Sketchy Thursday and Yummy Stew

I've had a pretty scraptastic weekend. I've managed 3 LO's, finished 2 and made a card.
I'm am loving the latest Cocoa Daisy kit. It's just perfect in every way and form.

These two LO's are using the kit and I've used the latest Sketchy Thursday sketch for both of these LO's. If you haven't seen this challenge blog, it's new. Go take a look.

Louis on Charmouth Beach

And I just love this photo of Ade and Louis. This was teaching Louis how to tie his tie on his first day at juniors.


I feel so full. Mum came over for Sunday lunch yesterday so I tried out a Jamie Oliver stew recipe. I made it on Saturday as I prefer things like stews, curries, soups a day later. It was just so yummy. Probably the best stew I've ever had. And I've just had the leftovers for lunch : )
Now I feel too full to move.
TFL and have a happy Monday xx

Another Color Combo

From me today. I really enjoy the colorcombo challenges. I love looking at the colours of the week and then picking out PP and bellies to go with them.

I found these 3 photos under my diary on my desk last week. They are from last summer. I'd printed off aload of mini pics for the kids when my niece and nephew were visting in the holidays for them to make their own mini books and I must've missed these. So decided to use them all in the one LO.

Not so sure of the orange ribbon afterall, might remove it.

Feeling really tired today. I feel like watching Come Dine with Me. I think I'm addicted to it. xx

Being a Big Sister

I found some old photos under my desk a couple of days ago. So using the recent colorcombo (#132). I came up with this.

I've used some Scenic Route PP and cut out the flowers, Scenic Route letter stickers and Adornit mini alphas. My page has been spray misted and the butterfly has been too to make it a darker pink.

I like being the oldest of 3. We have big age gaps. My sister is 5 yrs younger than me and my brother 12 yrs. This was us when we lived in Germany in the late 80's. The photo really isn't great quailty but I really like it. I don't have many of where we lived out there and it was so nice. I was really chuffed as I noticed our dog Bonnie in the right hand corner of the photo too. Again, I don't really have any photos of her and I miss her still so much.

Life was so fun back then. (not that it isn't now of course) Happy Memories : )

Have a fun and happy day xx

Mini Books

It's all about mini books over at The Studio. If you fancy winning a Kaiser Craft mini wooden album then come take a look.
It's really easy to enter, you don't even have to make a new mini book just simply show us your favourite mini book you've made and link back. A winner will then be picked at random on 5th October. So visit The Studio to enter.
I made a new mini book on Friday. I love it's bright colours and simplicity.

Have fun xxx

Quiet at Home

I am missing my baby girl. It's felt like a long week but she's home tomorrow tea time. In some ways is been very easy. Just Louis at home it feels very simple. It's quiet. Hollie's always the one that keeps coming downstairs after lights out, so come 7.30pm there's been nothing.....no little visitors : ) but the house feels so different.
I've just used a sketch from here for the first time:
Sketchy Thursdays
and finally broke into my Sept Cocoa Daisy kit.
TFL xx

The Studio Challenge #5

The next challenge has just been revealed at The Studio today
Here's how it goes:

1.Your layout should have a long title (4 or more words)
2. Your layout should have a summer theme
– a great excuse to scrap some of those summer photos!
3. Your layout must be an unusual shape – no 12×12 squares allowed!

So I decided to do something abit different rather than reaching for the lovely 12x12 die cut shapes. This project is actually quite small. The height is about 6inches. I really enjoyed making this. Felt good making something to hang up rather than another LO landing in the 'to file' pile which just grows and grows.
I've used a couple of Unity Stamps as I still hadn't broken into last months set.

Fancy taking a look at what the other DT members made then visit here. There's some amazing projects.
xx

Oh for the Love of Paint

Anyone who knows me well, knows what a paint addict I am. Nothing makes me happier that being covered in paint : )
So naturally when I got asked to do a tutorial on something over at The Studio it was going to be on paint.

I made these LO's in the summer holidays. This first one was our trip to Richmond Park.
We were so lucky considering all the rain we had that the week Ade took off work it was really sunny.

This next one is an older photo from a Farm trip. I get really mixed feelings about this place. I've been there quite a few times including a trip with the preschool group, but the first ever outing that Ade came with myself and the kids when we first started seeing each other was here. I also had my niece with me. So a 3yr old, 4yr old and 5yr old. There was a large bang when we were having lunch and suddenly there was fire in the field next to us. It was so scary. The combine in the next field had struck a cable. This is the first time I've been close to fire it was just shocking how it spread and the sound of it too. It was complete caos, people & kids everywhere. The fire engine couldn't get through. Thankfully everything ended well. But no one from the farm was there to assist.
So when we went back the following year the kids were a little nervous. But we went with friends and had a lovely time.


If you want to see the tutorial (with step by step pics) take a peek here.

The Studio

TFL xxx

Oragami for beginners

Hiya,

Back into the school routine now. Didn't get so emotional this morning : )
After a busy weekend of work and house cleaning and sorting, I didn't manage to scrap at all. I have so many lovely kits waiting to be played with but ZERO scrappy time right now. I find the less I scrap the harder it is to do so.

However, my first tutorial has gone up on the papermaze blog today.
Scrap, Paper, Scissors
The LO is above. All details are on the papermaze blog if you fancy a nose along with all supply details.

It's beavers tonight, so early tea. All the rushing and clock watching is something I really REALLY don't miss in the holidays.

Scrap soon xx

It's oh so quiet

Beacause those two little monkies have gone back to school today.
For the first time they now go to the same school, but just for the one year as my big girl goes off to comp next year.
I did sob when I got home. I miss them so much : (

So, I came home and made this.
It the latest Colorcombo challenge.



And here's a couple of pages I made in my 'Book of Me' whilst we were camping.


TFL and have a lovely weekend xx

The Studio Challenge #3

I can't believe it's already 1st September, what happened to the summer????
Did I blink and miss it?

Anyway 1st of the month means a new challenge is launched over at The Studio. I am seriously loving the challenges at this place. We have one hot Guest Designer this month too.
Céline Navarro
I just love the art this lady creates.

The challenge this time is :

1. Focus your layout on something from your daily routine.
This can be a whole day, or just one item you use or someone you see every day.
2. You can journal as much or as little as you like,
but you should answer the following questions within it:
“who or what?”; “when?”; “where?”; and “why?”.
3. You can use no “bought” patterned paper –
you must make your own patterned paper!
Paint it, stamp it, or do something else creative!

I have had so much fun with this one.
I've torn strips from the daily newspaper and stuck onto a base piece of cardstock and then painted gesso over top. Once dried I've painted over with coffee. Once that has dried I've added coffee mug rings. Anyone who knows me, knows what a latte junkie I am. It's the first thing I think of when I wake up every morning. So the whole thing pieces together.



Now for a little bit about our camping escapades. This was our first ever camping trip. We went down to Charmouth again near Lyme Regis where we had a fab Easter, blue skies, warm weather and that's exactly what greated us this time too. We felt so lucky with all the bad weather we've had recently.
Then that first evening the wind picked up and it rained and rained.
It continued to rain the next day but we ventured out when it cleared a little.

It carried on raining on and off and then cleared on our last day. We finally got the kids on the beach and despite the winds, they had great fun.

Then once we decided to pack up the sun came back out again and it was a lovely sunny evening : )