This is the sketch for Let's Scrap 11-30-11 and my last one on the Design Team.  My 3 months are up and they have gone so quickly!  I have had so much fun and I will definitely apply again in the future!

My wee Grandsons love Thomas the Tank Engine.  They were given this dress-up outfit  and they can pretend they are a train!! The wee photos at the bottom show Dylan and Hadley when they were a bit younger and the outfit did not fit properly, but I still wanted to use them as they made me laugh!

I used:
Papers - Crate Paper - Zoom Collection
Train Silhouette - Little Extras
Card - Bazzill
Lettering - Creative Imaginations
Pictures of Thomas -  Card labels from clothes bought for the boys!!

 

Oh my goodness - it is Wednesday again!!  Where has the past week gone?  I have been really busy making cards, calendars and book marks to sell at a Craft Fayre next week, and the time has just flown by!  This is the sketch for Let's Scrap and I have made a layout showing Eric with his boys!  Hadley, Dylan and especially Harrison, love their Grampa!  When we go onto Skype, they say Hello Granny!  then when Eric appears they scream and shout "It's Grampa!!"  It is so cute!  He has so much patience and he played with them for hours and hours.  We are missing them so much, and as we are not going over at Christmas, we will miss them even more!  Never mind, maybe next year!

 I used paper from K & Co called Hopscotch Boy which I have had lying around for simply ages! I am trying to use up some of my stash, as I am running out of room in my Craftroom!

This is a card using an image from Mo Manning called Hanging Christmas Stockings.  I love the wee dog holding up his stocking to be hung up too!

 This is a card using an image from Kenny K and I have coloured her in my favourite colours at the moment.  The paper is from Bo Bunny and I think it is fab!!!! I must make some more using this image and these papers as I love them.  You never know, you might get one through your letterbox!!  I have entered this card for the Scrapfit Challenge Workout #55 - Tis' The Season 
they  are looking for Christmas Cards or Tags.

 Here we are again - it's Wednesday!  It is a card sketch over at Let's Scrap this week, and I made my first ever card using Clarity Stamps.  I have a box full of them and have puddled about with them, trying different brayering techniques, but this is the first complete card.  I made the background paper by brayering at the top with orange ink and then at the bottom with blue.  I then spritzed it with water and laid a sheet of cling film over it which I then scrunched up over the top of the card, and left to dry.  When I took the cling film off later, there was a lovely marbled, mottled effect and I then stamped the music staff over it.  I then stamped the centre piece and used foam pads to raise it up a wee bit.  Finally  I decorated with peel-offs and self-adhesive pearls (which were bought for a bargain in the $2 shop in New Zealand!!!)

 I was asked to make a card by my friend for a 30th (Pearl) Wedding Anniversary.  I decided to go for clean and simple and used die-cute of swirls and flowers, then decorated with pearls.

 

This card is my favourite one which I have made over the last week or so.  It is a Kenny K image and I have used Bo Bunny papers, Nestabilities and a poinsettia die.  I decided to veer away from traditional Christmas colours and chose my favourite colours of the moment, purple, turquoise and green.  I chalked over the Nestability shape and the poinsettia so as it wasn't stark white..  I am entering this card on The Odd Girl "My best project of the week" and here is a link to the blog.

http://theoddgirl.com

Well, here we are again - it's Wednesday and this is the new sketch from Let's Scrap!

I did a girlie layout for  a change!! Woo Hoo!!!  This shows Marie and her cousin Lesley.  Marie was around a year old here, and Lesley is only 5 months younger, but she is such a dainty wee thing, it makes the difference between them look massive!!  Marie was born with dislocated hips and spent her first year in a Von Rosen splint, then plaster from her armpits down to her ankles, then lastly the abduction rings she is wearing in the picture.  I wish I had taken more photos so as I could show her what she went through, but I just didn't think about it at the time.  I used some Bo Bunny papers (Love Bandit) and the flower and butterfly were from Prima.  I did some stitching which I don't normally do, but really enjoyed!  I gave this layout the title Wish, because I was permanently wishing that Marie would be okay once she got rid of all her splints etc. Must go and make more cards, Marie and I have a stall on Saturday at a coffee morning in the village so need to get organised!!  Thanks for stopping by!!

I'm very late with my blogpost this week,  but I took unwell on Wednesday and ended up in hospital all day yesterday.  I'm fine now, still in a lot of pain, but nothing to get too concerned about!!!  Unfortunately they didn't let me take any morphine home with me!! Lovely stuff!   LOL!!!

The Let's Scrap sketch is below!

I used all these different photos of Harrison, which didn't really have a specific theme, but just showed all his different facial expressions.  The papers were from Echo Park, About a BOy, The Lace Cardstock is by K.I. Memories, the rafia is by Penny Kennedy and the lettering is by Doodlebug.  I used all the little Mr Men cut-outs from a card pack which I bought many moons ago and never used.  I'm keeping this short today, as I'm poorly, but my next post will be bigger I promise!!

It's Wednesday again!!  I loved the sketch this week for Let's Scrap and I knew straight away what I wanted to do with it..  Only problem was, I couldn't find the photos I wanted to use.  I hunted high and low and turned my craft room upside down with no luck.  I just had to go and re-print them again!  They are bound to appear at some point when I don't want them!

Usually  I am really critical about the layouts and cards I make, but I have to say I  love my tree!!!!!!!  I am really  happy with the way this turned out!  

Must go and get more cards done.  I have been asked to make 21st Birthday cards for  a girl by her Mum, Granny and Auntie so I need to get a move on!!  I will need to make them as different as I can too!!  Enjoy the rest of your day!!

It's sketch time again at Let's Scrap and it is a card sketch this week.  I used an image from Mo Manning.  I love this wee image which is called  - I even love the box!!!  It is just typical of a small child to ignore the present and play with the box!! I have had to turn my craft room upside down looking for photographs which I had just a couple of weeks ago.  I need them for a Halloween layout I want to do and I just don't know where I have put them!!  I am so organised and have boxes for everything, but I have checked the places where I keep photos and they are not there.  I have even been looking in stupid places - you know - just in case!!!  I will have one last look today, then I will have to have to reprint them aaaaaahhhhhhh!!

Swimming Update - I had a lovely quiet swim today, at one point I was the only person in the whole pool!  Lovely!!!!  I love just gliding through the water when it is flat and still, unlike when there is a lot of people in the pool and it resembles swimming in the sea  complete with Tsunamis on occasion!!! I  kid you not LOL!!!  I took 1 hour and 10 minutes today, but I have pulled a muscle in my chest, so will have to watch what I am doing tomorrow and will probably have to slow down a bit.  I have such a laugh watching people at the pool, there are so many characters there.  A woman was in the other day, and she had her full make-up on as if she was going for a night out.  Bright red lipstick and long dangley earrings and a big flower scrunchy in her hair. Unbelievable!!  Then there is Jacuzzi man.  I see him getting out of his car and coming into the gym and he comes straight into the Jacuzzi and just sits there hopping between the two Jacuzzis.  Occasionally, he goes into the steam room, but not very often.  He chats away to people, then leaves, and I see him going back to his car.  He never actually does anything which I think is a bit weird, and he is there every single day!!!!!  Bizarre!! Okay must go and hunt for those photos!!!  Wish me luck!!

Here is another layout I have been working on.  It is based on the Let's Scrap Design team call for November - March.  Wish me Luck!!

These photos were taken in New Zealand near Taupo.  Corinne, Eric and I went on a Jet Boat and it was simply amazing!!!!  It was really scary but really exhilarating and I would do it again in a minute!!!  We were absolutely soaked when we finished, especially Eric as he was at the outside that seemed to get the most of the water.  The driver was called Stevo and he did a wee wave with his hand to let you know he was going to put the boat through 360 degrees - brilliant!!!!  Poor Rob was the official photographer and bag holder - well someone had to do it!!!!!!!

Sponsored Swim update : - I did my mile today in 1 hour and 15 minutes.  I realy began to feel my neck and shoulders sore so it slowed me down a bit - only by 5 minutes so that's not bad!!!  I have a rest day tomorrow and then back to it again on Thursday for mile 3.  I am really feeling good doing this, as for once I am doing the sponsored event myself and not relying on other people to do it for me.  Back soon for another update!!

Wednesday again!! Can you believe it?  The sketch at Let's Scrap has been revealed yet again, and although it is a 2-page sketch, I just decided to do the right hand side.  When Corinne sent over these photos I had to laugh as I thought they were so cute!!  Wee Dylan really looks like he means business doesn't he?!!?

 I have also entered the challenge at Some Odd Girl where you had to use the photo below as inspiration to make a card.  These are my favourite colours and this was right up my street!

 I took the photo against a sheet of green scrapbook paper so the card is at the front (don't think that makes much sense, does it? LOL!!!! Maybe I should say that the card is mostly white and ignore the bright green background!!!!

Now for the swimming update!!!  I have a song in my head - What is the song I here you ask? - It is "76 Trombones in the hit parade" and why do I have that song in my head you ask? - because I did 76 lengths today!!!!!!  The pool was a nightmare to begin with, it was so busy I had to swim in a zig-zag from end to end.   Once it quietened down it was a lot better.  Mind you, I probably did more than 76 lengths if you take the zig-zags into account!! LOL!!!!  Will aim for 78 on Friday, so I will let you know if I manage or not!! Have started to take my sponsor form around with me, so if you see people running off in the opposite direction from me, you will know why!! 

Where on earth does the time go??  It's Wednesday again, and I  can't believe another week has passed so quickly!!   It's realease day once more at Let's Scrap and here is the sketch we had to use.

 I used photos of the twins (surprise surprise!!) as Corinne had taken a lot of close ups of them, and I thought this sketch was perfect to showcase them.  Eric was confused though, and asked me "Why have you got 6 of Dylan and only 2 of Hadley?"  There are 4 of each of them so I think that proves they are more alike than we think!!

http://letsscrap.ning.com 

 I managed to get another couple of cards made with the Humphrey the Elephant c.d. The one below shows Humphrey's sister, getting ready for bed on Christmas Eve.

 This one shows Humphrey playing snowballs with his Daddy!

 This card is from a digi stamp fro Mo Manning and it is called Timmy's stocking - I LOVE IT!!!!  I will be making a lot more cards with this image!!  This will probably find it's way over to New Zealand, in some form or another.

 
Now for the sponsored swim update!!  I managed to swim 70 lengths again today and it took me 65 minutes.  It was not as enjoyable today, as there were too many people in the pool and there was a lot of kicking of other people going on!!  It amazes me that some people cannot judge how wide they are and they take off into a space which is not big enough for them and they end up giving you a kick in the passing - so annoying!!!!!!!  No wonder I get bruised!!  It makes me wonder what they are like in their cars - I bet they bash a lot of wing mirrors!! LOL!!!!!  Well, must go and get some knitting done.  I  made a mistake on the wee cardy I am knitting and I will have to take back about 20 rows - :o( 

Today it was my turn to do the Design Team Challenge at Let's Scrap.  I posted a tutorial for a layout using paper weaving.  This is the layout which I made using this technique.

This technique gives a really different look to your layouts and the effect can change so much by just using different coloured cardstock. Click on the link below to take you to the tutorial.

letsscrap.ning.com

We have had a dreadful thunder storm here today, and it was really scary when  I was driving home.  Thank goodness the rain is off now and it actually looks like the sun is trying to come out!! Weird or what?   I am off now to work on the challenge for 31st August - a layout which has 8 photographs on it!!  I'll be back soon!!

This is the new sketch over at Let's Scrap. When I saw this sketch, I knew straight away what I would do.  I must admit I was really pleased with the way it turned out. 

Corinne makes the most beautiful cakes and she is kept very busy making cakes for friends etc. so she has started up her own wee business.  She decided to call it Aunty Cookie's Cakes, as her wee niece can't say Corinne and calls her Aunty Cookie instead!!

Cardstock  ~  Core-dinations
Papers ~ Flair Designs
Star Border ~ Bazzill The Edge
Teddy Embellishment ~ Forever Friends
Apron Embellishment ~ Karen Foster Design
Rub-ons ~ K & co.
Cupcakes ~ Stamped onto Bazzill & Paper pieced

http://letsscrap.ning.com

Brilliant News!!!!

 My youngest daughter, Marie, had her first scan last Tuesday and here it is!!  Baby is due February 26th, so maybe we will have a Leap Year Baby!!  She told me 6 weeks ago that she was having a baby, but I had to wait until she had her scan before I could tell people - so I am telling everyone now!!!! Chuffed to bits and my knitting needles are red hot!! 

Okay, back to business!!  LOL!!!  This is the August Challenge on Let's Scrap.  It runs for a whole month (obviously) and I have only just got round to doing something with it.  I have started an album all about our holidays so I raided the Cyprus album and found these photos.  This was when I achieved one of the things off my 'Bucket List'  I wanted to Paraglide, but Eric was trying to talk me out of it.  I was determined, and set off one day and just walked right on to the boat and he had to follow bless him!!  I though it was amazing and loved every minute.  When I came back down onto the boat, the young chap asked Eric if he wanted to do it.  He nodded his head and was strapped in and away he flew.  When he came back down he was shaking like a leaf!!!!!  I think he only agreed because of his male pride in front of these young, fit Greek Gods!!  He absolutely hates heights and it took him the rest of the day to recover!!!  We both received a certificate to mark the occasion, and I have made a pocket on the back of the layout to fit them in.

I used Bazzill Cardstock and flowers, papers from My Mind's Eye (Penny Lane and Abbey Road)  The small journalling letters round the bottom are by Sam & Lucy and the journaling blocks are by K & Co.
http://letsscrap.ning.com

This is the sketch for Let's Scrap 13-8-11.  This layout shows my Grandson Dylan, trying to work out how to get into the play park area beside the rest of us.  We had a good laugh and then went to get him, after I had taken some photos of course!!!!  (So cruel)  I used Bazzill Cardstock (of course) , Echo Park, Little Boy Papers and also papers by 3 Bugs in a Rug (Playtime).  The stickers were Basic Grey (Wander) and also Echo Park (Little Boy).  The lettering is from K & Co.,  I really enjoyed working with this sketch,  as I really love circles. 

I also thought I would share this photograph of Buddy (our Grandog) .  We were dogsitting for the weekend and Buddy thought he would smell the flowers in the garden.  Unfortunatley, all the seed pods on the flowers stuck to his face and he was a right mess.  It took ages to get all the wee seed pods out of his fur!!!  He is a wee rascal, but we love him to bits!!

Design tea for Let's Scrap

A few weeks ago, I received a lovely e-mail which said the following -

Congratulations!!!! You have been selected to be on the

Let’s Scrap Design Team!!

WOOOHOOO!!

I am soooooooooooo excited!!!  Today was the reveal for the first sketch and this is my layout below.  the photograph was taken in new Zealand at Shelley Beach on the Coromandel Peninsula.  We rented a Bach (Holiday Home) and we all chilled out and had a lovely time. 

 I used papers by Crate Paper - Sweet Branch Collection, the chipboard fish and the title are by K & Co., the summer and Sun stickers are from College Press - Hometown Summer Collection and the Cardstock is by my old friend, Bazzill! LOL!!!!!

I am really looking forward to my time on the design team and suggest you go along and look at the site if you have not already done so 

http://letsscrap.ning.com