Squirrel Way Gala

Kirsty and I met some super folks at the Squirrel way gala.So many people wanting to get into the scrapbooking process, thankyou for being so enthusiastic and don't hesitate in getting in touch if you have any questions.Thankyou to Kate for chatting to us about her love of cardmaking keep up the good work and continue with your creativity.Also anyone wanting to get in touch about special orders please do so... there were some super uses for the albums in keepsaking children's rights of passage/transitions and it was lovely hearing how ndividuals were going to share celebrating the joys their loved ones bring..........love to all.

Our day in Whitby

This free digital scrapbooking design made with Smilebox

I collected some great tiny shells to make mermaid tails out of ....here comes the first page of my seashore album.We had a super day pottering around love spending time with you mum, what a lovely birthday week i had.

Such meaningful work

Emma and her daughter Mia are involved in such meaningful work running their charity Cherished.I'm so very privileged to have been approached by them to create some special albums for their memory boxes.Thankyou girls i will create these lovely little albums from my heart.

http://cherishediom.weebly.com/index.html

Shaped easel cards...

A new discovery to try.... using the images coloured yesterday..may only get one done today as am scooting off to see my lovely mum
http://in2crafting.blogspot.com/2010/05/tutorials-nestabitlies-shaped-easel.html

http://www.mousepotatodesigns.com/?p=1926

Lazy Saturday...by mistake

My Saturday did a full circle from being a day of scooting around to my spending the whole day painting up some stamps with my twinkling h2o's...as often happens when there is a lot of change going on in my life i'd got my dates and times muddled for various appointments...it doesn't matter whether i put them in my diary, mobile phone or what i have a short ciruit in my brain that seems overlook the real world and if i don't stand still then it makes me ..i'm quite grateful for it however...the real world maybe a little frustrated with me! .... i believe i was probably just meant to craft 24 hours a day !because rather than worrying about it that's what i do and i adored colouring in and experimenting with copics and sparking paints...Sweet Pea stamps are absolutely gorgeous here's a link http://http//sweetpearubberstamps.blogspot.com/search/label/Soft%20Goth%20Night

A lovely lady sent me some coronado mermaid images with a recent purchase...they are gorgeous tooooo.. http://cidesignstamps.com/bloomers.shtml

Where do you wish to make a fresh start?

Jamie Ridler and all those participating in todays wishcasting have stimulated thought in me again..A fresh start.....

My fresh start will involve my taking care of myself and avoiding working the very long hours i often do..
It will involve me being a little more assertive about my needs and opinions when it really matters.
It will involve my continuing to let go of the small everyday irritations and frustrations.

It will involve me continuing to focus on the bigger picture and continue to feel that the universe will unfold as it is meant to.
I will also continue to hold onto the goal of working less and looking for the work life balance i strive to achieve..
Thankyou for my fresh start..

compendium quote of the week

How can compendium quotes aways come and seem so poignant this one is just what i need to hear at this point on my journey.................

''There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.''
-Douglas Everett

mini album giveaway

http://lifeandtimesofa12x12addict.blogspot.com/

Hope i've popped this link in successfuly as i'd like a chance to be in the draw for some mini book giveaways from life andtimes of a 12 x 12 addict...I loved the post about her son doing good in his exams it's made me reflect.

......third time lucky i think i've managed the link now...i've wanted to know how to do this for ages...

Minis that remind me i'm a mum

I browsed through these two minis , i've lots of them i tend to create them from paper bags and there are quite a few in my blog entries ...I created these some time ago and they remind me 'i am still a mum'...my son is so grown up know it great for him and part of my journey to 'let him go' but right now i do miss that little boy who was so eager to have me as his play pal and depended on me...This 4 x 4 mini i made this time last year when he'd done his exams and was moving into sixth form ...the other is an a5 project over quite a few years where i followed one of Shimelle's classes it is crammed with thoughts and reflections on things that evoked emotion in my son over the years... i sooo love looking at it..it shows him loving his chocolate Lebinz biscuits..him actually looking relaxed..i snapped him multi tasking once with the phone cocked under his chin whilst he tried to get his socks on still wrapped in his duvet but arranging to go out with his friends (he spends more time wrapped in the duvet than clothed!) and him walking away but keeping his temper when i made him walk with me! There's such a lot of journalling in here from me and i hope it'll be in his keepsake box forever and give him a few laughs when he is forty!
I have one i must finish for him.. a football one ...he loves his football and i've some great piccies i must put in the album i created a couple of months ago ...i thnk this bank holiday i may just take a break and do that one...I love being a mum..

I need my rose tinted spectacles

My son turns 18 next birthday...i feel a little reflective as he has been on my mind a lot recently.... there is some hard work ahead regarding him applying himself to his A level courses ...My hubby and i are so lucky to be able to be in some sort of position to support him he is our only one... i feel a little sad when i analyse the present job market, the expense of living and the inequity there is regarding those that are financially and socially advantaged and those that are less advantaged...i see it every day at work ...I tend to see the world through rose tinted spectacles.. it has always been my saviour and allowed me to avoid cynicism and burnout... there are some amazing examples of those who do so well regardless of some awful situations but it is soooo hard for them.... if i could have my wishcasting wednesday again i would wish to fill them with optimisim and aspirations for the future... to be all they want to be or do all what they want to do or simply see what a great job they are doing regardless of the terrible time they might be having...I wish the government could see what they are doing though i am trying not to slide in negativeness but the present climate is going to cause a lot of problems for a lot of very vulnerable sections of society and i'm seeing it start now.

Wishcasting Wednesday

http://jamieridlerstudios.ca/wishcasting






Thankyou to Tara Joyce for the encouragement she gives and all those connections through Tara and the I am proud to be an innerpreneur' website....Jamie Ridlers website is a truly wonderful inspiring way to feel positive and progress with your dreams thankyou soooo much i'm making my first wish....

My Wish for Wishcasting Wednesday is to sleeeep i wish for some nights of sweet healing sleep to prepare me for the changes ahead......

Julia's albums

Some after piccies of an album i created for my lovely friend Julia.

before i personalise i create a basic book shape and dsign with the colours and themes requested:

mermaid name!

Couldn't resist this one i've followed a link to a mermaid name generator, thankyou Yasmindeboo...

Your mermaid species is: Green Harbour Watcher

Her Latin name is: Viridans Ostia

Brown hair, vivid green tail, hair and dorsal fin offering good disguise in weed beds.

A gregarious, friendly subspecies, the Ostia is often seen swimming near to small harbours and is fond of catching the bow waves of boats, playing alongside dolphins and other porpoises.

Get your free mermaid name here!

My very own seashore album

I've created this album for myself to capture some of my seashore musings and memories of beachcombing..and watching the waves throughout all the seasons.I hope to show it again crammed with memories.I've arranged to go to Whitby for my birthday this will inspire me ....I love Whitby...Can't wait mum we'll have a lovely trip!

Erte Album

Decorating this album was a real joy...the papers i prepared myself from silhoutte fairies disc and then cosmic shimmer mists on white matted on black to the inside as removable photo mounts i've still to work on some flourishes and altered art to the inner pages..however my inspration is in the cover and I'll be returning to the album when i have some days off in September....

Blog Candy from 3D Jean

Wow I've just won some gorgeous 3d Jean blog candy! i'm such a lucky girl!Thankyou so much

little pieces of art on my spring cards

These little pieces i created seemed to be super themes for these spring cards.

spring card

Recovering from a cold this weekend just managed my one card with delightful 'Erte'.Added a small pocket in which to slide a 'travel' themed tag, although a greek Goddess of love i think the card might be a nice keepsake for an lover of the sea and travel.Love this seahorse paper...and basic grey swirls clear stamps are great to use on these seashore projects as they are so 'seafoam like and swirly'..its hard to see them on this card as used them on pannels at sides of diamond shaped front.




Tip: if the topper is heavy the card is less springy i've reinforced the gusset on this one and may need to reinforce it again...plus enlarged the design template so have to get an 8x8 expandable envelope or make my own for her!if anyone has any ideas or a template for an expandable evelope would love to know about it.

inspirational words

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~Melody Beattie

sping card

I have just created 4 spring cards to decorate this weekend(to celebrate surviving my first 3 days back at work after my beach holiday)...they'll have an oceans and seashore theme and were inspired by 3D Jean's websites delightful sring card with a vintage seaside feel...watch this space i'm tring to put the link for the blogspot on my side bar...there's so much great inspirational stuff here.

ERTE - Sea Goddess

I have just painted up a few imgages of this gorgeous stamp..she came from Canada and i am creating a special album with a lot of mermaid images in it she will take pride of place...Its the first time i've 'gone to town' using my copics and cs paints...oooh i could have carried on all night however i am back to work tomorrow.. a reality check it's time to think about an early night.

p.s.My tip is emboss the images..as they can then be used with pens and paints.I like to use black versafne and clear emboss there is less bleeding of colours.

albums to peruse

A photo slideshow by Smilebox

oooh back to my craft room

Just got back from a holiday which was a lovely rest..Thankyou Chella for making it possible what a great break it was...had a gentle emotional emerse in 'Family Matters' a great read by Rohinton Mystery however...my craft room is calling but first a consitutional run with K n brekky at the deli...Thankyou K and Linda for looking after our little luvlies Jazz n Bats.

Tenerife

Make a free picture slideshow

Bramley Carnival Sunday 18th

What a lovely day thanks to Kirsty, Kim and my lovely Chel ...Linda thankyou for your yummy cream cake ..

Mermaids, seashore and ocean memory albums

' the sea once it casts its spell, it

holds one in its net of wonder forever'

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=277896788218

This is a link to a compendium video for your inspiration take a look and feel great all day!

creating to my favourite tunes

Mermaids...so many of them and so many ideas of how to use them just not quite enough hours in the day to explore all the possibilities.I was pleased to find a few Einaudi pieces on the internet i misplaced (nothing is ever lost) my favourite album I Giorni such a long time and simply hummimg along to the pieces i keep hearing on the t.v isn't the same as floating around the house listening to it at my leisure...Mermaid creations to post later..............

Fly by Ludovico Einaudi

Fly by Ludovico Einaudi

slideshow of albums created

Just some quick albums to share here and pass on to others... I'm inspired to move onto my project ....'seashores and mermaids' what joy ..

Free digital slideshow made with Smilebox