WOYWW 69

Well this is my workdesk today.

It is full of scraps that i am trying to use up to make tags. Really, have you ever looked at your stash with a clinical non-crafter's pair of eyes....how much stuff do we hoard?!?

I have no end of bits of left over paper from pages and cards that I have made in the past. I never throw anything out, as it isnt so easy for me to source replacements here. Although there are lots of  online stores offering international postage, we havent figured out how to guarantee their way through the postal system here. I hardly ever use the scraps, instead I end up having to find storage for them. So, what better use for them than to put them towards a good cause.

One of our friends needs urgent surgery and it is going to cost a lot of money. To that end, one of the local cafes is organising a fund raising event and tags is my contribution. You dont get many tags of any description here, and it was suggested that i should make some to donate rather than cards.

I will post later with some photos showing my efforts. Right now I am playing at cutting up old cards and bits of stash scraps and hoping that it all comes together in time.

Of course I will be popping over to see what is on the other WOYWW desks through the day.

happy wednesday

what a crazy busy few days

Well, after lots of work making pages for mum's birthday, it all finally came together. Thank goodness for preparation though. It was such a busy day yesterday i only just had time to send an email and set mum's on-line treasure hunt in motion. Thankfully everything was taken in the spirit it was intended. The pages were found (from a previous post) and appreciated.

I have had quite a busy weekend, which was nice. Tried a new bar in the resort, did some shopping and worked on some cards. It is good to keep the mind occupied as well as the hands.

A message for mum

Happy Birthday Mum

As you will have noticed by now there is a little more work attached to getting your present this year. This is in no small way associated with how much work i have put into the present.

Your last task is to text me to say that you have read this post and you will be rewarded with the location of your present.

lots of love
me
xx

on your bike....

It's what I've been saying to myself all week.

I bought a bicycle for myself as a late birthday present in June. The weather was so hot though, i only got 2 weeks use out of it before it got stored upstairs. I did make sure that it had mud guards so i am hoping even in the winter rain i will get a bit more use out of it than i have over the last 3 months of summer.

I can remember cycling as a child, I had no idea how difficult it would prove to be as an adult (an unfit one at that). We used to spend hours travelling all over the town, across parks and up hills. Now i struggle to ride in a straight line without wobbling all over the road.

I am hoping that if I use it once every day for an hour that it will go some way to helping me lose some weight. Now I just need to get started...

Raindrops on roses

and whiskers on kittens...have you ever thought about making a list of your favourite things?

I can tell you my top 5 books, my top 5 bands or singers, my top 5 things I am grateful for at any given moment etc..etc. I am, however, struggling to think of my top 5 of all time favourite things.  I came up with a list, then half an hour later 5 other things appeared as my favourites...and so on. I am still not able to say with certainty what my top 5 things of all time are.

So, to make a start somewhere, i have decided to list my top 5 craft blogs (at present). Feel free to have a peek at the list across the page. I am quite sure that they will change often, and the list will certainly expand, but for now they are what i am reading.

a post for someone special

Well, by the time a special someone reads this post they will either be laughing their heads off or I'll be glad I'm not in the near vicinity.

I have been working on these pages for the grandchildren album for my mum, for what seems weeks. Hopefully she will like the sneaky peek prior to seeing them in the flesh. I might even hold one or two back as a special treat depending on time constraints.

I think i work better to deadlines, i have had these photos for ages but it was only when i decided that they would form part of a present that i actually got my finger out and put my mojo into gear.

OK, short post but hopefully the photos will compensate ... off to create.


The title of this one is Turkish Dancer. The lettering didn't show up well on the photo.

This is a belly dancing costume that i brought back one year.
The circles are actually extra sequins from a costume shop.

Mia loves gran's glasses, she will snatch them whenever she can

p7 graduation

Today's focus, in my quest to learn more about blogging and scrapping, is to think about what we want our reader to know. From there we also need to think about what we want to keep private.

I often use hidden journalling on my scrapbook pages. Although, to be honest, it is often more to do with not liking my handwriting being on display than the subject being particularly private.

On a recent trip home, I was lucky enough to see my nephew off to his p7 graduation. It was the first day i arrived home, so i was very tired. That didn't stop me getting totally immersed in the proceedings.

I loved making this layout. The vibrant colours reflected the energy in my young nephew that day. He had such nice weather as well. I had fun deciding on which photos to include - being a doting aunt, I took far too many.

There is also a story, about why the car featured in the layout was not a limo, hidden behind the top photo - but that's a story for another time.

One week on....

and I have decided to start an on-line blogging for scrapbookers class by Shimelle. I think i am getting the hang of how to post, but I know I need to learn more about design of the blog itself and some tips on what to blog about would help too.

The first prompt says to pick a photo and to document my intentions for the next 3 weeks. Well, over the next few weeks I intend to learn a whole lot more about blogging.

I started this blog because i enjoy scrapbooking and card making and i thought that it would have a dual role. Firstly, it would be a place where i could share my creations. Most of my scrapbooking creations are for others, but they only ever get to see them every 4-6 months unless i can sqeeze in another trip home inbetween christmas and mum's visits.

Secondly, i thought it would be good to document a little more of my life. It seems to have gone whizzing by over these last 5 years and i cant remember what i have done during that time....so how can i scrap it for my album? Obviously the big things I remember : the wedding, honeymoon etc but I cant help wondering if I have forgotten other important stuff that maybe wasnt so all-consuming.

So, here is a photo of my craft space showing a space cleared for me to get started on scrapping my memories, both old and new.

Remember to read the fine print

Well, i got a bit of a heads-up today. I must renew my driving license. I completely did not know that it only lasts the same time as a passport....you have to renew every 10 years. Needless to say, I only have 5 months to sort it. Thankfully, i can now start making it happen.

Today was our bi-weekly coffee morning. First a couple of friends and  I went to the jumble sale, in aid of dog charity, and i found 2 old copies of scrapbook magazine that i had never bought. BONUS!

Yesterday we had a lovely meal with DH's old friend from Bursa, his wife and daughter - who entertained us endlessly. It reminded me that it doesn't really matter which language we speak, friendship is a language all of its own.

Terrific Tuesday

Well I was dreading today a bit, but when i went back to fat club and found that i had lost 3/4lb. How cool! Given me a little motivation to avoid my guilty pleasure (all things chocolate).

Guilty pleasures was also the theme of UKS weekly challenge. I had such fun making this layout. see below for close ups

circle mask for inking then glass teardrops for blood drips

more journalling over the white moon inking. some alcohol ink for blood splatter too!

ink & stamp straight to paper



made thickers by cutting cardboard letters twice, glued together,
white embossed then dipped in red embossing powder

I have been reading these books since i bought them last October. I couldn't put them down. I read the set 3 times, straight after i finished the last book I picked the first back up again. I couldnt help it. Totally addicted, but love how it whisks me away into another world. I'm still reading them a year later.

I struggle to get science fiction/fantasy books here, so i have to wait until someone visits. I am waiting on the Bree Tanner novella to be delivered so that i can get my next Twilight fix.

Another Monday another challenge

It's Monday again ... yay! Wait, did i just say that out loud? I used to hate Mondays!

Another Monday means another team challenge on UKS. It is a great way to make all of us lazy, scrap-blocked scrappers reclaim our creative mojo. We are set a challenge for the week, given rough guidelines on the theme and a layout is given as an example on how to interpret the challenge. Love it! Off to find a photo and decide on a colour scheme.

For the non-crafters who might read this, dont worry....we know we are obsessed!

Today I had a call from a friend who is struggling with learning a new skill. She is actually better at it than she gives herself credit for. Hopefully our chat helped put things back in perspective for her. That got me to thinking....how many things are we better at than we give ourselves credit for? I know that I often look to others for approval. I would love to have the self confidence to trust my instincts, but so often we let others rail  road it, only to see that we were right after all.

So challenge to myself .... trust my instincts the next time the warning bell rings.

How long is too long?

I am not really an organised scrapbooker. I generally pick a photo, decide on some paper and go with the flow. However, for the last 2 days i have been attempting to finish a layout in line with the weekly challenge on UKS. Is 2 days too long to work on a layout?
Should we follow the old mantra 'fail to plan and you plan to fail' or should we just give in to the creative process?

I enjoyed pulling this layout together, and i like the end result. No doubt it will find a home in my mum's Grandchildren Album as soon as she sees it.

On a related topic, how long is too long to be working on my wedding album? I have already done one for mum but i have yet to pluck up the courage to start on my own. Is it because i want it to be perfect? Is it because i dont feel right putting on those lovey quotes when i am going to  be the main audience? Who knows.....hopefully this year will see me start it at least before our 2nd anniversary.

September is here

At last, i can sleep at night without waking up to turn the air con on or off, or back on again. There is a definite coolness to the evenings now.
The cooler nights is the only thing that really marks the change in seasons here on the Aegean coast. I miss the autumnal colours that were so vibrant in Scotland, but at least i still have blue sky and sandy beaches, and a sea that you can dip more than your toe into without fear of frostbite. You can't do that in the North Sea!