UKS Weekly Challenge - April Week 4

Came in from work last night and made this page for the challenge but then had to fit in tea and taking Josh to his Ju Jitsu grading so no time to photograph and upload it.  I'm pleased to say Josh passed and is now a purple/white belt.  After that it's brown and then black!

Anyway on to the challenge which was to use the colours of your countries flag (red, white and blue, obviously) use more than one photograph (didn't manage this) and use a banner.

I wanted to scrap this photo for my Docuement 2012 pages for April and it faces a load of other red, white and blue pics so it was perfect for the challenge.

I also used a sketch from a new site (well, new to me anyway!) called Nuts about sketches.  I like how the sketches are grouped on the left by number of photos and one is launched once a week with plenty of inspirational layouts too.

So here is my page;

 Thanks to Lesley aka Cheekymole for a great challenge :)

52 card challenge - Week 17

This week was right up my street as Nat set a challenge to use up the scraps from a project to make a card. I had just finished a layout and the remains of a kit and had enough left to make this...


A friend at work turned 30 last week but I have not seen her yet to pass it on.  To go with the card I rustled up a little frame of butterflies...


Sorry for the rubbish photos - taken them on my phone for speed this morning! A quick wizz round the house to tidy and dust and then we are off to see the wonderful Robert Downey Jr...

"Drop your socks and grab your crocs, we're about to get wet on this ride."

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Sketchy Scrappers March Sketch

Thank you for the good wishes on my Sunday post.  My burn is healing OK but I will be needing dressing changes for a couple of weeks yet.  At least it was not deep as I jumped straight in a cold shower - thank heavens for basic first aid training - and I will be buying lots of new high neck tops to wear this summer!

Anyway, on to the Sketchy Scrappers challenge.  Last month Lisa set the sketch and she chose this one with two pics...

I'm trying to use challenges to finish my document 2012 (and as I'm not even half way yet l I've a long way to go!) so picked some pics from April of my daughter at her dance show last year.  We didn't know at the time but it was to be the last one as she decided to give up her lessons on entering Year 10.  I guess with homework, Guides and spending time with her friends something had to give.

I used (yes, you guessed it!) and old Sarah's Cards kit; Pebbles - Linnie Bell as the colours went well with her costume, just adding some Jenni Bowlin butterflies .

I then made this page to go the right of the layout documenting my numbers for the month and some other things we did;

And then because I'm all about using up my old kits at the moment I pulled out the last full sheet of patterned paper and made this one (it is straight in real life I promise!);

I have to say these aren't my favourite pages ever.  I really don't love the paper anymore but I can't justify throwing anything away so it had to be used!

I think I'll count how many more Sarah's kits I've got left to use - most only have two pages in them at best.  I might even start a countdown ticker lol!

A special couple

The other Saturday evening we attended the wedding celebrations of Anna and Steve following their wedding in Thailand in February.  The bride looked radiant and the groom very handsome.  I worked with Steve for several years and hold him in such high esteem both as a manager and a human being.  Steve is visually impaired and will eventually lose his sight and yet he still manages to do his job, extremely well, run marathons and live life to the full.  Anna, his new wife, has cystic fibrosis, a life-shortening disease.

These two are so in love, so good together and such a beautiful couple in more ways than one.  It was a real privelge to be part of their celebrations and feel the love in the room.  I don't think there was a dry eye when they did the first dance to Bruse Springsteen's - If I should fall behind.

So we did the usual thing of getting the vouchers the couple wanted but I also wanted to make them something special so I rustled up a little 9"x 9" scrapbook page and framed it with a box frame from IKEA.  The papers are a mixture of Rusty Pickle and Papermania.  The overriding theme being the purple as their wedding was full of beautiful purple Thai orchids.


I start a new job next month and am pleased to say that Steve works for the company I am moving too, along with a lot of other ex-colleagues.  I'm really looking forward to working with him again and being inspired by him.
In the meantime I wish both of them much happiness - they so deserve it.

UKS Weekly Challenge - April Week 3

After a little accident involving a hot oven , some cooking oil and my decolletage I found myself at home yesterday and while for most of it I lay on the sofa I managed to put together this page for the weekly challenge over on UKS in the afternoon.

The challenge was;

• Scrap something or someone you love (10 points)
• Use the colour palette (10 points)
• Use a shaped element on your page (10 points)

I stuck as close to the colour palette as possible using an old Sarah's Cards Kit - Paper Trunk.  I scrapped a photo from our recent trip to the Lakes as I love them; their beauty, the walking it offers and the fact that a lot of my ancestors are from the South Lakes makes me feel I have a connection there.  I've used a few shaped elements - fussy cut flowers, circles and a ticket stub to embellish.

The photo is made up of three separate shots of Wast Water which I have stitched together using Photo Merge in PSE.  A great little tool!

Back to the hospital for me this morning to have my dressings changed and then a little more recuperation scrapping time I think!

Telling Tales - Keeping it snappy

I have returned to Kirsty Smith's class Telling Tales for this layout and it really helped with my journalling.  This was journalling prompt 4 and I went from having loads to say to having incorporated some of the detail in the title and the essential bits in the journalling box.

My papers were from Cosmo Cricket - Tea for Two from one of the last Sarah's Cards kit I got.  Still plenty to use up in this one!

This was Joshua's 7th birthday bash - so another party documented for the record!

Have you discovered Origrami?

Being an Instagram lover I have lots and lots of great pictures on there and some really should be on display or in my scrapbooks!  I was excited to read about a company called Origrami on Shimelle's blog. They are based in Australia so there is p&p to pay but I have just had my prints delivered and OMG was it worth it!  They are all printed on really good quality matt card and I can't stop looking at them!


On the back of each one are different colours and cameras together with  my username, the date taken and the number of likes - great for project life maybe?

And how cute is the box they came in?  A camera on each side and a little thank you tag enclosed.


I also discovered two great apps for Instagram this week called Instaplace - which will add a location to your photo and Instaquote - which enables you to add text to your photo.  I am still playing around with these but can see how useful they will be and the basic versions are both free in the app store :)

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Simply a moment - April

Tony calls me to the kitchen window.  "Look at all the birds eating.  What are those two on the new feeder".  I go and stand next to him looking out into the back garden at the trees at the bottom.  We had been to the garden centre a few weeks before and purchased a new feeder and tray to add to the existing ones we already had.   I stare out and think how lucky the birds are to have this local cafe in the neighbourhood.  We stand watching for a few minutes trying to identify the strange pair.  "Time for the binoculars" Tony says and he comes back with them.  Again we look.  "I think we need the book too!" I reply.  We both take a turn.  Each laughing at the other as we have to close one eye to use them due to failing eye sight. "I think they are greenfinches."  Back he comes with the book and we agree they are.  "Oh no, I'm turning into a twitcher" he cries!  "That's middle age for you" I joke.  But we both stand happily for a few moments more watching the blue tits fly in and out of the bird box, a pigeon scratching on the ground, soon followed by a pair of collared doves (daily visitors), a black bird and, of course, the greenfinches.

Photo courtesy of the internet - sadly we have not managed to capture the greenfinches on film yet!

If you would like to read more Simply a Moments - a meme started by Alexa - or add your own then please visit Trimming the Sails.

More Meadow Barn pages

I was looking at the weekend at the pages I'd not uploaded onto my blog and realised I had a few from my weekend at Meadow Barn still to share.  So without further ado here they are!

Lion Tamers was made with the remainder of a Sarah's Cards kit with Jilly Bean Soup - Old World Cabbage papers.  I so loved this kit but had a good feeling that another one has been used up (yay!).  The photos are of Alex making a real effort of climbing on to the lions in Trafalgar Square for a photo op.  Thanks to Fiona for the great title suggestion!

Next up is "Joshisms" which was part of the Telling Tales class set by Miss Smith.  In this one she suggested a banner of items across the page and using some for journalling. I have used various cards and stickers to capture some of the funny things Josh has said over the years.  I have one blank one left (top right) but for the life if me I can't find my little book where I have them written down so will have to add this in later.  The rosette is made from an old pattern I had to make dolls clothes with and the papers were mostly Miss Caroline by My Minds Eye which I purchased on the way to the barn.  The "Joshisms" include;

Chicken Kiev and pancakes...my life is complete! - Pancake Day 2013

Tony: Josh there's a lot of cleaning to do...   Josh: That doesn't concern me! - March 2013

Sitting at Manchester Airport we were helping you with a crossword.  We read the clue "What's the opposite of bottom?" and you burst out "willy" & we all fell about laughing!

Heading off to Kefalonia for our Summer holidays Josh adapted the song California by Phantom Planet as our theme tune - August 08

You've heard of up the creek without a paddle well Josh's new one is "Over the fence, like a football"  Classic Josh - October 2011

Finally a layout capturing a mad moment on our girls' weekend in Edinburgh last year.  My friend and I had stayed out to take photos as we are both keen photographers and had an amusing moment on the way back to our apartment so we were already giggling.  We came in to find some of the others had bought tam o' shanters complete with red hair and were also falling about laughing.  Well, this seemed like a good time to crack open the moustaches I'd sneaked in my luggage and the rest, as they say, is history.  It would be fair to see we were literally crying with laughter and it as very good for the soul!  Another Sarah's Cards kit was used up in the making of this one too - a Scenic Route paper collection if I remember right.

Back soon with my Simply A Moment - if you've not joined in before and want to find out more then stop by Alexa's blog to read all about it.

UKS Weekly Challenge - April Week 2

This week the challenge was an interesting one - either scrap a colour photo on black and white or scrap a black and white photo on colour.

We also had to scrap the every day and also include some journalling - either a single sentence or loads and loads.


I used one of my newer Sarah's Cards kit with Fancy Pants - Be You papers, which are really fun and bright and scrapped about Josh's weekly Saturday morning breakfasts with his Dad at our local coffe shop - McDees.  Occasionally I get invited to join them too!



Thank you to Sarah (Stillcrafting) on UKS for a great challenge.

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My month in numbers - March

Happy April Fool's day to you all!  I hope you get to 12 o'clock without any pranks being played on you!

I am here to share my Month in Numbers for March - a great idea from the beautiful mind of Julie Kirk.  You can read more about it and even join in (go on, you know you want to!) right here.

So here, in no particular order, are my numbers from March...

A fabulous £202.31 raised at the Comic Relief Bake Sale we held in reception at work.  We actually raised £192.31 but after Josh watched over an hour of the programme with me on Friday evening he was ready to throw in all his savings and pocket money (and has now changed his career goal from a film producer to someone who manufactures or administers vaccines).  The following day we persuaded him that £10 good pounds of his pocket money was enough and this meant that he could donate to other causes throughout the year.

A fabulous morning was spent walking Alderly Edge and the fields surrounding it (I know, I know, I should have counted how many miles but I was too busy chatting!).  There were 12 ladies and 6 dogs all together.  It was lovely that so many of us co-ordinated days off and child care to get together, especially as the date coincided with International Womens Day!  We followed the walk with a beautiful pub lunch in The Wizard which was extremely dog friendly!

A brilliant weekend was spent scrapping, drinking tea, eating cake, drinking wine and laughing uncontrollably.  This was Meadow barn and my 3rd visit.  There were 12 of us there and I managed 6 lay outs and 11 cards :)  Looking forward to 2014 already!

2 tickets were purchased to see Kelly and the boys, otherwise known as The Stereophonics, on 14th November in Manchester.  They are one of my favourite bands and it's been nearly 6 years since I last saw them so I am counting the days now! Oh, and it helps that I find Kelly Jones extremely sexy...not sure if it's the dark brooding looks or the Welsh accent!!

D27 was the seat I sat in at The Royal Exchage Theatre to watch To Kill A Mockingbird.  I studied this for my 'o' level so was enthralled to see it again and it had us on the edge of our seats all the way through.  The Royal Exchange is a round theatre and gives an unbelievable theatre experience for anyone who visits.  The website describes it like this...

The Royal Exchange Theatre is a seven-sided, glass-walled capsule, literally suspended from huge marble pillars situated in The Great Hall of the historic Victorian Cotton Exchange Buildings in Manchester city centre. The unique design means all seats are less than nine metres from the circular stage giving views from all angles. Our policy is to express the bewildering, complex wonderment of life through the full spectrum of theatre.

3 was the number of time I visited the dentist having developed an ongoing ache in my back tooth!  I am now looking forward to the procedure that is root canal work tomorrow morning!  Can't wait to be honest as having tooth ache on and off all month has not been fun so at least I should have a pain free April.

Thanks for reading my numbers - have you some to share? If so then link them up on Julie's blog and I look forward to reading them.