Tuesday, 6 April 2010

Ok, who's eaten the Easter Bunny, Oscar?

April 06, 2010 1 Comments
Can't believe its April already. Easter has been and gone and not a single Easter egg in our house this year. I think it's because Oscar single handedly murdered most of the rabbit population up here last year including the Easter bunny!

Inspired by Sarah's cards retreat I have been back scrapbooking and doing some of the photos I've had sat around for a while.

My gorgeous girls Jenna and Lauren, all dressed up for Lauren's first holy communion (Lauren is 19 now)

Jenna and me at my wedding 1999

MP and I 1998

Travis watching the snow from the warmth of the conservatory

On the subject of SNOW. Where did that come from last week? After several weeks snow free and the weather warming up slightly, the curlews arriving back on the moor for the summer, the first lambs, I awoke Thursday to several centimetres of snow outside! I was really not happy as you can imagine, made worse by the fact that MP went off to work early in his car, with his winter tyres on and I was taking my own car to work as I had to go to an all day meeting in Bradford.

So I stayed put till the very last minute and when it looked as if it had melted some I set off down the hill and straight to my meeting. Luckily the hill wasn't too bad and by the time I got home it had mostly melted. So with the snow and a potential speeding ticket acquired on the way home (just waiting to see if I braked in time) not a great day.

I've not been so good with my altered art diary lately and am a little behind. For some reason I missed some days in February (have a sneaking suspicion I am getting altzheimers) and a few in March and I know it isn't alcohol related. April is started and I will try to crack on this week and catch up.

February's pages

March's unfinished pages

I helped my neighbour at the weekend bottle feed some of the lambs. Well I say helped :o) it was so cool but apparently thats because I don't have to do it 3 times a day, although I have offered to keep one at my place to help out. Wonder what the cats would make of that? My reward for helping with the lambs was one of Sarah's wonderful home made rhubarb pies, which as usual didn't even make it to dinner time. Wonderful pastry.

I have also just completed another 2 months in the altered tag swap on UKS. I have no idea what I've done with the February tags but here are the March (Celtic) ones I received.



And here's a sample of the one I made (unfinished) as I cocked up and made 9 instead of 6, getting confused with a bookmark swap I took part in .........

I went to see Alice In Wonderland with my buddy Kathb and her gorgeous daughter Ellie. What a great film, if you haven't seen it yet then what are you waiting for? Johnny Depp is brilliant as the Mad Hatter and Helen Bonham Carter is perfect as the Red Queen, shame about Anne Hathaway's dodgy eyebrows.


I also succumbed to purchasing New Moon on DVD. The film is great and I enjoyed it more than Twilight but the abbs!!!!! Six pack heaven :o)

gratuitous totty shot

And finally .......... how cute was I?


Mum recently met up with some relatives of hers she hasn't seen in years and one of them gave her this photo of me from when I was a new baby that mum had sent to her. Gorgeous or what? Wonder what went wrong!! Looking forward to scrapping this one.

Till next time :o)
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Sunday, 21 March 2010

Oopppss

March 21, 2010 0 Comments

I can't believe I haven't blogged for so long. I knew it had been a while and I've been meaning to do it but over a month!!! So trying to get back on track, here is whats been going on in Feb and March so far.....

Feb remained pretty naff from a weather perspective, not able to get to any crops and 'working' from home alot :o) also a lot of home based crafting so as not to miss out too much.

I've been having a bash at some 'art journalling' inspired by the art calendar challenge and utube. I'm finding the hardest bit for me is the backgrounds so I've been playing with colours and textures. So far I've managed ...



and with the start of some embellishing ....


and a couple I've managed to finish (in another journal)



One of my favourite sayings from Greys Anatomy

I've also been continuing with the Nancy Lefko class and after an initial poor choice of colours (well guess its trial and error at the beginning) my collages are starting to look a little better.


looking a little bit bland


getting there


much happier with this one

I also got my January tags back from the UKS swap I am in and joined a UKS bookmark swap (what a glutton for punishment). These are the January tags I received and lovely they are too


March saw me celebrate a birthday and I was lucky enough to spend it with 80 odd other crafters and scrapbookers at a retreat planned and hosted by Sarah and Lianne from Sarah's Cards. What a fantastic weekend and I have already booked for the 2011 one :o)

A full weekend of classes, meeting new people, putting faces to familiar UKS names and of course shopping.


a quiet moment in the room


the shop in all its glory

I shared a room with my UKS buddy Kathb, who didn't actually snore as bad as expected and is brave enough (I think) to be my room mate on next years weekend. So busy was the weekend the birthday bottle of Champers didn't get touched but as the retreat next year is my birthday weekend again, I shall save it for then.


Kathb hiding from yet another photo

So having come back from the retreat, another year older, stuffed from too much food (I should not be let near buffets) it was back to work. On a positive note - March has been snow free :o)

Well, thats all thats happened so far, told you my life was dull ..............

Off to Whittle Le Woods (or Dunny in the Wold, as I like to call it) crop today, so best go pack up the car and get ready.

Will not leave it so long to blog next time and I need to post up my completed February calendar pages - yes Katherine, so far I am managing to stick with it :o)

Take care till next time
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Wednesday, 27 January 2010

Busy doing nothing

January 27, 2010 2 Comments

I mentioned in my previous post an art journal diary thing I had joined through a forum on UKS, well here are my partially done January pages


I am not much of a doodler or artist so there isn't a great deal and the pages aren't finished yet as I said. I have to be honest I am really enjoying this so far and it has taken quite a while to do this much, but I am liking what I see.

I have never really kept a journal or diary before (except my filofax and I don't think that counts) and having done this much I can see why ............... my life is soooooo boring! All I seem to do is go to work (don't say a word mother) but in fairness January has been even worse for social activities due to the S**W. Lets hope February is better.

And talking of February, I have started my pages already ........


I have gone for a 'romance' theme, not because there is much in my life but it is allegedly the season for it.

I've also been cracking on with the Nancy Lefko class and this is stage one of the workshop, preparing and priming the base:


I've used chipboard 5x7, covered it with distressed old papers and music sheets (printed off the internet and distressed with Tim's Old Paper distressed Ink and a stencil brush) and primed with Claudia Hellmuths matt medium. Next stage to decide on my theme and paint accordingly, which has meant I have had to invest in some new acrylic paints :o)

Finally, I've also done another 'Christmas' tag for my colleagues at work. At this rate the others will be getting them for Christmas 2010 but hey ho. So here is the one for my boss, It has a slight 'romance' feel about it as she got married last year. The backing paper is the musical score for the wedding march which I found on line, down loaded, printed and distressed. What a wonderful thing the internet is ...


So as you can see I have been busy doing nothing ...................

Thanks for looking
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Saturday, 23 January 2010

So Happy :o)

January 23, 2010 1 Comments
I have never been so delighted to be kept awake half the night as I was last Friday. The wind was howling and the rain lashing down on the conservatory attached to my bedroom - wonderful. What made that so fantastic you might ask - well, the met office got the forecast right and it was getting rid of the snow!

So, on waking up Saturday and looking out the window grass could be seen! I was not the only one delighted to see the green carpet outside, my neighbours chickens (who had not been seen for weeks) made a mad dash down the field when let out obviously to find the best spot. I love it when the let the chickens out in a morning it's like the wacky races and those little critters really can move.

It also meant that I got out of the house for the first time in nearly a week, having taken holidays or worked from home, that MP and I could go and buy some coal, the nice coal man could deliver our pre Christmas order, we could get our post and most importantly we could arrange to get gas delivered Monday morning.

So as I sit here now, a week later, I sit in a warm house :o) (well as warm as it gets). The gas people delivered (only half a tank but the rest is coming), the fire is lit and blazing away, we can cook meals in the oven instead of the microwave and WE CAN SHOWER again - bliss :o)

My days off were put to good use though. I am participating in a monthly tag swap on UKS so I managed to get both the January and February tags completed and my entry for a CJ I am in. So not wasted.

January Tags

February Tags

I've also completed stage one of the Nancy Lefko class and started a monthly journal diary, mentioned in one of the groups on UKS. Will post photos later.

The other wonderful thing about no snow - I can finally get to the hairdressers and get my roots done and the mop cut and as I have the first appointment of the day, I had better get a move on.

Thanks for reading and back later all red and glossy.
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