WOYWW 107

I've been MIA for a few weeks, but hopefully back on track now. I did still have a bit of a snoop at all things crafty on Julia's lovely blog to keep my hand in.

This week i have been making a couple of cards and a couple of layouts, but as you can see my stash is limited as is my useable work area.

Oh for my desk in Turkey. I think that is why  i'm not crafting so much. I have a little camping stool to go with the little sidetable, which is not very comfy at 33 weeks preggers, but it is better than kneeling (I'm finding it harder to get up now, lol).

So not much going on other than some stamping and I am still trying to get to grips with my promarkers.

is it cheating?

Do you use premade scrapbook pages?

I bought a few packs from TKMaxx when i came home in April to build up my stash of scrapbooking papers. Whilst choosing i found a couple of packs which were premade and all you had to do was add photos. I bought 3 different packs: 2 summery and 1 easter themed.

My mum loves getting new pages for her albums, and i had gone through a bit of a dry spell so i thought that this would be an easy way of starting again.

I guess it also means that there is at least some variety in the look, as my latter pages all have that same formula look to them.

But, my question is ... is it cheating???

how do all my pages end up looking the same?

Another week passes by in a blur, but Monday seems to be my day to catch up on all things crafty. Probably because i have the house to myself so i feel that i can lounge about and do what i want. 

On UKS this week the blog bits talk about 'clean and simple'.  I do like this style but i have noticed that over the last few months my layouts all sort of look the same, probably because this is the style I default to when inspiration deserts me.

In an attempt to vary my layouts I thought i would have a look at Shimelle's sketch of the week but as i have just printed off 150 photos, none of which are bigger than 4x6, the sketch didnt work for me this time. Not to be defeated though, i read down to her post about her early years album where she takes you through one of her albums which documents her childhood. What I found interesting was that not only were there pages made recently but there were pages from her earlier scrapbooking years. I didnt find the same layout/style/look in any of the pages that she displayed.

I think one of my problems is that i pick up a lovely patterned paper and feel the need to use it as the whole sheet. This ofcourse limits the position and sometimes the number of photos you can use. As i looked back through Shimelle's layouts she seemed to have used plain backgrounds, then blocks of the patterned paper as accents or highlights. Think i might try this approach, and ofcourse use some of her previous sketches as a starting point.

time for a catch up

I can't believe it has been so long since i blogged.

Well, the last couple of weeks have been a bit of a blur...Kerem left for home again last week as Mum returned from her Canadian holiday, there was work and babysitting and trying to clean the house....but now it is back to reality. I am enjoying working part time at Simone's salon. I have even got my head around some of the beauty treatments and products. Although getting used to being back at work has been tiring to say the least. I suppose it might have something to do with starting work in my 3rd trimester!

The scan last week went well. I cant believe that i am 32 weeks now! Kerem and I were in the new Larbert hospital for this scan and on our way out we bumped into one of my cousins. I think the last time we saw each other was at my Dad's funeral....9 years ago. It was nice to get back in touch, and I went round to visit at the weekend and met her kids, who are very grown up now from what i remember.

When we were out at the shops her youngest asked if i was staying for dinner, I said that i wasn't and that i would head home after the shops. Ofcourse, that was a little chat just between the 2 of us. So, when we all got back to the house and she turned to ask if i was going home now I think my cousin almost feinted....aghast that her daughter could be so rude! I thought it was hilarious, but then i was privvy to the first part of the conversation - which i hastily repeated so the wee one wouldnt get into trouble. Lets face it, it was an honest question on her part anyway. I wouldnt have been offended with or without the first part of the conversation.

It is so refreshing to see children's curiosity and honesty.

I am planning on doing a wee bit more babysitting of my youngest nephew this week hopefully, and hoping for more photos. I am hoping to get some crafting done this week, especially because I have a few birthdays coming up and ofcourse the photos need scrapping. Although I checked the local Morrisons, and it is going to be 20p per print. Anyone know of cheaper options?

All work and no play....

makes me grumpy!

Today should be a crafty blog day, but I have been so busy with the house trying to get it into a state of readiness for letting that i have had limited time to play with my crafty stuff. All i have managed to achieve this week is punching out some Martha Stewart butterflies. That is also the main reason for my lack of blogging in general.

I also wanted to thank the ladies that left me such lovely messages last week on my post. It really does help when i read your comments, so thank you.

After meeting with a new letting agent, they have advised that rentals are going better as unfurnished. So, with that in mind we have decided to gut the house. So far we have taken rubbish/old furniture to the skip; got the council to do a special uplift and arranged for some of the better items to be taken away by one of the charities.

Needless to say, I want to try to get the house finished this week. Then there is the painting. Why is it that everything you look at, the more you look at it, needs painted?!?

I have to say that my family and my best pal have been a great support. It is actually quite difficult clearing a loft at 6 months pregnant! It is impossible to do it on your own! And the extra hands where the painting comes in ....well, that helps too.

I have a midwife appointment today, so i figure that is a good excuse to go visit all the WOYWW desks to get at least a little crafty fix!

Hope you all have a wonderful wednesday.

another day another scan

Thursday I had another ultrasound to check the baby's heart. That was the first scan since finding out that the baby had Edwards Syndrome, Trisomy 18. It was mainly to check for heart defects. Thankfully the consultant couldn't find any problems, although he was careful to remind me that this condition means that issues can still come up.

Seemingly about 60% of pregnancies dont make it to full term. Of those that do most babies don't survive past a week.

The first decision i need to make is whether to have a planned caesarean or try for normal birth. He said that if I try for a normal birth and they monitor the baby's heartbeat they will more than likely end up doing an emergency section as the baby will more than likely go into distress. I want a normal birth, but I get the feeling that there is nothing normal about this situation.

The second decision that I need to think about is how I want to proceed after the birth it the baby survives. Do I let the pediatricians care for the baby? Or do I keep baby with me and maximise the time we would have together? I think this is a no win situation. I imagine that i will feel guilty with which ever option i choose. So far I have chosen both options thousands of times and then changed my mind again....

So for now, I am praying with all my heart that we just get some time with the baby, however we choose to proceed.

WOYWW 100

It is officially wednesday, although it feels strangely like a very late Tuesday night, so I guess it is OK to post about what is happening on my workdesk.

Well, nothing is happening on my desk - cos it's in Turkey and I am in UK. However, i have been spending far too much time down at Karen's Crafted Creations. Apart from all the crafty gossip we have been catching up on, I have also been catching up on some birthday cards. Caught by the skin of my teeth I might add!

Although i don't have all my stash or my tools with me, i have managed admirably to beg, borrow and blag everything i have needed this past week from my crafty mentor. She also has 2 gorgeous chocolate labradoodles which take residence in the craft zone at the weekend.

I managed to get to a craft show this saturday and picked up a couple of things like the craft mat that is on the desk at the moment. I tried to heat emboss my last one to disasterous results.  The other bits and bobs came from Karen - the do craft grab bag which i have to say i have got my money's worth out of already. Don't you love it when that happens! You buy it, you use it, you know that you have saved money with it and still you get to play with new stash. Totally cool!

If you are wondering why i am ranting on about desks etc then pop over to Julia's blog to find all the answers.

Hope everyone has a crafty wonderful wednesday

It's not so much a chore as a challenge...and a godsend

I am now over half way through my JYC album. It is under my skin now...challenging me to get it finished!

One of my friends suggested that it should be enjoyable rather than a chore. She is so right, but I do actually find that the more i sit and go through the pages of journalling the more I enjoy it. I'm not stressing about making it a photo album anymore. The whole point was to journal Christmas afterall!

Also, I am remembering to enjoy my pregnancy, regardless of the worry. When i was journalling in December we didnt know the problems that the baby was going to face, and my notes are so much more positive than i have felt in so long. So, for the next day or two I might try to finish off the project because it is such a positive influence. Who knew a WIP could be so inspiring after being left for so long!

WOYWW 98

It's Wednesday again so let's have a look at Julia's blog to see what everyone has been working on this week.

This is my last WOYWW Turkish desk for a while. I'm heading home to UK for a few months so i have been trying desperately to finish some of my WIPs. The main one is my JYC album, others include some of the heritage photos and baby photos for my mum's albums.

Here is my desk, and a peek at one of the pages on it.  It is a little tidier (honest) than normal because in true Turkish fashion, when time is at a premium we start a project. I have 3 days left here, so DH decided that the time was right to paint the ENTIRE HOUSE. I know....but honestly, I've kind of given up arguing. Like putting a fireplace in 5 days before christmas, it will work out somehow. Some things might go undone, but hey it's only a house. (DH doesnt include my sanity as something that should be effected by such things lol).

Next week my desk will be a kitchen table at Mums, and in a few months it will be my normal desk just in a room with different coloured paint.

So join in the fun, and let us have a peek at your desk.

JYC back on track

Well, after dropping by a few of the participants that managed to finish their JYC album - Pauline and Mel

I was motivated to give my album another go. Mel's words hit the mark when she said that she might not love every page but she loved the project. I think that might have been what was holding me back. Kind of like the photo intimidation that i spoke about on this page .

So here are a few more of my JYC pages:

taking time to look at these pages, it reminds me that the project was to journal, not just make pretty pages.

Hopefully there will still be more to come, and one day i might get to let everyone know that i have indeed finished the project. 

Big hello to my new followers - pauline and mel.

I'm trying to keep posting as much craft related stuff as i can on the blog, but a few everyday stories might pop up now and then.

what happened to JYC 2010?

Well.......i think my mojo deserted it. I did my journalling every day of the Journal Your Christmas course, but somehow the layouts never seemed to appear. Infact, to date I have still only achieved about 20% of the project.

Woeful, isnt it! As i have just finished the re-run of Shimelle's Blogging For Scrapbookers course it has got me thinking that i should maybe revisit my work in progress from her JYC course.

Ofcourse next year, I might not commit to doing a layout for everyday, but only do a layout for those days that i feel has something worthy of a layout. Or i might decide that i want to have a christmas day photo every year for my big album. Who knows...

For now, It's back to the craft room to try to salvage my mini album. Wish me luck (and inspiration).

baby layout - mine all mine

Well, I took the bull by the horns last night. I pulled together some of the papers & cardstock that i thought worked together and started the layout.

I used this weekly sketch by Shimelle to produce this layout. I'm normally a lot more clean & simple in my layouts, but i love the cluttered/embellished look that some layouts have. It's just that i normally need a bit of a push in the right direction to achieve that look for one of my layouts.

There is a bit of reflection on the photo because the sun is shining through the window at the moment, but you get the general idea.

This was the photo that i wanted to do justice, I'm relatively happy with the layout and I'm even happier that it is actually going to stay in one of my very own albums (as opposed to being snaffled by mum). Most of the paper that i finally used all came out of my offcuts box, apart from the strip of flying storks. The main sheet, I think is about 5 years old, but it reminded me of the swirls on the blue blanket that Thomas is sleeping in.

Hope everyone is having a stressfree saturday.

have you ever been intimidated by a photo?

I am struggling at the moment to complete this weeks challenge on UKS. WHY?????? Because I'm a bit scared that I don't do the photo justice.

Sounds crazy doesn't it, but it happens to me quite often. Although, I have to admit mostly with heritage photos. Yesterday I scoured my stash looking for that perfect paper to use with the baby photo.  I have some lovely baby sheets too! However, they either make the blanket look dirty, or the pages look dirty against the photo, or they are not babyish enough..... OR.....OR.....OR.....

Does that even make sense?? I'm reading as a type, thinking 'What on earth are you blethering about????' .... but the fact remains....I have lost my MOJO. Maybe i should offer some blog candy of my own as a reward if anyone finds it and sends it back to me.

I can't even decide on usng a sketch because I need to find papers that I am happy with, as well as a sketch for inspiration. Well, back to the drawing board...wish me luck

Thursdays Thoughts

I am still hopping back and forth over to the Blogging for Scrapbooker forum, so i thought i would revisit one of the latter prompts from the course.

• Seeing much more craft stuff because i can view blogger again. Ofcourse, now i want to be spending more time making craft stuff because i have all this inspiration to hand.
• Hearing good news from other people, it helps lift the spirits. Joy is joyful whenever you hear of it, whoever it belongs to. Never be afraid to share happy thoughts with others, no matter what they are going through. You never  know, it might be the only piece of good news they get that day.
• Smelling my covent garden shower gel that i have just started using again. I dont know why i ever stop because i love it.
• Tasting mature scottish cheddar - one of our friends brought a 2k pack for us at the weekend. How fab was that!
• Thinking that we have met the nicest people, online and in real life. We are so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful people.

Those are my thoughts for today, and i hope you are having a Terrific Thursday where ever you are.

Also, a big hello to my new follower Lizzie.

WOYWW 97

I'm finally able to join in with the best blog hop in town! Join Julia to have a look at what all the fuss is about, and you too can share your craft space with the rest of us.

Today I am working on 2 layouts. Both were for UKS weekly challenge but I'm woefully behind on last weeks so it will just count as a page for mum as opposed to any points.

I have been raiding my stash since i got back to Turkey - cos I cant go out and buy new stock. It is amazing at what I have found in my cardstock boxes, sheets I had completely forgotten about. Some are as old as the hills, lol.

I read someone's blog the other day where she was making room for a new baby and throwing out all the unused & forgotten stash. I just couldnt do that! Partly because i cant replace it but also because whenever I look at the sheets I remember why i bought them. Now i just need a photo and a reason to use them.

what do you have lurking in your stash? Would you share with us and let us peek?

I'm back....and i'm addicted to craft blogs...

It's Monday and it's a wonderful day here. Not least because the very clever man at VPNUK managed to get me back and hopping all over blogger. I have no idea how he did it, and didn't ask incase he thought i might understand his answer. Ha!

I can't tell you how much i have missed being able to link in with my crafty buds. Now I have permission (literally) to spend all afternoon/evening and tomorrow hopping over to my favourite craft blogs.

Hello to my new followers: Dawn and Beverly. I would have said hello earlier but all i could see was dashboard saying i had extra followers, not who you were.

For those readers who have visited me from Shimelle's Blogging for Scrapbookers course, I am winging my way back through the forum to visit you all.

Hoping also to manage some time to do this week's UKS team challenge. I have just the photo in mind....

Ofcourse i am even more pleased because i took this photo of my gorgeous nephew when he was 2 weeks old. Hopefully i will be posting a Layout starring this photo later on in the week.

I hope everyone is having a marvellous Monday.

blogging vs scrapping ... why do i bother????

It is Day 15 of Shimelle's Blogging for Scrapbookers course. I have managed to keep up with most of the prompts, but this one really got me thinking.

I love comments, but that isn't why I blog. I love looking at scrapbook pages but that isn't why I scrapbook.

I think with both activities, it is the sense of creativity and recording of personal history. Both have pros and cons to how they achieve those goals, but never the less i get a kick out of both activities. I honestly never imagined that I would find such an addictive hobby/activity in my adult life. I never actually knew i had such an addictive personality, but i am truly hooked.

It has been a godsend whilst living abroad to be able to link in with other like minded crafters/bloggers. It has kept me occupied when the weather is bad and i've run out of craft mags to read. In the latter part it has kept me sane through a tough period in my life. Likewise, scrapping has kept me up to my ears in sticky, inky goodness which has given me a creative outlet on boring days and simply an 'out' when i needed to not be in my own head.

Hopefully I will look back at this post and nod my head in years to come, but even if I don't I will continue to blog and scrapbook for my own little piece of mind.

Monday and another UKS layout

It's Monday again. How did that happen? Not really sure where last week went, but i know what happened to last week's UKS challenge....I finished it by the skin of my teeth.

Just before taking mum out to a very nice restaurant for mothers day, i finished this layout for her

The only problem was after using the glimmer mist to make the background, and wiping it off the mask, both hands turned the corresponding shade of blue/green. No problem, I thought, wet wipe to the rescue. Eh...NO CHANCE....it took 3 wet wipes and washing my hand with liquid soap before i resorted to a scrubbing with good old fairy liquid and a scouring pad. Even now my nail beds are a lighter shade of green.

Note to self......wear rubber gloves next time.

Thankfully, mum liked her mothers day gift. Infact she tactfully asked if she was getting a corresponding page with the other 3 photos from that day. My reply...... yes but without the glimmer mist!

today

Today Shimelle's prompt asked us to think about patterns. I tend to post when i have time, but Wednesdays were exciting because i used to post about what was on my workdesk (WOYWW). That is until i couldnt see Julia's blog because it is on blogger which is blocked here. I am thinking of following Cath's advice and using a VPN so that i can get my craft fix again.

Anyway, back to the prompt: find a pattern. The suggestion I liked is to post every week about the 5 senses, so here is my take on it...

I am listening to the bird song from my patio, I love that there are so many different birds around the site.
I can see the sun peeking through the rainclouds which are hovering over the bay, I know it is going to rain but it wont last the sun will come out tomorrow.
I cant smell much of the flowers just now, or the grass after the rain because I have hayfever ...due to all the lovely flowers lol, and cant remember what my nose was used for other than running over the past week.
It wont last the week, but for now i can still taste that lovely cheddar cheese that i brought back from Scotland.

I am thankful for my friends and family who help me to be strong.
I feel safe, with my husband beside me we can deal with anything that comes our way.

Hope everyone has a lovely Thursday

the trick to facepainting...NOT

Harder than it looks!

Trying to keep my nephew and niece entertained a couple of weeks ago, I thought they might like their face painted.

Ofcourse I started with Mia first, but after about 10 seconds into the white undercoat she started getting bored and fidgety.  As only 3 year olds can do! As a result, my nice design went completely out the window as i struggled to get any semblance of kitten-like-look. However, she was happy that her face was painted and she knew it was meant to be a kitten. I think it looks more like a gremlin - but hey I obviously dont have the imagination of a child.

I was going to give up, but Jack wanted his face painted anyway. Well, at least i got a whole minute for his green undercoat and fangs, but then once more the game was abandoned. A couple more colours - because they seem to enjoy having different colours on and low and behold a monster (in more than one sense) appears.

No doubt i will try again, maybe with sweets for staying-still-bribes next time.

my prayer warrior

One of my best friends has a circle of friends that support each other with a prayer when needed. Thankfully, although we are continents apart and havent seen each other for 6 years, I am in her circle. When she heard my news she asked her 'prayer warriors' (her phrase) for a special little prayer.

I can't tell you how much support i have had from my friends in recent weeks, and now that includes women that i dont even know. I have had everything sent to me from hugs, uplifting words and poems to links for sources of information and support organisations that may be of help.

I knew that pregnancy could be a somewhat stressful journey, but now i know that i am not alone.

Although I am not being particularly gracious in my prayers just now, i know that ultimately it is God's decision as to whether i get to meet my unborn baby or not. I just hope he cuts me some slack. I also hope he listens to my prayer warrior and her friends and grants me some time.

So to everyone who has sent me thoughts and prayers - thank you.

british summer time

well the clocks sprung forward into Spring this morning.

Did I remember when the alarm went off? NO, of course not. It was when my laptop clock was signalling dinner time that it became all-important!

Just now time isnt really meaning that much to me, I am still trying to get my head around the amnio results. I have decided to progress with the pregnancy though, so i feel that this is a small but significant step in moving on with our lives.

Thanks to everyone who sent messages of support. They are much appreciated. Not sure how much i will be blogging/crafting at the moment so forgive the sporadic nature of the updates.

the day my world came crashing down

That would be today.

We got the diagnosis of Edwards Syndrome - Trisomy 18, for the baby. It is a devastating piece of news, even though we knew that there were some problems we couldnt help but hope everything would be OK.

It is a genetic disorder common (1 in 1800) in pregnancy, although unlike Down's Syndrome the prognosis is 'not compatible with life'.

As it stands, we dont know if the baby will survive until the birth, or how long after the birth. I can only pray that we get some time to cuddle at least.

6 months and still going with my blog

I signed up for a blogging workshop by Shimelle in Sept 2010. 6 months later and i am totally surprised at how much i have managed to learn about blogland.

Shimelle is running another session which suits me totally because i joined well after the course was finished and tried to plough my way through the prompts, but i find it much easier when they are sent to your email on a daily basis. That way the blog is well kept and it doesnt overload you trying to do too much at the one time.

hopefully there should be some more crafty stuff on the blog in the following weeks.

baby thomas - my new nephew

I have managed to do some pages here at the crop last night. This one is my favourite photo of Thomas, and for the moment my mum's favourite layout (but that changes like quicksilver). Luckily it meets the UKS weekly challenge of lots of white space and a bit of bling.

The next one shows photos of us the first time we saw Thomas. He was only 2 days old. It was so lovely to have a cuddle with him. I'm quite lucky to have seen him a lot over the past 2 weeks, i can hardly even believe that 2 weeks have passed at all.



This page is coming back with me so that i remember just how cute he was as a new born.



Its all his fault......

Well I took DH to the airport yesterday morning, he would have got into Turkey by 10pm local time. His last words were that he would have liked to have seen some snow.

This morning we woke up to a whole load of snow falling down. Ofcourse, DH is now sitting in a very sunny and warm Turkey. I might just post some cold white stuff off to him.

I really wanted to see snow at Christmas when i was over there, but i have to say I would prefer to be seeing snowdrop flowers than snow drops falling as we are mid March now!

home with mum

well i got home on friday, after a very fraught week. I didnt think i was going to be allowed to fly on thursday, but we made it. Kerem is here for a week and then heads back to Turkey.

I'm staying for the forseeable.

The craft show on Sunday at SECC in Glasgow was nice to get me back into the swing again, but a little disappointing in terms of how few new products and demonstrations there were. Of course, that didnt stop me spending some money.

Had lots of cuddles from my new nephew, which has been nice.

Can see blogger now i am back home again, which helps when you are trying to keep a blog up and running.

thanks to everyone who left messages on my last post. i managed to read them via the dashboard even though i couldnt access my page.

blogger blocked in Turkey as of 1 march

As of today (2nd) actually, i am unable to view my own blog and infact anyone else who blogs on blogger/blogspot.

As if there were not little enough ways to communicate with friends here, now there is one less. Typepad seems to be OK, but anyone whom i normally visit via blogger will be unavailable to me in the (undefined) future.

It is incredible that i can still post onto my blog, but i cant actually view it myself.

woyww 91

well today there isnt much on my desk as it is all packed away as i am off on my holidays tomorrow. Off to visit my mum for 2 whole weeks. I am so excited.... even more excited that DH is coming with me for a week.

In my bags there are a whole load of layouts for mum that i have posted over the past few months. Here is the last one that is still lying on my desk, soon to be packed away.

I am hoping that there will be a whole load of crafting going on that 2 weeks, and ofcourse I will be popping in to the craft fair at the SECC in Glasgow on Sunday for my yearly dose of craft goodness. So if you see a manic shopper that cant put anything down...that's likely to be me.

Hopefully i will also get some time to play with my new stash that i will no doubt come home with, and i hope to have some photos of a certain new nephew that i can start to put into pages.

What do you tend to come away with? Paper, cardstock, punches, inks???? for me i think it might be a bit of everything this year.

have a great wednesday, off to drop by and visit with some of you now...

Monday and an Award

Happy Monday everyone!

I received this lovely Stylish Blogger award from the lovely Brenda this week. Please pop over to her blog to see some of the lovely cards that she makes.

So to play along with the blog award I have to tell you seven things about me and then nominate another seven bloggers for the award too, so here goes:

1. I am  the eldest of 3 children
2. My favourite colour is green
3. I play the guitar (not very well, but it pleases me anyway)
4. I studied Russian at high school (then promptly forgot it all apart from a few words)
5. My husband is Kurdish
6. I am addicted to all vampire programmes, my fav being vampire diaries at the moment
7. My favourite chocolate is galaxy.

My list of nominees is as follows:

Ann who produces fantastic scrapbook layouts. A fantastic place to visit if you are in need of some inspiration

Lisa has a fantastic blog. It is full of fun creative ideas - both to make and to sell. I dont know where she gets the ideas or the time, but it is a fantastic read. She also does lots of die cutting and has used most of the machines out there and has produced lots of tutorials which are linked in her blog. A great place for people starting out.

elizabeth who makes lovely cards and currently has some lovely stash as a giveaway as she has reached 50 followers. She also makes a christmas card each week which i think is a fab way to prepare.

Sherry who claims to have a simple blog, but i can tell you that the items that she shows in her posts are anything but! A fantastic place for browsing.

Ciara who spends her creative time in her ribena coloured room dreaming up all the lovely creations that she posts about. Like me Ciara is a dog lover and sometimes her furry friend features on her blog too.

Stephanie has the most amazing scrap LOs ever. She designs for Studio Calico and has the most amazing 4 baby girls. Her blog is funny and loving and can inspire in many different ways.


Power is going on and off so i will post just now and add to my list as and when i can

have a great week

This is why i dont dig up weeds

well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Managed to get a quick snap before the dogs made them fly off. If anyone knows what kind of birds they are I would love you to leave a comment. I think they are really pretty, ugly weeds sometimes draw the most beautiful of god's creatures dont they!

Pretty soon i will have to attack all the weeds in the garden so that my flowers can actually grow, but for now i'm happy enough waiting to see what little visitor will arrive next.

shame faced....

Yup, shame faced...that's what i am. It is almost March and i still havent finished my JYC 2010.

I enjoyed journalling all December, but when it comes to doing the pages that seems to be a different story. The final pages that i have completed so far, not even in order...leaves by my reckoning at least 70% still to be completed. That is woeful!

well, here are the pages, now i need to go pull my finger out and finish the other ones so that i can look back on a completed album.

i think next year if i have the time and energy to do JYC i might use a 6x12 format. One of my teamies on UKS used that format this year and her pages were stunning. This year i seemed to struggle with not having enough room on the page for the photos and journalling.



WOYWW 90

Been missing in action for a few weeks. Partly because i have lost track of which day is which, and partly because i am sleeping longer because bump is making me get up at all times in the night for the toilet.

So what is on my workdesk wednesday? Incase you are wondering why we are even mentioning it, have a look over at Julia's blog and join in the fun.

This week has been filled with lots of crafting for me and i actually got a few cards done and a couple of layouts. My desk looks pretty much the same as last week, so here's one of the layouts i produced for the weekly challenge on UKS last week instead.

Another one for my mum's heritage album. It was the first time our dog had pups. 5 black and tan, 3 white GSD. I'm in all 4 photos, i think i couldn't have been older than 4. How time flies eh! Now I'm 4 months pregnant i just hope i have a load more photos before bump reaches 4. That is why i love scrapbooking....capturing memories for the future. The photos are looked at much more often when they are in albums compared to stuck away in a shoe box at the top of a cupboard.

well off to have a snoop at other desks and creations. Hope you have a happy wednesday.

im still waiting...

I was speaking to my sister-in-law this week. My new nephew is due on Tuesday 22nd Feb ofcourse it will come when it is ready. She is more than ready to welcome the little bundle, as am I. I'm so excited that i will be over early March and have booked in 2 weeks of cuddles and kisses with him and ofcourse with my other nieces and nephew too, but truth be told I'm only confident of the cuddles from the boys. It makes me wonder how i will feel leaving again, but i am so excited about the trip home.

I am 15 weeks now, and my little bump is keeping me busy. I cant believe how the time has gone. I cant believe i am in my 2nd trimester already! I feel like i am wishing this trimester away so i can feel it start to move, and obviously i am excited to meet the little person this summer.

Ofcourse, all these new babies means that mum will be expecting many many pages for her grandchildren album. I just wonder if i will have the time...or the energy...

more JYC 2010

I promised more of the journal pages, but this time they come from the opposite end of the month. Well, what can i say...I'm a gemini!

A big hello to my new follower Annie, who has the most outstanding creations in her blog. You have to pop over to see her new poppy picture. Stunning! She also has the same name as my mum, and in Turkish her name actually means 'mother' although they spell it without the 'i'.

Journal Your Christmas 2010, a bit late but coming together in time for next christmas

Well, i did all the journalling in December, but i am woefully behind in the actual completion of my album.

The concept is one from Shimelle and a couple of my UKS teamies were following the course this year so i thought it would be a nice idea to join in. Partly because i couldnt fly due to the pregnancy and partly to actually get some christmas scrapping of any variety done.

well, I've not completed them in any real order...but here are a few of the first pages that i have completed so far. More to follow in the coming week.

woyww 87 and some other news

2 weeks gone already. I cant believe i have not blogged for 2 weeks, well I know why but more about that later.

It is Wednesday and if you are wondering why you see a messy old desk full of bits of paper pop over to Julia's blog.

This is a page that i made a couple of weeks back, but i didnt want to share until this week. It shows the reason for my general lack of crafting, and sometimes unavoidable absence from the most enjoyable blog hop that i know of.

My sister in law is due at the end of Feb so i have been working on a card for the baby, and it is getting me into the mood as well. I've not been feeling great these past few months, but definately getting back to normal now...hence the craft mag in the middle of the table. Ofcourse it will all be worth it later. I have another scan at the end of this week and i am so excited to see the progress.

Hope everyone has a fantastic Wednesday, and can  you believe this is the first wednesday of February! Where has the last month gone???

woyww 85

Its wednesday again so time for What is on your Workdesk Wednesday. To join in the fun pop over to Julia's blog to see what everyone is working on.

This week I am working on scrapbooking. I had a long break from it over Nov and Dec due to christmas cards etc, but now i really feel the need to get back into the swing of it.

I am lucky enough to have lots of heritage photos from my grandmother, even though my mum has claimed almost all of the completed pages so far. At least i get to look through a nice album when i visit her. It is surprising how much you forget, sometimes i'm pleasantly surprised when i turn over and see a layout i had forgotten that was there.

My desk today does actually have space, it is just that i opened my working album to show some of the ongoing projects. It also has some old freebie papers and stickers and chipboard flowers. I am trying to use up my old stash. On Monday i was so pleased with myself because i managed to use some fab freebie ribbon  from about 3 years ago. The layout is in a post below if you want to see. Ofcourse there is an ulterior motive - if i use my old stash i can buy new stash when i am back in march, lol.

Hope everyone has a lovely wednesday, the sun is shining outside and that pleases me no end! Does everyone craft better when they are in a happy frame of mind or is it just me?

how are those resolutions standing up?

So have you kept to your resolutions? My list below shows a woeful attempt to stick to mine!

• take my dogs a walk every day  - no more excuses! eh, not very well actually. Think i am managing every other day at the moment.
• scrap my heritage photos before the summer   most of the layouts i have been creating are heritage or mum's grandkids, so i think i am on track with this one
• scrap my 40th birthday trip hmm, not even printed the photos yet
• scrap my honeymoon photos and again with the photos
• blog more than once a week  the posts are happening slowly, not all of them craft related though.

It will be interesting to see how i get on in a couple of months when i look back instead of a couple of weeks.

Back to normal and a little cuddle

Another monday and back to normal. After a week of the cold I have finally recovered enough to get out of the house and get back to crafting.

This layout photo was taken back in October 2009, but i couldnt find the inspiration until now. Managed to use up very old patterned paper and ribbon.

This page uses sketch 221 on the pencillines blog. There are lots of cool sketches to choose from but this weeks sketch interested me, so this is what i produced.

I love pink and blue at the moment, and as always lots of flowers and butterflies.
Hope you like it

monday means UKscrappers

It is another monday so it means another weekly challenge on UKS.

This week i am going to try to join in as this challenge is quite generic but sounds like a really good way to use up some stash trash. You know, the stuff you have lying around and it never ends up anywhere other than a pile on your desk, or shoe box....

Hopefully my mojo will come play too, but if not I might just have to pop over to pencillines to use a sketch.

a heritage layout and a fun one

well i am doing not too bad with my new years resolutions.

I have been doing more scrapping than i have for a long time. I actually did 3 layouts on monday, but blogger is only playing nice with me today so these are the other 2 that I completed.

I had to cut out a portion of cardstock behind the main photo so that i could apply the rub-on. I have great difficulty with rub-ons welding themselves to the transfer sheet because of the intense heat of the summers here. After a few disasters i have learned not to try to apply them direct to my finished pages. I think the results are fine, but cant wait to get some new ones so that i can get a different effect i.e. straight on the page!

I am loving hand made flowers just now. All i did was tear 2 rough circles and crunch then put a brad in for the first one. The second I tore the circle and then ripped lines into the centre (but not all the way) then distressed the edges and rolled some of them in to make it look like petals.

I have had these shaped bracket brads for ages, but this was the first time i felt that they would suit a page.

Definately on a mission to use up my old stash. I got these pages about 3 years ago from a scrapbook shop in perth. Ofcourse it is long gone now, but next time i am home I will be visiting another little treasure trove in Perth (Scotland not Australia!)

Hope you have a crafty week of relaxation and fun ahead of you.

WOYWW 83 in 2011 and some layouts

Well, what can I say..... Happy New Year to all, and of course it is Wednesday again. Time to share our workdesks and hop over to Julia's blog to peek with everyone else who is playing along.

My desk today is covered, yet again with work dust. We had new doors installed yesterday and i am still dealing with the aftermath so for the moment I will share the craft stash overspill into the middle room.

Hmm, blogger not playing with photo upload so for now it's just one layout, I'll post some others when it doesn't take me an age to upload.

Thank you to everyone who visited my blog and left lovely messages last year. I hope you have a great wednesday and a fantastic 2011.

Happy New Year 2011

To everyone who reads this blog, I hope the new year brings you joy and happiness, health and prosperity.

I'm hoping that this year i can .....

• take my dogs a walk every day  - no more excuses!
• scrap my heritage photos before the summer
• scrap my 40th birthday trip
• scrap my honeymoon photos
• blog more than once a week

Not a lot to ask, but a start.

What are your resolutions? Do you have any? Will you stick to them?