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!

Magpie sketch

Well, thanks to my lovely mum my craft room's somewhat more organised. Yay! As a result I was inspired to carry on with my kit killing (I've been taking a break from that thanks to overwhelming piles of everything else...!). Perfect time to finally put together my teammate Karens sketch for our inter team challenge as she had a couple of rules, one of which was using up old stash. We also had to include something blue and a die cut shape or alpha. Luckily I had my envelope full of die cuts that my fabby teamies sent me a few months back (I was unable to participate in the monthly swap due to a few things but they sent me them anyway, aren't they the best?!). Even luckier there were some blue swirls so that'll be 2 rules with one hit. They were a little bright for my tastes so I spritzed with a couple of Mr Hueys to dull them a bit et voila! Kind of simple, no journaling, but this is from my IOW album so Ventnor journaling is on another page. That's one good thing about themed albums, not every page needs all the details. Sometimes less really is more!
Thanks for looking! xx

Am I a quitter?

Well...not really...I think...
See, I've given up on the idea of a photo a day. No pointless nothing shots just because I *have* to. No themes. No panic. No random useless shots that I really don't want to scrap but they're needed to fill spaces in my Doc 2012. I want to love my photos again! I want my Doc 2012 to only have photos in that make me smile, I don't care if other people don't 'get it'. Even if they're just random shots of winter sunshine through a tree or my Mr Hueys lined up in a rainbow. You know something's wrong when you sometimes see your hobby as a chore. I want to fall back in love with crafts and photography again. To fulfil this I am taking the following steps -
1) I've signed up for an online photography course with Kirsty Wiseman. I don't think I'd be able to take things in in person so I'm hoping an online course will be easier on the brain.
2) Trying to sort out my craft area. It's ridiculous in here. Half the problem is when I moved in here I was too ill to do anything and when dad wants something done he wants it done now. If I'd had a week to slowly move everything down I could have gone through it and sort it away as I went. As it is everything's just stuffed in everywhere and I just want to cry when I even think about it never mind look at it! Sigh.
I've started rambling again haven't I? I'll stop now and leave you with 2 of my happy photos to make up for it.xx

Weekly challenge

While I was making my first focal page for my Doc 2011 in dec (nearly done! Woo!) I realised I could combine it with the weekly challenge on UKS. Don't you just love how these things work out?
Yes, it's those two gorgeous creatures again, they're just so photogenic every pic is scrap-able!

(I took the idea of the tag from Stephanie Howell, but the rest of it is all me!)

Hello boxes

So the bell rang earlier and there was our poor postie with my October Afternoon goodie box and my Studio Calico kit! It's only the 10th, and I thought it would be delayed with this time of year and it's possibly the earliest I've gotten an SC kit. Very cool.

The kit is as lovely as I expected, loving the stamps and can't wait to start using it! As for the OA box? Love it! There are about 25 sheets of PP, a 8x8 holiday style paper pad, holiday style ribbon pack, rub ons, farm fresh wild cards, 6 label and word stickers, 3 12x12 alpha sheets, 2 12x12 journal card sheets, Sidewalks And HS flower sacks, HS chipboard stickers, 1 12x12 die cut sheet, 2 12x12 shape sticker sheets, one of those spray ink thingies (sprinklers), sasparilla buttons and some rubber charms from boarding pass...oh my goodness! Can't believe there's a whole paper pad in there! I also can't believe I love so much of it. Definitely worth the price. Admittedly I'm not sure about some of the shape stickers, cartoony little people aren't really my thing but maybe I could use them on cards...hmm...decisions decisions...!
Might keep my eye out for these next year too!

As well as the SC kit I also picked up a new punch from the store - a Jenni Bowlin for Fiskars squeeze punch in the tab shape. It's so easy to punch with and a great size for mini books, I think I might be adding tabs to my DD before I put it away!
Anyway, that's enough rambling about my shopping! I think I'm so happy about it as it's the last splurge that'll be arriving for a while! (though worryingly I've just read that Febs SC kit has a lot of new/unreleased, exclusive and vintage goodness in. Eek! Hopefully it's just the main and none of the add-ons or my budget's in trouble already!)
Ok, that really is the end of my ramblings...hopefully next time I'm on here I'll be armed with pics of my DD in all it's completed glory!xx

WOYWD...S...?

Yup, once again I forget to do this on a Wednesday, so 'what's on your work desk Saturday?' it is!
Finally have my last lot of photos for my DD and Doc 2011 - woohoo! See the state of my desk?! Argh!! First I'll finish my Dec Daily to put away the Christmas bits because as pretty as they are, they're starting to bore me - nothing worse than being so uninspired when sitting at your desk!
You may also notice a bunch of Smash stuff. I decided to use one of the books I bought (green) from Studio Calico to use as a 'project life' album. I have such a firm idea for doing Doc 2012 I didn't want to change my plans so I went this route. I think I would like to do a project life album for my 30th year (which is zipping round the bend, eek!) so I thought I'd try this out and see how it goes. If I can't keep up with a doodle/receipt/note filled journal, what chance would I have with a proper scrapbook album with full on photos and such?! Hopefully I'll have a good idea of how I'll fare by time Amazon UK get some of Becky Higgins project life page protectors in. Though they are so desired over here (with such hideous p&p from US) there's a good chance I might not get my hands on any anyway!
Right...now to do some sorting/tidying...wish me luck!!xx

Check this out!

The past couple of years my craft team on UKS (go Crafty Magpies!) have done a Secret Santa. A little present to open every day of December up to boxing day. This year my (not so secret!) Santa accidentally only sent 24 instead of 25 presents. I said I didn't mind but bless her heart she sent me an 'extra' one for Christmas Day. And oh my goodness, look at it! Not only is that bracelet just stunning but look at that box that it came in (also handmade dontcha know!). Thank you so much Santa, such a beautiful present! I felt completely spoilt this December!!
xxx

10,000?!

So, I'm on my laptop trying to sort out the remainder of my DD photos to be sent off. I upload the pics I took over New Years and notice something while they upload - I've hit 10,000! 10,000 photos. I mean, that's a flippin lot of pictures. I'm kind of sad I hit that many and still can't use most of the functions on my camera. Perhaps that should be a resolution for the year...anyway, here's number 10,000 (!) -

Pip passed out in front of the fire on New Years Day. Not exactly ground breaking but I'm glad that it wasn't one that was out of focus (or similar!).

What else?...oh yes, now, for some reason I haven't taken any more shots of my DD. I don't know why. Odd. With the remaining pics on their way I may as well just wait until it's done now. I did, however, manage a shot of how thick it's gotten as I couldn't quite believe it -

And I still have 14 days to add! And a few of them are multiple pages! I think I'm gonna need some bigger book rings!

Now, onto my 2012 mission. I *am* doing Doc 2012. I found some multi-pocket pages that I quite like so I'll be doing (less than last year) 1 focus page and one multi page a month (then the back of the last one for the next month). The multi page holds 2 5x7, 2 6x4, a little 2x7 and a 1x12 down the side of it but, frankly, I don't think anything would actually stay in there so I envision maybe stapling a strip of patterned (e.g. Hambly) transparency in there so better make sure it matches both months!

My other mission is 365. In theory. Possibly. I'm doing okay so far but it's the 4th so I don't really think that's much cause for celebration yet! I think I'm going to do a theme month. Like I did for 2010, where I did certain things on certain days (off the top of my head - skies on Fridays, Green on Sundays, Macro on Saturdays...) I'm going to try and do certain things per month. Now, somehow, I've ended up doing self portraits for January. Let's face it, with the weather as it is you don't really want to snap something that requires going outside. But the main reason I did it was because I *almost* forgot to take a picture on Monday. I was reading through a blog that suggested trying out the timer function on your camera to take self portraits and I thought - 'I wonder if my point and shoot has a timer?'. Turns out it did. And when I went through my photos from the 1st I had taken a pic of me then too. So there you go, a theme was born. Welcome to January - the month of the self portrait...

(that last one is proof I really did stitch on that house challenge layout! Only 2 strips and it took me all of Juno to do it! *And* you can hardly tell on the photo!!! sigh...)

Not completely sure what I'm going to do with the photos when I'm done. I guess it depends on how good/bad they are. I'm thinking either a mini a month (good pics) or a layout a month (bad pics). I have a spare 8x8 album for a collage of pics a month, though I quite like the idea of a set of 12 mini albums...hmm...Oh well, I'll have the month to decide! One good thing about a themed month instead of a themed day? At least I can get the photos developed as I go. With the days I had to wait until the end of the year to stick them all on 7 collages (one per day...obv...). I lived in fear of losing them all!

Okay, that's enough babbling for one day. I hope you are all having a lovely New Year so far!

xxx

Welcome 2012

So, do you have goals for the new year? Plans? Missions? Check lists? (they're my favourite. Nothing beats a good check list.)
Me? Well, I'm still undecided. I'm considering 365 photos, I'm not sure but I have taken photos the past 2 days just incase I do decide to! Still haven't decided if/how I'm doing Doc 2012 either! For the most part though I just want to have a happy year. Of course you can't always control these things but for the most part I want to find what makes me happy. I don't want to get to this time next year and cry over another year 'wasted'.
My first step? So far, scrapbooking is making me happy. More so, killing kits! I've still got quite a few of last years kits to go but this afternoon I sat down and basically killed one of Decembers add-ons in one layout. I managed to use 3 sheets of paper on this one! I used my favourite trick for using up a sheet of paper you aren't overly fond of - trim a 12x12 sheet of card down to 11.5x11.5 then mount on top of said 12x12 sheet of pp. Sorted. As much as I love Studio Calico kits sometimes there'll be an odd sheet I'm just not keen on but being from a kit it still matches the rest of them so this is a trick that works well. Adds to that lovely layer effect I love so much too!
So yes, here I am, with my scrapbooks, having fun (who would have thought it!?). When this weather/my health gets a bit better maybe I'll branch out on the things that make me smile but so far 2012 is just lovely.

Ahh picasa....

Sometimes you annoy me (mostly for highlighting how badly I've labelled my photos) but oh how I love your collage function. Sort of. The mosaic annoys me a bit. But mostly it's all yay.

Here's why -

First up, my December Daily so far - should have waited until the 9th was done really so it wouldn't have doubled up those 2 pics but oh well. So far, I'm loving it - though I think somethings missing from the second page of the 3rd I just can't think what...

Aaaand here's our Christmas dinner! I just wanted to snap a quick pic of our dinner (we normally have family round who don't like their photos taken/would question my sanity at taking a photo of food. Mum and dad understand how odd I am.) Mum grabbed the camera off me to take a photo - I swear it's just pineapple in that glass. And it was actually mums drink, I just felt like I needed a prop!

And on to boxing day! Taz in his cracker hat/tutu. My grandparents came around for dinner. I was tempted to ask for a photo but grandad's been so ill since his op I didn't think he'd like to (but would anyway as he's lovely and never seems to say no!). I think I got his ankles in a shot though...!

Aaaand on to today. Sale shopping. Spent my Accessorize vouchers and some points on my Boots card. Don't you just love buying without your actual cash going down?! Wheelchair got a good working out! So happy with my perfume set, I usually miss all the half price gift sets of the ones I'd like to get!

Most people moan about the fact that you can't try on during Christmas/New Year sales. I love it. I never have energy to try on in the shop so love the fact that I can take them home and try them on a bit later when I've rested up, then if they need to be taken back the shop assistants don't give you 'that look' - hurrah!

Also managed my Christmas starbucks (at last!) Mmm toffee nut latte....

Am completely done in now and shall be hibernating until New Year (at least!). Hope you're all having a wonderful time this season.

xxx

Seasons greetings!

I hope you and yours had a lovely time the past few days!
Me? I had a lovely time! And so did these two - Taz ended up losing his collar somewhere outside during one of his grand adventures and Pip ended up in a turkey induced coma under the tree for 10 hours today- he let me rub his tummy. And he purred! Clearly there was something very wrong!!! He's awake now though so it's all good.
I'll let you see some daft Christmas day pics when I get back on the laptop - aren't you excited!?
xxx

Holidays are coming...

Made a brief (and chilly!) stop down the town to see the lights and, of course

cola truck!!

It wasn't as impressive as I thought (we must have a smaller truck as I'm sure there's a giant one out there...). Had the best fake snow with it though. Best as in everyone walking up the hill/highstreet (including us) were starting to think it was actually snowing. Very cool. (no pun intended!) It was so packed down there though so I just snapped a few pics as we went back to car. I feel so exhausted now though!

Also had my hair cut - why is it so hard to take a self portrait?! Other people always look so lovely! Ah well...

Sent off some more pics for my DD - really hoping I finish this before Feb!

TFL! xxx

Ta-dah!

Finally I have done it, 100 layouts in 2011! Woohoo!
Honestly I didn't think I'd do it. I know I didn't manage my original goal - 100 layouts before buying any stash...whoops...but I'm still pretty happy! I mean at least if I've made 100 layouts (and 10 projects) I'm using up the stuff I already have!
I think I might do the same next year. 100 layouts for 2012. Hope I can do it! Esp as I won't be doing a doc. 2012. I've decided to just do an album of the year. I did the same for 2007 and I was looking through it the other day and decided I think I prefer the look of that. I might do a 'focal' page for each month though. Might be good to keep track of the 'highlights' & the daft little bits that don't really warrant a whole layout dedicated to it...
Okay, I'm rambling again...thanks for stopping by!!

Both layouts made using Studio Calicos November kit 'Handmade'. The 'magpies' layout is a lift of one made by Celine Navarro from the SC design team (I'll try to put a link to it when I'm back on my computer).

Oh Christmas tree...

It's done! Hurrah! It's feeling quite festive round here now which is nice.

Have managed days 1&2 of my DD, just need some decent light to take some pics.
After checking my 100 layouts for 2011 checklist yesterday I suddenly realised I'm at 98! But what should the last 2 be? I think 100 should be of something special...hmm...
(and yes, even though I failed in my '100 layouts before you buy anything' mission I kept it going just to see if I could do that many in a year. Now I'm thinking I'll do it again next year, it's always fun filling in a checklist...right?!...)

Oh my

Wow it's windy today! And it's quite tame down here compared to the rest of the country - I can't even imagine what it must be like.
Mum put the tree lights on today and both sets have blown a bulb, of course. Do you think we can find the spare bulbs? Can we 'eck!
The photo I'm adding for today ended up with a story attached when Santa blew away! Well, not away away. He stayed in the garden. But he did take off, twice! I tried putting him back but after the second time he's now having a snooze in the shed, poor bloke!
Anyhoo, I hope you're safe, well and have both feet on the ground where you are xxx

Mini catch up

Wonderful interweb decided to give up yesterday, but I didn't really do much (or photograph much!) so there isn't really much of a catch up to do.
Maybe my title should read microscopic catch up...
Still trying to make my way through my SC kits - still on Aprils kit & add-on. Wow it's so much easier to get through when you don't order any add-ons! Might come unstuck with this months kit though as I've got 3 add-ons coming my way!!! This is why I *must* use up as much as possible!!!
Still haven't decorated the tree, there's a serious lack of energy in this house! Pip's taken up residence under there again, apparently he doesn't mind the lack of sparkle! What he does mind though is Taz's attempt at an invasion of space...should be interesting!