Calenders and planners for 2009

I have been browsing so many blog spots and sites for inspiration in creating a calender and some sort of household planner ( i added most of the blogspots and websites to my favourites so take a look by visiting the sites linked to my blogspot and search for them).Well here is my idea for 2009 I have modified a sweet little calender template with my own choice of cardstock to mount photo's on from throughout the year.My plan is then to create an album simular to 'A picture is a thousand words' I created a simple one of these for my son way back last February and the link is still on www.shimelle.com. The cardstock blocks are all the same size and co-ordinate in colour (I think)...I would also like to include a samll journalling block to scribe memries from that month ...now that's forward planning.. not one of my strong points but 2009 is to be a turn around on that score as I've decided I'm going to become more organised with my scrapbooking and enter a few more challenges and be adventurous.

Boxes for those little Albums of Christmas joy

My scrap buddy Louise makes beautiful boxes and I have at last discovered a template that fits my 4 x 4's so they will never go in tissue alone again..the beauty being you only need one piece of 12 x 12 ... I can co-ordinate the box with the main paper used in the wee album... so little sticking and cutting is involved in this one..the link is on melzstamps her blogspot link is on my side toolbar...she has so many lovely templates to try and is really talented.

A spirtually uplifting discovery..thankyou

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu...I'm hoping to find a way to download a track to the blogspot so I can share this beautiful music with you.... view him on you tube now http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bawDFY8G-o4
He has been described as a deeply traditional man with the voice of an angel singing of his love of country ( Wiyathul, Galiku), his deep spiritual connection with the land ( Djarimirri, Marrandil), the death of his father ( Bapa), the difficulties of being born blind - which he sings in a mixture of local language and English ( Gurrumul History) - and the importance to his life of continuity and his ancestors.

christmas joy albums

I loved have a creating these wee albums.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

It seems like ages!

I've not posted for a couple of weeks (seems like longer)...n have been poorly these past few days (mind due I now have a bursting desire to do everything at 100 miles an hour after being laid up for a day or two!)Anyway I'm on the up and up now and hoping to go to York this afternoon with K and Paula(festival of angels is also on this weekend so should be lovely ) I've found a great template for a box for 4 x 4 books on melz stampz such a great blogspot..and will post piccies of my 4 x 4 albums of joy in there boxes over the next week or so.My Tinker bell books are complete and I have managed to hand make all my cards this year ...can't believe it just have to post them now!Loved our crafty get together last weekend Linda, Linz,Lou and Leah thanks for coming over.I'm going to have a re hash of my blogspot in the new year and get focused again!

A 'Dash' for Watoto

We completed the Abbey Dash and I'm pleased to say have raised 60.00 for Watoto...Thankyou to all who sponsored and/or purchased albums and cards.

An alternative advent calendar

I've created an advent alternative, numbered little sizzix takeout boxes filled with tiny sweets tied with ribbon on a tiny tree.We don't usually get a tree until a couple of weeks before christmas and so this seemed to be a nice christmassy idea and we get a a christmas tree for the first three weeks of December as well!
Here's how I put it together easy peasy....

Christmas card challenge update

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Watoto auction update

I've managed to raise 59.00 for Watoto through sponsorship and selling my crafts so far!..I've a tinkerbell book in the making for Immaculate's christmas gift and hope to create some smaller albums inspired by the one I create for her...God Bless..

clever crafters November's session

Linda, Kim and myself got together and were so creative and productive ....I've only snaps of my wee bags Linda created a chic black one and Kim inspired us with the large daisy which we all fell in love with over again...sizzix fans will know the die I'm talking about!Kim created some great original little tags it was a real crafty fest...we are on a mission next week to create some cards.
The next session is December 6th and I hope to help folk create their own 4 x 4 albums of christmas joy...I've made these time and time again with slightly different themes they are really cute make a lovely gift and sentimental keepsake.
Hope folks can make it.

Hope....and change...

This week saw Barack Obama elected as USA president...I'm not particularly political and a lot of this goes over my head but i do care about global happennings and I felt a little skip in my heart and a smiley feeling knowing that this 'very' genuine man is going to facilitate some change........Here's a little of his speech

"And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me.

"You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

"Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.

"There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.

"There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.

Card challenge update

Our smilebox has 4 new additions Linzi created some gorgeous cards Christmas Edwin is my fave! Well done I'm inspired

Make a Smilebox slideshow

What a great day away

table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff">Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Watoto Auction and fundraising

Make a Smilebox slideshow

K and I are set to run the Abbey Dash and infact managed 10k last Sunday and so will complete the course!Thankyou so much to work colleagues for supporting me through sponsorship and purchases of my albums.I am on schedule to be able to send my moneys raised at the end of November.Please check out www.Watoto.com and find out more about the work in Uganda.

Happy Diwali 2008

I will wait to hear and see the fireworks later on tonight...best wishes on this years celebrations of the festival of light...

Raising funds for Watoto this November

I have wanted to raise funds for Watoto and have 10.00 in the kitty already but November is my month for it.Alongside my creating a Tinkerbell keepsake album to send to Immaculate, my goal is to be able to send 50.00 to Watoto by the last week November. I am running the Abbey Dash on 23rd and folks i know are sponsoring me... thankyou guys. I'll also be taking my cards and albums to work and then popping them to auction to see if I can make up the difference and make this small contribution to Watoto's great cause. The link for their website is in my links list take a look.

christmas card challenge

I'm trying to motivate myself and get my creative head into Christmas mode... I thought I'd set myself a wee challenge of 4 cards a week and I've got myself going with these few cards.I hope some of my buddies might play along and I can add their cards to the slideshow as well. HELP girls inspiration is needed!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Ulka's birthday

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

clever crafters

We created this weekend, loved it...its so much fun crafting together..

mothers

I got this text today and wanted to blog it as well as forward it ...

A mum has strengths that no one will ever know.She can handle trouble and carry heavy burdens..she holds happiness,love and opinions she smiles when she feels like screaming.She sings when she feels like crying, cries when she's happy and laughs when she's afraid...her love is unconditionalThere's only one thing wrong with her she sometimes forgets what she's worth....

H's little album of growth!

Immaculate's lovely note

I received a thankyou hand written by Emmaculate yesterday.It was so touching and made my week..it read 'How are you? I hope you are fine and doing well.Thankyou for the gifts you sent me.Thankyou for loving me.I love you so much May God Bless You bye bye Love from immaculate'.Supporting Watoto has been such a pleasure so far please check out their website.I will be auctioning another book on ebay in October for Watoto.

Eid Mubarak

I loved making these trading cards for the girls at work..I'll not be there next year and will miss them.For the past 3 years I've worked in various communities that have honoured the 'Blessed month of Ramadan' and celebrated Eid. Activities have varied from being very involved in delivering Eid parties (lots of fun andgot to dress up too!) to creating these little tokens.

This weekends coming crafty creations

These are the mini boxes and notelets we are making this weekend.I've used ink and stamping to decorate one and then experimented embossing for a christmas one ...hoping to have fun this weekend with making these again in good company girls.The template can be found on www.melsstampz.blogspot.com ..she shares and is really inspirational thankyouoooooo

Thankyou Lou

soooo pleased with my creation from Lou's stampin up workshop visit her blogspot at louiseedwards.blogspot.com ....loved it thanks luvvy.

large paperbag album for pre school keepsaking

Just before I tidy away ...(as I've promised a sunday meal post football to my hungry fella's) I've snapped the progress so far on this latest project.
resources include:
Rough and tumble cardstock + embelli's K and Co
Stampin up cardstock and ink
Disney alphabet
photo corners- sizzix
co-ordinating brads
...imagintation and we are on our way.
I sketched out the pages before I started and have some large envelopes for the blank pages as storage of pre school memorabilia was what my friend wanted to do with this album.hopefully I'll complete it next weeked.

Back on track

I've two lovely projects for other people I'm getting into this weekend. I'm looking forward to the getting stuck in and am about to take the dining table hostage to get the first one on the go.I'll post photos later.This first album is going to be a larger paper bag album for a work colleague to store some preschool memries for her son.He has some favourite things and so I've sat down and chosen the colours and papers from a lovely K and Co range called rough and tumble. More die cuts are on there way and there will be plenty of storage space for things alongside some pages celebrating her little boys favourite things and areas to celbrate his transition and growth through the preschool years.
I'm also excited about getting together a wee keepsake for Harry...what a joy it will be I love doing these little 4 x 4 for boys, and they seem to like them to!think it is likely to be rustled up over next weekend.
Thanks to my pals things have lifted my spirits and my emotional barometer is back 'up there'..our canal run in the sunshine this morning was great.....upwards and onwards...

summertime memory mini book

Thankyou to Pauline, Tess, Dawn and Lou I had a lovely birthday weekend last Saturday and our little crafting get together Saturday inspired me...thankyou so much girls.
I'm posting piccies of the completed album soon.. it was a tiny one into which I just wanted to add childhood memories and the sea side... Chel and I did a trip to Whitby this weekend it refreshed my heart and soul..yes that it where I dream to get my little retirement cottage, Sandsend Whitby...mmmmm dreams ehh.

Sunshine on a Rainy day in Pateley Bridge

Thankyou girls for a lovely walk and good company...not to mention the yummy hot chocolate and pork pies!

Make a Smilebox postcard

Carnival it

Every year we 'Carnival it'... it reminds us of where we started our life in Leeds and I love it. I've created a slideshow from the snaps I've salvaged from over the years...

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Scrapbooking 'teens'

Scrapbook.com had this nice article on scrapbooking your child's teenage years..I liked it as I've had a problem getting any shots of my son for a while now and the unrepeatable gestures and retaliations from him if i try a sneaky shot are at the best slightly amuzing and at the worst a whole day in ruins...he is a great teenager and I'm learning so these hints and tips and observations were intersting I thought Lou might like a look for some hints and tips for her 'nearly teenager'.I tried to pop the link in my links but it hasn't worked properly yet so here it is again.

http://www.scrapbook.com/articles/doc/34685/327.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=08-26-08&utm_campaign=snapload

Football crazy

Yes the football season is about to begin....here are my little Arsenal and Brazil Edwins...inspired and guided by hubby and son's passion for the game.

I've completed my Challenge

Yep i did it Lou and Linz..Here are my cards that I devoted much of Saturday this weekend to... loved creating them and especially a special one for a friend at work to celebrate a special event for her grandson. I've got a buzz for a little challenge are anymore coming up?

mini albums blogspot