UKS Weekly Challenge - Feb Week 3

With the remains of my Bo Bunny Flutter Butter kit still on my desk I decided to use some more of it for the weekly challenge this week.  It also worked that the photo I wanted to use would sit next to the last page I made in my album - I love a bit of co-ordination!

So the challenge this week from the Rik Rak Ravers was....

Use the sketch - 10

Scrap someone, something or somewhere you love-10
Use red OR a heart OR both if you want to-5
And of course....use rikrak-5

For my something special I chose Meadow Barn where I will be heading off in 10 days for another scrappy retreat with UKS friends.  This will be the third year I have been and I love that I can switch off from the world and the only stress factor is whether I have the right coloured thickers for my title!  No kids, no housework, no washing to interrupt the flow and whilst I do miss my family I do love my "me time!"

These were the ladies from the Twilight Addicts that I hooked up with last year;

I am desperately trying to finish "Document 2012" and so threw the last remaining scraps onto this 6x12 insert with some photos to record the rest of March.  I am so behind with this but I will catch up!  I think I would be a rubbish project lifer!!!

So that is another Sarah's Cards kit well and truly used up.  Only about 18 more to go!!!

Simply a moment...

The smell of garlic and chorizo fills my nose.  I stir the pan once more. Chris and Thomas have come to stay and I am cooking tea.  This is quite unusual, I realise,  for it's usually Tony that dons the apron and rustles up the gastronomic delights at the weekend.  But I am enjoying this experience and realise that I love cooking when I have time on my hands. It's the midweek rush to feed and taxi after a hard day's work that I don't enjoy.  The sound of laughter filters through from the lounge as I hear the kids on the Wii and the sounds as Thomas tries to communicate with them. Thomas has cerebral palsy. I give a silent prayer that my own kids are fit and healthy.  I then give another prayer  that they have a relationship with Thomas and have the opportunity to learn to be so gentle, so patient, so accommodating with him.  It is a great life lesson.  I stir the pan once more.  Time to add the stock and wine.  I then hear the sound of male voices drifting in from the conservatory.  Tony and Chris putting the world to rights over a glass of red.  I am thankful for such great friendships.  These two have known each other for 25 years and Tony doesn't make friends easily so these old friendships are really important to him.  I sip from my own glass of red, a beautiful Malbec, that glides like velvet over the tongue, and wonder if the few glasses I have had will improve or ruin my cooking!  Well, the proof is in the eating.  Time to add the chicken and put it in the oven...

To read more "Simply a moment..." posts then please visit Alexa's blog

UKS Weekly challenge - Feb week 2

This week was a lovely challenge set by Jen over on UKS and after some researching of Shakespeare quotes I went back to the first one that had originally popped into my head!

So the challenge was;

A Shakespeare quote 10 points
Use the colour green somehow 10 points
Use more than 2 pearls 10 points

And here is my page using another old Sarah's Cards kit (yes, more stash busting!) Bo Bunny - Flutter Butter.  This was Josh's first camp once he had started Scouts.  I always love him to go away and experience new things but do miss him so while he is away, hence the Shakespeare quote from Romeo & Juliet..."parting is such sweet sorrow".

I have used green, the quote and some enamel dots so claiming full points for the Dizzy Dots :)

Telling Tales - Journalling Prompt 1

This prompt was all about getting someone else to tell the story for your journalling and I went with the social media idea.  So with my darling daughter's permission I copied a few of her statuses (or is it statii?!) and took her avatar pic and a couple of other photos and made this page.

This is also my entry for Sarah's Cards blog challenge this month which you can find over here.  To make the page I used up the  very last scraps (literally) of a really old kit from Sarah using Fancy Pants, Daily Grind papers.  I really love this layout and that I have captured a moment in time from her teenage years as she is growing up with Facebook as the daily norm whereas the rest of us are still getting used to it!

Don't forget to visit Kirsty's blog if you want to sign up for Telling Tales :)

52 card challenge - week 7

I've jumped a couple of weeks here but this weeks prompt was "hearts" and as I had some wedding acceptance cards to make it seemed the perfect opportunity to make a card using this theme. I kept it simple as I wanted to get it done and in the post. This is for my husband's close friend who is getting married a second time. Tony will be performing the best man duties on the day :)


While I had my scraps out of the Fancy Pants Lilac House paper I managed to squeeze a second card out. This is my cousins daughter who gets married two weeks before. Luckily there is no overlap of guests so I shall be wearing the same outfit to both!!!


Sorry about the rubbish photo - the light is really gloomy today.

Thanks for stopping by
Julia

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Telling Tales - Page Prompt 1

I signed up for Telling Tales this year; a class all about including journalling on your pages in different ways offered by the lovely, talented Miss Smith.  I think to tell you anymore about the class would indeed be, telling tales, so please pay a visit to her blog here where not only can you sign up for the class but you can also help her raise funds for her trip with Girlguiding UK - a charity that I am also heavily involved in.

I am not rushing to complete this class but taking my time to work through each prompt and trying to combine it with a few challenges along the way.

This prompt was all about putting the journalling centre stage and using a block style technique after it was written.  It certainly worked for me in getting so much down on the page.  I have scrapped about a restaurant we visited in Portugal last year whilst staying with my brother and used up some old Sarahs Cards kit papers and embellies - WRMK Maple Grove.  So another tick in the box for stash busting!

I am already working on the next prompt so may have another page to share soon :)

My month in numbers - January

It's almost half way through February so I best blog January's numbers before it's too late!

We started off by sitting in seats G23-G26 to watch The Lion King on New Years Day.  An amazing show and a great way to kick off 2013 :)

Next we had Tony's birthday on the 3rd and he turned the ripe old age of 48...

I had no less than 6 snowy walks from the car park to my office and my size 5 snow boots came into there own!  I took a shot of these birch trees on the way one morning.  It's amazing how snow can make the business park look so much prettier!

Alex's birthday was next and she turned 14.  She was born at 19:09 on the 09.01.1999... now that is a lot of 9s which apparently in astrology circles is a good thing...

To celebrate she took 3 friends to a cup cake decorating course and they made 2 cake pops and 4 Jim Henson inspired cup cakes...


I got the Playstation3 fixed for the bargain price of £70 compared to buying a new one which Tony wanted to do.  Just as well as Tony pointed out a week later that Sony are working on the PS4 and as he didn't really get a birthday present I can see where this is going!!!

And one final thing for all you Month in Numbers' bloggers.  You might be interested in this new book which I spotted for sale this month.  Sounds like the perfect read for number addicts like ourselves!!

It's available to purchase here...but other book shops and online retailers are available!

My Month in Numbers is the brain child of the lovely Julie Kirk - if you want to take part just pop over here and join in the fun :)

The blue room

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of clearing out a teenager's bedroom, sorting through stuff, having decorating done, purchasing some new itesm and then putting it all back.  Added to that we wanted to surprise her when she came back from her school trip last night.  She had seen the room all painted but when she went Friday morning it had nothing but a bed and a wardroom in it!

So here are the before photos....although these were half way through clearing it out!...

And here is the new room; The desk where the wardrobe used to be (the "dream" was purchased at a craft event on Friday and is a half term project for her to alter)...


Nice new bedding (and a half price bargain in the Debenhams' sale!)  We have still to put some shelves back on the wall above but they need painting first...

The wardrobe where the tall book shelf was and a new blind...

She also has this light fitting...

And this photo frame still to go up when we have filled it with her photos...

Even though she got back at 11pm last night it was fair to say she was very excited by it all!  Luckily we have half term next week so can spend the week putting back all her "junk" and filling the shelves again!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

10 things on the 10th

We have been waiting for months to decorate our hall and stairs but following a leak we have had to wait for a wall to be plastered and to dry out.  Anyhow - the decorator told us this week it was good to go so now we need to wait for him to be free to come and do the work (there is no way the darling husband is being let loose on the decorating!!).  We have picked paper already so just need to find some flooring and material for a blind.  In the meantime my mind has wandered to decorating the walls and I am favouring a selection of heritage photos to decorate one area.  So below are my 10 top photos at the moment...

My Great Grand Parents - this was a commerative photo following my Grand Parents wedding

My Great Aunt Phyllis (a real character and really missed in our family) as a little girl with my Great Great Grandmother

My Grandmother in her twenties

Some more Great Great Grandparents

My Dad as a young boy (I used this photo on his 80th birthday party invites!)

And my absolute favourite - my Grandma and her brother and two sisters.  My Grandma is top right with a very mournful look on her face!!!

My Grand Parents - this was their official wedding portrait

Finally a couple from my husband's side of the family.  I'm not biased towards having lots of mine and only a few of his but I don't have any more than these two (mental note to speak to the in-laws about scanning some photos!)

This is my father-in-law as a young boy

And this is Tony's Grandma and Great Grandmother

If you want to see more of 10 things on the 10th then pop over to Shimelle's blog for an eclectic mix of lovliness!

My second Mum

The challenge on UKS was a bit different this week but right up my street.  I realised that Mary, my second mum, did not feature in any of my albums so it was time to rectify that.  I have also used a sketch supplied by the sketchy scrappers on UKS therby double dipping and completing both challenges!

Although I'm not completely sure this page is "me" I have used some really old papers and embellies on it as I am determined to make my pages with old stash and use it up!  Thank you to the lovely Julie who gifted me the Imaginesce Love Me papers (she might not remember) as part of a kit swap challenge at the Pink Booby Crop!

So this was the sketch for the sketch challenge;

And this was the challenge criteria;

Points summary ~ 10 points for each:
+ Make the subject an important person(s) in your life (can include pets)
+ Use a monogram embellishment
+ Journal and title about their character, your relationship or information about them

And here is my page, My second Mum;

I have placed most of my journalling behind the photo on a tag.  Mary was my mum's best friend.  She was the lady who I stayed with when my parents went on holiday in term time! (I was at secondary school then).  She taught me how to cross stitch and do other crafts.  We baked together, played games together and had days out especially when her relatives visited and needed a tour guide!  She was Danish by birth (which is why I wanted to use hearts on the page as they are very big in Danish design!) but had also lived in Germany and New York so had a wealth of tales to tell.  I always enjoyed spending time with her and her husband and as they had no children of their own I was a surrogate daughter.  I visited every time I went home when I had kids of my own so I must scrap some pics of the children with her too.  

Sadly she passed away a few years ago.  I was thinking of her a lot about a year ago and missing her greatly when I went into the loft one day to sort out some boxes and found a beautiful glass heart she had given me when I was young ( a typical Danish ornament).  I wasn't looking for it but felt it was a sign she was still watching over me so it now hangs in a window where the light can shine through it :)

UKS weekly challenge - January Week 4

The challenge this week was set by the Bijoux Belles and was a great challenge...

For 10 points – a holiday theme - a vacation type holiday or a festive holiday such as Easter, Christmas, etc
For 10 points - something food or cooking related
For 5 points - bling or something red ... or both if you like
For 5 points - lots of journalling (hidden is fine)

I used a Gossamer Blue Kit and scrapped some photos we took in London while staying down with my parents.  I have loads more pics to scrap of this day and also this visit so really need to pull my finger out!  In the meantime I'll leave you with my page "A fruit snack, London style" - I can still taste the strawberries even now....they were to die for!!

Claiming full points for my team the Dizzy Dots :)

Thanks for looking