Remember

I can't believe I have finally found my mojo during the weekend & made a layout!! The mojo normally strikes me on the way to work or just as I leave to go shopping, upon my return, the energy is gone & the mojo with it. I have now completed 8 weeks in my new job & during that 8 weeks I have done lots of reading & study & taking 20 different online courses, passing all but a couple which were too advanced for me. I did them to give myself an indication of what I didn't know yet. I have enjoyed it all & have taken some additional reading onboard. I am still excited & happy every day & as one of my online friends said, my energy is all streamed towards my learning. So this layout sort of came out of the blue today. I have wanted to scrap these three photos of my sister & I for ages but never really had suitable materials. This page is made entirely from my recent SC kit Iconic & add ons Audrey & Marilyn. The papers are October Afternoon's, Hometown Norm's News, American crafts', What's Happening? & Pretty. The exception is the two green flowers which I took from the Air Mail kit. The new kit Looking Glass & add on Tweedledee, will soon be winging itself towards me so thought I really ought to use some of this scrap goodness up. Mind you, I told someone the way I see it, is if I don't use it when it arrives, at least I know I always have something totally gorgeous for a rainy day!! Photos were taken by our dad, around 1969/1970 time.

Time to love

I have had terrible problems with the internet & getting onto my blog. So I really didn't think I would ever get these pages on before the next ones!

Time to love this week & I just love my ability to make things that give others pleasure. I have been commissioned to make many things but this minibook always stands out. I made my first one for myself as "instant Xmas" but knew this would be the perfect gift when asked by Godparents for something different to give to their Goddaughter. I painted a cheese triangle box pink, lined the inside with pink tissue & made a circle book attached with ribbon that pulls out to display photos & poems on both sides. This book was completed on 9th October 2006, so it is almost 2 years ago now, where has the time gone? The word page is made from a section of a rubber stamp & the word love is black doodlebug rub ons.

I'm on a day's holiday from work today, waiting for a new gas meter to be fitted. Have been very industrious too, got all my net curtains washed, all windows cleaned inside & then I put up my winter lined curtains & washed my hair. So I think that justifys some crafting time this afternoon & I am beginning work on something for my sister, Tracy. Just waiting on 3 more photos from her.

Those Were The Days

Not a brilliant photo, the light is so bright it upsets the camera, can't win eh!

I started this last weekend & decided I couldn't add anything further without spoiling it. The photo is of my sister (front) & myself ,back in the carefree days of our childhood enjoying a bit of acrobatics on the lawn! As you can see, Tracy was far better at the crab than myself. All papers from my SC Iconic kit. The journalling is hidden behind the photo as I didn't want to share it. Title was made with the stamp that came in the kit.

Another Slidemailer

With work taking up so much time I am not getting much made. I find when I have time my inspiration is totally lacking but yesterday, I was going through my computer files doing some clearing up & found pictures of things I have not shared on my blog. I couldn't access blogger for 3 days, but thanks to Greg of Studio Calico, my system is no longer refusing to allow me on to my blog. This mailer ws made last year & I never considered it good enough to share & I had fully intended to mail the pictures to Crafty Individuals to add to the gallery where some of my other work resides. It was hand painted in thistle pink emulsion & then I used gold acrylic applied with a natural sponge. I had no problems with the acetate image unlike my latest one & no glue shows!!

This is a box I made for it to live in, I got the idea from a very old Crafts Beautiful magazine.

Time to learn

Life is full of lessons we need to learn & we choose to learn. As part of my new job I am having to learn about all aspects of Insurance. My current subject Travel Insurance. I found the picure of the map on the net & added the words Travel Insurance in my photo editing program. The cardstock is some new Core'dinations colourcore in Nostalgia collection. You can sand, tear or antique it to show the gorgeous dual colour.

As for lessons we need to learn, we often only realise when something tragic happens how important it is to enjoy every day, love yourself, love your friends & family, and if like me you are a crafter, make the memories last. A lady called Aleida, who I came into contact with on the Studio Calico kit site, tragically lost her life in a road accident on Friday morning. It appears the accident happened through someone's negligent driving. They jumped a red light, ploughing into this ladies car & killed her. Her small children are left without their mum & her husband has lost his life partner all because someone couldn't be bothered to wait a few more minutes.

I shed a few tears for this lovely lady that i barely knew and made sure i went to see my dear friend Colette, who i miss but struggle to visit often enough. So everyone needs to make sure they tell those that matter just how much because all too soon things could change.

Slidemailer

I made this over the weekend, but it didn't turn out as planned. I managed to get air bubbles between my acetate image & piece of glass so no matter what direction it stands, you can see them. So I will have to make another at the weekend as this was meant as a gift for someone! The colour didn't go to plan to begin with but I'm rather pleased with it now. The stamps are designed by my forum friend, Penny (Penibear) & I got them from the SSP Guild of which I am a member.

Baby Card & Time pages

First I'll start this post by showing a card I made some time ago now for a dear blog friend. Congratulations Micayla & Steve on the birth of your sweet daughter, Emily. I know they have got the card now so I can blog it. I made the card using some scraps of Via Airmail SC kit & hand stitched all around before rubbing gently with a pink pad.

Time for Happiness... very hard to pick one photo for this as you probably know HAPPY is my word & I have a minibook taking shape at design stage to depict just what makes this girl happy.

This bag is one of many things. It's not just the bag I love, but the memories it brings when I see it as it was a fabulous day, the day I bought it. My sister, Tracy & I were tipsy after a boozy long lunch & were partners in crime, I got expensive Radley bag, she, Billy shoes then we fell asleep exhausted!!!
Time to trust... I have to have a great deal of trust in myself right now to study hard & learn all that i have to in the next 6 months as it is very important for the next step in my career. My job is going so very well I haven't felt this happy since I worked for my sister 6 years ago. Life is a funny old thing & its odd how things turn out. I would have given anything to keep the life that I had, but it wasn't to be. Now, though I have developed strength & confidence to push for something just as good and.....I'm getting there.

The page was made using ink sponged over some sequin waste. The photo is of my books that I fill every day.

MIA

Sorry if I've been a bit quiet. I had my sister, Tracy come to stay for the weekend. She lives up in Newcastle & as its a while since she stayed over we did girly things. I went to Ikea to buy some very much needed bedroom storage as my clothes live on the spare bed. So you can imagine the fun I had trying to square the place up so Tracy could actually sleep in her room!! I have spent the last two evenings putting together my two new chest of drawers between studying & feeding myself.
My job is going very well & I am learning so much stuff I never thought possible. I plan to spend the weekend crafting and hopefully getting some sleep as the world & his wife have done there best to keep me awake in the small hours two days running. Tracy & I didn't exactly go to bed before we had turned into pumpkins but we had a lot of talking to do ;)

Autumn Glory

This page started out as an inter team challenge to do a scrap lift but mine doesn't resemble the lift in any way!! I did however forever conquer my fear of orange, I think it is more grown up with the modern papers & very sophisticated & I enjoyed putting this together from my Studio Calico Confections kit.

I got my next kit paid for this morning so more yummy goodies are heading my way around the 10th Sept. I feel so special getting these every month it is something to really look forward to & I get stuck in & use them straight away. I also think my scrapping style has changed since I got these kits, I am more colour confident these days & not scared to cut up a sheet of paper as I have done here on the Creative Imaginations Bloom, Floral Sunshine.

I also love that the papers are mostly double sided & the reverse of the sheets is as yummy as the fronts. I used the alpha stickers from last months Via Airmail kit to keep the brown compilmenting colour going. The HS felt flowers are delicious & were in the main kit. The photo is one of my favourtie trees in our local park in its most glorious colours. I have the ame tree taken in frost, & in snow along with another tree from a different area of the park & I plan a minibook of them as they always make me feel happy.

Forum Challenge

As we haven't done much in the way of challenges over on the altered art forum, Jo came up with an inspirational idea to get us crafting, Sets. I love to see matching things on people's blogs so I decided to make matching tags. They are the same except for the colours & eventually these will form parts of pages in a minibook. I make up backgrounds & bits from time to time & when I have enough I will put them all together into a book.

I used distress inks but only have one shade of purple & one shade of green so I was limited in my choice & had to use browns, but they will fit perfectly with an autumnal page. The others will be blogging there's as they are made & they can all be found in my sidebar under forum friends.

Bouquet

I have been watching the Olympics during my lunch hour at work & each day I would see the events & the individuals competing in each event. The design around the individual caught my eye & I roughly sketched it because I thought it would make a fab sketch for a layout. It was a series of black circles & between them were smaller circles & swirls. Sadly I don't own any BG swirls, either in stamps or rub ons as they would have worked perfectly. The papers & embellishments are from my SC Confections Kit, the painted frame is from the SC Via Airmail kit. I used my corner rounder to scallop the large circle. I was going to use the reverse side the dots but I love this floral paper far too much & so made the smallest circle dots instead. I used a gromet & punched holes with my eyelet setter & place fuchsia pink paper behind around the two smaller circles. I used Rangers Wild Plum acrylic paint to dab on the sequin waste to create the background.

Time to Celebrate & to Listen

I have had another fabulous week at work & am glad to be home for a long weekend to re charge my batteries, do a bit of crafting & get ready for a new week of more reading & learning. I made a start on these pages for the time minibook yesterday but waited for full light before finishing off the second one & getting the photos. Sadly the second one isn't very clear, don't know what is wrong the camera said it was too bright for the flash but the picture seems a touch too dark for me!

Right, page 25, Celebrate. I used a new stamp free from a membership, love the curvy angled lettering on this word, bold & works perfectly with the offcut of paper from a page layout I had done last weekend. Since I turned 40, last year my life has been a series of non stop small celebrations. I found a new inner strength soon after my 40th, must have been the photo shoot & the fabulous pictures I got that made me look at myself differently. Since then I have made a fair few changes to my lifestyle & achieve a great deal ranging from losing a lot of weight after a nasty experience taking steroids, to having better control of my finances and the more recent new job success.

Week 26, Listen. I handmade the paper on the page using inks & stamps. The photo I took a few years ago & basically it was the inspiration for the word. I love to listen to the wind in the trees & the birds singing. It is calming & reminds me to slow down & breathe in the nature around me. Stop rushing & enjoy the beauty that is all around. As I said the photo hasn't come out too well & editing hasn't helped a great deal either. I really hope it doens't mean my camera is coming to the end of its life!!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Blog!

My blog is two today, & probably feeling rather neglected but work has to come first for the next 5 months. Luckily it is the Bank Holiday weekend & I have 4 projects sketched & ready to create. I'm really looking forward to it! I made this card about a month ago & forgot all about it.

Two Studio Calico Layouts.

This first page is from the July Via Airmail Kit. The photos were taken by my friend Louise on her trip to Vegas a few years ago. I only noticed when taking the photos of this page ( and believe me I have had to take a fair few because the camera is not liking the light at all) that her partner Pete appears just in the bottom corner of the Statue of Liberty photo! They stayed in a hotel on the strip & she took lots of fantastic pics so I get to play with more soon! I stamped the background paper with my script stamp & then sat & hand stitched the frame around it. I refuse to use my machine anymore, once it is repaired as sewing page layouts ruined it. Once the frame was done I sat & stitched the small squares, it is very theraupetic & to be recommended. I had to mount them & the photos onto foam pads to allow for the bulk behind. I didn't bother with journalling.

My new August kit, Confections, arrived on Thursday morning & today I made my first page with all the yummy goodies. I have had this photo for a long time & never done anything with it but each time I see it I always smile. I love nature & marvel at how things grow. I used a piece of my flutter white lacy cardstock from the add on kit & felt bold enough to use a cheerful coloured piece of Bazzill from the kit to match the colour of the flower in the photo. Using the butterfly stamp in the kit, I made blue spotty butterflies & attached them to the lace cardstock strip mounting each wing with tiny pieces of foam pad to keep the wings angled as in flight.

I used other stash from my hoard as they matched beautifully with the kit pieces & also stamped a dragon fly onto the gorgeous {note}worthy Delaney Floral paper. I just adore this paper so bought the extra paper add on so I had a second sheet. Here is a close up shot of my journalling & two of the butterflies.

I have enjoyed crafting today. I had got all my study done on Friday night, spent yesterday shopping for the weekly groceries then had a massage. That took care of the afternoon as I slept until beyond tea time!! Today, I unplugged the phone, kept the computer switched off & endulged in a few hours total crafting bliss.

Cards

I made these two cards towards the end of last week & its taken me until now to get a photo of them, all be it not brilliant ones. The upper card is just distress inks & stamps, the lower card is a page from an old book covered in gesso & inked before stamping my fav flower stamp. The lace adds a feminine touch. I really love the blues they are so soft. Work is going very well but I am glad it is Friday as all the study fries my brain by Thursday afternoon. I've had a good social week too, of Chinese meal with old work friends & mate Louise on Tuesday & an Indian with just my mate Louise last night. Tomorrow is massage day & I am so looking forward to that. I plan a couple of hour study on Sunday morning but hope to play with my new SC kit!

Time ..... to enjoy

Week 24 see's Ronda asking us to enjoy...

Well I always enjoy a sweet treat, & no treat is as lovely as these dark chocolate ginger biscuits. Now I've lost lots of weight I can have the odd small box. They transport me back in time & I enjoy the memories of my early married life living on a dairy farm in the south of the country. I used to buy finger shaped half coated ginger biscuits to enjoy with morning coffee while baking & tending my garden.

Isn't it funny how something can take you back like that! The ink is very well dried on the divorce papers but the good times remind me it wasn't all in vain.

I have completed my first full week in the new job & am mentally exhausted, but in a very good way. I have a lot of literature to read, learn & once studied, tests to take. I have already taken my first & am half way through the second. I have been very fortunate to be employed for a position I am not fully qualified for as I shall be receiving full in house training. At the end of it all I shall be a Personal Insurance Broker. I have spent the day lounging on the sofa chilling & watching telly. (and sleeping!! Well it is raining & grey!) My crafting might be sporadic for a while until I get into a routine but at least my new wardrobe is all non iron clothes!!! A girl's best friend. I certainly enjoyed making these small pages & might get my stamps & inks out tomorrow. I have another scrap kit on its way from the States so am very excited about getting that. I might even complete this layout here on my craft table, all it needs is the title adding, but I am feeling rather a tad lazy today!

Desk Calendar

I have made these few pages to start my calendar for my new job. The photos aren't fabulous as the light isn't too good at this time of the morning. I need to take it with me today so I can calculate renewal dates as I keep having to look at my colleagues. I will eventually make the rest of the years pages & cover the current dates up with next years in dec so it can live permanently on the desk. My other calendar is old & tired now & it was time for something brighter. I made it all even sat & typed all the dates!!!! The tags were orignially going to be a altered tag book but decided they made a great page decoration instead. All done with inks & stamps.

Very quick post to say

I am loving my new job. The longer hours haven't really affected me as I am technically only working 1/2 hour more each day with an hour travel, 1/2 hr each end of the day. The work is good, although I'm a newbie I am getting stuck in quickly with the admin side of the job & have already started my training to become a broker. My new colleagues are really lovely helpful people who have made me feel at home & taken some of the scarey "new girl" feelings away! My new desk calendar is almost completed I can share pictures soon.

Thank You..

to everyone who has sent well wishes for the start of my new job tomorrow. I apologise if I haven't dropped by your blogs but as you can imagine I have had rather a lot to do. I will pop by soon.
I had to cancel my sister, Tracy's visit this weekend as I couldn't cope with a house guest this close to my first day. She is going to come at the end of the month instead so that will be real fun. My job change has also brought with it life changes. I will be commuting daily but am fortunate to be working & travelling with my mate, Louise that left 3 months ago. It will be tiring the first week until I get into the pattern. I've been spoilt coming home for lunch everyday & working 7.30-3.30. Its 9-5 now & a 35 minute car journey either end. Still there was a time I worked from 5.30am - 6pm cleaning murder scenes & the like, so I consider Im doing okay these days! No craft to show you, it was too late to get photos but I will see if I can update in the week. I don't leave home until 8am so I might get decent light for some pics!!!

You remember my word is Happy, & I have been struggling a lot with it. Well I am well on the way now. I hadn't realised how unhappy I had become.

Time to heal

Another perfect word from Ronda this week!! I often feel we are kindred spirits as I too have been undergoing a slow healing process. Getting my new job has given me a huge confidence boost & the healing process has sped up quite a lot since being told the job was mine! I took this photo of myself almost a year ago & have turned it black & white so the colour didn't distract from the other side of the page.

I made the background paper for this as I couldn't decide on a piece of patterned from my growing collection (thanks Studio Calico!). First I inked a piece of cartridge paper with two shades of Rangers Distress ink, Fired Brick & Worn Lipstick, & blended them together. First I stamped lightly all over with a script stamp, then I added very faint dragon flies for a bit of depth.

I have taken to stamping on cartridge paper as it gives a smooth surface & the images are crisp. It also takes inks well & doesn't buckle too much like card can often do.