October week 1

I hated Studio Calicos September kit - Central Park. I mean I *hated* it. I wasn't looking forward to it in the slightest. Then it arrived and I discovered the joy of the reverse sides of the PPs. Wonderful. As a result I ended up making one of my favourite layouts from this year (which also happens to be number 97 if anyone else is keeping count!)
Also, this is my attempt at oct week 1 UKs challenge - use a Beatle song title, at least 4 lines of journalling (hidden), circles & B&W. Full points for Crafty Magpies! TFL!xx

Ellie and me!

A whole lot of combining going on with this layout. When I realised I'd missed making the Magpie sketch for August I figured I'd better do that. Then I thought I'd combine it with this (well, last now) weeks challenge on UKS. All the while I was trying to sort out my new shelves...yeah, very much a case of - ooh, this'll work well on it...tidy tidy... Ooh, and this! ...so on so forth. As a result I didn't get full points as I forgot it needed to be a photo of a place (genius!) but I did remember the circles and the silver so hurrah! Another layout done for mums/my baby book :)
Hard to see but I've misted the background with shimmer, silver and two shades of blue/green. It's a lot bluer in life too. Really should start taking proper photos instead of relying on the iPad!
Thank you for the lovely sketch Stacey!xx

Needing an organisational hat

So, after finally reaching breaking point with my desk, I found a shelf unit that I could use on the back of it to help organise my bits. I showed dad and he said he had an old bookcase, in pieces, in the loft that he could re-fit out for nothing. The next day, ta daa! New shelves for my craft bits. Now I just need some boxes/baskets to put things into...(side note - isn't my dad great!?)

Magpie July sketch

This (well, last) month it was Stacey's turn to set the Magpie sketch challenge. Such a lovely sketch and a nice change to have a try at a double pager - been a while! I altered it a little. Another couple of layouts for my original I.O.W album - really should finish one project before starting the next!
TFL!xx

Bring on the British summer

Sometimes there are good sides to all the rain, I've been able to get a lot more done than I did when the sun was out! Partly because it was too hot, which knocked me out. Partly because who wants to be stuck indoors when it's sunny out?! Luckily (!) this isn't a problem I have to face often...

So, once again I'm attempting to kill some kits. Currently I'm trying to use up as much as possible while finishing off my Doc 2010 (!) album.
Top left layout was for Oct using this past Febs SC kit. I made the layout following a sketch from Magpie teamie Debbie. Great sketch! The other two layouts are for November. The 'hello snow' one was an attempt to use clashing colours. It did not work. Some of it was alright but the background sheet and a red layer were too bright, so out came the white acrylic! Sorted!
Just started the pocket pages this morning. People wonder why I get shots like my firework one printed. I agree, in the great scheme of things it's not a great shot...but this is exactly why I wanted it printed. So I could stick 'boom' on it. Ha! Looks fab! (well, I think so lol)

Weekly challenges a-go-go

Finally able to update some challenges - why do I keep forgetting to put them on here? I took the photos!
On the photo below -
top left, wk 1 - use the sketch & make us smile (avoided the 'use lots of buttons' no no, lots?! No no.)
Top right wk 2 - animal photo & several papers (completely forgot the nursery rhyme title until it was finished, and I made it on the Sunday (last day to count it) so didn't have time to try another...oops)
Bottom left wk 5 - full points this time! Use sketch, paper, bunting or stamping/inking (I inked the alphas to make them stand out more) and 'scrap a first'. Well, I'm hoping it'll count - its the 'first' page of my 2011 album! Tell me if it doesn't!
I combined the challenge with our team mojo jar prompt - for April I'd originally picked out 'scrap a sequence of photos' (eg baking a cake) but, while I took photos of baking last week, they won't get developed until May (this week!) so I picked out a new prompt to quickly fit in for April - Emma's 'scrap a layout without photos'. At first I didn't have a clue, then I remembered I needed to make a title page for last years album and ta-dah!
Oh, and the final photo? Umm, cos he's cute! Of course!

A week in the life

Anyone else doing this? It starts next week. I wasn't sure I whether I was going to or not but when I realised the mini book Karen taught us (the crafty magpies) on our team fun night last week had 8 pages/pockets I decided this would be perfect.
I think if I had kids/a life I might go all out like Ali Edwards (and others) do but as it is I think a little 8 page 'booklet' works well for me.
It's such a simple base I'm surprised I'd never come across it before (Karen is the queen of mini books!). Just 1 sheet of 12x12 some scissors, a ruler and some DST et voila!
Had fun decorating it a bit but must keep my hands off it now! So tempted to stamp it or add embellies and this is where I've gone wrong in the past - added too much before the event and had no fun, wishing I could change it, when I come to filling it in. So it's now tied up with a piece of ribbon until next Monday! Yes it is. *nods*
What I did allow myself to do was stick some paper strips on the bottoms (to cover up my apparent dodgy measuring - I swear I used a ruler but for some reason it didn't match up...hmm...), used some old Studio Calico rub ons that I bought on sale last year and tried out my shiny new SC days stamp on the back cover - love how it looks! Might repeat it on the front cover, but will wait until I've finished and see how it looks.
I cut out cards for the pockets too - turns out 2.5 x 3.5 which is good and the means I can journal on one side then cut up a 5x7 collage into four for the photos I'll stick on the backs. (well that's the plan anyway!) Really must try and remember that Weds and Thurs are a bit narrower though, when choosing photos, thanks to the DST holding the pockets shut at the edge.
It's kind of fun having this ready and waiting though - makes you wonder what it's going to be filled up with? Will I have an adventure? Will I have a stay at home week? Will there be visitors? Will anything major happen in the country/globe?
(It's an odd thing to think that the last time this was done was the week after Andres Brevik's vile attack last summer and this years starts the week after the trial for his crimes began. Oh how I hope justice is served.)

Ok, that's enough rambling on for one day. Need to carry on with my 2010 album otherwise my plans to finish before the summer will be scuppered!

Oops

You know, I swear I started this year saying (in my head at least) that I'll be blogging more than my record (200+ in 2010). Something tells me I might not make it. What's been taking up my time? Well...

* I discovered a yummy sprout recipe using, what appears to be, the last 6 sprouts in town. Typical. Something to look forward to in the autumn though.
* lamenting the weather and the unlikelyhood that we'll be going to the bluebell wood this year. I'll have to do with the ones in the garden. Pretty, but not quite the same.
* catching up on quite a bit of reading, lots of sleepless nights can actually come in handy.
* finally making some more layouts for my 2010 album, which shall be finished by the summer. Oh yes.
* a crafty magpie team fun night. Karen taught us a lovely little mini book which I shall be using as a base for 'a week in the life' next week (totally more about the journalling than the photos this year. Esp as I still haven't put any actual journalling with last years photos yet. Really should do something about that.)
* finding it curious that the little bottles of wine that I could happily get 3 glasses out of (that I rarely drink anyway!) are marked as 'single serve' on the shelves. How big are peoples wine glasses?
* rediscovering a love of pesto and basil. Good times.
* painting my nails pastels for spring.
* discovering a love of green smoothies but finding it interesting that mine actually come out green, unlike many others I've seen on blogs/instagram. Too much green added? Couldn't taste it...
*realising if I bullet point my life it seems more full than I thought it was. Huh.

Hope your April is less showery than ours xx
#drip drip drop little April showers...#

Monthly Magpie Sketch

First up - no, I didn't use the Paper Moon kit for this but I did use an SC add on from Febs kit so it's still good.
Ok, each month my crafty team set a sketch for us to create a layout from. This month was Emma and let me say - I *love* this sketch!!! I've been wanting to make a multi photo layout like this for a while but never found the right inspiration so this was fab!
Of course, another layout about my boys. Helped that they were the only subject/theme i had on hand that I could cut into small photos (wasn't in the mood to faff around printing out new pics!). End result? I love it! I altered the sketch a 'smidge' just because I didn't feel it was balanced (there were only 2 die cut 'squares' on the lines instead of 3) but other than that and the butterflies I think it's pretty much the same. Ooh do you like my twine for the lines? Repurposed packaging from a crafty templates order last month - always love a bit of recycling!
TFL!xx
(posted twice as last one went weird and seemed to vanish? I'll delete if it reappears!)

And on to the next

Lawn party is finished! Fun because I realised, while making the other layout, that it was last Aprils kit. Feels good that it's finished before this Aprils kit arrives!
I'm skipping May 2010s kit for the moment as I've reached a bit of an impasse with it. Not sure why as its a lovely kit. Maybe because, with what I have made with it, there are tons of scraps in the kit bag? Hmm. Anyway, I'll pass on Singing in the Rain for a moment and move onto Paper Moon.
I made one of my favourite layouts last year with this kit, but some of it's boy to the max. Maybe some layouts about the cats? Something to think about tonight when I, once again, can't sleep...
This one will take a bit more work than Lawn Party though as there's a heck of a lot more left!

Mwa ha haa

The kit killer is back! I have officially run out of kit space. Seriously. I was already stacking them against the trolley I keep all my papers/kits in and now I don't even have room there. And now it's countdown to the next kits arrival. Oops.
So, what to scrap so I can use them up? I was wondering when mum asked me if I was ever going to finish the baby album I started making for her when I started scrapping. Finish?! Yeah, turns out I put photos in PPs but forgot to actually make the pages...huh.
So I went through the album, cringing at some of the pages I made (who wouldn't over their first pages?!). Some of them are bearable but some of them?! My goodness! Take the one I've uploaded here - candidate number 1 for a remake! So, kit killing of Lawn Party has begun and so has my journey of finishing/fixing my baby album. Always love a new project plan! (p.s love that doily and butterfly exclusive papers that were in Lawn Party - so cute!)
Oh, and just so it's clear, the original that I took apart is the one at the bottom^-^

Altered book

Finally made a start on my altered book for the Studio Calico class 'Happy Little Moments'.
I didn't really have a selection of 'happy little moments' photos on hand but I do seem to have acquired a rather large collection of pics of Taz that I don't really know what to do with...so voila, book of Taz!
(I already have a book about Pip so it works out!)
I decided to use one of my old SC kits, Field Guide, plus some extra bits and bobs that I have hanging around. Like how the cover's turned out, now just to start filling in the pages...

Weekly challenge

Just like a bus, I forget to post in forever and then twice in one day!
While trying to figure out my Feb 2012 page I realised it could work for this weeks challenge on UKS. Used up some more of those gorgeous papers and embellies from Studio Calicos Daydream Believer kit. It's hard to see on the photo (might slightly be starting to see the joy of the new cam in iPad 3...*don't regret it...don't regret it...*) but my journalling is in a pull out tag under the top photo - it's about how happy I was I couldn't sleep at 2am and managed to get a photo of the snow as by 9am it was mostly all melted (I took a photo then too and it's on the tag).
I was a bit worried when I first saw Daydream Believer as I knew the snow would probably end up as my highlight layout of the month and how would pictures of snow work with spring colours?! Well, as it turns out, on occasion, I can actually be wrong. Huh. I love it! And I even managed to sneak one of those gorgeous butterflies on there, butterflies now like snow. It's pretty. Deal with it. ;o)
Oh, yeah, almost forgot the rules - tearing or distressing (hard to see but I tore the edges of a few of the papers), 5 different patterned papers and the sketch which I rotated to make it fit into my album a bit better (Febs page is on the right). Full points for the Crafty Magpies!
TFL!xxx

Currently

Trying to work out what to do with my Feb 2012 page and pockets. Think I've got the Pip & Taz one down, just all the rest now!
It's hard when you're feeling dizzy and can't quite focus but I'm so bored and TV's too loud, same for music, and there's now way I can focus on a book or drawing so crafting it is.
I hate how I'm feeling at the moment. I keep crying, I don't want to see anyone or talk to anyone...eurgh...I keep hoping that now we have sunshine I'll feel better but all it's doing is depressing me that I can't go out in it! Rah.
Sorry for moaning on. Hope you like the picture of my messy desk xx

Needing inspiration

So, I haven't been able to scrap for, what feels like, forever! I'm not sure why. Every time I sit down to make something I just can't. Even with the weekly challenges on UKS, some lovely sketches but I just can't get started.
That being said I finally managed to sit down and make this weeks challenge! Another layout for my Isle of Wight album - I'm saving those layouts for the weekly challenges and our team sketch challenges just to make sure I have something I actually want to scrap when they come around!
This weeks was a sketch, butterflies, sewing (real or faux) and make your own blossom/s. On top of that I had pulled out a prompt for Feb from my teams mojo jar that I'd forgotten about (!) from Stacey, which was to use fabric on your layout - so I made the bottom layer of my flower out of fabric.
And I'm all caught up! Well, apart from the Twitterings sketch. And the new team sketch for March. And about 5 million other things. Other than that, totally caught up!

The colours are a bit more sunnier in person, to match the sunny pelicans!

We had snow!

Shockingly. I was stating to think we weren't going to get any but Thursday night it started. Not a lot but definitely some. Thing was I couldn't sleep that night and at about 2am was loving how everything had been covered in white. For some stupid reason though I didn't try to take a photo. By the time I finally fell asleep then woke up at 7.30 fri morning (Eurgh I need sleep!) it had mostly melted, and by dinner time you'd never even know we'd had a flake fall. Sigh. At least it hadn't turned to ice though...
Still trying to kill my Studio Calico kits. Febs hasn't turned up yet so I'm rapidly trying to make space! Currently I'm attempting to 'destroy' the lovely Lawn Party kit from last May. Same as other kits - check out the Doc 2011 pages I made with the kit last year to see if they were finished then make whatever you like! Really need to make sure I absolutely finish my Doc 2012 pages go along this year instead of just putting the pics and papers in the right places and leaving it! Twit!

Magpies Feb sketch

As well as the Chinese whisper type sketches (magpie twitterings!) we also have a sketch each month set by one of us. Last month was Karens, this month it was set by Patty. Another lovely sketch and another layout done for my Isle of Wight album!
Now to start on my Jan pages for Doc 2012...

"Complete"

Yup, totally trying to live up to my word of the year.
I was going to spend yesterday putting together a layout for the Magpie sketch swap (we start with one sketch, pass it on, get another, tweak it a little, pass it on etc...a bit like Chinese whispers but with scrapbooking, it's fun to see what your original sketch ends up like!). Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, I was going to make the layout yesterday ready to post the sketch on Monday but the kit I wanted to use was the one I used for my Sept pages in Doc 2011, which it turned out I hadn't finished doing, so I did that instead.
I was surprised how little I'd ended up doing, I remembered the focal pages but completely forgot about the pockets, all I'd done was put the photos in! Hence the word of the year - technically it's done, as the photos are in their places, but it wasn't decorated so it wasn't really 'complete'. Must make sure to apply this word to all I do this year, it's such a lovely feeling looking at a project knowing there's nothing you want to add/finish on it.
In other news, I ended up ordering my photos from photobox for Jan 2012, instead of printing them like I'd planned. I'd forgotten the photos I'd gotten from new years day that I wanted to include, plus the 10,000th pic that had to go in there! Now not only do I have more photos than I thought I did but I think I'm going to be adding a 6x12 (holding 3 6x4) pp to hold the extra pics! So much for a more minimal doc 2012!

Jan #5

Finally managed to do another weekly challenge for UKS. It was handy as I managed to combine it with the Magpies mojo prompt that I picked out a few weeks back and promptly forgot all about...oops...
The UKS rules were...new stash (Jan kit from Studio Calico), sketch, journaling, 5 blocks.
The mojo prompt was from Kathy to 3d the photo above the page (it might be hard to see in the pic but I promise both the pics are raised!)
Another one done for my Isle of Wight album too.
Last day of Jan today so I'll be able to make my Jan pages for Doc 2012 tomorrow, yay! I'm looking forward to trying out my printer for the photos, hopefully it'll work! Have already decided what's going where, assuming nothing notable happens today then I'm all set! xx

One little word

Does anyone join in with this?
Every year I read Ali Edwards blog and all the people that join in, leaving their words in the comments section.
A word to live by for the year.
A word to inspire you, comfort you, help you.
Some of them are very deep, inspiring, some are fun.
I picked out a word last month. It was a good word. I loved it. And I can't for the life of me remember what it was. Clearly it made a profound impression...
So, I've chosen a new one. When I was sorting through my stuff in our craft room I noticed how many bits I hadn't really finished. I mean, they were mostly done but not quite...there, if you know what I mean?
That got me thinking, could that be my word instead? 'finish' seems like a bit of an odd one though (and could be considered a bit depressing depending on how you read it). Then I realised, it's not that these things need finishing, they need completing.
Take my 2009 album. 8 1/2 x 11 filled with trading card holders, each one holding a photo from when I took a photo a day. (flicking through it I still can't believe I managed that!)
Now, all the photos are in there. They are all in month/date order and even have the dates written on the backs if you want to be sure. 'technically' it's finished, but is it complete? Could I add a card to the start of each month to highlight it? If I have 2 sheets per month could I add some patterned paper to the gaps to add a bit of colour? I have some 5x7 photo page holders, could they be added, one to each month, to have four larger focal mini pages?
The answer is yes. And this will help make it complete. It will help make it more visual and more fun to look through. So that's what I'm currently doing (see photos below), about time too! 2009 shall be documented ASAP!
So there you go. My one little word, 'complete'. I think it could work on a deeper level too, but I'll put more thought into that another day...
I'll stop rambling now, just thought I'd share my crazy thoughts!