The Joys of Parenthood

One from the heart today....

I'm usually a very bubbly and upbeat person.
But recently I let them get the better of me.



I had a week of Hollie and her raging pmt. Evil is the one word I would use to describe her at this time.
And then the week we went away Louis drove me bananas. Just completely hyper whilst we were away. Constantly on the go and non stop silliness, chatter, having to be asked to do something several times before having to raise our voices for him to actually do what he was asked to do. It was hard going.
This was when I sat down and created this LO.
They say it's good for the soul to get it down on paper, don't they?!


The 'Sprout' Cocoa Daisy kit was great for this LO. The blues and greens, I love the etsy badges that come in the main kit. It's nice to have something a bit different. The butterflies in the kit went really well too. Especially when you have that feeling like you just need to get away : )
Yes, this LO was definitely a form of therapy.



Thankfully all is good again.
We had a good start to the new school term yesterday.
Happy kids. Louis vacuumed before school, Hollie helped make a pie with me for dinner after school. We all sat down after dinner and watched something on TV that we had recorded.

I think sometimes the downs are good for you though.
They make you appreciate the good times even more so.

xxx

Growing Up

Hello,
I hope you had a good weekend.

My new Cocoa Daisy kit arrived last week. It's so lovely and so much fun.
Whilst we were away I played with this months kit and used Jen's sketch to make this.
(click to enlarge)



I spray misted a circle and added to my page.
I doodled around some circles and added some twine from the main kit.
I love the 'grow' stamp. I can see myself using this lots.



I took the photos of Hollie and Louis as they were about to go down to the local shops on their own. Hollie has been out and about alone for a little while now, but this is all new to Louis. It's nice that he has her to go with him though. But it makes me feel nervous all the same.
Another sign of them growing up.



Here are some sneaks on the May Kit Grafitti Bridge by Cocoa Daisy.







I hope you get some crafty time in this week xxx

International Reveal Time

Are you free tonight?
It's International Reveal time at Cocoa Daisy at 3pm EST.
(8pm uk - 9pm Europe)

Come and see what we've been up to with our April Kits.
Here are my sneaks for now.

Upcoming Scrapbooking / Art Classes

Hello : )
On this lovely sunny morning!!

I hope you are having a good week. Almost the weekend now.
I just wanted to share my next Swindon classes that are coming up.
The classes are both held next Saturday 21st April at Sparkle Dreams.

The morning class is a large Mixed Media Canvas class.
10.30am



And this fun layout class.
1pm.



If you have any questions contact me on :
lisa@funkyfairies.co.uk

or you can book direct with Sparkle Dreams here.
01793 855472

I'm really looking forward to teaching these classes.
We always have so much fun and such a giggle in this store : )

Enjoy your day xxx

Lots of Layers

Hiya,

Another Papermaze blog post from me today.
Remember those Bella papers I was playing with the other day?
Well, here is another LO I made using the same papers.


Papermaze sent me some lovely bits and pieces through. I wanted to use them all : )
So I decided to have lots of layers so I could.
The paper was a little busy I felt to go straight next to my photos, so I added some gesso first.
The I cut the papers up and layered away.
I still felt something wasn't quite right at the end though and bought in some black which really helped. I mounted the whole page onto black and then continued this with a black scalloped edge and the black circles.
Suddenly the whole LO pulled together.

I love all the journal cards that match these papers, makes journaling very easy.
My football crazy boy!!

My latest Cocoa Daisy kit arrived today.
Can you believe it only took 7 days from the US and that was over the Easter weekend, not bad!!
I have cleared my evening, printed off pics and will scrap tonight.
This kit is soooooo cool.
We are preparing for the Spring Crop, so lots to do : )

Enjoy the rest of your day xxx

The Art of Altering

Hello : )

I've really got into altering this past year or so.
Which reminds me, I never did share the table I altered for Ade's birthday last summer.
I quite often pick up bits and pieces when I'm out and about. Things that I want to revamp.
I have a whole basket full in my studio.

One item I picked up last year was this mini set of drawers.


It stands just 7inches/17cm tall and I knew I could do something with it one day.
So when the next challenge came up at LESSology called 'chest of drawers' I knew the time had come to tart up this little baby!!
Et voila!


Hollie and I covered it in old book pages pages, mod podge followed by gesso.
I inked the egdes in a reddy pink and brushed the ink over slightly in places to soften and give it a soft girlie touch.

I then finished it off with this Studio Calico wooden heart.



It's now sitting on my desk looking very pretty.

Come and join us at LESSology.
See what my teamies came up with here.
You can play along and add your own project here. You have until 6th May.
We are sponsored this month by : http://paperandsuchonline.com/
Who have kindly donate some stamps for the lucky winner.

I hope you feel inspired : )
Happy altering.

xxx

It's Spring Crop Time!!!!!

(click to view the fantastic line up)

I love the Cocoa Daisy Crops. They are so much fun!!
Come and join us over the weekend of April 27-29th.
If you haven't registered with Cocoa Daisy already, you can do so here.

I promise you it will be fun and very inspirational....and it's all free : )

Roman for the Day

Happy Bank Holiday Monday to all my English friends today!!!!

I'm popping in to share this LO with you today that I made last month for Papermaze.
I got sent some lovely Bella Paperboy Paperz. They were so much fun to cut up and create with.
I made this.


Louis had a Roman day at school. Thankfully I still had the dress from when it was Hollie's turn a couple of year previous. So I just added the helmet, chest shield and sword to 'man it up' a little.


I love these papers and they are so perfect for little boys.
I did a mini tutorial which you can read on Papermaze here.

I hope you have something nice planned today.
It's raining here, but we are taking the kids swimming this morning.

We watched a really good movie last night. 'Stranger than Fiction'.
I really really recommend it. It's with Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman.
Not your typical Will Ferrell movie.
I've woken up today still thinking about it. Really loved it.

Enjoy your day xxx

Drawing Inspiration

Hello,

I'm back after a week away at our yearly Easter Break spot.
Charmouth on the Dorest Jurassic Coast in the UK.
We go there every year and love it.
We just got back 3hours ago. Unloaded the car and the washing machine won't start.
: (
Gutted!!!

But the week away was good. Despite Louis driving me bonkers.
The weather wasn't the best, but we had hot sun the first couple of days and yesterday too. Mum joined us yesterday and we had the best beach walk ever. The tide was right out and we walked for a good couple of hours. The low tide revealed massis of rock that was just covered in fossils. Totally amazing. I can't wait to share the photos here.

Right now though I need to go and break another argument up I can hear going on in the background (rolls eyes!)
So I shall leave you with this gallery lift I have done for Cocoa Daisy.
I got to choose a piece of art from the Cocoa Daisy gallery. I picked a piece from Mette and I made this LO here.
(click to enlarge and read the story if you like)



Here is Mette's beautiful LO that inspired me.



The full blog post is here.
And Mette's beautiful blog is here.

I used this months Cocoa Daisy kit to make my LO. It sold out super fast!!
I took it away with me to design with and fell so in love with it. I created 4 LO's so fast and easily. Always a sign of a fab kit I say.

Better get back to family life....sorting out shouty kids and broken washing machines.
Happy Easter!!!

xxx

A Herby Kinda Gift

Good Morning : )

I hope you are enjoying the sunshine.

It was a sweet friend's birthday recently. She invited a load of us girls over for lunch and laid on the most magnificent Indinesian buffet.
I wanted to take something really sweet to take over to her and made this.




I used a Cocoa Daisy kit from a couple of months ago.
I decorated a little gift bag for a bracelet I bought.



I love the little wooden flags from MME 'Funday'.



And as she loves to cook, I bought a pot of coriander instead of flowers and added raffia and a felt stitched heart to the galvanised bucket. (I love my glue gun)
I also made this felt heart pick with a little 'coriander' flag.




I love making gifts for friends.

Well better get back to work.
See you later xx

SCRAP 365

Hello : )

It's still bright and sunny in England.
Did you buy your copy of SCRAP365 this month?




If you visit the SCRAP365 blog there is a free template to download this month.

Here are my sneaks from this months copy.
A 'home' LO about my kitchen.


And I did a step by step feature about sewing on your LO's







If you have your copy, I hope you are loving it : )

Don't forget the Cocoa Daisy Reveal tonight.

xxx

Sharing Art Journaling

There was a time not so long ago when I blogged every single day.
I am really struggling to keep up now. I have stuff to blog but I run out of hours each day.
I think my blog is feeling rather neglected and unloved right now.

I meant to blog yesterday about the art journaling class I taught at Sparkle Dreams in Swindon on Sunday.
It was so so much fun. An absolute smashing group of ladies.
Apparently our laughter could be heard all over the store. It was one of those classes where we just laughed so much.
I can't wait for the next one now : )


I took my little brother along with me.
He's a scrapbooker, but very arty with it so I knew this would be right up his street.
I was right : )


His first art journal.

I feel very proud of him.



Something else I've been wanting to share is the latest Ron Howard movie that's being filmed in walking distance of where we live.
We have a massive Commonland in Yateley and a big disused runway. So they are filming a new F1 movie based on Nikki Lauder and James Hunt.
The whole crew has been so accomodating to us locals and we can walk around up there and watch the filming.

Ade and I walked by on Friday on the way to pick the kids up from school and were lucky enough to meet Ron Howard.
We went with friends after school a couple of weeks ago and got to watch some filming.
We were amazed that they really do shout 'Camera Action'. To hear those words was so exciting.
A scene was being filmed here.




We had been watching the F1 car in a shoot. It had all teh cameras attached to it and it was zooming up and down the runway.
I found it quite scary just stood behind this flimsey fence with the kids while the car was going up and down so fast.



And there you see the clapper board. 'Camera Action'.



How cool is that!!

School run time, better dash.
Thanks for visiting me xxx

Scrap Her Style

It's challenge time at Cocoa Daisy again.
And it's my turn : )

In celebration of our lovely Ronda's first book launch this month, I thought it would be really fun to base the challenge around Ronda.
So the challenge is 'Scrap Ronda Style'. Layers, paint,mists, handwriting.
Here's my layout - Ronda style.


I scrapped a photo that I took during a visit toLondon over Louis' birthday weekend.
He sticks his thumb up for every photo right now. I wasn't even aware that he knew I was taking this photo as it was of Ade and Louis has his back to me. He still managed to get that thumb in though.


I've used a mish mash of Cocoa Daisy kits from the past 2 kits.
And had fun with all the layers.

Take a look at the actual challenge for more details or how to play along.
Here is Ronda's book.
I received my email from WHSMITHS just this morning to say the book has been dispatched : )
Take a look at Ronda's blog to see where you can order your copy from.

xxx

Art Journaling for Beginners

Hey!!!
The sun is shining again : )
Puts me right in the mood to create.

I'm teaching in Swindon at Sparkle Dreams this coming Sunday.
A beginners Art Journal Class if you fancy it?
We'll be covering everything from prepping the journal to creating colourful pages using different mediums and techniques.
The class is just £15 and you get everything you need included in this.
Take a peek.






If you want to book visit the Sparkle Dreams blog here.
Or you can call the store on Tel: 01793 855472
The class starts at 11am until about 1.30pm.
I promise you it will be fun and very creative and abit messy too : )

It was my birthday yesterday.
A funny day and I never acheived what I wanted which was a quiet day alone, just me and my paints.
Instead I had to sort Hollie's passport renewal which took longer than expected due to big queues at the post office and I ended up having to cancel my pilates class. Then I wanted to get a few worky jobs done but the phone didn't stop ringing and I had visitors and it just all went to pot. I didn't get my afternoon after school with the kids due to more visitors, dinner was then late .... so I need to plan another day of quiet and quality time with the kids.

I didn't ask for anything as we are planning a Florida trip, so I got cheques instead : )
I'm saving like crazy right now and selling so much stuff on Ebay.
Almost £900 ($1400) in the past month. I'm doing so well and decluttering at the same time.
A really good feeling.
I did get this beautiful crotched garland from my lovely Nicky : )
It goes perfect on my fireplace.



And Hollie's card made me smile.


I bought a Raclette a couple of weeks ago, so that was dinner last night with the kids.
Steak, big prawns (shrimp), hot wings, chorizo, olives, fresh bread and lots of salads and dippies. Ade stopped off at the American Store near us and bought home some Ranch Dressing & decent Blue Cheese dressing too.
It reminded us of the resort we stay at in Orlando. They do the best wings with ranch and blue cheese. We just love that by the pool : )

Well that's me for today.
Have a lovely one. Thanks for visiting xxx