It's been a month !!!

Yes, it's been a month since I last blogged.
I don't know where that time has gone.
It's been a mad month.
Before I go on though I must tell you how beautiful this months Cocoa Daisy Kit is.
It's so pretty.
We still have some available here.
It's called 'Story Time' which is so fitting seeing as I have so many stories to tell this month.
This is what the kit looks like.

The first LO that I made was for this months Sketch Challenge which was launched today.

You can see the sketch here.
And this is the LO that I made.

 

My Dad arrived from the US on the 15th August. It's a yearly visit and my brother, sister, her hubby and their 3 kids all come to stay. It's our favourite time of year. We laugh so much. It is one long constant laugh. I've laughed so hard I've pee'd myself this summer and cried real tears through laughter. The laughter is generally at the expense of someone else in the group. We all share the same sense of evil humours and all take the pi$$ and play pranks all the time.

 

I absolutely love this selfie. We took it during a walk to Odiham Castle.

 

 

 

We'd love you to play along with us and use this sketch. You can read all about the challenge here plus see lots of other variations of this sketch made by my Cocoa Daisy Teamies.

 

 

So August.
We had a very sad funeral, but a lovely family gathering.
I've since made the decision to plan a family gathering every year on that side of the family.
I do it for my Dad's side each year now when Dad visits, so I'm going to do it on Mum's side now too.

We obviously had my Dad and family to stay.
We had so many fun days out.

Plus I had my busiest August for work, ever!!
So trying to juggle work, family visits and kids has been a task.
The kids go back to school on Thursday, I'm sad to see them go back but I need some normality again.

Then it's off to Florida!!!  
36 sleeps to go.
We need this trip so bad. I've been working such long days, I can't wait for our family time.

Time to get back to work again now.
Thanks for stopping by and sorry for being a crapper summer blogger.

Hugs xxx

Modern Vintage

I can't believe it's been a month since I last blogged.
I don't think I've ever done that before. Wow!!
Just about sums up this crazy month.

To start with though I'll share my Cocoa Daisy gallery with you.
Augusts Kit is called ' Modern Vintage and looks like this.

And this is what I made.

 

I got my art journal out for the first time in a long time. It was the fern stamps in the main kit that made me do it.

 

 

 

And a card.

 

 

 

I still have lots of plans with the remainders of my lovely kit.

 

 

So July. I would like to say ''where did July go''? Like it was all over in a flash which is why I never got around to scrap. But actually it's been a very long drawn out month. A month that I'm happy to see the back of.

 

We did have some good moments.

Hollie turned 15.

Hollie had work experience for a week and despite me hating driving, it had me driving 50 miles a day on really horrible country roads : (  But she had a good time, so it was all worth it.  

Hollie got a 'Designers' award at a school presentation evening.

Both kids got achievement awards on their last day of school.

School finished on the 23rd and we went in to Windsor for a really nice evening.

We also went down to the coast that week too for a few hours.

 

So we did do some nice things.

 

I also had my local crop and hosted the Cocoa Daisy online crop.

Busy Busy.

 

And then there has been all the work stress lately. I really hate school summer holidays.

It should be the best time, but it's just a nightmare for me every year. It's such a hectic time of year for me with work. I just find myself waking up feeling sick every morning, I get such a tight chest and a sense of panic and not coping. My work load gets more and more, the kids get harder and more demanding as they get older. Wanting to be taken places, wanting money to go out, coming in to my studio, can I do this, can I do that?????? I work early mornings, grab as much time during the day as I can and carry on until 10-11pm and in between, do 3 meals, clean the house, do the washing.... oh the joys : )

 

And then we had an incident with Hollie which looks like she is grounded for the duration of the summer.

 

And then last week we had a sudden death in the family.

 

So life has pretty a roller coaster this month. Lots of ups and downs.

I think August is going to be pretty much the same.

We are all feeling shocked and very sad right now. My life is a little on hold in case I need to go and be with family. We will have the funeral soon and then my Dad visits from the States for his yearly visit on the 15th. I will have my sister, her hubby, their 3 kids and my brother stay and our Dad of course. And I will still be working on top of all this.  

 

At least I can't say life is dull : )

 

I do hope July has been good for you.

Lots of love and wishing you a happy August xxxxx

      

 

GGGRRRRR & a Sketch & a Circle

GGGGGGGRRRR to more pc problems.
I am so fed up this year. It's one thing after another with my pc.
It's been almost a week since I've been able to update my blog : (
I'm thinking it's time to invest in a new one.
I'm thinking of a mac now.

Anyway, less of the boring stuff. Time for fun scrappy stuff.
The Cocoa Daisy reveal was on Saturday.
I love this months kit sooooooo much. It's a winner in my eyes.
The kit has gone on sale today. Take a peek here.

I did end up with all of the addons this month.  Greedy I know!!

I've just posted the new sketch challenge on the CD blog here.

Here is my LO.

 

I used these Cocoa Daisy Stamps to add around the outside of the circle.

 

 

I used some of the Panda Eight Printables that come with the main kit. I'm hooked on these every month.

 

 

Please come and play with us.

Just add your link with your work to the blog post here by 15th July, 11pm EST and you could win $10 to spend in the Cocoa Daisy store. 

Good luck!!

Fancy Being a Cocoa Daisy Guest Designer???? Plus Giveaways!!!

With the new Cocoa Daisy Site this week there is lots going on.

As my heading here says. Would you like to be the September Guest Designer?
Cocoa Daisy is on the search.
Please take a look here for the full details.
It's easy to apply and it ends Friday 27th June, midnight ET.

There are also other give aways this week.
Like this one here. Tag a friend to win a Day in the Life Kit.

Today we have 3 Daisy Boxes to giveaway here.
Another easy one. Check it out.

Pass on the details to your scrappy friends : )

I have been busy these past few days working on my July kit ready for the full reveal on Saturday.
Here are my sneaks.

 

It's my favourite kit so far this year.

 

Good luck with the Cocoa Daisy Giveaways!!!

xxx

Cocoa Daisy....NEW LOOK!!

Cocoa Daisy has been given a make over.
Come and see here.

We have a lovely new site : )

I've been busy playing with my lovely new July kit this weekend.
Here are a couple of sneaks for now.

 

 

I'm loving this kit so much.

We've had a lovely weekend. But I have Louis off today with a tummy bug : (

I hope you enjoyed your weekend xx

A Free Magazine for All!!!

Yes, it's true.
A free magazine for everyone.
Cocoa Daisy have launched a free online magazine for you.
Come and see for yourself here.

I hope you will love it as much as we do xxx

Almost 15

My baby is almost 15.
Where have the years gone???

This month the Designers Challenge at Cocoa Daisy is set by Nicole.
Nicole's challenge is to use strips of paper in anyway.
You can view the challenge here and see what Denise, Ashley,Martha and Nicole also made.  
The challenge runs til 2nd July if you fancy playing along.

This is my take.

 

 

 

I hope you join in with us too xxx

 

Cocoa Daisy July Sneaks - View Finder & Somethings Happening Soon!!!!

I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to the July Kit arriving.
This one has got me so excited and so many ideas are brewing in this head of mine : )

I'll show you why.

 

And look at the stamps.

 

Can you see why I'm excited?????

 

It was shipped at the end of last week, I hope it's here for the weekend.

See here for full details. The full reveal is June 28th 9pm EST.

 

Whilst we are talking Cocoa Daisy.

We have a countdown....

See at the top there.

 

 

Lots of exciting things coming.

Visit Cocoa Daisy soon so that you don't miss out.

 

xxx

Word Up #84 Light

What does the word 'LIGHT' mean to you?

It was my turn to pick a word over on the OLW challenge blog this month and I picked this word.
You can read what it means to me here.

This is what I created.

 

I used the Cocoa Daisy June Kit here.

 

Please check out what the other DT members created using my word this month and we'd love you to play along with us. Take a look here.

 

Thanks xxx

Jazzing up those Alphas

Hello !!

I have some tips and tricks for you today on the Cocoa Daisy Blog.
It's all alpha talk and how to jazz them up when they aren't quite right for the project that you are creating. You can read it here.

I hope you are keeping well.
It's that crazy time of year for me with work.

I just wanted to share that Hollie had a big GCSE catering exam yesterday. The finals aren't until next June, but this goes as 20% of the final grade.

 

The theme was fruit and veg and they had to make 4 dishes in 2 hrs and present too.

She chose to make.

 

Spicy Tomato Soup served in a bread roll bowl.
Salmon and Cucumber Sushi
Strawberry and Pistachio Cream tartlet
Lemon Soufle inside a real lemon.

Everything made from scratch.

 

She did so well and finished with everything cleaned up with 20mins to spare.
Here's her happy little selfie in her chef's uniform (with her friend in the background)

 

She makes me smile : )

 

Have a lovely day today and thank you for all the kind comments. Always means the world to me xxx

Teeny Weeny Ones

Do you keep a stash of photos ready to scrap?

I have a little dish in my studio. It's like a 'go to' dish. If I don't feel like scrapping the ones I have printed. I go to this dish to see if one of these takes my fancy.
This time I decided to scrap all the teeny weeny ones.
There were just a lovely few that really showed off all the lovely things that we've done together as a family.
It makes me happy to see these.
Kids grow up so fast, sometimes you think, what have we done in all these years?
This LO here just shows it quite well.

 

There's Legoland Windsor (a fave when they were younger)  camping, Disneyworld, beach trip, Charmouth, a playground and a snow day.

 

Happy Memories.

 

 

 

This LO was inspired by the latest Chic Tags Sketch which you can see here.

Lots of lovely Chic Tags goodies on this LO.

 

I hope you are having a good day.

It's sunny here. Yay!!!

xxx

 

 

Breakfast Time & a Sketch & a new Pair of Ears

Would you like to try and win $10 to spend in the Cocoa Daisy store?

All you need to do is to play along with the sketch challenge here.
Click on that link to see the sketch and see what the other girls have made for inspiration.
Then add the link to your gallery or to your blog at the end of the challenge blog post.
Easy!!

Here's my take on the sketch.

 

It's all about how I like to try and make an effort with the kids breakfasts.

It makes me feel happier with them going off to school with full tummies knowing that they've had a healthy start to the day.

 

That task is easier said than done with Hollie these days as she would rather spend the time doing her hair than sitting down for breakfast. So as much as Ade hates it, I am guilty of taking up home made smoothies and juices and Mickey Mouse shaped toast to her room to try and get something healthy inside her before school.

Please play along with us.
We'd love to see what you do with the sketch.
No Cocoa Daisy Kit required to play along.

I hope your weekend has gotten off to a great start.
This was me earlier today with my new ears.

 

So I think you can see how I'm feeling today.

How can one not feel happy when wearing Minnie Mouse ears?!!

 

Hugs xxx

Project Life and some Cards

It's been another one of those weeks.
What is it with me lately??!!!
Just when you think nothing else can go wrong.
Thankfully it's all fixable and nothing life threatening, but it is all really getting to me.

So after a week of pc problems.
I am fully working again. Phew!!!
I have a little catching up to do here.

I have Project Life stuff.
I made this with my June Cocoa Daisy Kit.

I dedicated the whole page to a trip to London back in April.
I turned the gold hearts that were in the kit, misted them in hot pink and stamped over in red to get the right deep pink tone that I needed.

 

I used the 'day in the life' kit for this page.

For some more Project Life inspiration, take a look at this blog post here. 

I put it together for Cocoa Daisy yesterday. It's what all the others on the team made with their 'day in the life' kits. You would not believe that they've all been made with the same little kit. 

There are a few more of these kits available here.

 

 

And a couple of cards made using my kit too.

 

 

 

 

I have so much catching up to do in the land of blog.

I hope you are all well. xxx



 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello Sushi

Morning!!
I wanted to share with you today my favourite LO from my Cocoa Daisy gallery this month.
Hello Sushi.

 

I think this LO really represents the bright and summery-ness of this June kit. 

I actually used mostly the 'Day in the Life' Kit on this page. I've only not got this mini addon kit a couple of times and each time I've really regretted missing it. I love it for Project Life but to be honest, I use it for my LO's and minibooks more so.

 

There were some little gold hearts in the kit, but shiny gold isn't really my thing. So I flipped them over and painted them white for this LO.

 

 

I used one of Ronda's Crafters Workshop Stencils with some PanPastels.

 

 

 

 

If you would like to see more of what this kit has.

Take a look at the DT gallery here for lots more bright and fun inspiration.

Just what you need on this rainy grey day.

 

xxxx

 

Boho Garden Sneaks

Hello,
I hope you had a great holiday weekend.
It rained lots here, so we didn't do too much.
Some movies were watched, cleared out Louis' room, did some grocery shopping, went for ice cream and ate nice food.

Tomorrow is the reveal of the Cocoa Daisy June Kit : Boho Garden.
This kit oozes summer.
Here are my sneaks.

 

 

 

Be sure to check out this kit tomorrow at Cocoa Daisy here. 

 

Lisa xxx

Love This!

Hi,
Did you have a good weekend?
It's been so nice and sunny here : )

I have my last blog post for Scrapmatts as Guest Designer.
I have enjoyed myself so much and have had a blast using this amazing chipboard.
You can see the blog post here.

This is what I made using the chipboard.
There are details and close ups on the Scrapmatts blog.

 

Here's a little list of the chipboard that I have used:

 

Assorted Words - CB6095

Scrapwords - CB1190

Butterflies - CB1158

Birds - CB5045 

Chevrons - CB5106

 

I'm trying to get work wrapped up so I can work on my Cocoa Daisy gallery this afternoon.

My kit arrived last week and it's still in it's box.

Sinful I know!!

 

I hope you are well and had a good weekend xxx

 

 

OLW - #83 - WILL

That's this months 'word'.
WILL
What does this word mean to you and how does it inspire you?

This is what happened when I thought of this word.
The title goes 'WILL HE EVER?????????????????????????'

And here's some of the journaling.

Yes....he's driving us pretty mad at the moment.
And yes, we are guilty if recently holding him down and taping up his mouth : )
It was just as a laugh, no Louis' were harmed in this process and we didn't hold his nose at the same time, honest. We love him really!!

I used lots of this months Cocoa Daisy Kit and added lots of the pretty Scrapmatts chipboard too.

Please let this word inspire you too and see what you end up creating.
Link up to the OLW Challenge blog here and take a look at what the other DT members have created too.
Thanks.

It's been a strange ol' week here. Lots going on.
I'm working long 16hr days, but making sure I take a break this summer and Ade and I have been taking walks. I'm finally loosing weight after gaining slowly for quite some time.
We are eating really well, walking and it's finally coming off.
I'm now 9lb lighter and feel so much better for it.

I wanted to contact Alison who left me a message here on my blog, but I couldn't seem to leave a comment on your's. I loved reading about your move and how brave you've all been. I'm glad things are going well and find your story so inspiring. I wish we had the courage to get up and go. We'd be in Orlando in a shot.
I also understand what you say about struggling to fit scrappy time in. I can honestly say this time of year, if it wasn't for me being on DT's and having deadlines, I don't think I would actually scrap. I'm glad I have these commitments as I enjoy it so much and really do need that creative release that it gives me. 

That's me for today.
I have another DT deadline that I need to squeeze in : )
xxx

DIY and Free P&P

You can always tell when I'm snowed under with work and life, my blog gets neglected.
I'm trying to catch up a little today.
I have lots of work deadlines these next 2 weeks. Big deadlines, so I must get all my scrappy bits and pieces sorted today.

I've just put a blog post together for Papermaze today.
I've used the DIY collection from Simple Stories.
I love how colourful this range is.

I also used one of the new Crafters Workshop Stencils. Art Deco Leaves.
Think this is going to be one of my favourites.

So I have a full post about this layout over at Papermaze here, which includes the little story about why I look like I'm enjoying myself more than Ade does : )
And I also wanted to let you know that Papermaze are having a free postage and packing weekend here.

Back to scrapbooking for me now followed by work.
Who says that Sundays are rest days????
: )
xxx