not long now!

This week has been manic, got xmas plays/ carols concerts coming out of my ears and no time to cook dinner in between...bit annoying as I've not been at all prepared which has meant eating far more crap this week than we would normally. Cant even say we are going to do it properly tonight as its the boys turn to do their singing at school so we have to be back there by 5 and probably not home til 6 ish, thank god for pasta!!! 

however, whilst Elsie slept this morning I did manage to squeeze in a very quick and easy page....

love these pics from when she was eating her very first mince pie on Friday, she really did enjoy it. 

I used paper from lost and found range which was almost ready to go...but as I can't bear to do pages like that I had to add some bits of my own, so the couple of titles went on and a bit of chipboard to show the christmas relevance. 

not bad for a page done in half an hour!

thanks for looking, see you all soon xxxxx

13 sleeps!!!

Good afternoon :)

I must say what a good mood I have been in lately?!?!?! maybe its the christmas spirit finally taking over me?!?!?! I don't really mind what it is as its a good thing.

Im just here today with a couple of christmas pages for you to see.... one that I did off my own back and the other for one of shimelles prompts.

This is my own creation, I started making this at crop on Saturday and finished it off yesterday by adding the 3d baubles, which Im not sure if you can see but they are fully outlined in black stickles, god I hate waiting for that stuff to dry!!! but I think its worth it?!?!?!

never thought that I would use this particular paper for a christmas page but here it is, I think it works well.

the second page is a little different:

This was for shimelles prompt about...you guessed it christmas cards!!!

I NEVER send christmas cards, and inside the envelope is a note that explains why. not cause I'm scrooge, more like I'm very forgetful lol. 

I don't have a photo to explain this so the envelope is in place of it. 

see you later xxxxx

baking day!

Good Morning everyone!!!

I'm feeling really good this morning, rather chilled out and relaxed, but I'm keeping busy at the same time.

Its 10:43 and I have already made a cake, mince pies and cheese straws and I have made some 3d baubles which have been decorated with stickles, just waiting for it to dry before I can finish my newest christmas page.

here is a picky of my mince pies, just to make you all hungry lol

 yum, will be enjoying these a little later with some cream!!! :)

and now back to business, some more scrapbook pages to show you.

Firstly the full class page that I teased you with Friday, it actually went down really well at crop, 8 ladies joined in with the fun and all the pages looked fab. hopefully I fulfilled what I was asked to do and maybe taught them something  new at the same time.

I used some ideas from last months scrap mag, and I took inspiration from one of my pages that I really liked. I included texture by using an edge distressed, the cuttlebug, toothpicks which I painted white, some tutu trim, and some plastering mesh stuff. we also made some 3d objects and crumpled up the floral frame to give it some height. Must say this step was hilarious as it horrified quite a few of the girls, when I told them to screw it up lmao... i did have to help a couple!!!!

my next page is the second in my xmas collection for 2011, and I took inspiration from the first of shimelle Laines, journal your christmas prompts.... it was too make a list of intentions for the festive season, there was also a page which looked very similar to the one I have made, I liked it so much that I needed to scrap lift.

Picture is of a pair of my fluffy xmas socks, I live in these in the winter!!! 

and my last page for now is one I did of the photo I posted on friday, Elsie Moo posing as Rudolph. and as promised it has been titled Moodolph!!

I was unsure of slapping all the red paint on to begin with but just went or it and must say the end result is growing on me. 

The felt reindeer came from a pair of my sons xmas socks from last year, Lola borrowed them when her feet were cold and somehow the reindeer just fell off!!! funny that!!! but he wasn't gonna head for the bin, I stashed him away in my craft bag for the perfect page, don't think it could get any better use than this x

thanks for popping in today, Im currently waiting for some stickles on my 3d baubles to finish drying then I can come back and show you my next xmas page.

hope to see you soon xxxxx

crop tomorrow :)

Evening all....

Very productive day today, been very busy trying to get everything ready for tomorrow.... as its xmas crop day!!! woohoo!!!

Newsletters are printed and ready to go, price list all done and in the folder, class almost finished and looking quite cool even if i do say so myself... want a sneak peak?? you will see it half finished as thats how it went into my newsletter, wonder what you will make of it???

I was asked to do a texture page by Sarah, one of our newest members to crop, so I took on the challenge and my mind has been working overtime as to how many textures I can fit onto the page.... this page uses many things to make it touchy feel.... also as a joke she said she wanted it to be interactive and make noise too, so just for fun.(altho it looks and sounds quite cool) I added jingly bells to it!!! :) very spesh!!!

I will reveal the rest tomorrow after it has been done at crop, i promise!!

Tonight I have more running about to do before I can sit down with a vodka and watch the new Harry Potter dvd for the 99th time.... I do love a bit of HP :)

photo opportunities!

A real quick one tonight, as i should really be bathing the girls and making sure the boys are ready for school tomorrow, but i took some lovely photos today, of the family putting the xmas decs up.

As promised beforehand we are all making more effort this year, so this afternoon we had family time, we did the decs, watched a movie together and then had dinner together, now the boys have legged it off before we make them do anything else with us and not let them play on their computers lol.

I managed to get some lovely pics of all the kids today... actually only a sulky one of Lola so I won't show you that one, but unusually some lovely ones of the boys so here they are:

Elsie with a red ball in front of her nose. it was Daniels idea to do it and to scrap it and title it Moodolph as we call her Elsie Moo

Mike adding some decs to the tree

Dan without a weird look on his face for a change, and instead a lovely smile x

Mike with a very cheeky grin!

And not the kids but just love this pic of my decs, the word NOEL stacked up as we were sorting it all out. 

Oh and just to finish this quick one off... a pic of Elsie moo posing as a kung fu queen!!!

whoops!!
again another [page to scrap, this time probably titled... Kung fu Moo Moo!! :)

Can you tell what we have been watching lately?!?!?!!

I have a page to show you that I finished today but I haven't taken pics yet so I might be back later with those xxxxxxx

happy Saturday :)

Good Morning!!!

And it has been a good morning, Elsie Moo slept all night and having gone to bed at 8 last night feeling rough, I had a really good nights sleep too and feel refreshed this morning.

Good job too as I have a lot to do today.

Lola has been invited to her first friends birthday party and thats this afternoon, so you can imagine how excited she is!!, saying that tho she's already dropped hot chocolate all down the front of her clothes that she was supposed to be wearing to the party and has had to change, so that upset her, but she will have to go as she is lol...im sure none of the other kids will mind what she looks like!!!

Im also waiting for Elsie to wake up so that I can go to my Grandads to see my Aunty Chris and uncle Mick, who have come down to visit...and to make a cake, and maybe do a little crafting and anything else that might need doing lol... 

But whilst Elsie is asleep I am catching up with my scrap back log and blogging... so that I'm up to date and don't get told off by my Aunty chris who is an avid follower :)

This morning I bring you another of my secret pages...sssshhhhh!!! this is the second one from the chinese whispers group that I joined, I received the page to scrap lift on the 1st December and have done mine already, so that on the 1st January I'm ready to post it on

here it is:

When i first saw the sketch I was a bit unsure how i would make it work for me.... but I think this has turned out ok?!?!??!

I was extremely excited to use my brand new papers from Sassafras, they were having a closing down sale so were selling off boxes of their products with 70% discount, I had both boxes, and it took a very long time to get here but it was def well worth it..there was tonnes of lovely stash in there..... yum yum yum

I also used some of the lovely thickets that I bought from my friend Katy, she's very bad for tempting me with them, but I get them at a bargain price, and she gets extra pennies to spend so i guess we are all happy in the end :) alphabets are my most favourite thing ever!!!

I also used the Sassafras pop up flowers, they bend in places so that you get depth on your page, love them a lot!!!!

plus I got to use my Elsie pics from the last post, she's such a clever girl!!!!

right things to do, people to see...catch up with you soon xxxxx

advent!!

so.... I kinda didn't wait for Shimelles first prompt, and as Carole and I were talking via Facebook this morning she spurred me on to get some stuff done , take some pics and scrap away.

We decided that advent would be a good place to start as it kinda kicks off christmas, day one, you open door 1... I usually get myself and Paul a calendar too, but thought  buying 6 would look a bit odd so 4 was enough.

Anyways, I did use a little bit of shimelle for the first page, I added that card that I filled out this morning to my page, it doesn't have anything at all to do with the content but I ilk it on there, and as my album will be purely xmas themed and for this project I didn't think it would matter.

enough chat, heres my page...

As a base for the page I used Shimelles sketch of the week, which I try to do as often as possible, it used 2 pics which was handy as that was what I had printed off and it just all seemed to fall together really well...

I am actually gonna do another page for today, using the real prompt for shimelle, its a little different to what I might normally do but I'm gonna give it a go 

xxxxx

24 sleeps!!!!!

Happy December!!!!

Today the kids were very excited to have opened the first door on their advent calendars, and I think Elsie moo was very shocked to be having chocolate with her toast for breakfast lol.... something I hope she doesn't get to used to :)

Today also brings the start of the new class that I am taking part in... Shimelle Laines journal your christmas. I have had the introduction this morning and am eagerly awaiting the first prompt so I can start.

with the first prompt came a download.... I wont explain anymore because I can show you... we were told to print it off and fill in the gaps, so heres mine

I must have an honest and open moment with you now... despite having 4 children I don't really DO xmas, yes I buy presents and I love watching the kids open them up and be happy etc, and I always cook xmas dinner and make the table look special... but I never really have the xmas spirit.

Usually I have my Nan here, nagging me to put up the xmas decorations and make the house look xmassy for the kids, but this year is our first without her.... so I have no one to give me the extra boost this time. 

So from now on, and especially for my Nan I will be making a conscious effort to be more xmassy, to have more festive spirit, to be happier, and more into the season... because I know what she would say to me if I wasn't!!!! 

I have had tears already for her not being here with us to celebrate and I am in no doubt that there are plenty more to come, but I have to keep going.... if I don't buy the kids xmas presents who will???? If I don't decorate the house and make xmas special for them, who will???  

This year and every year from now on xmas will be for the kids and for Nan because she loved to do it all for them and now I am taking over the job.

To motivate myself a little more I have joined the class above and will be making a xmas album to follow my first proper journey to xmas, I'm hoping it will spur me on to do the things that I might not do otherwise.... and as I never usually scrapbook xmas at all this will make me do that too!!

I wonder what you are doing this xmas??? do you celebrate big?? 

This morning as I awoke thinking of Nan, I decided to dress Elsie in the last outfit my Nan had brought for her. Nan got it in a sale, and was thinking way ahead as she always did... but now i have something to cherish... I took some pictures of Elsie in it for you all to see. 

Elsie making her funny face at me!

showing off her crawling skills, which I am very proud of x 

Using her second word as she points at the camera.... "LOOK!!"

And another just because I like it! :)

I am gonna scrap at least one of these pics to journal about it being from Nan... its gonna be hard as I haven't attempted to do one for my Nan yet, but its something I have to do as I want the girls to remember what a special lady she was and to never forget her. they may not know her like I did but I will show them how much she meant to me and how much they meant to her.

xxxxx