Tangerine Trees and Marmalade Skies

~Pinteresting Challenge~

2011-10-28T17:35:00.000+01:00

The October monthly challenge from Sarah's Cards was set by the lovely Helen.

The challenge is to use one or more of the 'pins' on our board as a starting point or inspiration.

You could, for example:

*use something as a sketch

*use a colour combination
*pick out shapes to include
*be inspired by text
*pick a theme (eg. things I played with as a kid)
*use a technique

Even if you aren't a member you should be able to view the board. Becoming a member is easy too; you either request membership through another member or follow the link on the Pinterest homepage.

So here is mine...

And these are the pins I used....

If you go onto Pinterest and click on the picture of the flower I used for inspiration it takes you to the link that provides the tutorial for the flower which I followed.

So, all you need to do to enter, for a chance of winning £20 to spend in the shop, is to use at least one of our pins as inspiration for your layout. Then leave a comment on the post on the Sarah's Cards Blog with a link to your layout and let us know which pin you used. The closing date for entries is 31st October, so you still have a couple of days to be in with a chance of winning!

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with, thanks for stopping by!

~Summer Catch Up~

2011-09-03T20:03:00.001+01:00

Oops I didn’t manage to update following my last post as we have simply been having lots of family fun and enjoying the summer holidays as much as possible! :)

We have spent a whole lot of time out the garden…..

And of course at the beach….

We went on a camping trip to Devon which was definitely Ashton’s highlight of the summer, and I think Dai and I would also have to agree with her. We got our first tent three or so years ago, and we haven’t looked back since. This brings me nicely on to the first of my layouts for my blog work for Sarah’s Cards for August….

[Our Home Away from Home]

This month I chose to work with the Crate Paper – Neighbourhood range and I loved working with the papers and co-ordinating embellishments. To check out my post click this link!

~Lazy Sunny Days ~

2011-07-27T17:03:00.002+01:00

It is my turn to post over on the Sarah's Cards Blog today, so please head on over and take a peek at what I created using the gorgeous Sassafras Lass - Sunshine Broadcast range.

I hope the sun is shining wherever you are!

~School's Out for Summer~

2011-07-25T15:34:00.000+01:00

Ashton broke up from school for the summer holidays last week, so I thought I would share the little things I made her teacher.

First up I made her a thank you card….

And feeling inspired after seeing some cute little teacher gifts I saw on Pinterest, I decided to make her a little framed monogram in a shadow box frame. The letter ‘G’ is made from Crayola crayons...

I also made a little thank you card and wrote her headteacher a letter as it was his last day before Retirement….

I can’t believe my gorgeous girly has completed her first year of full time school in her Reception class and when she goes back she will be in year one! Time flies way too quickly! Here she is on her first and last day of Reception…..

I scrapped these photos on the weekend but can’t share them until Wednesday, where it is my turn to post on the Sarah’s Cards Blog.

~Happy Days~

2011-07-20T12:02:00.000+01:00

Last Sunday we took a little trip to Cowbridge, a picturesque market town, just outside Cardiff. We went to this place…

Happy Days Vintage Home Store.

It was a great place to just browse and get inspiration and the furniture they had was simply gorgeous – I could have spent a small fortune!

I also have the last of my Glitz Designs – Afternoon Muse layouts to share. David and I are massive live music fans, and last month we went to see one of our favourite bands, Jimmy Eat World in a gig in Cardiff. It was amazing!

[Please Click to View Larger]

For this layout, I created some little, extremely easy flowers. They are simply made from four little strips of paper layered over each other with a button centre. I think they are quite effective as a little embellishment created using co-ordinated patterned papers guaranteed to match your layout. I also used some guitar picks which I bought at the merchandise stand at the gig.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Pretties~

2011-07-15T18:56:00.000+01:00

Ooh there have been plenty of sneak peeks and reveals from lots of the new products being released at CHA this month, and I have seen a few things that have caught my eye…..

Basic Grey - Picadilly

Loving those patterns!

Basic Grey – Indie Bloom

I like the tropical, fun colours and pretty patterns.

Studio Calico – Memoir Collection

Gorgeous colours and sweet patterns!

Anything headed into your wishlist?

~The Wedding~

2011-07-13T21:55:00.001+01:00

The day of David’s Brother’s Wedding was absolutely beautiful – in terms of the weather and just in how the day in itself went.

We were the first to arrive because we were taking the cake and had to set it up before we ourselves got ready, so we made sure we arrived in plenty of time. The cake caused a little bit of stress the week leading up to the wedding because our Labrador, Lennon, decided to eat the entire middle tier! This could have been quite disastrous, but thankfully we had made two of each layer for ‘just in case’ purposes because we are not cake-makers! Sooo glad we made that decision!

We made one large three tier cake and also one small coordinating cake for the buffet table (the top left photo of the photo collage).

Well here are the cakes we created to coincide with the orange and gerbera wedding scheme…

[Click on the photo to view larger]

What do you think? We were really happy with how it turned out, especially as it is only the fourth cake we have made! But most importantly, Jamie and Clare (the bride and groom) were really pleased with it. Thank goodness really as the design was a total secret until the big day!

And of course my gorgeous girly was a bridesmaid and got to get all dressed up for the day and acted like a little star!

[Click on the photo to view larger]

David’s best man’s speech was brilliant, and had everyone laughing and then in tears at the end – perfect!

~Fill in the Blanks....~

2011-07-08T14:48:00.001+01:00

Despite the weather not being all too great at the moment, it is actually July and this week’s ‘Fill in the Blank Friday’ from Lauren, is all about summer.

1. My plans this summer include...well I am in uni until August (which sucks!) but then I have three weeks off…and I cannot wait! We have a week’s holiday planned, but mostly I am excited about spending time with Dai and Ashton and having lots of fun together.

2. The best summer I ever had....was the first summer Dai and I got together. We went camping, to lots of music events, the beach, and generally spent lots of amazing time together creating special memories that I will always remember. Last summer was pretty awesome too; we went to Lanzarote and also had a week in Newquay.

3. Summer is.....waking up smiley because the sun is shining, paddling pools, playing outside, bbqs, the beach, the caravan, squishing my toes in the sand, painted toenails…..and hayfever – big boo!

4. My favourite summer food is...salad and yummy bbq food, although Ashton would have to answer ice-cream. She is a total fan of ice-cream, just like my Dad!

5. The best way to quench summer thirst is with....an ice cold Pepsi Max.

6. My summer uniform consists of....dresses and leggings, cut-offs, cardigans and pretty tops.

7. The best thing about summer is....the happy mood the sun seems to cast upon everyone (when it decides to make an appearance!)

I also have a layout to share with you from my blog work for Sarah’s Cards using the gorgeous Glitz Design – Afternoon Muse collection.

My gorgeous girly, just before her 5^th birthday.

[Please click to view larger]

Thanks for stopping by, I will be back tomorrow to share the wedding cake we made for my Brother-in-law's wedding and some photos of my beautiful girl as bridesmaid

~Let the Good Times Roll...~

2011-06-29T12:34:00.001+01:00

Monday was my first turn to post over on the Sarah’s Cards Blog since the Design Team took control, please go check it out if you have a little free time. This month I chose to work with the gorgeous Glitz Designs – Afternoon Muse collection. I love the muted tones and generic patterns which proved to be perfect for a whole variety of types of layout.

The first layout I created using the collection was ‘Let the Good Times Roll’.

[Please click on the image to view it larger]

I have also posted today with two more layouts using the collection, so please pop on over and take a little look.

This week has been insanely busy in this house! As if writing my literature review wasn’t task enough, we are also making the wedding cake for David’s Brothers Wedding on Saturday, so we have been busy, busy, busy.

~His and Hers~

2011-06-23T19:57:00.001+01:00

I saw this on Lauren's blog and decided to play along too......

HIS:

Biggest pet peeve: Dirty dishes being left in the sink and Gems having the heating on in the summer

Most hated food: Branston! Commercialised pickle! And anything without meat.

Most despised type of music: Classical

Chore to avoid: Ironing

Worst trend imaginable: Boys with jeans down their butts

Idea of the worst vacation: Somewhere with no beer!

HERS:

Biggest pet peeve: Dai complaining it is too hot when it quite evidently freezing and I’ve put the heating on!

Most hated food: Anything soggy

Most despised type of music: Rap

Chore to avoid: Cooking only because Dai has to takeover anyways as he likes to be in control in the kitchen. However, at this moment this little quiz is proving to be the perfect distraction from my literature review I should be writing!

Worst trend imaginable: Jumpsuits

Idea of the worst vacation: Wine-tasting – yuck!

~A Challenge...~

2011-06-11T13:30:00.002+01:00

The new format Sarah’s Cards Blog appears to be going down well with everyone which is great to see. This month’s challenge is set by Lou! The challenge is to create a layout taking inspiration from clothing. I took a little fumble around Ashton’s extremely vast wardrobe and settled on these two items to inspire some elements of my layout….

A sweet little dress and an embellishment on one of her t-shirts.

And here is the page I created……(Click on the image for a larger view)

The layout features my Grandad who we lost recently and the journaling is the poem I read at his funeral service yesterday.

The blocks of patterned papers were inspired by the patchwork effect on Ashton’s dress and the little flower embellishment were pieced together taking the design from the t-shirt embellishment.

I hope you are having a lovely weekend and are managing to avoid these showers we seem to be experiencing at the moment; one moment beautiful summery sunshine and the next, torrential rain and hail! xoxo

~Sleep tight Grandad Richie xoxo ~

2011-06-09T12:37:00.003+01:00

A couple of weeks ago, whilst I was working in A&E, I walked into my afternoon shift as I usually do, laughing and joking with my fellow colleagues up until I reached the board in majors to receive handover, because there on the board was my Grandad's name :( I ran straight into the bay where he was located and hardly recognised him he looked so poorly. He was taken to a ward and did perk up slightly but sadly a few days later we lost him :( A source of comfort is at least now he is no longer in pain. A huge pang of sadness occurred when Swansea City Football Club won their playoff final and played their way triumphantly into the Premier League just two short days after his passing. He was an avid Swansea City and sports fan and was looking forward to the playoff game the week before and would have loved that day. Many a tears were shared by myself and family after that final whistle blew.

We say our final farewells tomorrow afternoon at his funeral.

Love you lots Grandad Richie, sleep tight xoxo

~Sunny June~

2011-06-03T11:30:00.001+01:00

Wow, June already? It is quite scary just how quickly this year is bounding along. My lack of blogging can mainly be blamed on the amount of time I have spent working in the Accident and Emergency department the past six weeks. I am undertaking my critical care placement and am thoroughly enjoying my time spent in such a different area to what I have experienced before. Obviously I have experienced some absolutely awful events, life changing for those involved, but I have been amazed at what I have learnt and how well a group of people can quickly become a team and perform life saving procedures when necessary, often on a daily basis.

Have you visited the Sarah’s Cards Blog recently? If not, then I definitely recommend you pop on over and take a look at the ‘new look’ blog! It all started on June the first with a fantastic post from Lou all about paints and mists and getting messy! And today sees a gorgeous post from Rachael, go check it out here. Each design team member will be posting once a month, and there will be challenges and giveaways, so be sure to add the blog to your blog reader for a daily dose of creative inspiration.

I do have a layout to share which is one I created using the gorgeous ‘For the Record’ collection from Echo Park. I used a quote from a Bruno Mars song to create the title of the layout about my girly and her beautiful eyes.

~4 Papers...~

2011-04-19T16:34:00.001+01:00

Whilst at the March Sarah's Cards Retreat, the Design Team were provided with four patterned papers from the American Crafts - Campy Trails line each. Our task was to use the papers as we wished to create a layout.

I made this layout of Ashton and Meghan her little cousin. I think most of the DT demonstrated that even though the papers are intended as 'themed' papers, they really don't need to be used exclusively for themed layouts and are actually very versatile.

To take a look at what the rest of the Design Team came up with take a little look on the blog here!

Hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather if you are lucky enough like we are to be currently experiencing wall to wall sunshine :) xoxo

~Mother's Day~

2011-04-10T12:15:00.000+01:00

Well last Sunday was Mother's Day here in the UK, and of course I was spoilt by my gorgeous girly :) It was my Sister's first Mother's Day so I decided to make her a little something to celebrate. On the Saturday I 'pinched' my beautiful baby niece and did her first little bit of painting - her handprint. With her little handprint I then created this layout in a frame for my lovely big sis.

The weather at the moment is absolutely beautiful but unfortunately I have a poorly little miss so it is just cuddles on the sofa for us. Me, Nat and Kat did go to the local crop yesterday though which was a lot of fun, and I managed a layout so will photograph that later and be back to share maybe tomorrow. Hope you have a lovely Sunday whatever you do xoxo

~Crate Paper Yumminess~

2011-04-06T15:14:00.001+01:00

Well I did manage to have a little play with some of the new Crate Paper, but I have been having real trouble photographing my layouts, so apologies for the rubbish photos.

This first layout uses the gorgeous 'Emma's Shoppe', I totally love this range, and this second one uses, 'Portrait'.

My little Princess celebrated her fifth birthday on Friday, I just can't believe how quickly those five years have flown by :( But she is turning into a beautiful, clever, funny, confident and determined little girl who I am extremely proud of.

I created this little collage of her from birth to now, and am hoping to scrap the photos this weekend at the Swansea Crop :) I snapped this photo of her just before her party (everything was Tangled themed of course!), she wasn't posing I simply called her and snapped her as she turned. Love this girly millions <3

xoxo

~Yay for new Pretties!~

2011-03-17T14:31:00.000Z

Yay my order arrived today containing the New Crate Paper ranges, Emma's Shoppe and Portrait. What do you think of them?

I think they are absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to get creative with them. Not sure when that will be though as I have to get started on my Literature Review and have my topic chosen by early next week, but will hopefully have a chance to have a play over the weekend :)

My only regret about my order is not ordering an Emma's Shoppe collection pack and simply selecting a few of the sheets of patterned paper because each sheet is just gorgeous and their second side is equally useable!

~Retreat Sketch~

2011-03-16T13:08:00.001Z

At the retreat Sarah set lots of fun challenges for the delegates to take part in, one of them being a sketch challenge. The Design Team also decided to play along using some yummy new stash from CHA.

This is what I came up with....

Materials used:

Patterned papers - My Mind's Eye ~ Stella & Rose (Gertie colourway)

Alpha - Jillibean Soup

Rub-On - Studio Calico (thank you to Lou for giving them to me!)

The layout is about Ashton's recent gymnastic's competition where she represented the City and County of Swansea in the West Wales Tumble and Vault competition. She was competing against about 35 other little girls, most of them a good bit older than her and she did amazingly well and came 4th - so proud of her, but most importantly she was proud of herself! As the journaling on the layout reads about five mintues following the presentation and me taking her photo she began to cry and when I asked her what was wrong, she replied she was just so proud of herself :) Bless her!

Check out the Sarah's Cards Blog for the rest of the team's gorgeous layouts!

I've seen this on a few people's blogs now so thought I would pinch it and join in....

Listening - Ellie Goulding - Bright Lights Album

Eating - Nothing at the moment
Drinking - Pepsi Max (of course!)

Wearing - Jeans and an Animal hoodie

Feeling - Sleepy

Wanting - More hours in the day!

Needing - to choose a topic for this damn Literature Review
Thinking - Whether my parcel will turn up today - fingers crossed x
Enjoying - A Day off from Uni

Wondering - What to have for lunch

~March Sketch Challenge~

2011-03-13T14:48:00.000Z

The March Sketch over on Sarah's Cards Blog was done by the very talented Vanessa Stokoe. I loved the sketch as it was very easily open to interpretation and quite simple.

This is my version of the sketch, but if you head over to the blog, you can see the rest of the team's gorgeous layouts :)

It is a gorgeous, sunny Sunday here and we are just having a nice, relaxed day. Ashton is making some bracelets with beads and Dai is taking a nap. Roll on the summer and more of this lovely weather :)

Hope you are having an enjoyable weekend xx

~More from the Retreat~

2011-03-10T17:14:00.000Z

There were six beautiful classes taught over the weekend by some of the very talented Design Team. I assisted Natalie Grant in her class, 'What a Hoot'. Here is my version of her gorgeous class...

The class used the yummy, My Mind's Eye - Fine and Dandy and featured a cute little sewn owl embellishment (don't look at my attempt at blanket-stitch!) and handsewn swirls accross the page.

Speaking of Natalie, she recently did a fab little tutorial for some really effective flower rosettes which can be found on the Sarah's Cards Blog here.

~What an Amazing Weekend~

2011-03-09T11:50:00.001Z

Well last weekend was the Sarah's Cards Retreat in Warrington, and what a weekend it was! Sarah and Lianne did an amazing job at organising the whole thing! It was fabulous to meet up with the rest of the Design Team as we always have such a good giggle when we get together and this weekend was no different, and it was also great to meet the delegates, who were a great bunch of talented, crafty ladies :)

Here are some photos of the weekend.......

It really was a brilliant weekend, and I can't wait for the next one :) xx

~Two weeks....~

2011-02-19T12:42:00.002Z

Yay only two weeks to go until the Sarah’s Cards Retreat. I am very much looking forward to seeing all the DT ladies again and meeting those I haven’t before and spending a whole weekend surrounding by all things scrappy – woohoo :o)

I have this layout to share, of my girly in Legoland last October. There was an absolutely huge pit filled with lego bricks – awesome!

Patterned papers: October Afternoon – Seaside

Lettering: American Crafts Thickers

And I think that is pretty much it.

I have just finished my final placement of my second year, and can’t believe that as of next week I will be a final year nursing student, and just a year from now I will hopefully be a qualified staff nurse. The past two years have absolutely flown, so no doubt the next will too – crazy! Eek!

Hope you are having a lovely Saturday xx

Inspiring.....

2010-12-08T17:33:00.000Z

I love how inspiring all these gorgeous photos of trees are....

http://creativefan.com/50-most-beautiful-tree-photos/

~December Already?!~

2010-12-04T16:55:00.003Z

Well December kinda crept up on me! I have exams in University next Tuesday, and despite absolutely dreading them, I can't wait for them to be over at the same time.

At the moment though, instead of revising I am cuddled up on the sofa with Ashton, with a yummy yankee candle burning (Christmas Cookie - my favourite Yankee scent!) with hundreds of pretty fairy lights twinkling of the Christmas tree. Sounds lovely doesn't it?! Well it kinda is, apart from my little girly having a temperature of over 40, a bad ear and a headache bless her. We have an appointment with the out of hours GP in an hour. Typical she is bad this weekend as she has her first gymnastics competition tomorrow.

I do have a layout to share though, made using photos from the fabulous weekend spent with the Sarah's Cards DT in November.

Materials used:

Patterned papers - Crate Paper ~Restoration

Cardstock - Bazzill ~ Kraft (of course!)

Blossoms - Prima

Journaling spot - Maya Road

Doily transparency - Maya Road

Stamp rub-on - 7 Gypsies

Alphas - Making Memories and Adornit
Pearls - Prima

Thanks for taking a peek, hope you are having a great weekend! xoxo

~I am loving this song~

2010-11-24T15:43:00.001Z

I am absolutely loving this song.......

That is all :o) xx

~Sarah's Cards November Sketch Challenge~

2010-11-19T21:45:00.000Z

Don't you find this dark, rainy, cold weather (well that is what we have been experiencing all too much of as of late), just the perfect weather to just stay at home, cosy up and get crafting?! I certainly do.

Over on the Sarah's Cards Blog there is some great inspiration in the form of this month's sketch, beautifully created by the lovely Lianne. Check out the sketch here to be in with a chance of winning an e-voucher and submit your creation via the comments box by the 6th of December.

Here is my layout I created for this month's sketch.....

Materials used:

Patterned papers ~ Glitz Designs - Hoopla

Blossoms ~ Prima
Pearls ~ Prima
Journaling ~ Dymo
Kraft flower ~ Maya Road
Buttons ~ Rusty Pickle
Cardstock ~ Bazzill Kraft

Thanks for visiting! xoxo

Nothing Changes......

2010-11-17T11:40:00.002Z

Nope nothing changes I am a rubbish blogger! And my excuses for a lack of blog posts? Somewhat boring, mainly consisting of essays and assignments - boo!

The weekend before last however, was spent in a beautiful converted barn in the Peak District with the fabulous ladies from the Sarah's Cards Design Team. Sarah and Lianne are just the best for inviting us all on such a lovely weekend - so thank you ladies :) It was so nice to finally meet the team after chatting to them online for so long, and each and every one of them are so talented, friendly and nice, it was an absolute pleasure to spend the weekend with them.

The weekend proved quite productive scrapping wise and I managed 7 layouts - yay! I think that is more than I had achieved all year, and it has definately left me wanting to create more.

The Friday evening was bonfire night and Sarah had given us each a pack of sparklers to play with. I took photos of the girls and their sparklers and created this montage of photos.....

I did forget to add Cathy and Vanessa's smiley face into it though!

The whole group minus Sarah who was taking the photo

Nat and Rachael

Back in the cosy barn doing what they do best - scrapping and chatting!

It really was a fantastic weekend - can't wait for the retreat in March now! :)

I will be back tomorrow with my layout created for the November Sketch Challenge over on the Sarah's Cards Blog xx

~The one with the July Sketch Challenge, and a card~

2010-07-17T12:43:00.001+01:00

Well it is time for another monthly challenge over on the Sarah’s Cards Blog, and this month Lou Collins has designed the fab sketch to work from. All you have to do is create a layout or card using the sketch and either post a link to it in the comments box on the blog or email it across to sarah@sarahscardsltd.com by the 9th August, and you will be in with a chance of winning!

This month's sketch....

And here is what I came up with…

The layout is all about the Chinese lanterns we set off during Ashton’s 4th Birthday party. However I ceased to mention in the journaling about the wind catching one of them and it almost landing in a garden down the road – oops!

Next week is the last week of Nursery for my little miss (I can’t believe she will be going full-time in September *sob* she is growing up way too quickly), so I made her teacher and two classroom assistants a thank-you card each. Those who know me will know how I really struggle to make cards and they usually take me just as long to make as a scrapbook page, but I managed to make these three super-quick.

I have only photographed the one so far, so here it is….

Hope you have a lovely weekend xoxo

A layout and a proud Mummy!

2010-07-02T22:07:00.006+01:00

I loved the photo featured in my last post, but it scares me how grown up she looks! I scrapped a simple layout featuring the photo after finally finishing an absolute nightmare assignment! It felt so good to get creative :o)

I absolutely love October Afternoon – Thrift Shop and Fly a Kite, the papers are just so easy to scrap with.

I am a very proud Mummy today too, as Ashton came home from Nursery with her first ever school report! She is doing really well and I am super proud. The line that cracked me up though was ‘Ashton has bonded really well with the adults in the class and enjoys a good gossip’, lol her teacher definitely knows her very well!

[Heart]

2010-06-29T15:03:00.001+01:00

Just because I think she is beautiful.....

2010-06-26T12:32:00.006+01:00

Gosh, what a month! The last month saw the completion of my fourth nursing placement, an absolutely amazing holiday to Lanzarote, a horrendous assignment for university and an exceedingly nasty bout of Glandular Fever which graced me with its presence whilst on holiday :o( Boo to that for sure!
In amongst the busyness of life, I somehow managed to grasp a few minutes solstice to scrap. This month over on Sarah’s Cards Blog there is a fab sketch for this month’s challenge. All you have to do if create a layout based on this sketch...by the 12th of July to be in with a chance of winning. So there is still plenty of time to get creating and entering!
This is what I came up with.

It is about Ashton’s first haircut which didn’t take place until just a couple of weeks ago. She believed that is she had her hair cut, then ‘she wouldn’t be a princess anymore’, despite us reassuring her she would always be Mummy and Daddy’s little Princess! But the week before we went away to Lanzarote we took her to a local children’s hairdressers and she absolutely loved it, particularly the glitter spray they used at the end.

Papers: October Afternoon
Journaling spot: Jenni Bowlin
And I think that is about it.

Hope you are having a lovely weekend! xoxo

~A year and a bit later.....~

2010-05-19T12:30:00.009+01:00

Ok, so I didn’t actually do all too well at returning after that last post did I? Wow, I can’t believe I wrote that post so long ago! Well over a year ago, and such a lot has happened since. In that last post I hadn’t even started my Nursing degree, and now I am well into my second year of training and due to complete my first placement of the second year. I am pleased to say that I am absolutely loving it, and only wish I had started my training the first time I went to university. My beautiful little girl, Ashton is now four and is a beautiful, caring, clever and funny little girl who I am extremely proud of!

I am still scrapping, as and when I can! Here is a layout I did for the monthly challenge over at the Sarah’s Cards blog using a sketch. Pop on over and check out this month’s challenge to use paint creatively on a layout.

I don't expect anyone still visits here but I have really missed my blog actually as it was always useful for journaling etc, so I will definitely be back soon!

xxx

p.s I have no idea what is going on with the sizes of the text in this post grrrr!

Lost Blogger Returns!

2009-02-24T20:49:00.003Z

Oh my! It certainly has been quite a while since I last blogged. Oops! I have had such a busy month, most of my busyness being in preparation for tomorrow! Tomorrow I begin my new career and I am so nervous and excited. Tomorrow I start my degree in Nursing at University. I have known since last September when I applied that I would be starting at the end of February, but I honestly cannot believe how quickly it has come around.

I have yet to share the other two layouts I created with the January kit from Sarah’s Cards, so here they are……

[Caswell..My Favourite Local Beach]

[The Wild Side]

Last month I had Crate Paper Mia to play with and this layout has now been shared on the shop blog so I think I can share it here now too…..

[Authentic Beauty]

Thanks for looking xxx

2009-01-22T16:40:00.007Z

Well I am not quite sure where this week has gone, but it sure has flown by! Not that I have anything exciting to say. Apart from baby ballet went very well and she absolutely loved it! Will take the camera this week and hopefully catch some sweet shots of her.
Monday was another big day for Ashton as we went to visit the school she will start in September. I was very impressed with the resources available and the tour of the school which we had from the headmaster helped make me feel a little happier about her going to school in September.

I think I can now share this layout as Sarah has already popped it up on the blog and the kits have gone out to subscribers. So here is a layout I made with the January kit from Sarah’s cards…..

The February kit looks beautiful too! There are two teams on the Design Team and we alternate between the kit and other products and this month I am set to work on Crate Paper’s Mia, but unfortunately the parcel has gone missing! :o( Damn Royal Mail.

I also got this layout done last weekend for the sketch over on Create my Keepsake…..

My girly dressed up in a Santa outfit.

Supplies:
Patterned papers ~ Basic Grey - Figgy Pudding
Die-cut ~ My Mind's Eye
Rub-ons ~ Daisy D's
Bling ~ Papermania
Chipboard heart ~ Heidi Swapp
Buttons ~ Rusty Pickle

I spotted another sneak peek I think I am in need of buying once it is available and that is October Afternoon…….

So pretty!

xxx

<3

2009-01-17T15:51:00.001Z

Wow I am loving this advert!! :o)

xxx

Scraps on a Friday

2009-01-16T15:50:00.005Z

With CHA being just a couple of weeks away, there are obviously several sneak peeks occurring from the manufacturers releasing their new ranges, and I can’t say all too much has caught my eye enough to get particularly excited about, until I saw this from Collage Press this morning……

Mmmm! I am loving the colours and patterns on the sneak so I hope the rest of the range is just as pretty! What have you seen so far and loved?!

I also saw the news about the end of Simple Scrapbooks this morning too :o( I am quite sad about this as it is one of my favourite magazines.

I managed to get a little more scrapping done this week.

Firstly was this one of Ashton in total amazement of the giant wheel in Swansea’s Waterfront Wonderland.

Supplies:
Patterned papers ~ October Afternoon & Basic Grey
Journaling Spot ~ Heidi Swapp & Making Memories
Alphas ~ American Crafts & Adornit
Die-cuts ~ October Afternoon & Scenic Route
Bling ~ Papermania

The second was done for a challenge over on Create My Keepsake (a fabby forum full of very talented ladies) where you had to create a layout about love, but were not allowed to use the colour red or any hearts. This is what I came up with…..

Patterned papers ~ October Afternoon, Basic Grey.
Alphas ~ Making Memories & Adornit
Blossoms ~ Prima & Sassafras
Buttons ~ Rusty Pickle
Die-cut ~ Crate Paper
Journaling Spot ~ Heidi Swapp

I’m so glad the weekend is almost here! This weekend is hopefully going to be pretty exciting for a certain little two year old in this household! For months and months Ashton has asked to go to ballet class, and I have searched and searched in our area for classes that cater for children so young, but unfortunately we were told by every dance school I rung, that they only accept children from the age of three and a half. After looking for a little while we found a gymnastic school which did pre-school classes so we took her for a little while which she thoroughly enjoyed, but nope this still didn’t fulfil the urge she has to go to dance class! So yesterday I was looking for ideas for her birthday in a few months, and I see that a local leisure centre runs a baby ballet class woohoo! I gave them a ring, and sure enough she was old enough to go, so she has her first class on Sunday. I can’t wait to see her (hopefully) join in as she is just so excited!

Hope you have a great weekend xxx

A belated 'hello' to 2009!

2009-01-10T14:05:00.007Z

Well we have had a pretty nice, quiet start to 2009 and I really can’t complain, it has been lovely. Just a shame the holidays went quite so quickly.

Some randomness from the first week of 2009.…….

This week has been so, so cold this past week or so, and temperatures have easily reached -10 through the nights. Brrr!! Here are some icicles around my parent’s pond….they are around 12 inches long!! Crazy cold!

Woke up yesterday morning and saw the sun rising…….

We took the tree down on Sunday :o( ………

I was hovering and popped my head around the Playroom door to find Ashton sat on one of toy boxes reading some of her favourite books :o) ……

And I have also managed to get some scrapping done :o) Last Friday I popped over Natalie’s and got my design team layouts done for Sarah’s Cards using the January kit. One of them is featured on the blog today!

And yesterday during nap time I got this layout done……

A quick layout about our trip to Margam Park to see Santa feed the reindeer.

I usually have a love/hate relationship with rub-ons, love to look at them but hate using them as some manufacturer’s rub-ons don’t seem to want to actually rub on! Grrr! But the October Afternoon ones I have used on this layout were a dream to work with!

Products used:
Patterned papers ~ My Mind’s Eye - Be Merry
Journaling spot ~ Heidi Swapp & Making Memories
Alphas ~ Adornit & American Crafts
Jewels ~ Kaiser Craft
Rub-ons ~ October Afternoon
Photo collages created in Picasa 3.

Thanks for stopping by! xxx

~Merry Christmas~

2008-12-31T09:38:00.005Z

Wow, time has simply flown since Christmas Day and it is only now I have really had time to sit down and actually type this! Plenty of time was spent just the way it should be at Christmas - with family! We really did have a lovely Christmas and I only hope you did too!

Some of the pressies left under the tree following Santa’s visit…..

This is what Christmas morning pretty much looked like….(big smiles and loads of pressies!)

Ashton really got into the spirit of Christmas this year, and totally got the Santa concept and was just so excited Chrismtas morning once she realised that he had eaten his mince pie and drunk his Pepsi (!! - the Pepsi was her choice, we offered her the choice of a beer or some milk and she said he needed some Pepsi, and who are we to argue). The reindeer had also had their share of the carrot and celery we had left out for them to feast on whilst undertaking their very busy night. (We had to include the celery as ooops we ate most of the carrots in our Christmas Eve buffet so there were only a couple of carrot batons left!)

I truly hope your Christmas was magical!

Xxx

2008-12-19T17:25:00.007Z

A couple of weeks ago I had a lovely email from Sarah’s Cards asking if I would like to become a part of their Design Team. I of course said yes, and I received my first assignment this morning - the January Kit. I have to say I have already started creating with it as it is just lovely, and the embellishments are beautiful! I also had an email from Shimelle, to ask me to create a layout for the Sketch Challenge article of Scrapbook Inspiration’s April issue. I was doing really well with my Christmas Journal up until that point, but since I created my layout for the Sketch Challenge, I have really struggled to get back into my Christmas Journal now lol. Never mind though, as I have still journaled all the prompts so will come back to them at a later date and pretty them all up for my Christmas 2008 album. Not too long until the big man in the red suit arrives and I for one am so very excited about that fact! And of course, so is a certain little lady in this household. She knows that the more advent calendar windows we open, the less time there is until Santa comes! Yay! We (me, Mum and Dad) took her to see Santa feed the deer in a local country estate last Sunday and I absolutely loved it, and so did Ashton of course! Here are a couple of piccies from the day……

It was the perfect weather, and we couldn’t have wished for a more beautiful winter’s morning. It was cold, but dry.

And my two very favourite photos from the day……

How’s This for Christmas Spirit?

I was walking into town to pick up my remaining few presents I had left to get in relative calm due to the fact that Mum had offered to have Ashton whilst I purchased my remaining gifts, and whilst walking through the car park to get into the main shopping centre, my handbag decided that would be the perfect time to break! Great! That left me unable to carry the bag in the proper fashion and I had to clutch it instead, which didn’t half look daft. The first shop I went into was Primark, and I bought a cute, beaded necklace for a friend, and I asked the cashier if I could have a slightly larger carrier bag than the one she was going to give me so I could put my broken handbag in it, she glared at me as if I had asked for a free gold bar or something, then proceeded to inform me that she couldn’t possibly give me the next size up carrier bag, and how dare I ask for one! She handed me my change, and I thought my response of, ’well a Merry Christmas to you too’, was quite a polite response! The next store I went into was Lush and the lady there noted my broken handbag and offered me a large bag.

Lol not quite sure why I felt compelled to share that story but hey :o)

Shall be back very soon to share some more of my Christmas Journal pages that I did manage to do! xxx

December Time

2008-12-02T22:26:00.003Z

Hooray the Christmas journal has started and me being me am already a little behind lol. But I do get to say that Christmas is actually this month! :o) Now that is exciting!

Well here is my front cover for my journal…..

The album I am using is an American Crafts 8x8” D-Ring album.

This is my December 1st entry…..

Are you playing along?

Xxx

Feeling Festive!

2008-11-26T15:54:00.006Z

Yesterday marked a month until Christmas and wow am I excited? I really am like a small child when it comes to the Christmas period and I just revel in all the magic associated with the season. I finished with buying (well one or two left to get) and all wrapped with most of the cards written, awaiting sending. So last night I decided the house needed to reflect my mood and I put the tree up :o) I am so pleased with how it looks, it is even prettier than I had envisioned in my head. Last year’s tree was decorated in a blue and silver theme, but this year I decided to have a change and chose red and silver, as I have now added red accessories (cushions, vases, candle holders, etc) to my black and white living room.
I haven’t had a chance to take any photos as yet, but will hopefully get a chance over the next few days.

Here is last year’s tree though….

To help get even further into the Christmas spirit, as of Monday I shall be taking part in Shimelle’s fantastic class - Journal your Christmas. I did attempt the class year, but ended up not keeping up and giving up. But the really great part is that as part of the Alumi you get to take part year after year without paying a penny! How fab is that? And this year, I feel a whole lot more motivated and know what to expect etc so really hope I can keep up as I think the completed journal will be a beautiful and treasured keepsake of my most favourite time of year!

Are you taking part in the class?

I have been a little creative recently, but my mojo really has gone walkabouts :o( I'm hoping it will return for the start of the class next week!

This is an altered notebook I created to record all of the sweet and funny little things Ashton says.....

Shall be back soon xxx

Friday Faves!

2008-11-21T20:38:00.005Z

I’ve noticed quite a few bloggers have been posting their ‘favourite things on a Friday’, so I thought I would play along too. Whilst most people are choosing five favourite things to post about, I’ve decided not to commit myself to five things lol and just however many I want.

So here is to my Friday favourites…….

1. I am totally in love with my gorgeous new tins from Cath Kidston that I purchased in Selfridges last week in Birmingham.

Aren’t they yummy?

2. The fact that next month is Christmas - oh so very exciting!

3. Bowling! Lol I went bowling last weekend and had such a fun time! Going again next week with Nat and Kat and really can’t wait!

xxx

2008-11-12T17:43:00.003Z

If you are stuck for some inspiration for a beautiful, handmade home-décor item to create for the impending festive period, then I urge you to head on over to the Bubbly Scrumptious blog, where my fabulous and very talented friend, Nattie, has created the most gorgeous little wreath which would look perfect hanging in any home this Christmas. I had a lovely comment on my last post from Katie, who asked a few questions about the supplies I used in this layout…..
Well the black and white patterned paper is Making Memories ~ 5th Avenue - Elizabeth Foiled Brocade, the green is Scenic Route and the orange spotty one is Anna Griffin. I hope that helps?! Here is a layout I created over the weekend about my little devil on Halloween.

I’m not entirely happy with it, and the scan is awful! But you get the idea! Supplies: Patterned papers ~ Basic Grey - Ambrosia Alpha ~ Adornit and American Crafts Buttons ~ Autumn Leaves Bling ~ Done using the Bejeweler Hope your week is treating you well, shall be back soon xxx

Fireworks!

2008-11-05T21:37:00.004Z

Today is Guy Fawkes night (also called Bonfire night) here in the United Kingdom, it celebrates the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot of the 5th of November, 1605 in which a number of Catholic conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London, England. Festivities are centred on the use of fireworks and the lighting of bonfires.

A traditional rhyme which accompanies Guy Fawkes night which I remember from when I was a child is:

Remember, remember the fifth of November Gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason, why gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot.

A little family tradition of ours is to have hotdogs for tea, with mini donuts and mini chocolate éclairs for dessert yummy.

Ashton absolutely hates the fireworks and it terrified bless her. It is now around quarter past nine and I have only just put her to bed, (well past her usual bedtime) as there would have been no point as there is no way she would have been able to have settled enough to go to sleep because of all the fireworks going off.

We have bought a few of the quieter, pretty fireworks, but decided to do a mini display another night, when nobody else is having theirs because maybe she will watch them if it is just ours being let off that don’t sound like bombs going off.

So instead of sharing pretty firework photos, I have this to share. My little miss and my Mummy all cuddled up on the sofa…..

Not a lot else to talk about really, spent all day today and yesterday looking after Mum, as Dad has been working away. We’ve also had a lovely new boiler fitted and the house is super cosy and warm at the moment.

All of this results in no time for scrapping. :o(

I did however receive two yummy orders yesterday, one from the Craft Emporium, and one from Angel Crafts. Packaged within these pizza boxes were some beautiful items which have gotten me all inspired!

My package from Angel Crafts included the following..

Lots of gorgeous new Sassafras Lass, and from the Craft Emporium was the three new lines from October Afternoon which I have been awaiting since I first saw them in the CHA sneak peeks!

I will hopefully be back tomorrow once I have photographed the layout I am just finishing off!

Xxx

2008-11-01T22:23:00.005Z

Well last night’s Halloween party was absolutely amazing. We had a brilliant time and are already excited about next year‘s planned party.

I was really surprised at Ashton who was actually ok with all the scary costumes and the trick or treaters who knocked the door before we left. I really thought she was going to be petrified, but she was more interested in dancing at the party, and giving the children sweets at the door, and of course indulging in some for herself whilst she was at it!

At the party there were so many wonderful, well thought out and unique costumes, we are really going to have to think of something cool for next year. So, here she is, my gorgeous, devilish flame fairy!

We eventually managed to get her off the dance floor around midnight and took her home absolutely exhausted but with a huge smile on her face. Aren’t they the best kind of days?

Hope your Halloween was enjoyable! Xxx

Happy Halloween, and get well soon Mummy!

2008-10-31T15:49:00.001Z

Well Happy Halloween! At the moment I don’t have any photos of Ashton in her costume to share, but hopefully when she wakes from her nap, we will go out and take some shots of her in the garden.
We’re off to a Halloween party this evening, which should be lots of fun. There is a buffet, entertainment for the kids and a disco with a DJ, so should be a good night.

We decorated the living room yesterday with a whole load of Halloween decorations, and in Ashton’s words, it is ‘very spooky, and really scary’.

Unfortunately though, Mum and Dad won’t be coming as Mum had an operation yesterday on her ankle, and is a whole lot of pain today following her surgery. She has just arrived home from the hospital, she has to remain in hard plaster cast for at least eight weeks, so I’m sending her lots of get well soon vibes!

Hope you have a happy Halloween! xxx

Christmas Lines!

2008-10-29T20:46:00.003Z

Following on from my previous post about the new Christmas line releases, I have definitely found my favourite and can’t wait to get my hands on it, ‘Good Cheer’, by October Afternoon. Yum! What do you think?
It includes a lot of colours, including the traditional red and greeny Christmas tones, as well as a more modern pink which is important as Ashton has some Christmas outfits that are red based and some that are pink based lol. Everyone seems to love the ‘Life at the Pole’ line by Sassafras Lass. I think it is cute, but it just doesn’t say ‘Christmas’ to me.

It was my neighbours 60th birthday last Saturday, so I attempted to make her a card lol, I really can’t get on with card-making but here is the card I made for her….. I have no idea what the weather is like where you are, but Ashton and I went to Cardiff today to visit my Sister and indulge in a little shopping, and it was absolutely freezing. Brrr!

Gems xxx

Curly Locks

2008-10-21T15:07:00.002+01:00

I managed to sneak a little time over the weekend to get a layout done :o) Yay!

I purchased these papers (Basic Grey - Urban Prairie) last week or so, and wow I just love them, they are just so beautiful. I knew exactly what photo I wanted to scrap using them. This layout looked much better in my head, but ah well, it is another photo that has been scrapped which is always a good thing!

This layout is also featured in the Basic Grey gallery :o)

It’s getting quite close to the festive season now and I am getting soooo excited. Don’t burst my bubble and tell me it is only October, because once Halloween is over, then Christmas comes around so quickly don’t you find?

I have taken a look at the newly released Christmas lines and am undecided which are my favourites, so tell me which lines have made it on to your must-have list?

Have a good Tuesday xxx

Grrrr - so annoyed with myself!

2008-10-16T15:08:00.004+01:00

Oh I really am annoyed myself. We went away for a couple of days down West over the weekend. We spent the afternoon on Sunday on the beach, where Ashton played for ages on the sand until the tide came in too far. the weather was so unusually gorgeous for October, there were actually children swimming in the sea.

Anyways back to the reason why I’m angry with myself, I ensured the camera was all charged before we left on Saturday, thinking I was all organised, until on Sunday whilst on the beach I pulled out the camera to take some photos of Ash looking all sweet playing in the sand building castles fit for the most beautiful of all princesses, when I realised I hadn’t put the memory card in L Poop! I was gutted.

I was really chuffed last weekend though when I discovered that Basic Grey had included my ‘Shoes’ layout from the post below and also the ‘Love Birds’ layout from a previous post in their gallery :o) And I have just noticed that they have also included this layout…..

You can see it in the Basic Grey gallery here:
http://www.basicgrey.com/catalog/idea_gallery_info.php?idea_gallery_id=29795

Hope this Thursday is treating you well xxx

*Tangerine Trees and Marmalade Skies*

~*Pinteresting Challenge*~

~*Summer Catch Up*~

~*Lazy Sunny Days *~

~*School's Out for Summer*~

~*Happy Days*~

~*Pretties*~

~*The Wedding*~

~*Fill in the Blanks....*~

~*Let the Good Times Roll...*~

~*His and Hers*~

~*A Challenge...*~

~*Sleep tight Grandad Richie xoxo *~

~*Sunny June*~

~*4 Papers...*~

~*Mother's Day*~

~*Crate Paper Yumminess*~

~*Yay for new Pretties!*~

~*Retreat Sketch*~

~*March Sketch Challenge*~

~*More from the Retreat*~

~*What an Amazing Weekend*~

~*Two weeks....*~

Inspiring.....

~*December Already?!*~

~*I am loving this song*~

~*Sarah's Cards November Sketch Challenge*~

Nothing Changes......

~*The one with the July Sketch Challenge, and a card*~

A layout and a proud Mummy!

[Heart]

~*A year and a bit later.....*~

Lost Blogger Returns!

<3

Scraps on a Friday

A belated 'hello' to 2009!

~*Merry Christmas*~

December Time

Feeling Festive!

Friday Faves!

Fireworks!

Happy Halloween, and get well soon Mummy!

Christmas Lines!

Curly Locks

Grrrr - so annoyed with myself!

Tangerine Trees and Marmalade Skies

~Pinteresting Challenge~

~Summer Catch Up~

~Lazy Sunny Days ~

~School's Out for Summer~

~Happy Days~

~Pretties~

~The Wedding~

~Fill in the Blanks....~

~Let the Good Times Roll...~

~His and Hers~

~A Challenge...~

~Sleep tight Grandad Richie xoxo ~

~Sunny June~

~4 Papers...~

~Mother's Day~

~Crate Paper Yumminess~

~Yay for new Pretties!~

~Retreat Sketch~

~March Sketch Challenge~

~More from the Retreat~

~What an Amazing Weekend~

~Two weeks....~

~December Already?!~

~I am loving this song~

~Sarah's Cards November Sketch Challenge~

~The one with the July Sketch Challenge, and a card~

~A year and a bit later.....~

~Merry Christmas~