The difference between 8" and 12"

Of course the obvious answer is 4" but in the scrapping world it is a lot more than 4". I am trying to get my mum to start her scrapping again I bought her an 8x8 album and kit a while back and even did a few LO's to start her off but she still hasn't got on with it lol. So I decided last night to scrap some photo's we had done of the dogs one of the photo's on a 12x12 for myself and one on an 8x8 for my mum to shame her into getting a move on rofl.

Molly (my pooch) and Bella (mum's pooch) are litter mates, sisters and best buddies and see each other all the time. We had these photo's taken in a pet shop during one of those enter your pet into a potrait contest. We got one copy each of a photo and my naughty mum scanned them so we both had a copy of both pictures. So I scrapped the copy of my mum's photo for me and vice versa.

I finally managed to use this months Creative Craft World kit and just added a few bits and bobs from my own stash. Here is mine on 12x12;

and here is mum's on 8x8 it was amazing how differently you have to work just with that 4" reduction!

Fun first week of the school holidays

Warning picture heavy post!

We have had a great first week and I have been finding lots of fun things to do with the monkeys we bought a cheap cricket set which they have been using a lot and I have done plenty of card making and scrapping with them. My friend Fi had this link on her blog for making water bombs using only a few sponges and dental floss. The kids loved them as you can see in the pics;

Yes you are seeing right my husband only mowed half the lawn lol (I can't do it due to hayfever) he assures me he will do the other half at some point lol.

On thursday we used some half price vouchers from Hula Hoops crisps and took the kids to Chessington World of adventures. The vouchers are on the multi packs again now there are 2 vouchers on each multi pack each voucher allows you to buy a ticket at half price for Legoland, CHessington, Thorpe Park, Alton Towers and a few others I can't remember right now. I got some more in Tesco's yesterday where the crisps are also on offer so a pack of £18 crisps for £2 I got 3 lots as a family of 6 we needed the vouchers and 18 packets of crisps don't last long with my monkeys!

Here are the "official" photo's from Chessington we had a great time and I will be sharing more pictures soon :)

Me, Kari, my brother Marc, Joel (hiding) and Dylan;

Joel, Marc, Dylan and Phil;

Dylan, Marc, Me and Joel;

Kaila (back to us Marc's friend not girlfriend though lol), Ria (Kaila's niece) Me, Alex and Kari;

Yesterday I made windmills with the kids if you have some paper, drinking straws, a hole punch and some brads (split pins) these are extremely simple to make. Take a square piece of paper or thin card cut diagonally from each corner towards the centre stopping about an inch from the middle. punch a hole in the centre of the paper then once in each corner to the side of the cut so each cut triangle has one hole in one corner. Punch a hole in the drinking straw. Push the split pin or brad through each of the corner holes in turn then the centre hole and finally the straw and open the split to keep it all together.

Today we got out my mist sprays and I cut some shapes out using die cuts and punches but you can use any paint and shapes. We got a large sheet of card and the kids placed the cut outs where they wanted them and then sprayed the mist over the top. Once dry we removed the shapes and then replaced them in different places and sprayed with a different colour. Once the second layer was dry they then decorated the poster with the diecuts and some stamping and have stuck them up on their bedroom walls.

In the photo's Kari and Dylan's look good but because Joel chose a darker base colour they don't show up as well but they pop in real life :)

So that's one week down now to plan what to do for the next 5 weeks! Thanks for popping by hope you are enjoying your summer with the kids :)

I'm ready for my close up!

I love this photo taken of me in Feb 1993 as my headshot for the drama club at Uni of course at the time I hated it but I would love to look like that now! I recently re-discovered it and had to scrap it but after seeing some of Rachel Elliot's LO's I knew I had to use Websters Pages Hollywood Vogue and I am so glad I did they just seem right for it to me.

I cannot figure out a title Hubby seems to think it doesn't need one but it seems so strange to not have a title! Any suggestions?

Another first day

Yesterday Handmade Hannah put up a sketch for anyone to follow who wanted to. I loved the sketch and a little inspiration can never hurt :) I again used the July Gottacraft kit and added some thickers and some bling and bloom from a grab box I got from Hannah.

The LO is all about what should have been our last first day as it was the first day of school for Kari our youngest but just before this day we found out I was nearly 3 months pregnant with Alex who is now our youngest.

If you like sketches have a look at Hannah's blog (linked above) and consider joining her facebook group she is a wonderful scrapper and has the cutest two little girls :)

July's Sarah's Cards challenge

You may remember last month I went a bit off the wall in one of my typical zany moments and did this LO inspired by my new bag for the Sarah's Cards challenge well you wouldn't believe it but I won!!! I was so surprised pleased shocked and over the moon I was feeling pretty low the past few weeks and having a little shopping spree courtesy of Sarah's Cards was a great pick me up :) I actually had 2 little spree's as I had a little extra cash so went shopping then got my prize and went shopping again lol

This month the challenge is to follow a sketch by the gorgeous and talented Rachel Elliott who has sadly left the DT there for pastures new. I loved the sketch and knew straight off I would have to use one of the large doilies I had got in my spree for the circular element of it. I used Cosmo Cricket Odds and Ends PP's from this months Gottacraft kit and the twine and button are also from the kit with the lace from my stash. I made a pompom with some of the twine then flattened it a little and topped with a button and stuck it all on a cut out element from one of the pp's to make the flower.

The journalling is hidden behind the photo you can just see the green frame poking out either side. The photo is of myself and my younger brother in 1982 and although I often wished for an older brother or a sister it was always just the 2 of us :)

Let them eat cake!

Love having hubby home for a week the kids are running around the garden and as he is watching the (boring) cricket I could shut myself away in the dining room and craft.

When I received June Gottacraft kit I thought I have to have some cake photo's to go with the gorgeous cupcake chipboard and papers so persuaded hubby we should go visit the cake shop he kept promising to take me to. Of course I didn't tell him my sudden turn from ummm it's a bit expensive to yep let's go was down to scrapbook papers he thinks I am mad enough as it is but I know you will all understand lol.

The photo's unfortunately came out a little dark but not as dark as they look on here.

A little bit of a crafty day

I had some time to craft today after not doing that much in recent weeks. I started off with the weekly challenge which was set by the Tag A Longs. The requirements were to use a photo of sunflowers as inspiration, Scrap about a celebration, Use a tag(s) and use ribbon.

I was stuck all week with how to get inspiration from the photo not wanting to scrap either flowers or the yellow, blue, green colour theme but then got to thinking about growth and blooming and stretched it to a LO about my first pregnancy and my first bump photo. I even "sculpted" the title to make a bump outline lol.

I used Websters Pages Lullaby Lane pp's and a few embellies from my stash;

I did this LO following a sketch on facebook from Handmade Hannah. I kept it fairly simple and didn't include any journalling as I didn't feel it needed any;

Finally my last CJ entry for Mim's CJ. The journalling is about "Who do you think you are" and is on the back of each of the past, present and future cards.

School Leavers photo

I did this page last night for the latest Scrapology Challenge which is to use a mask. I used a flower vine mask along with matching flowers and Candy Pink Cosmic Shimmer. I then used some Echo Park pp's from Handmade Hannah a lovely shop worth a look at.

I have been learning to crochet and used my first ever crocheted flower on a LO and am very pleased with how it turned out. I am still a learner though I only know how to do chain, slip, double crochet and triple crochet and am going to pester my mum to explain half treble crochet to me as a really pretty lacey pattern uses it lol.

The photo is out Year 13 leavers photo can you find me?

Birthday card for Dawn

You may recall if you have been reading my blog a while Dawn is my mum's best friend and is Mummy 2 and Nana Dawn to us. She is the most wonderful caring lady and part of our family. I made my first t riple easel card for her using Poppy and Valentines Night digi stamps from Crafts and Me. I love how it looks but have had trouble with an envelope and ended up using two lol.

I am going to enter it into the Scrapology Challenge for this month which is anything but square :)

Teacher's cards

I sat down last night and made cards for the kids four teachers (Dylan has two part time job share teachers). I used the images from one of the papers in the Gottacraft kit this month, as soon as I saw it I thought oooh Teacher's cards. I also used some 6x6 pp's from my Echo Park For the Record pad and thickers and few other bits. I hope you like them I am happy with how they turned out :)

Crazy in love

As I mentioned in my last post Sheleen is a very inspiring lady, one of the LO's on UKScrappers that I saved as a favourite very early on was this one by Sheleen. I have waited a while to lift it but I wanted to be sure I had the right photo and last night after umming and ahhing for a while I went for it with this layout;

I used the gorgeous Glitz Laced with Grace papers, some thickers, bling, marianne dies, and a journalling card which is tucked under the photo. The journalling is about how I posed for this photo as a present for Phil. We had only just met in Ibiza but while I was on a fortnight holiday he was only there a week so I had a few days after he left on my own and was missing him madly. A year on from this photo we were married and expecting our first child :)

Thanks for popping by who inspires you?

Inspired by blogs

I follow quite a few blogs. I am planning on cutting down a little on which ones I follow as I have found some of the Cricut blogs are not really relevant unless you have every cart under the sun! The blogs I find most inspiring at the moment are Sheleen's, Anita's, and Rachel's. I decided using the beautiful work of these three ladies as inspiration I would try and do a very pretty pretty page and this is what I came up with;

I used Websters Pages lullaby lane pp's which I cut up into lots of little sections starting by removing the central panel of the diecut paper to make a frame. In some area's there are 6 layers of pp's and it is dimensional irl. I think I have made it a little too busy but I still like what I have done and am very pleased to have done something so different for me. The only additions to the pp's are the crystal swirl, journalling ticket, thickers for the title and a little stickles on the fairies wings.

The journalling records how I was 18 weeks pregnant with our eldest in this photo (I am holding my cousin's son not one of mine) and had been feeling the first fluttery kicks for a few days.

Challenge setting

This week on UKScrappers I volunteered to set the weekly challenge here is what I came up with;

Hello and welcome to my first challenge I hope you will enjoy it
July is in full swing and as it is traditionally a month of sunshine, flowers and weddings I thought I would incorporate the well known wedding tradition of - "Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue" into my challenge.

I would like you to use one of your (old) tried and tested techniques or embellishments for 5 points. For clarification if you chose an embellishment it does not need to be one you have had in your stash for ages but rather one you have used often so using it is "old" to you.
For new I would like you to use a technique you have learnt within the past 6 months or to use new papers for 10 points.
To borrow I would like you to either scraplift or use a sketch designed by someone else for 10 points.
Finally I would like you to use some blue in your layout.

To re-cap;

Old technique or embellishment - 5 points
New technique or patterned papers - 10 points
Scraplift or use a sketch - 10 points
Use blue - 5 points

I look forward to seeing what you all come up with and have included some links of sample pages.

Have fun, Michelle x

Here are my two sample pages- Our Trio using the June creative craftworld kit;

Old- hidden journalling

New- pp's

Borrowed- scraplifted from a LO on UKS with permission

Splish Splash using Echo Park pp's

Old- cutting elements from the pp's to make embellishments

New- pp's

Borrowed- used a sketch from Sketch Inspirations

I also managed to get last weeks challenge done before time ran out. It was set by Jo aka Wonky;

Welcome to my third weekly challenge, I hope you enjoy it.

As it's Independence Day, in honour of our American friends I would like you to scrap one photo of one thing....animal, mineral, vegetable or person!

Children are getting ready for the long summer holidays, everyone seems to be planning days out and it's such a busy month I feel like I'm going round in circles so I would like to see some circles on your layout.

I sit at my desks all day drawing sketches and patterns when I should really be working so I would like you do include some doodling on your layout.

Finally I love a bit of stash busting so let's see some eyelets or brads on your layout.

So to recap:

One photo of one thing - 10 points
Circles - 10 points
Doodling - 5 points
Eyelets/brads - 5 points.

I hope you like my challenge and look forward to seeing your creations.

I did the LO all about my second boy Dylan with facts about him from 3 years ago and the same questions but with very different answers this year. I am going to do the same for his siblings later this week.

Thanks for popping by if you are a UKS member please give my challenge a go :)

Glitz Giveaway

Glitz are offering their blog readers a chance to win their brand new CHA summer releases. These are truly beautiful ranges and I cannot decide which of the three is my favourite I may have to save up and get all of them :)

The giveaway can be found here for "Dance in Sunshine" here for "Vintage Blue" and here for "Beautiful Dreamer" why don't you give it a go?

Been AWOL

Sorry I have not been around just needed a break from the computer so that included blogger. I have also been having some time off crafting I did this LO at the weekend for the weekly challenge on UKScrappers for last week;

and then today I spent a little time in the afternoon doing two LO's one for the House Challenge here;

and one for the Scrapfactor playalong week 12;

Yesterday I completed my latest Circle Journal entry which I am not too sure about but it is done now so hopefully the owner will like it. The CJ theme was favourite books and as my favourite - The Lord of the Rings- had already been done I chose Harry Potter;

Thanks for popping by hopefully I will be my normal chatty self again soon have a good evening x