Sketch and Scrap December

It was my turn to set the sketch for the Group for December and this lovely sketch from Scrapbooks etc. caught my eye

Here is my version of it. Photo is my son Fraser and his girlfriend on their recent Venice trip.  Fraser commissioned this to go in a frame for part of Emma's Christmas so Im glad they both liked it.

Apologies for the poor quality of the photo but the light wasn't very good and Fraser wanted to take it away to get it wrapped up.

Its Heather's turn for January so looking forward to the 5th to see what sketch she has chosen.

last day of the year

Well 31December today. Cant believe it, Its been a very quick year. Im not a fan of New Years eve really so no Big celebration for me. Im just glad all the festivities are nearly over and we can get back to,normal.

2012 marks the year I will be 50! It will be a New start for me. Life kind of fell apart for me just after my 40th birthday when i discovered my hubbie of 20 years was having an affair with one of my best friends. The last 10 years have been tough for me but I have decided that 2012 will be the year of me.

I am joining with a 365+1 photo challenge which I am combining with a Project life document your year type album and I am determined to keep it going for the while year.

I hope 2012 brings you all health, wealth and happiness. Not much crafting recently and as I pine during the winter for my beloved Beadnell I will leave you with a photo from there.

See you all next year.

Chinese Whispers Round 4

Cant believe we have just completed Round 4 of our teams Chinese Whispers game.

This is my take on it for this month. Ive used papers from my September/October Quirky kit, Studio Calico and American Crafts, I think. The photo is my daughter Fiona on her 18th Birthday. She had harped on and on for ages about wanting to be 18 and get her ID hence the title, Legally Blonde. Thanks to Heather for showing me how to make the flower, thats one spellbinders die I think I might have to ask Santa for.

Looking forward to the next round now - cant believe how quickly we are powering through this challenge, I think theres only three more rounds to go.

A Fab Crafty Weekend

Well I've just had a fabby crafty weekend with my very good friend Heather. We scrapped, sipped the Pink stuff, munched on goodies, laughed our socks off, sang to our hearts content and generally had a good time. I was sorry to see her go home but weather permitting I will be off to Holystone in January to visit her and crop with my frozen north buddies.

Here is my rather late entry for November Sketch and Scrap. Firstly here is the sketch chosen by Jo and this is my interpretation of it.

The picture is my son and daughter walking along one of the Tracks at Center Parcs. I feel the photo has a sort of etheral almost other wordly feel to it. I used up some of.my old papers, i think Mama razzi is.my all time favourite Bo Bunny range.

It was my turn to pick the sketch for this month and Im working on my layout at the moment.

Chinese whispers Round 3

Well our team Chinese Whispers game has now completed Round 3.

Firstly here is my layout for this month   Picture is my son Fraser in a gondola in Venice with his girlfriend Emma   I used papers from the new gottacraft kit Lily Bee Memorandum. I just love them  i gutted the papers and card to save some for for die cutting out the flowers with and had cause to use my winning slogan from Sian's blog. Keep calm Its a only a creative opportunity!! I cut the papers at the bottom too short which left a gap so I had to cover it up with the strips of pleated paper. I cut the flowers with tattered florals, spritzed with water, scrunched and left to dry and made the centres of two with hug snug seam binding which I got at at the crop from Angela at Angela Crafts

Look What the Postie Brought Me

What a lovely little package arrived in the post yesterday.

I had commented on Sian's fab blog here.She was asking for alternatives to the Keep Calm and Carry On slogan which is so popular these days.

Mine was Keep Calm its only a Creative Opportunity. To explain I have so many little faux pas whilst crafting and I dont always want to trash the whole project or layout so I find myself muttering that slogan and finding ways to adapt, cover up etc and sometimes miraculously it even turns out better than I first intended!!! She had a draw for all the commenters and I received this lovely card handmade by Sian, two beautiful sets of studio calico stamps, this very useful sized alphabet which rather usefully includes a comma and a full stop and these adorable butterflies - which project does not benefit from a fluttering of butterflies. The stamps were tied up with this fab Union Jack ribbon which my daughter would like to lay claim to but isnt getting lol. It might end up on a layout featuring her if she is very lucky.

Isn't the crafting world and in particular the crafting blogging world full of such lovely people.

Thanks once again Sian and I promise I will keep on blogging!!

Then today look what landed on my doormat. The first shiny and new edition of Scrap 365.  Ive only had a quick flick so far but I love it and there within Its pages is an article by the Grrh same and very talented Sian with the same very adorable embellishments which were on the lovely card She sent me.

Sketch and Scrap - October

Here is the sketch Lesley chose for sketch and scrap for October.  I loved it the more I looked at it as there were so many layers to it.

I decided to go with two pictures and cut one info a circle.  I substituted one of the flowers on the sketch for a windmill to echo the one in the round photo.  I used papers from the Crate Paper Portrait collection which I love. 

The pictures are of me as a little girl on holiday with my parents in Scarborough.  There was a place, the name of which I cant recall where you sailed on a pirate ship and then searched in the sand for gold dubloons.  It always tickled my Dad that one of the pirates had a copy of the Yorkshire Evening News or Post sticking out of his pocket.

Edited to add that thanks to my lovely friend and UKS teamie Donna I now know the Pirate Ship sailed on the Mere at Scarborough and was called the Hispaniola. I can now get my hidden journalling organised for this one and then filed away in the album