A Colourful 2011

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas.
I love the lead up to it. It's my favourite part.
Then it's all over with a blink of an eye.
I'm ready to clean up now and tidy ready for 2012.
I feel charged and full of inpsiration and ideas today.

Looking back over 2011, it's been a colourful year.
Funnily enough all my favourite layouts have been bursting with colour too.
See what I mean...
(click piccies to enlarge)

I love the story of this one.

I'm now ready for whatever 2012 has instore for us : )
Lots of love xxx

Christmas Eve Eve

Hello and Happy Christmas Eve Eve,
I've just tucked a very excited Louis into bed who pre-warned me that he would struggle to sleep tonight. I wonder how many visits I will get this evening???

It's been crazy busy since I last blogged (I'm sure the same for everyone else)
I'm still working. The joy of working for myself and from home though means that I don't miss out on family stuff, I just get up earlier and they have to put up with me working in the family room when we watch movies or like today I work in the car.
At least I am there though.
I do feel very organised this year though. It's a nice feeling but rather odd. With having the kids and Ade at home this week I've just felt like we've been waiting for Christmas.

This is the first Christmas that I've still wanted to scrap. Usually the mojo goes on holiday, but not this year, the crafty fingers keep getting that twitch.
I've been doing little challenges over at Cocoa Daisy all month. Take a look here.
The deadline is Dec 30th 10pm EST if you still want to join in over Christmas.
Here are some of the things I have made.






I also wanted to tell you about some of my upcoming classes for 2012.

Saturday 4th Feb I am teaching at the crop in Fleet, Hampshire. I will have more details after the New Year.

Saturday Feb 18th I will be teaching at Sparkle Dreams in Swindon.
We will be getting messy fingders and creating a canvas together.



AND...
I'm also really excited as I will be teaching at a weekend retreat in Swindon on the 22nd Sept 2012. The weekend retreat runs from 21st-23rd Sept and is being organised by Paper Arts. You can read here for more details if you are interested in coming along.

2012...bring it on....

So on that note I shall sign off.
I would like to think that I will stop by tomorrow but I know that probably won;t happen. I have work planned first thing, we are meeting with friends for a walk up the common at 10am followed by coffee and cakes. A date with Elf the movie at some point and our family tradition of yummy baked ham for dinner. Plus all the other fun things that we all do. I love Christmas Eve.

Great!! Ade's just informed me that Hollie has just started painting her finger nails. At bloody 9.15pm!!!! I went up 15mins ago to say lights out. Why???!!!
Better go have a word.

So Happy Christmas to you all my very lovely crafty friends.
I hope you all have a good one and enjoy the holidays.
I hope Santa comes and brings you crafty gifts : )

See you soon.
Big Christmas hugs
Lisa xxx

Spooky

We had snow today!!!
All for about 10mins, but we had snow : )

I feel so organised for Christmas this year. It feels so nice.
I love being organised. I hate last minute stress.
I had some lovely projects to work on this week for scrap365 mag.
The subbers should have received their's this week.
I hope you will love it : )
Some lovely projects in there again this month.
I especially love Anna's project. She's so clever and inspirational.

Nothing scrappy to show from this week as it's all dt stuff, but I do have this spooky page that I made back in October.



I was given a Halloween kit from the Sparkle Dreams Scrappy Store.
I made up this LO and put a 'how to' instruction page to go with it.


The supplies are from Authentique and just lovely to use. The paper is such great quality.
It's one of those collections that eventhough it's a Halloween range, it can so easily be used for other projects too.


Well, the kids finish this lunch time.
We've booked the cinema as a surprise to go and see Arthur Christmas.
I love feeling so Christmassy : )

Have a lovely weekend.
Lots of love xxx

What Every Girl Needs in January

Have you seen the sneaks from the Cocoa Daisy January Kit?
Tea and Cupcakes







Aren't they just devine?
I can't wait to get my hands on this kit.
The US DT girls are all receiving their's now so hopefully (Christmas post permitting) mine will arrive next week. I hope it comes before Christmas.

I'll keep you posted when we have the reveal and when you can get your hands on a kit.

Isn't it a good feeling to get some colour during January?!!
Something we all need
xxx

Art Journal

Bbbbbbrrrrrrrr
It's a bit chilly today.
Gloves, hat and scarf definitely required.

I made a special art journal for a special friends' 40th last month.
I just couldn't decide what to send her. She lives in Australia now so it needed to be something that posted well and I came up with this.


An art journal, but I've added lots of journaling prompts based upon her now as 40yrs. Things she likes and every day stuff for her to fill out. And there's pages for photos to be added too.






Most of the pages have been made from old book pages, misted, modge podged and made pretty. I've used some journal tags and cards too inbetween and lots of bling and sparkle.

Another busy day. But good busy : )
I love this time of year xxx

Deck the Halls

Yesterday we decked the halls with Michael Buble playing in the background.
I get very excited by this event every year. It needs to be perfect.
I baked mince pies before we started (fruit pies for the kids using my friend Chris' homemade apple and blueberry jam) so we had them warm whilst decorating.

Louis still loves the playmobil nativity set. He's in charge of this every year. He sets it up infront of the fireplace. We needed some new fabric for baby Jesus manger this year and he added gifts too.
It's now feeling very Christmassy and cozy at home : )


I've been making lots lately and feel much more organised than usual.
I have lots of homemade gifts ready to go.
Personalised jute shopping bags, funky tea towels. Canvases, mini books and some other stuff.

I made this for someone recently and forgot to share here.
I used the Baby Mine collection from Fancy Pants.
When I received it all earlier this year I didn't think I would use much of it as the kids are older now, but I've almost finished the whole lot now.
It's so easy to use.

Thanks for stopping by today.
Hope you had a good weekend x

It's a Sketchy Thursday

After taking some time over Thanks Giving Sketchy Thursdays are back again.

Here's my take on this weeks sketch.


Using pretty Oct 31 papers from Fancy Pants along with some Sassafras. Pretty colours.
The photos are abit naff, but they tell a story of how Hollie is so self consious when she has her glasses on. Poor baby.
I've used some Crafter Workshop templates for my misting along with some Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists and some Glimmer Glam.


And here's this weeks sketch.
If you fancy playing along with us, come and join is here.
We are sponsored by ILOVEITALL this week. Who have kindly given a $20 voucher to the winner.


Off to fix dinner now.
Enjoy your evening and thanks for stopping by xxx

Desk Calender and Crimbo Cards

Another flying visit I'm afraid.
It's that time of year isn't it?! So much going on.
I'm feeling pretty organised for Christmas though.

I made this little desk calender for my Dad to send so the US.


I used thick card to back it with so it stands neatly on it's own.


I love the pom pom trimming from Fancy Pants.


I've used up various Fancy Pants scraps to make this.
So each page is completely different which I love as the project is so colourful.

As the papers are double sided there's no covering up to do and I've made some little notes for Dad on the back of each page.

Full details with instructions and supplies list are on the Fancy Pants blog here.

I've been doing a '12 techniques of Christmas' over at Cocoa Daisy.
Every other day we use a new technique to make something Christmassy.
Here are some cards I made using the 'faux stitching' tecnique.



You can see the challenges here at Cocoa Daisy.
There will be a new one later today.


So Christmas preps are in fully swing in this house.
We got our tree yesterday which is soaking in water until she goes up at the weekend.
Shopping is almost done. Ade and I saved some bits to get on Friday when we have a day shopping in Basingstoke.
It's all so exciting.

I did find this fab little crafty shop on Ebay recently.
Take a look here.
I treated myself to some nice bits. Prices are fab!! I will never buy embroidery thread elsewhere from now on.
And the seller is super sweet too when I've emailed.

Does anyone else end up treating themselves when Christmas shopping?

We are going to watch Hollie in her drama production tonight.
Should be fun.

I have an hour before the school run now.
Lots to do.
See you soon xxx

Amber Snowflake #2

Yay for Friday.
Another jam packed week.
Work is busy, the kids were off school on Wednesday due to teacher strikes, Hollie is off today for a tutor review day. Rush rush rush.
Plus our internet is really playing up. Driving us potty.

I have the rest of my Cocoa Daisy LO's to share.












And my LESSology project too.
You can view mine and Amy's projects here for the 'You've got mail' challenge.
We are transforming envelopes this week at LESSology.
Click here to play along with us.
This challenge is sponsored by Pixie Dust Paperie.
I'm about to pack and get ready for the classes I'm teaching tomorrow in Sparkle Dreams, Swindon. I'm teaching a mini book class in the morning and 2 LO's in the afternoon. Can't wait.
Then off to visit my sis and then my Mum afterwards.
Better get packing.
I've got my meeting with Hollie's form tutor in 40mins too.
See what I mean about rushing.

Thank you for stopping by and sorry for my lack of blog visiting recently. Between pc troubles, business and internet probs I am so behind.
Enjoy your weekend xxx

Amber Snowflake #1

Good Morning to you on this rainy and blowy day,

Today I can show you what I was busy making last week
We had the Cocoa Daisy reveal last night.
I can honestly say, this is my absolute fave kit this year.
I decided to go for all the addons barr one which had silhoutte stuff which isn't me at all.
This was the first thing I made.
I just wanted to play with the pretty papers and came up with this.


I'm really not one for Christmas papers so this is so perfect for me.
I love the teals, mustard and reds.


And I got these fab October Afternoon Flower Stack Dies in this addon here.





I had some great thrifty finds last week. I got 3 hoops for 50p each.
The doilees in the main kit fit perfectly.
The stamp 'yesterday-today-tomorrow' is in the same addon as above.
I think this is my fave addon.


The kit goes on sale to non subbers on the first here.
If you are thinking of subbing, there is a special offer on right now which you can read about here.

And now for a new challenge at LESSology.
Take a look here, it's a fun one : )
Here's my sneak.


Back tomorrow with more Cocoa Daisy LO's.

Bye Bye xxx