Tonic

A new class by Shimelle. I love ‘em.

I haven’t had the best couple of days so this has been just the tonic today.

This is the playbook which is nice and simple.

The first page is the self-portrait of my camera and I. I like everyone else was not too enthused by this, but I think we are all glad we have done it.

As I say, I am exhausted, not helped by my eldest son, waking me at 4:45 this morning having had a nightmare.

Incidentally, my youngest son woke me by banging on the wall between our rooms on Sunday night. I rushed in in my sleepy state to see what was troubling the poor chap.

“Can you put the blanket over me, Mummy?”

Erm…fortunately for us both, but especially for him, it was about 1:50 so I did get back to sleep quite quickly.

Anyway, I’m putting it off.

 

Quick

scroll

down

it

will

soon

be

gone!

There all better now.

Our last ‘job’ was to make a note of how we feel and pop that in, as I had a few choice things to ask myself about how i’m feeling and doing, i’ll keep it to myself. I have inflicted enough upon you.

July Colour Combo Blog Hop

If you have arrived from the lovely Amy’s blog then welcome and what another lovely project. If you haven’t arrived from Amy’s blog then welcome too and if you want to head back over there or you want the full blog hop then it is at the bottom of the post.
This has been my fave color combo so far and I have been looking forward to completing the project…..but you know how that pesky thing called life gets in the way of creativity and sometimes productivity? Yeah that has gone on here and so I finished this project tonight, stressed.

I chose the beautiful Madeline papers from Prima last month. I would have bought them anyway as they are my colours.
My lovely friends over on UKS are sure that I can’t actually scrap anything without turquoise, and I am pretty sure they are right! So I knew these papers were a shoe in for being used and I was right.
So I was cool with the papers, no stretch there and I have had the idea of what the end product would be, but I just couldn’t get there. End of School events have swamped us, and tonight was my eldest son’s primary graduation…..the USA seems to have affected the UK school system. Not a bad thing, and it was done ok. It just mean’t that I was totally behind with creative time!
What is stopping you getting on with your creativity?

Here is the full blog hop.
http://amysoto.blogspot.com/
http://scribblesstickingstitchingstroking.blogspot.com/
http://www.snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com/
http://scrapyourlife.net/
http://craftygoodies.blogspot.com/
http://www.MichelleRoycroft.blogspot.com/
http://digipage-blog.everything-digital-scrapbooking.com/
http://sugarandscrap.blogspot.com/
http://www.curlyscrapbooker.blogspot.com/
http://www.scrapworthylives.com/
http://adriennefalzon.blogspot.com/
http://www.vsws.typepad.com/
http:/handmadebykirsty.blogspot.com
http://throughthecameralens.typepad.com/
http://1200somemiles.blogspot.com/
http://helenascreativemaven.blogspot.com/
http://alyssephotographs.blogspot.com/

Rockpooling

Is one of the best ways to spend the day with a curious 6 year old. I would like to stop him now, just stop him and enjoy his 6 year old-ness forever.

He, Ali, had enjoyed a school trip down to the rockpools. he was so enthused we had to take him again.

Apologies for the poor photo.

He was quite normal for the first part of the trip but when the tide completely receded we could walk around from Larkstone beach where we started to the harbour beach (which is an unpleasant kind of work-harbour beach).

He totally went into school-marm mode and gave me a guided tour as if he was the teacher, he didn’t come out of his role-play and he totally repeated the whole class, and I would say he did it verbatim. He did not embellish or deviate but did the whole thing…..v. wierd. Erm…I learnt a lot though…so much for me teaching him *sniff*

On the way we saw a lobster claw with elastic bands tied around it, it must have come from the harbour-side fish shop, because I can’t imagine any seaside scenario which includes the lobsters putting their hair/claws up.

I suppose though that just because I can’t imagine it, don’t mean it don’t happen

 

I’d also like to say that that very claw is not mouldering away in the crab bucket outside the back of our house, but it wouldn’t be true so I won’t say it.

We also saw a dead fish, a fresh dead fish,

that was having it’s eyes pecked out by seagully gully when we returned The six year old? Not phased at all.

A jellyfish or two, some of them with their stingers laid out

it was superb, if surreal.

Back to the actual rockpooling. I caught an amazing shot on the camera. I couldn’t repeat it if you asked, I can claim no glory, I was so worried about missing a shot by practicing on manual that I set the camera to auto for a lot of shots and I got this beauty.

Erm….for some reason I have just deleted the whole folder of photos.

I have searched the gallery, and I haven’t swiped it into a nearby folder with my clumsiness, I have searched the recycle bin, but I don’t really understand the recycle bin, everything is in there except this folder of photos! I’m off to search Flickr and hope I uploaded them before I did for ‘em.

I did, praise be, now lets see if I can link from there, doubtful

Oooo I did it. Now look how it has stars in the reflections on the top right hand corner. I soooo wish I could say that I did a smashing filter job on it but I didn’t. Just happy happenstance. Of course I had to use stars on the layout to reflect it and the star turn/wierd turn Ali put on.

It was a superb afternoon out and I hope you enjoyed it too!

Storytelling Sunday

Sian is awesome and as part of running her lovely blog she hosts a Storytelling Sunday feature. Now I am guessing you know that already but if you don’t then you should head over there and, oh, take a coffee with you.
I decided to join in when I heard about it but then Dad became very ill and died as some of you will know. I did share that tale/blogpost last month, but it was all very raw and so I was late posting it. If you are interested then it is here.
So I have been ‘humming and hawing’, or ‘umming and awing’ over what to tell you.
I decided that I like photo-heavy or at least photo-included stories so I headed over to my gallery to see what I could see-see-see.
erm…..no that didn’t work,
I then thought I would share with you the first chapter of the book I have tried to write and ask for some constructive feedback from you guys.
So that got me to thinking about where it might be in the ether?
I wrote it when I moved home a few years ago and I loved it, I didn’t think it was brilliant, but I enjoyed writing it and reading it. I haven’t looked at it or worked at it for about 2 years so where on earth is it?
At that point I thought, how awful if Jo Rowling had just let herself lose her focus on her manuscript OR LOSE IT and Harry was never to be in my life.
Then I had a reality check and thought ‘my manuscript isn’t like that’….and here is why not;
1) I am no Jo Rowling.
2) I am not driven like Jo Rowling and do not write every minute to get it done, even in a cafe with a small child.
3) I am not driven like Jo Rowling because I do not know where my manuscript is and it is not on any computer that exists anymore.
4) I have allowed that story to sit pretty much fully formed and sprawling in it’s entirety, in my mind.
I actually have butterflies in my tummy that I have lost it all entirely, I think it was in the back of my mind that one day I would get it out, dust it down and turn it into a quality novel.
2 hours later:  I have found the hard copy!
Now I have butterflies in my tummy because I now want to work on it. I think if that is the first thing I have learnt from Storytelling Sunday then it has to be good.
So I guess that this is my first entry into the Storytelling Sunday canon;
‘How I entered the Storytelling Sunday canon’.

My last scrapmap!

Crikey, where did that 4 weeks go? This is may last slot as guest designer for Creative Craft World. Thanks so much to the great design team for making me feel welcome.

When we go to the beach we go all day, it is so nice to get a good spot and have the place to yourself in the morning, have a nice walk etc. Then in the heat of the day we can enjoy all the swimming, body boarding etc. Then in the evening we can get the beach back to ourselves or at least not many of us and we sizzle some sausages and enjoy the relative cool.
These photos of the boys were on one such evening last summer, we followed their plastic boats down the stream from our ‘camp’ to the sea.
Definitely one of my ‘happy places’ to go to when i’m having a stressy day.

Haven - Saturday ScrapMap

My little haven in my bedroom where I scrap, or rather; chat online to the bijoux belles on UKS, blog-hop, shop online, take online classes and sometimes, just sometimes, actually put the laptop away and get on with some scrapping.

The theme is ‘your craft space’ and there is a great sketch over at Creative Craft World.

I love Kaiser Craft papers these are from the Gypsy Sisters range I think, layered onto TH Kraft Resist. I used some chipboard flowers from Sweet Threads by Basic Grey and cut the rest out of felt that came free with ‘Mollie Makes’ last month. Some bakers twine, sparkly thickers and prima pearls; distress ink tumbled glass, walnut stain and aqua paint dabber edged all the papers.
Right better get my laptop out of it and get on with it.

“Puppies…

are like chocolate, you can’t just have one.'”
Minty on the left, Fudge on the right.

I went to collect Minty from Cornwall about a month after I moved back with Mum and Dad with the boys, in hindsight, what were we thinking? Except it had been a hard time and we thought it would be nice for Dad and the boys. Guess who ended up looking after them, yeah, Mum and I. Two things happened, I didn’t feel able to leave Fudge behind so we now had two puppies and I managed to have a burst appendix and was in hospital for a week, a week after we got them and I wasn’t well for a couple of weeks after that so we didn’t have the easiest start with them. How poor Mum got through that couple of weeks I do not know…..I shudder to think of it.
We collected them in early august but we celebrate their birthdays at Midsummer as that was when they were actually born. They are half-brother and sister and were born two days apart. Erm when I say celebrate I mean we say ‘happy birthday’, comment how old they are and move on
We have just been clearing out the space under the stairs where Minty likes to go as it’s dark and I think feels closed in – she is tiny. We have boarded it up to stop her though as she tends to drag toys and shoes in there and growl at us as if she is feral! We are going to buy her one of those cat bed things that has a roof so she can go in there to feel safe and we can get at it and clean it! While Mum was clearing it out she found this photo. We lost the originals of nearly every photo from when they were puppies so this was a real find. When I looked at the weekly challenge this week over at UKScrappers and the theme is animals, well it was a fait accompli.

This is more the style I used to scrap with and I don’t really like it anymore but I do love the photo and it has helped me to see how far I have come…..this one may get tinkered with when my mojo returns.

I Just Love You…..Scrap Map Saturday

My second week as guest designer for Creative Craft World! I loved the sketch for this week, but it took me ages to find the right thing for the circle element, the text path was perfect, see below for details.

 *Sigh* My most favourite thing about my youngest son right now is that he suddenly appears when I am busy doing scrapping or chores, he throws his arms around me and says-so sincerely and seriously-“I just love you Mummy”.

When I saw the theme for this weeks scrapmap for the Creative Craft World challenge was bright and bold, I immediately thought of Ali, he is a bright young boy and hey he is bold, he said to me just last week as I picked him up for a cuddle and a swing-round, “Mummy, you know you have got so ‘f-word’, (he gasped), not the f-word the fat word, I can’t get my legs around you anymore.”

A good job I am fond of him right? Leave it to the kids to tell you how it is

This is a snap of him that I took recently which I love. I have been practising with my DSLR on the manual settings and although it isn’t quite focussed correctly in the traditional way, I do love how it has come out.

Over on UKS the freebie text path from Dawn Inskip is awesome and perfect for this challenge, thanks Dawn.

I also have the Basic Grey Sweet Threads pp on here which I have used for the first time. Love It. (Apropos of nothing as they certainly don’t know I’m saying this but, I bought this from Charmed Cards & Crafts on Friday morning at 6am and it was delivered at 8:15am the next day-awesome that is the fourth time I have used them and it has been ace service each time).

Here is the journaling;

I love this candid of you Ali, even though your hair is too, too long.

5 things I love about you now.

1. The way you appear now and again while i’m busy, throw your arms around me, sigh, and say “I just love you Mummy”

2. The way you play with your cuddlies (new to me because Louis never did) making games up for hours.

3. The way that even though you are big and strong for your age (in 7-8 clothes since you turned six) you have the most graceful and fine bone structure, especially your fingers and hands.

4. The way one day you do not stop eating; beans on toast, shreddies, fish fingers, Nanny’s chicken goujons (we tell you they are chicken nuggets) and ice cream. Then the next day you eat nothing really, just the odd pick at things. Not easy to second guess are you? Very endearing, if a bit frustrating

5. The way your teeth are totally wonky with old ones, new ones and new ones half-grown.

Ali, I just love you too, this year that you are 6.

June Colour Combo Blog Hop

Welcome to the June Colour Combo Blog Hop!

If you arrived from http://www.snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com/ ….you are in the right place! Her project is coolio. If you arrived from elsewhere, welcome to the blog hop, the full hop is listed below my post so you can go back and visit them all.

Firstly, an apology for those that visited my blog on the last hop in May and my post did not exist

My lovely Dad was suffering from terminal cancer and he took a major turn for the worse that week, dying peacefully on Tuesday 17th. I clearly had other things to be doing, but nonetheless I am sorry, I know that can be disorientating to say the least.

Amy was very kind to include me this time and get me back up to speed.

I love the colour combo for June, especially the blues.

 

If you have made it all the way through the hop well done and many thanks for joining in. If you have missed any out then please find the order below.

Here is the order:

http://amysoto.blogspot.com/

http://alyssephotographs.blogspot.com/

http://helenascreativemaven.blogspot.com/

http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/

http:/handmadebykirsty.blogspot.com

http://www.vsws.typepad.com/

http://adriennefalzon.blogspot.com/

http://www.scrapworthylives.com/http://spud-pickle.blogspot.com/

http://www.curlyscrapbooker.blogspot.com/

http://sugarandscrap.blogspot.com/

http://digipage-blog.everything-digital-scrapbooking.com/

http://1200somemiles.blogspot.com/

http://www.MichelleRoycroft.blogspot.com/

http://craftygoodies.blogspot.com/

http://scrapyourlife.net/

http://www.snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com/

http://scribblesstickingstitchingstroking.blogspot.com/

Creative Craft World Saturday ScrapMap

I am so thrilled to be guest designing for Creative Craft World. The scrap map is over there if you want to play along.

The sketch is by the lovely Sue, thank you Sue.

The theme to go with it is ‘Travel’.

  The only way to travel on Lundy Island where I grew up for my first few years is by Shank’s Pony. As the Island is only 3 miles by 1/2 mile, other transport just isn’t necessary, there was one tractor and a Land Rover which actually nearly ran me over when I was three.

I was toddling/running on the walk from our house on the south end of the island towards the shop and Mum saw the Land Rover coming down to the crossroads and had to catch me up pretty darned quick.

That would have been bizarre, I might even have become an urban myth, ok maybe not  

Looking towards the south end of the island from the Old Lighthouse.

10 things I know nothing of……

 

1. I know nothing of space and how so much came out of a bang of molecules or whatever happened………surely even Dr Who doesn’t get what is going on at Cern? I listen riveted and I cannot fathom a single thing they say.

2. I know nothing of electronic. transfer. communication. phone. internet. facsimile. I have lived with at least some of this stuff my whole life and I am still utterly bemused by it all (and oh so grateful).

3. I know nothing of how to investigate the food waste issue we have at work, yet I require my team to do it everyday

4. I know nothing of the plot of Coronation Street.

5. I know nothing of my 24th birthday after dancing with a person made out of balloons.

6. I know nothing of the whereabouts of my favourite cuddly toy, Selly the (yeah you guessed it) elephant, that was lost on a cross channel ferry when I was thirteen. Of course i’m over that now.

7. I know nothing satisfactory of who first came up with cake batter.

8. I know nothing of financial services.

9. I know nothing of the alchemy that goes into making basic grey paper. Or any other pretty paper for that matter.

10. I know nothing of what goes on in my two son’s imaginations.

 

I know a lot of things, but these things mystify me. I must try and find out, except what goes on in my two son’s imagination, some things must be left.

These are my 10 things for the 10th of this month. I am joining in with Shimelle’s 10 things blog linky-up

Look what I did…..Thank you Alexa.

Most of you will know Alexa whose work I greatly admire, not to mention enjoying her blog. She has an amazing way with words……and photoshop. Photoshop has been sat here patiently waiting for me to get it….I decided my week of holiday down-time was when it was going to happen. Ok, so I nearly get it, but with this fab tutorial from Alexa I made this and I couldn’t be more pleased, not one bit more.

I know I shouldn’t have used landscape photos in a portrait space but we’ll call it practice….

I have really enjoyed getting back into blogging, photography, scrapping and putting it altogether. For those that don’t or won’t know my Dad passed away after a short sharp illness a couple of weeks ago and these past few days I have felt a little more like myself.

So a big thanks to all you lovely ladies in blogosphere, especially Shimelle, Alexa, Ree, Sian, Mel, & Karen, you wouldn’t have known the comfort you have all given me through reading your blogs. Now I feel more myself I will drop in and comment as well.

I’m off to try another of Alexa’s tutorials

The Battle of Trafalgar

Well if you have read the title and are still reading this then well done

The weekly challenge on UKScrappers this week was to use history as a theme, use border punches and 4x6 photos.

In 2005 it was the Trafalgar 200 Celebrations all year and lots of it was based in Portsmouth. On June 28th it was the International Fleet Review, the Queen bobbed around inspecting the vessels all lined up in the Solent. I lived in Eastney in Portsmouth at the time at the other end of the sea front and so we set out on foot at 6am to get a good spot. We bought a beach tent, chairs and enough food to last all day and night.

Louis was 4 and Ali was 9 months.

Loving the tent. Sunshine so the tent was empty of belongings.

Loving the tent to snooze in. Raining. so the tent was full of belongings.

The whole seafront filled up so quickly, we were so glad we got there early and enjoyed the whole day, and had the best view and the best beeline to the ladies. I know, so very English.

Ali was so good, he sat in the buggy all morning, rolled about in the tent for a bit, had lunch and then a nap and sat in the buggy all afternoon, had his tea, rolled about in the tent for a bit and went to sleep for the night in his buggy (I love 9 month old babies).

Some of what we looked at during the day.

In the evening Son et lumiere ( I know there is an accent there but not on live writer there isn’t!) recreated the battle with lights, I wish I knew then what I know now about cameras and had a better one, but hey, here is an overexposed one of Louis, the green splodges in the background is the show.

There were fireworks later and then we walked home exhausted. Louis did superbly all day making friends with everyone, not being annoying, and then he still managed to walk parts of the way home when I couldn’t piggyback him anymore.

We also went to the International Festival of the Sea the next day in the dockyard, we were pretty tired as you would think so we did lots of sitting around soaking up the atmosphere and seeing the live actors and artists. We had been to the previous Festivals of the Sea so we had seen a lot of the ships before.

I will leave you with a couple of shots of that.

Bunting!

To be fair you can usually see Matelots fighting in Portsmouth.

Cannon Fodder.

Indulging my pink and fluffy side……

……for a change as I have two boys and my ‘adopted’ niece is 13 and therefore no longer pink and fluffy.

Our next door neighbours have a son in Alex’s class and they have been superb during Dad’s illness and helped out with running Alex to and from school and had him into play as well. It’s their daughter’s birthday tomorrow and as she is 4 I felt she would appreciate a pink and fluffy ‘Tilda’ card.

I so enjoyed colouring her in with my copics, I will never ever regret the expense. It is really therapeutic ‘grown-up’ colouring in.

I have asked her and her brother into play on wednesday along with Louis’ friends from the ‘hood that have been kind having him over for tea and sleep overs. I am doing a ‘Pizza Hut’ at home with scrummy pizza (of course) garlic bread (naturally) and hot cookie dough pudding.

Maria, if you are reading this, sorry, you can look away now and I shan’t indulge again for a while

If you aren’t a Tilda-phobe then maybe you would like to check out Jane Johnson’s blog who totally inspires with some excellent imaginative and clever cards.

Happy birthday Lucy, how smashing to be 4.