halloween nut.

Papers, Stickers: Girls Paperie, Stamp, Mist: Studio Calico, Buttons & thread: own stash

i usually start planning my costume months in advance, sometimes i'll make it myself but last year i found a costume on-line that i loved and had to have. One of the advantages to forward planning is that the costume is much cheaper to buy in August then it is in October! So i don't feel too bad about buying an outfit that i'm probably only going to wear once. What with Halloween not being such a big deal here on our little isle it can be hard to find themed scrapbook supplies. i'm not too into theme scrapping anyhow, and i HATE purple, which most Halloween themed lines incorporate. i generally just try and make do with what i've got in my stash but last year i did manage to get some cuuute SC pumpkin stamps that Laura kindly picked up for me and the yummy papers from Girls Paperie which i've used on the layout above. The other day i was working with some Mix & Mend from Sassafras, designed by the fabulously talented Michelle Clement (who by the way has collaborated on another collection, which i'm soooo excited about!) and i noticed that the colour scheme would probably work for a Halloween page, so i got to work.

Papers, Stickers, Orange Alpha: Sassafras Lass, Green Alpha: Basic Grey, Mist, Stamp: Studio Calico
Photo Credit: AveryFineDesign

The banner stickers that Sassafras started releasing as part of their collections last year are one of my go-to embellishments these days. i love to cut them up and layer them, it's so simple! My favourite part of them are the leftovers though, the bits that weren't necessarily intended for use. And this line with all the stitched details and walnut ink splotches means all the hard work is already done for you, love it!

In other news: Remember that 8 is enough post i did last week? Well i failed to mention that each month you can enter to win a kit from Studio Calico and a gift certificate for Ella Publishing. And on Tuesday i had an e-mail from Angie Lucas to say that i was the January winner!! i am beyond excited!! Check out the lovely things they said about my layouts in this post! If you'd like to enter email entries to submissions@ellapublishing.com, with “Eight is Enough” in the subject line. e-mail pictures of all four of your layouts (each sized to 800 pixels tall maximum), plus a picture of your eight original supplies, and an explanation of how you stretched each layout. What are you waiting for? Good luck!

Have you seen this layout?

2011-01-24T22:59:00.002Z

Papers: Sassafras Lass, Cosmo Cricket, Stickers: Sassafras Lass, Tape: American Crafts, Buttons: MME

A few months ago, i was hugely inspired by a layout in this post on the Sassafras blog by Elizabeth Kartchner and decided to scraplift it. The layout didn't feel complete without a few splotches of mist on it though and i was still awaiting the delivery of my Mr Huey's, so i decided to put it aside until i had them. Well the layout seems to have gone walkabouts because i have looked through all my albums and turned my studio space upside down looking for it, to no avail. Annoyment! My studio isn't even {that} messy! Luckily i'd used the layout when i was testing my scanner so i still have a copy of it, but i'd really rather have the original, so i can finish it off. i have no idea where it's gone! i suppose you've got to laugh about it...someone please tell me i'm not the only one this has happened to!

8 is enough!

2011-01-21T12:11:00.002Z

Surprisingly, it is actually more than enough!

If you haven't heard about Ella Publishing then you really must hop over there now, or after you're read this anyway. i totally love their ebooks, they are super stylish, affordable and packed with lovely things by awesome designers. One of my favourite purchases from them was the Eight is Enough ebook, which some of the Studio Calico Designers worked on, and i would highly recommend it. The idea of the book is to choose 8 products and make 4 pages from just those 8 products (but basics like cardstock, pens and trimmers are allowed extras). i decided to take up the challenge.

These are the products i chose:

Papers: October Afternoon & Studio Calico (kit exclusive), Stickers: Studio Calico, Ribbon: My Minds Eye, Brads: American Crafts, Buttons: Making Memories, Mist: Tattered Angels.

and the B-sides of the papers look like this:

My approach was to pick my supplies and then chose photos to go with them from the hundreds that i already have printed out. i tried to pick colours that i knew would go with my travel photos as i have an endless supply of them, and i figured i'd find this easier if my photos had a common theme, so i went with the blue/cream papers. i then picked out the red to change things up a bit. i liked that the Dear Lizzy brads also had a pop of yellow in them too. Got to love how most manufacturers produce double sided patterned paper these days. Have you been scrapping long enough to remember the days when patterned paper was just that - paper? The thickness of paper and only single sided, say WHAT?! How times have changed. My favourite paper, which i could easily have used on every page was the graph paper from Studio Calico. It came in the Granny's Cupboard, but luckily for me it also appears in their Documentary collection on the B-side of Window Seat. i've already bought quite a few extra sheets of that, it's so usable. Originally i had picked out some cream alphabet stickers and i was planning to change the colour of them with the mist if i wanted to, but i went for the Studio Calico Anthology stickers instead, two different font options and plenty of stickers. i did a title on each page and i never ran out of any of the letters, although i did have to improvise a little bit towards the end :)

In all honesty i didn't think i would find this challenge all that hard because i am not much of an embellishment girl, i love my buttons, brads and ribbons but i can leave all the other pretty things if i need to. And i did find it easy to work with just those 8 products, in fact i didn't even end up using the mist at all on my first 4 pages, so really this post should be title 7 is enough! But i was really surprised at just how far i could stretch my patterned paper and how few embellishments i ended up using. i always knew i had a simple style but i don't think i realised just how simple. So i had a little look through my albums and my favourite pages design wise, the ones i was instantly drawn to, are definitely the uncluttered ones with lots of white space. And don't get me wrong, if you are a scrapper that uses lots of embellies & layers then power to you, i just can't seem to pull it off. The pretty paper and bits are fun to play with, and i DO love the creative process, but when i look over my pages it's the photos + journalling = memories which mean the most to me. So from now on i'm going to try and focus on a more simple approach (although this won't help in my never ending quest to dwindle my supplies!).

Here's the first page i did:

i kind of scraplifited myself for this one based on the page i did here, but flipped it. i sometimes like to play with angles when i'm shooting photos but it can make scrapping them a bit tricky, so i just opt to scrap at an angle too.

Page 2.

The 'freebies' like cardstock came in handy, because it meant i could introduce a whole other colour without using any of my eight supplies. Sneaky! i cut out the patterned paper behind the photo to stretch the paper that bit further. i really like the ribbon on ribbon here. This picture was taken at Lake McKenzie on Fraser Island in Australia.

Page number 3.

This is where things started to go a bit pear shaped. i actually redid this page. Not entirely, but where the map paper is now on either side of the photo, i originally had crammed in loads of buttons in an attempt to try and use them all up.

It was just too much, so i cut the layout to pieces, re-jigged and reassembled with the patterned paper in place of the buttons. i also moved the journalling because i wasn't happy with where it was. i am not usually one for re-doing layouts, i'm normally a 'it's done, move on and stop fretting' kind of girl. i can't think of a time where i've done it before, but i was not happy with the way it looked, it was bugging me so i had to change it. i'm happy with how it turned out in the end and i'm glad i re-did it.

Page 4.

i knew some of my Tokyo pictures would go well with the red October Afternoon paper, and i used the quote paper on the reverse to mat the photo and i also cut it so that i'd preserve the 'sweet memories' quote.

At the point where i'd done 4 pages i still had lots of paper scraps left + a whole load of buttons, brads and a few bits of ribbon. i didn't want to put the scraps back into my stash so i just carried on making more pages.These pages actually came together the quickest, i think i am more productive when i have less product to work with!

Page 5.

i was annoyed at myself for not using the mist so far. There's so much you can do with mist, i love to spray it on my background card, have fun masking with it, but it's also great for changing the colour of stuff too. i ended up using a few splotches of it on this page, but not much. It's funny because it seems every page i do at the moment has a load of mist on it, but i obviously wan't feeling it for these pages. i tend to have 2 styles of pages, the simple linear/graphic style and the artsy/messy style with little bits and pieces here and there. i like to flit between the two. That's what i love about scrapbooking, that there are no rules! If i chose to have mist as one of my 8 products again, i'd really challenge myself to use it lots of different ways, i was very lazy with the mist this time around!

Page 6.

Photo Credit: Miss

This page came together easily as it was just a case of messing around with the scraps that i had left. i also used some of the packaging from the MME ribbon in the top right hand corner.

And last, but not least: page 7.

Photo Credit: Miss

i really didn't have much patterned paper left at this point. i originally had this picture on my desk intending to do a page about the gig we were at when it was taken. But the October Afternoon map paper i had left over made me think of our life living in our town within a city, so i decided to scrap about that instead. i used some Co'ordinations Cardstock the wrong side up to add a bit of texture. There is minimal product on this one and it was so quick to make, but it turned out to be one of my favourite layouts of the bunch.

i really loved this challenge, it forced me to look at the supplies in a whole different light. i didn't work on these layouts consecutively, i just worked with this 'kit' when i felt like it. My pages came together quite quickly as i didn't waste time faffing over which products to use, and i am all for that. This would definitely be a great way to go if you are someone who goes to crops. The double sided paper meant i had 6 different patterns to choose from so the layouts didn't all end up looking the same. i'm pleased also that i didn't just end up doing travel layouts so it means these will be spread throughout a few different albums. Anyway, i'm sure no one is ever going to look through them and say 'hey, didn't you already use those papers and stickers on another layout?!'. Heeee! All in all, it was a great exercise to use up some stash, so i think i'll try and do it every month or so. Next time i think i'll pick some embellishments that i'm not so comfortable with and see how i go!

Anyone else given this a go? Link me up if you have, i'd love to see!

ETA: i am thrilled to announce that i'm the January winner for the 8 is enough contest!! Check out the lovely things they said about my layouts in this post! If you'd like to enter email entries to submissions@ellapublishing.com, with “Eight is Enough” in the subject line. e-mail pictures of all four of your layouts (each sized to 800 pixels tall maximum), plus a picture of your eight original supplies, and an explanation of how you stretched each layout. Good luck!

My Friend Across the Pond

2011-01-18T14:56:00.001Z

i loved last week's SC Sunday Sketch based on one of Stephanie Howell's layouts.

Sketches are a great starting off point for me. i love the creative process but sometimes it's fun to let go of the pressure of designing and just follow a sketch, it certainly takes me less time to put a page together!

i've had this photo sat on my desk since December (although it was taken in 2007 and yes it's not a particularly flattering one of either of us!), waiting for me to tell the story of Dianne & i's friendship. Then as i was sorting through supplies i came across the Jet Set paper from the SC Documentary line & knew it would be perfect for this page.

We met on the first day of my round the world trip, in Tokyo. i'd already been out on my own to visit a temple and met a (hot) Aussie guy, who had been very friendly to me. The chap had told me where he was staying and said if i wanted to get something to eat later then to ask for him. However, one of the last things my mum had said to me at the airport before i left was DON'T TRUST ANYONE (i think by this she meant men), and this was still ringing in my ears. So i decided not to go, and headed back to my hostel. Then i sorely regretted not going to meet him because i didn't have anyone to eat dinner with and frankly Japanese blew my mind at that time, i didn't know what any of it was! It was very quiet back at the hostel but Dianne was in my dorm and i got chatting to her so we went out for dinner and that was that. i couldn't have struck it any luckier because Dianne's grandparents live in Tokyo and she can speak Japanese, so she was somewhat of a tour guide for the next few days. i'm sure that i would not have had such a fantastic time there if it wasn't for her, the underground system is terribly confusing, she took me to some pretty cool places i would never have found on my own and steered me away from the oddest foods. So for that i will be eternally grateful for. Not only that, but Dianne has become a wonderful friend. It turned out we had lots in common, we both love photography and have similar taste in books, she is always recommending things to me (i usually have to wait a few months for them to be released here though!) and i in turn tell her about the latest British indie music she needs to check out. She visited me back in 2008, coming in August hoping to catch the British summer, but typically it rained the entire 3 weeks! Unfortunately i haven't had the pennies to go and visit her in Washington yet, but it's on my 'to-do' list, i would be there tomorrow if i could! We keep in touch over e-mail, facebook and skype (but not as often as we'd like) and we instantly fall back into our friendship, i really feel that i can tell her anything & she always gives me wonderful advice. Plus she sends me the most amazing happy mail, full of scrapbooking stash and Reeces pieces! My heart is full of love for this girl! It's about time she was scrapbooked.

In other news i went to see The King's Speech last week. i go to the cinema a fair bit, but rarely mention it here. i urge you to go see this movie! It is hugely entertaining, sad and funny. Colin Firth's performance is outstanding and he deserves all the awards he's been nominated for! i LOVE awards season!

My camera broke (insert big sad face)! It needs a new circuit and will cost about £150 to fix!! i think it will be cheaper to try and get a second hand body instead, so i'm keeping my eye out. i'm feeling very lost without it! Luckily, my flatmate has a camera that she never uses so i'm borrowing that for now. Don't think i'm going to have many pictures for my Document 2011 project for January though!

Also, i am very confused about all this Zodiac nonsense, apparently i'm an Ophiuchus now, what?!? i have a phobia of snakes, so this can't be true!

i love to hear your stories

2011-01-13T14:22:00.001Z

Another page made with the SC Metropolitan kit, the colours in it are amazing, i think this is my favourite kit since Granny's Cupboard and i am kicking myself for not picking up extra SC paper, i am in love with the Sassafras exclusives, and i've nearly used up all the entwined blooms too!

i was inspired to make this before Christmas after spending the afternoon with my Nan, but the only photo i could find of us together is from 2008 (check out the blonde hair!). i really enjoy spending time with her, she makes me laugh so much! She entertains me with stories about my mum & her siblings when they were growing up, about the early days when her & granddad started going out, and about growing up in the war as the oldest of 10 kids! She has lived a rich life & i love to hear about it & i know she will not be around forever to tell me stories, so the time i do get to spend with her is cherished.

Projects for 2011 + My OLW

2011-01-07T15:44:00.001Z

First off, Happy New Year! (yeah, i know i'm a week late). i hope you and yours are healthy and happy in 2011, that's certainly what i'm hoping for myself this year.

i am not one to make New Years resolutions. My philosophy is, if you want to change something, start now. But i am a lover of making goals, for instance i have my 30 things before 30 to work on. i have also put together a list of things i'd like to do locally this year and there are a few projects i want to work on in 2011.

Last year i did so many fun things but i hardly documented any of them! This was mostly because i didn't print any photos in the latter half of the year. i'm kind of mad at myself about this. i also wasn't the best at taking pictures in oh-ten, i was trying to live more 'in the moment' but honestly i missed taking photos and having them to scrapbook. Also, my printer/scanner hasn't been working for the last 6 months which was problematic and meant that i couldn't scan in my pages.

This week i did a huge order at photobox (they had free delivery and a half price offer on 5x5 & 5x7 prints). i loathe uploading and ordering photos, it's so time consuming (which is why i put it off for 7 months) but nothing inspires me more then a new stack of photos. And i ordered an all in one wireless printer. i'm so excited about this! i'm really hoping it's going to motivate me to scrapbook more because i'll be able to print the occasional photos at home, which i think will make a huge difference. i'll be able to scrap memories nearer to the time when i've made them or as the inspiration strikes for a page, go take a picture and be able to scrap it straight away!

It should also help me with Ali's One Little Word class that i'm taking at Big Picture. You can read all about Ali's One Little Word project here if you're not already aware of it. The last time i chose a word was in 2007. That word was Adventure. It helped me keep focus and i really did do a lot of adventuring that year! It encouraged me be more open to new experiences and people and it was a fantastic year.

Note to self: Make more space for word stickers in your life.

This year my chosen word in Magic. i recently asked a friend if he believed in magic. 'Magic is a gimmick' he replied, he believed in the concept of magic but realised the practicality behind it. 'i believe in magic' i said, 'it's otherwise know as love'. 'Love is a feeling or emotion, whereas magic isn't' he said. My response to this was: 'Love is much more than just a feeling or emotion. And magic is greater then trickery.' This i truly believe.

To me, magic and love go hand in hand. Love is the whole purpose of life, love IS pure magic. The connections we make with other people, that's magic. Magic is the feeling that anything could happen. Magic is excitement, possibilities, fun, adventures, happiness, the feeling of being alive, you can find magic in most things if you look hard enough. That's what i want more of in my life, i want to sparkle again. i have some fun things planned for 2011 but i really want to open my eyes to the magic of the every day. i did not love 2010 and i really want to love 2011 with all my heart, so i'm going to have to focus on making it a magical year.

The ticket/washi tape/button embellie combo in the top right hand corner of the photo was lifted from this layout of Kimberly Neddo's.

i believe in the power of words. i have certain words tattooed on my body which have great meaning to me. i have them posted around my bedroom. i constantly write quotes down and lists and goals. i read and absorb. Words have an effect on me, they inspire. i'm looking forward to inviting more Magic into my life in 2011 and the OLW class is one way of being more aware of it and documenting my journey along the way.

i'm also planning on doing a Document 2011 project, summarising each month of the year. Which will hopefully make me take more pictures and actually print them. i wasn't aware of Shimelle's Document 2010 project until a few months into the year, so i didn't partake but it's something i want to embrace in 2011. i'm super inspired by Laura's post here showing all her Document 2010 pages.

Another challenge i've set myself is to aim to read at least 26 books this year, because i haven't been making enough time to read and it's something i really enjoy. At first i thought about trying to read 52 books in a year, but there's no way i'd be able to read a book a week, so i decided to set my goal a bit lower and try for half as many, a book a fortnight is much more achievable for me. And i took the time to sign up for goodreads last night too as i've been meaning to do that for about a year (procrastinator, much!).

So, what are your plans for the new year, any projects under way? i'd love to hear about them!

Pom Pom Garland + have a magic Christmas!

2010-12-22T16:08:00.001Z

This was simple and quick to make but made me oh so happy and brought a little handmade Christmas cheer to the apartment.

This was not made by me but is my favourite new addition to my Christmas decoration collection. i am not religious but belief is very important to me.

i apologise for not being around the blog as much in the latter part of the year, lately i've been trying to make room for myself. In the next week or so i am going to focus on making peace with 2010 so that i can move forward into 2011 with a fresh outlook. A big thank-you for reading! i see all my comments and they mean a lot to me! i have been scrapbooking here and there so i have a little stack of layouts to share in the new year & hope to be around here a little more, i miss blogging!

i hope that you have a most magical Christmas (if you celebrate it!) and that you can be with your loved ones. Be safe, keep warm, share stories, remember, have hope, believe.

Christmas Tunes

2010-12-16T15:06:00.000Z

Last year i shared some indie Christmas tunes, so i thought i'd do the same this year. i do love Christmas songs, they make me feel nostalgic, but it grates on me that they start getting played SO early! It's refreshing to have some new songs to listen to and some alternative takes on some oldies but goodies.

Coldplay have a new song out called Christmas Lights. The video is as creative and magic as always.

The Maccabees have done a cover of Walking in the Air. Which i love. love. love.

Future of Forestry have done lots of covers (they have 2 Christmas EP's available) but i think Joy to the World is my favourite, it's pure magic.

The Hurts have a Christmas song out too (which happens to be the free single of the week in the UK iTunes!). You can watch the video here.

The Killers release a Christmas Song every year in order to raise money for RED you can watch the video for this years song here. If you like it you'll be doing a good thing by buying it.

SC Sunday Sketch

2010-12-04T15:24:00.001Z

Just stopping in to share a page i made using this week's sketch from Studio Calico.

It's been a while since i used a sketch and i'd forgotten what a great jumping off point they are. i had so many ideas for this one but i knew that paper from Basic Grey would go perfectly with these pictures. And i'm in love with that graph stamp.

Right Now

2010-11-23T19:31:00.003Z

i saw a layout on Keshet's blog last week titled 'Me:Today' and realised i hadn't done a page like it in a while. i like to do them from time to time to document where i'm at, as things change so much from year to year. Or in my case month to month because i'm such a free spirit and i get bored rather easily.

Right now i'm feeling overwhelmed. i feel like i don't have enough time. Enough time to see my friends, family and find room to make time for the things i love too. Enough time to have fun and also time to rest. i am constantly exhausted and i am SO fed up of it. i also feel guilty for neglecting my blog and the blogging community, i am almost always a week behind on my google reader! Eeek!

i found time to do a bit of scrapping 2 weeks ago and that made me feel overwhelmed too. Sometimes i just sit and stare at all the stuff i have and don't know where to start so i've decided to try and simplify things a bit, just pick a few items and try and work with them. i tend to take pictures on a no flash setting so they often come out yellowish anyway but the pogo printer makes photos so look so much more yellow/vintage then they actually are. So it suited the Mix and Mend line from Sassafrass and the Free Composition paper meant i had all the layering with none of the work involved. love. Journalling is hidden in the Maya Road envelope. And i'm still addicted to the Dear Lizzy tape.

It was a Happy Halloweekend!

2010-11-14T16:29:00.000Z

i know this is a little late now but i still wanted to share because Halloween is my favourite holiday! People keep telling me it's not a holiday but i insist that it is! Normally it's not such a big deal here in the UK but it seems to be catching on as there were a lot more products in the shops this year. We hosted our first Halloween Party! i didn't have as much time to dedicate to the preparation as i would have liked because of everything else that is going on with me right now but i still managed to pull together some decorations and with the help of my flatmate & my friend Adam the place looked quite spooktacular so a big thanks to them.

i was insistent everyone had to dress up for the party and they all made a great effort which made me really happy and feel thankful to have such good sports for friends who put up with my fancy dress demands! i think they all had a good time and i did reward their efforts with cupcakes and punch, filled with eyeballs and frog slime of course! heee!

i usually make my costumes but this year i saw one on-line and had to have it! i bought a pumpkin lady outfit and wore my fascinator and went OTT with my eye make-up, any excuse to wear a little glitter! i also wore my glittery pumps.

i also made a little garland to display all my instax photos during the night. A tiny peek into how amazing everyone looked!(click to see bigger). i jazzed up some clothes pegs using some Dear Lizzy mixtape, it was the perfect width!

i made a few different types of cupcakes, some with 'wizards hats'. We made these by covering ice cream cones in melted dark chocolate and decorated them with white chocolate stars. Yummy!

My flatmate has family in the states so we were lucky to receive a package with some candy corn! i also roasted some pumpkin seed and offered a few other snacks.

i did something a little different with the pumpkins this year and prettied one up with ribbon and painted another one in black glittery polka dots!

i made a little autumn garland just for funs (i'm getting a little addicted to making these).

And i made a little spooky tree. The pumpkins were inspired by Cheryl. The spiders were super easy to make, i just made the legs with embroidery thread and glued on some googly eyes, though i think they are more cute then spooky!

i think that just about sums things up. i can't wait to get some photos printed of the party (although i need to so some serious editing first!). i think i'm going to make a mini album. i had such a fun time!

And my crush on Will.i.am continues

2010-11-05T14:27:00.000Z

Is this not the most adorable thing you've ever seen? Such a great message.

Anyways, i just wanted to stop by and say thanks for all your comments on my veggie story. And also to let you know that i have been struck down with the flu this week. i lost my voice all together on Sunday so i've been taking a bit of time out to rest up and it's finally making a bit of a recovery today. Hopefully i'll be back soon to share my halloween crafts!

Being a veggie who doesn't like veggies much

2010-10-28T23:49:00.003+01:00

Did you know that October is Vegetarian awareness month? Did you know that i'm a vegetarian? Probably not, because i don't really talk about it here. i'm a fairly new vegetarian and i've been thinking about sharing my story for a while, but it's obviously a controversial issue and i try to steer away from those kind of subjects here. i've had this post sat in my drafts all month long wondering whether to share my views or not, but, Elycia is trying to encourage vegetarianism and it's prompted me to share my thoughts on the matter. Check out her blog for info on how to get involved and read her story (even if you're not interested in veggie stuff her blog is worth a looksie as it's very lovely). It is something i am passionate about so i'll try and share my reasons for choosing to be veggie without trying to be to preachy.

i'd been vaguely considering turning vegetarian for many years before i took the plunge. i have never been a big meat eater, i simply don't like it. Beef and lamb have barely ever been in my diet.i hav e always been a fussy eater, so going veggie was going to be tricky. After my round the world trip in 07/08 though my food choices broadened somewhat, i fell in love with asian food in particular and i discovered tofu. i can't remember how or why i started to incorporate quorn into my diet (i think it might have something to do with my sweet veggie friend Katty B), but i've been eating the chicken and mince alternatives for a couple of years now.

Up until July of this year i'd been living with my mum for the last 4 years. She was in control of the majority of the food that was bought and the meals that were cooked, so i didn't feel that i could go veggie as it would be imposing on her. At the beginning of the year i was watching an episode of Miami Ink which featured an elderly lady, she was in her late 80's but full of life and very healthy. When asked for tips on how to live such a long life she advised them to stop eating meat. That kind of played on my mind. i spent a stint in hospital last year due to ill health and it's made me more aware that i need to be putting more good stuff into my body and less bad stuff.

In May i decided that the day i moved out (which would be the 1st of July) i would go vegetarian. It was a fresh start and there was no need for me to ever get in the habit of buying or cooking with meat. So i started to look into the positives and negatives. Kara mentioned Eating Animals on her blog and Elycia also recommended it to me so i got myself a copy and started to read my way through it. i got through about 20 pages before deciding i could never eat meat again. It terrified me! This is not an easy read, but if you are interested in what is going into your body and the journey that meat goes through before it lands on your plate then it is well worth it. Every time i pick up the book or watch something like Food inc. it just reconfirms that i made the right decision. So, i never had a final meat meal or anything like that, i can't even remember when the last time i ate meat was, i just stopped.

i have several reasons for being a vegetarian, ethical, health and economical. The livestock industry produces more CO2 emissions then the entire transport industry (yes that's planes, trains, boats, cars and any other transport you can think of!) and this is a massive concern to me. Life being a veggie so far has been good, i'm feeling so much healthier, it's cheaper and i'm very happy with my decision, proud actually. i've also tried to extend my meat free choices to the beauty products that i buy, i always check the packaging now, & shoes/bags/belts too. i am not however, a vegan. i'm still incorporating dairy products into my diet. Obviously i realise that the dairy industry also has it's negatives, but i don't think i could cope without cheese, chocolate or milkshake! If you can, then you're my hero. i do try to be responsible about who i buy from, for example i tend to get happy eggs. i'm trying to do my bit but i feel that i can only take it so far. Trying to consider other foods that might contain animal products is also tricky, there are sooooo many! Luckily the packaging in the UK is pretty good so i always check the packets if i'm in doubt.

Cutting animal products out of my diet has forced me to try new foods, something that i've never been any good at. i can't say i like everything i try, but at least i am giving it a go and this is a huge step for me. i've found new ways to incorporate vegetables into my meals so i can't taste them and i've found i prefer it when i steam them. Soups are a good way to get lots of veg in for me as i can blend them. And looking at incorporating lentils, chickpeas and beans into my diet is something new i'm trying at the moment as they count towards your 5 a day too. It's all about what works for you. Fruit is even more of a struggle for me to eat, i can't stand the texture. i eat some types of berries but that's about all so i have to get by with smoothies and juices.

Sometimes i feel like i am being awkward if i go to a friends house for dinner, but people are generally accepting of it and will do their best to accommodate. Eating out is limiting, there are often only a few veggie choices on the menu and sometimes only one!

Because i have been eating less and less meat over the years and i never really liked it anyway, i didn't anticipate missing meat. i thought it would be easy and for the most part it is, i've adjusted very well to it. i'll occasionally get a hankering for a hot dog, because i really loved hot dogs. But i'll just think about what awful stuff goes into those things and i won't really want it so much any more. About 4 months into my new veggie lifestyle, i came across my first stumbling block. i had originally decided when i chose to stop eating meat that i would continue to eat prawn and crab. Then i read about bycatch and this made me reconsider, so i haven't been eating them. However, i found my first trip to a sushi bar really really hard! My flatmate keeps telling me that vegetarianism isn't a religion and so i can make up my own rules, but i feel like if i'm going to do this i want to do it properly. i really feel like i might cave on the prawns though as really enjoy them.

So what's the point in me telling you all this? Well i was hoping it might get you to re-think your food choices. i realise that being a vegetarian is not an option that a lot of people want to consider. But how about going one day a week without meat? Meat Free Mondays is a site dedicated to helping people do just this. You probably already eat a lot of meat free meals already!

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments, i'd be more then happy to answer them. And i hope you don't mind me interrupting my usual posts!

Mi-Pod & a Pencil Lines Sketch

2010-10-25T19:24:00.002+01:00

Adam has been one of my dearest friends for over 5 years now and as long as i have know him there has been one constant passion in his life: Music. i will often get a phone call or text telling me about the latest act that he has discovered and he will implore me to listen to them. He loves the divas of the world, the Beyonce's and the Gaga's, but he has a broad taste that includes most chart music. He always knows about the latest and greatest and if you want to be in the know too then he has started his own blog.

Here's a page i did this past weekend about our friendship, in fact i finished the sewing while i was on the phone to him yesterday. It's based on Pencil Lines sketch 103. Pencil Lines just celebrated their 4th birthday last week! i've been following the blog since the start and they've gone from strength to strength and you can never fail to find inspiration there each week. As part of the birthday celebrations each DT member picked a sketch from the past and i decided to play along with 103. Be sure to check out the blog! i used bits from the October Studio Calico kits and threw in some October Afternoon stickers.

i had a very busy week last week seeing Marina & the Diamonds (she was fab!) Darwin Deez (who did some amazing dance skits, i think this was my favourite gig of the year! It was magical.) and the Social Network (seriously worth a watch). i also took a little day trip up to London on Saturday to hang out with family in Portobello Market. i'm planning on taking things a little easier this week and making decorations for our Halloween Party next weekend.

CurlyWiggles

OWOT - January

Jolly good fun

TMC January Challenge

TMC December Challenge

TMC November Challenge

Handmade Halloween: Documenting with Instax Photos

Handmade Halloween: My Costume

Handmade Halloween: Haunted House

Handmade Halloween: Woodgrain Mod Podge Pumpkin

JBS Scrapfest

October Daily

Scrap Rat October Kit

Scrap Rat Kit October Sneaks

Circus Circus

Blogging from the heart: Lately

Scrap Rat September Kit

Good Reads in July

eBook winner

Elle's Studio Sketches

Shimelle's Blog Party

Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook

Getting creative with twine

Going Postal

August Scrap Rat JBS Mini

The New Girl

My Bavarian Aventure

August Scrap Rat Kit Layouts

Sneaker Peekers

July Scrap Rat Kit Layouts

Good Reads in June

An Ode to Adam (and a mini)

Some magical music

Scrap Rat July Kit!

British Tea Party

The Butterfly Effect

Good Reads in May

Because of... *effer dare 17*

V Festival *Crate June Sketch*

Playing with German Glass Glitter

Life In A Day

Sweet memories

Butterfly Gardens

I'm a Scrap Rat Girl!

Lunch at Jamie's

Good Reads in April

Mollie Makes Magazine

Getting sketchey

i got my baby back! (and the JBS winner!)

JBS May Featured Customer!

Drink Shop Do

More iNSD Layouts

Happy iNSD!

Elle's Studio Pages

Be Gentle

The Royal Wedding

A Sassy Sketch

Wonder Fish

Good Reads in March

In the Spring of Things

Be you

Mother's Day

Good Reads in February

JBS 'Be Our Guest' Online Crop Part 2!

JBS 'Be Our Guest' Online Crop

Warner Bros Park *Pencil Lines Sketch 200*

I am loved

Kite Festival *Pencil Lines Sketch 199*

Art Wall *February Crate Sketch*

Document 2011 - January

Milkshake Monster

CHA CHA CHA Wish List

CHA CHA CHAllenges!

Good Reads in January

Love for my Mamma

Halloween is my favourite

Have you seen this layout?

8 is enough!

My Friend Across the Pond

i love to hear your stories

Because of... effer dare 17

V Festival Crate June Sketch

Warner Bros Park Pencil Lines Sketch 200

Kite Festival Pencil Lines Sketch 199

Art Wall February Crate Sketch