Pressies and goals

I must have been really good last year because I got some lovely pressies! I had 2 hand made gifts that mean a lot to me that I thought I would share with you. My son Matt and my daughter-in-law Martha have a great creative thing going on. He loves photography and has a really nice camera outfit. Martha is a natural at arty crafty things, and my granddaughter Phoebe is a natural little actress! The combination is brilliant! I cried when I got this present. It's based on the 'hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil' idea. Love it!

The other pressy was from my dear friend Linda. She made me a monthly goal setting book for 2009. Each month has an inspiring quote, paper to record my goals, and then ribbon tied papers to write my achievements. I love it, and its so perfect for me because annual goals don't work for me! I need frequent reminders: ) I am in the process of considering my goals and have some that I am excited about. I love going into a new year with enthusiasm for the possibilities it holds. Come on 2009!

Christmas

Happy Christmas everyone! I hope you are enjoying the best things of the season. For me, I find great peace and strength from my spiritual beliefs at this special time of year. We have attended a carol service this evening which was lovely, it set the tone for the next few days. I LOVE being with the family, playing games, making memories. This year will be a little different- just Kevin and I for the morning, so I have been promised breakfast in bed:) Then we have Kevin's mum, and our daughter Becky and Kev round for dinner. Nick and Rachel are joining us for the evening, as are my mum and dad. Boxing day will be all the above, plus Matt, Martha and the children. I'm excited! It's hard work getting everything ready, as you know! I have been taking some time out to relax- as you can see from the picture! Merry Christmas to you. Thank you for joining me on my journey over the last year- and here's to another, even better one to come!

uuugggghhhh!!!!

I have the 'flu :( Most of the time its as much as I can do to change the TV Chanel, but for an hour or so when the cold and flu relief tabs kick in I can surf. I found this cool blog http://wendysmedley.typepad.com/ that has some ideas for making Christmas ornaments using scrapping scraps, if you find yourself with a little bit of time (unlikely- I know!) It's worth a look.

At this time of year-

It's good to reflect on what is most important. Becky and I went shopping to the Merry Hill Centre last night (locals call it the merry hell centre!). It was fun, but exhausting! Everyone was loaded up with things and looked harassed and stressed. There didn't seem to be much Christmas Spirit about! I am trying hard not to get 'wrapped up' (excuse the pun:) in the busyness of it all, but rather to enjoy family, faith and friends. After all, that is what Christmas is about isn't it? So here's what I'm planning for fun! I watched the TV chef Rachel Allen making a gingerbread house today, so that is something I must have a go at! I've been making a gift for a good friend. We have some church friends over tomorrow night and Thursday night to enjoy some carols by candlelight and some food. Kevin and I are planning a secret Santa service project (ssshhhh!) And, best of all, I get to see my lovely hubby much more over Christmas. He is a very busy but happy man, and we are so excited to just have time to relax together. I always read a Christmas book this time of year. This year its 'The Christmas Quilt'. Last year it was 'The Christmas Jars'. I can recommend both. Kevin and I read a short seasonal story together in bed every night. Are we sad? Is it a sign of old age (or worse, dementure?) To be honest, I don't care! These are the things that are making me truly happy- and that's really all that matters.

Festive cropping and dates for next year

Looks like we are having a party! This is the list of the food people are bringing on Saturday so far:

Brownies and cuttlery- Donna
Cakes – Trish
Salad, plates and quiche- Carol
Sausage rolls- Chris G
Bread sticks and dips – Karen
Cheese and onion rolls - Jules
Mulled punch – Chris B

Next years crop dates are:

Jan 17th
Feb 14th
Mar 14th
Apr 11th
May 9th
Jun 13th
Jul 11th
Aug 8th
Sep 12th
Oct 10th
Nov 14th
Dec 12th
thanks to Vicky for booking them.

Saturday's Christmas Crop

Don't forget to come to the Christmas crop if you can. We are each bringing something towards the buffet, and bring a secret Santa scrapbooking gift to the value of £5 if you would like to participate. Can't wait! Jules shop will be there too- so if you have a bit of Christmas money to spend this is your chance :)

Christmas decorating

I love decorating the house for Christmas. It's so nice to be able to sit back and enjoy all the lights tonight.

Inexpensive Christmas gift ideas

This faux leather photo frame was from B & M on the retail park near me. It's really nice quality. I added the rub on definition and the flower, and now it would make a nice gift, but I'm keeping it!! The cost? A mere £1.48!!!!

B & M again. These are heavy glass coasters which have and etched leaf image on them. I have decorated them by adding papers, photos etc and glued them underneath the glass. The challenge is attaching the papers so the glue doesn't show through. I'm pleased with he results. It's started me thinking about loads of other designs. My daughter Becky made a set of 2 to go on her bedside tables and they looked fab. These coaster cost 99p for a set of 6! Bargain :-)

Things I love!

What do you love about your home? It's easy to look around and think "this needs painting and I hate that" etc etc, but it's good to sometimes reflect on what works. Have a look around your home and acknowledge the things you love! In the spirit of Thanksgiving (one celebration I think we could adopt) lets be grateful for what we have. Here's my favourite bit in my home. It just makes me happy to look at it. One of the books is an old photo album I adore. Its not my family, unfortunately- but the photos are an amazing view into the lives of Victorian England. The watch is a German pocket watch given to me by my son. The others are books I got from a charity shop. They sit on a pine trunk in my bedroom and give me a sense of history every day.

Smoke and Mirrors

This picture better shows what I mean by the mirror effect!

Lazy blogger!

It's been a while! Lots of pics for you today. I can't believe I have finally finished a project!! My 'babies' board book is done! I used a mirror inside the back cover, and cut out some of the pages so that you can see through to it. The idea is that the grandchildren can look at pictures of them as a baby, and compare how they look now by seeing their reflection right next to the photos. I have also made a Christmas puzzle piece. This was made with a bob the builder puzzle (from my own personal collection - ha!) I put it together, and its supposed to be suitable for a 3 year old, but I struggled!! Then drew a Christmas stocking shape on it and cut away the bits outside of the shape. I covered each piece with some left over pretty papers, edged them with a gold leafing pen, and highlighted little bits with a Ranger glitter glue. It looks pretty when the light catches it.

NEC Hobbycrafts

I have had a fab morning exploring at the NEC. My amazing hubby drove me there so I could save my energy for shopping : ) I managed to spend a fair bit. Good thing its only on twice a year! My fave find was this inkssentials white pen by Ranger. It looked so good I got 2! So far, it seems to write in bright white, very opaque. That will be perfect for doodling. I heard you can use it on lots of different surfaces, including Fimo before its baked. I also got a flexible mould of keys and locks for friendly plastic, fimo etc. Can't wait to try it. The guy I watched doing the demo heated the friendly plastic and rolled it in to a sausage shape, then pressed it into the mould and let it cool for 30 seconds. He then took it out, dabbed some ink from his gold leafing pen onto his non stick craft sheet and used ranger foam to pick it up. He wiped it over the key and it looked really good. He then used some alcohol inks to distress it. He should win the prize for using the most products in one demo!!! I would have had to have them all, but thankfully I already had most of them : ) Hobby Horse crafts was another favourite, with all the very up to date stash and lots and lots of gorgeous projects on display. Rachel web site is http://www.hobbyhorsecrafts.co.uk/ and if ever you get a chance to visit its so worth it! Is a tiny shop, packed with goodies. The other product I am loving right now is the Heidi Swapp butterfly mirrors. I bought some from Jules at the last crop and used them all, so had to get some more today! Hopefully she will have more at the next crop. Check out Jules blog http://www.capturelifecreateart.blogspot.com/

Free Class!

If you are interested in hybrid scrapbooking, here's an opportunity you won't want to miss! Hybrid uses a mix of traditional scrapbooking and digital. Jessica Sprague is offering a free on-line class called 'stories in hand'. It sounds exciting- and I am going to have a go at this one. Be brave and join me on an adventure! Here's the link : http://www.jessicasprague.com/

Loving these....

Just think of the potential! But don't worry, there is no expensive price tag to this. I found tons of great down loadable templates on the Maya Road web site for FREE! There are some fab shapes, all you have to do is print the pattern, trace onto chipboard (cereal packets work well) and cut them out. You could then use the Bind It All or some jump rings as shown to hold it all together. Here's the link: http://www.mayaroad.net/index.php?main_page=creative_templates

Enjoy!

Yeh! Saturday's Crop !

It's that time again! Saturday it's our 2nd crop in our new lush venue, the Huntington Community Centre in Cannock. I hope to be doing a demo on some Christmas ideas. Just need to get the stuff together. I am planning to get some serious scrapping done and finish my 'babies' book at the crop. Don't forget to bring some lunch with you, and whatever you want to drink. We will provide the milk. Look forward to seeing you there: )

Inspiring stuff

Loving this mini book- I have to have one!There's some cool Christmas mini books on Teresa's website if you are looking for some inspiration! Keep scrolling down on this page - there's a lot to see! http://www.teresacollins.typepad.com/

New Traditions

Now we are a little family of 2 at home, we have decided its time to start some new traditions. For example, the first Monday night in December was always family night to decorate the Christmas tree. Each person took it in turns to place a decoration on the tree and say something they were grateful for. It was great when the kids were small, but hard work in the last few years! Now with just Kevin and I, we will have to do things differently. I'm thinking maybe decorating the tree followed by candlelit dinner. Anyhow, traditions are not just about Christmas. Anything that we do regularly can be a tradition, and I have found them to bring reassurance, comfort and fun to our lives:-) I have found this fab web site that is about simplifying (something else I am trying hard to do) and it has tons of ideas for fun traditions. How about an annual spaghetti western night, with spaghetti of course! And I loved the 'eat your weight in chocolate day' ha ha! Have a look, I bet there's something you would like to try!
http://www.onsimplicity.net/

Are you readty for a Christmas idea?

It's only October, I know. But that's about the time I begin to allow myself to start getting excited:) The autumn basket with fir cones and lights is already twinkling on my hearth, and I will confess, I have already watched one or two Christmassy movies (gasp!) When I saw this idea on http://www.amazing-christmas-ideas.com/ I just had to share it. I think my granddaughter will love this! You take a few white doves (preferably not real ones!) and hang them from the ceiling using clear fishing line. You then attach a string of beads to their feet or from their beaks. The idea is that it looks like the birds are decorating the tree! Love it!

Bread

I found the most brill recipe for bread! You don't pre mix anything, just throw it all in. The secret is in the way you kneed. It was fun to make and sooooo light! I can say I now make good bread! ha ha! This recipe was from an article in the Telegraph. Richard Bertinet has amazing recipes and a good web site.
Bertinet Bread Recipe
Try to work in metric if you can, as metric weights of yeast, water and salt are easier to get right. Note that water is added by weight. You can use fluid measurements, but they are not as accurate. This is enough for one batch.
3/8oz/10g yeast, fresh if possible
1lb 2oz/500g strong bread flour
3/8oz/10g salt 12oz/350g water
Rub the yeast through the flour with your fingers, as if making a crumble. Add the salt and all the water. Then, using a scraper or spatula, mix everything until you have what looks like a stiff cake mix. Turn it out on to an unfloured worktop (and I do mean unfloured).
How to work the dough
Slide the fingers of both your hands underneath either side of the dough, palms up, as if they were forklift trucks. Bring your thumbs together on top.
Swing the dough upwards and slap it down away from you. Don't worry about any staying behind. It won't for long.
Now pull the front of the dough towards you and...
Lift it back over itself, trapping air in the pocket you have just created. This brings you back to being the forklift again.
Keep doing this. It might seem like hard work, but after somewhere between five and 10 minutes of working the dough, something amazing happens: it starts to feel elastic. Bit by bit, it loses its tackiness and starts coming away from the worktop and your fingers. Now you are ready to move on.
Flour the inside of a mixing bowl and put the dough in. Cover it with a tea towel or cloth and leave in a warm, draughtfree place for an hour or so, until it has roughly doubled in volume. (The time this takes will really depend on how warm the kitchen is.)
Then prise it gently out of the bowl on to a lightly floured worktop.
Press it out with the heel of your hand. Fold the edges into the centre and press down to seal them. Now fold the resulting shape in half and press down to seal. Then turn the dough over, so that the seam is on the base.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Dust a loaf tin and add the dough, seam-side down. Dust the top lightly with flour. Allow it to rest in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until it has roughly doubled in size. Now bake for about 30 minutes.Turn it out of the tin and bake for 10 more minutes or until golden brown, with a hollow base. Enjoy!

Its been a good day!

What a pleasant but exhausting day! I went to an enrichment day at church this morning which was wonderful. I attended a class on bread making, and it's really inspired me! The teacher squeezed in his hand some cheap bread, and it just kind of clumped together in a sticky mass. He then squeezed some 100% wholemeal and it bounced back into shape quickly. It really made me appreciate good bread (and all the samples were an added bonus!) I have had plenty of disasters with bread making before, (even the birds in my garden wouldn't eat it!) but I am determined to master it this time:)
I dashed over to the crop this afternoon, and it was so good! Loved the new venue! It's clean, warm and spacious. Jules' shop was excellent- so much yummy stash- I could have spent the children's inheritance! There were quite a few there, and it was so so nice to get together again after missing last month. Can't wait till the 8th November.

What's she up to?

This is what I am doing now. It's a board book that I have gesso'd (is that a word?) and the theme is babies in our family. There will be photos of all of us as babies, I love baby pics and its interesting to compare them. Green and black is definitely my thing at the mo.

crops and shops and stuff

Jules is bringing her shop to the crop on saturday- how good is that? At last we can stash shop again. Skrapz http://www.skrapz.co.uk/ have also offered to bring their shop to the crop. Maybe they could come alternate months? Let me know what you think. I am excited to be able to buy stuff again, and not even have to leave the building!! Well, I returned to work today after a long break, and it was ok, but I am exhausted! Don't know how you full-timers do it! I need to finish painting tins for saturdays class, but do you think I can find the energy? Bare tin looks pretty good :)

Crop on 18th

Just a reminder about the crop details- here's the address:
meeting on 18th October, 8th Nov, 6th Dec at:
Huntington Community Centre,
Stafford Road,
Huntington,
Cannock, Staffs,WS12 4NA.
It's 10.00 till 3.00, cost £5
Hot water and milk to be provided, please bring your own drinks, snacks etc. There is plenty of parking available free of charge. There will be a class/demo fairly early on in the day. We would love to see your work! Why not bring something for the inspiration table to give us some ideas :)
Feel free to contact me for more details at donnadowd59@hotmail.com

been a busy girl :) Altered tins and more tins...

This tin was altered using fabric image transfer liquid (£2.69 from Dunelm Mill) on a photo I picked up from a car boot sale. I stamped the mica with staz -on and attached the mica with glossy accents, then used embossing paste at the side which I stamped in to.

This tin was decorated by spreading the lid with embossing paste and stamping into it. I then used distress inks to colour it, and highlighted the raised pattern with a Krylon gold leafing pen (a fave of mine-don't go anywhere without one).

This is the class for the next crop. We will be painting and decorating the tins, and making the matchbook and inserts. This was fun to make and leaves some room for individual expression. I am really loving tins! Once I started I just couldn't stop!

OK, all change!

Our crop on the 18th October is 10.00 till 3.00. Hope lots of you can make it. I am working on a class for this crop. It will include tins, and matchbooks - there, enough clues! It will cost £5, any profits will go toward crop expences.

Retreat. As we have fewer able to come this time (the credit crunch is hitting hard) we are looking for a smaller venue. Let me know if you have any ideas.

Tim Holtz rules! If you have a few minutes and want to be truly inspired, check out Tim's blog.

http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/11/the-studio.html The picture is one of his tags. I've spent a very happy hour looking at his ideas through the year, and my fingers are itching to scrap! Note to self: try stamping with white paint, using dye inks in a spritzer with metalic powders, and using a strip white core card in my dymo and sanding. Off I go.....

Generations

My daughter in law, Martha took this fab photo of my son Matt and grandaughter Phoebe. It's the look in their eyes that tell something about what they mean to each other. It's almost too nice to put in a layout- anything else would detract from it, but I will see what I can come up with!

Another milestone

Nick and Rachel got married yesterday! We had a fabulous day. The weather was perfect for us- in fact the whole day was perfect in every way. They make a great couple and were so in love it was a joy to see! I feel very blessed to have such a wonderful family. What a great week this has been.

Family History Miracles

On monday Kevin and I went to visit the Lincolnshire villages where my grandmother lived as a child. I was always very close to her, She was a wonderful woman who never had a negative thing to say about anyone or anything. When she was 5 her mother passed away, and she went to live in a little village called Coleby with her older sister. She told me of many adventures she had whilst living there. One sad event was that her nephew George Henry Hobson died when just 7 years old after having his tonsils out. I remember visiting his grave with her in the 70's, and I promised her then that one day I would go back and put flowers there. Well, it took me a while, but I did it on monday. It felt good to do that, and I felt quite emotional, knowing how much it would have meant to her. We called in to the church and my eyes were immediately drawn to a notice that offered help to anyone doing family history in the village. Normally I would have gone home and written a letter, but Kevin felt that we should call to the address on the poster. A very kind woman invited us in. After telling her about my grandmother Ivy Johnson, she went into her garage for 5 minutes and came out with an armful of books. She opened a book and passed it to me. Written on the inside cover was this "To Ivy Johnson, a present from the Wesleyan Sunday School, 1908". My mouth must have dropped open! Exactly 100 years after my Grandmother received this book as a gift, it was given to me as a gift! There was another- which had Ivy Johnson written in her own hand, and that was given to me also. We went home with 2 other books which had belonged to George Henry Hobson. I felt overwhelmed and so grateful for this experience. When I try to think about the chances of this happening I really can't believe it. The woman who gave us the books said she found them in an antiques shop in the village 16 years ago, and felt to buy them and store them. They have been in her garage ever since that time. Someone once said to me that when you do your family history it seems like not only are we seeking our ancestors, but they are seeking us. I believe there is a great deal of truth to that.

Crop News

18th October, 8th November and 6th December
We will be meeting at

Huntington Community Centre,
Stafford Road,
Huntington,
Cannock, Staffs,
WS12 4NA
From 10am till approx 1pm
Cost £5.
SCRAPPING RETREAT
We are so excited about this! I have booked The Stables again for our crop retreat on February 6th to 9th next year. It will be a bit more expensive than last year (about £60)because the rental price has gone up, but still great value for an inspiring and fun weekend away with your cropping buddies! Places are limited, so please let me have a £30 deposit ASAP, but by the October crop at the latest. The retreat will include cropping time, classes and free time. The last one was a really memorable experience. Don’t miss out!

It's all going on.............

RETREAT
How exciting! Due to the intense pressure (haha) I have provisionally booked The Stables for our retreat on 6th to 8th February 2009. Places are in demand- so get your £30 deposit to me asap, or by the October crop at the latest.
CROP
We have a new venue for our crop (at least temporarily). We will be meeting on 18th October, 8th Nov, 6th Dec at
Huntington Community Centre,
Stafford Road,
Huntington,
Cannock, Staffs,
WS12 4NA.
More details to come.
INVITATION
Jules has started her own crop in the centre of Sutton Coldfield. All Penkridge croppers have been invited to attend on 20th September at a special rate :) I hope it all goes well Jules. I'm sure it will be a hit! Contact Jules for details at artoflife@hotmail.co.uk

so here it is....

I'm loving my new scrap room!!! I am almost scared to go in it- maybe its finally tidy and I don't want to mess it up, or it might be because I know once I step in the room I will not come out for several hours! I've had an interesting weekend. We went to Wales with my parents and sister to get pictures of where my mum was born and lived the first few years of her life. I am trying to record as much info as possible. One of my major goals is to record the lives of family members both past and present. Family history excites me! Kevin does most of the research and I write the stories. It works well for us. I plan to start by organising my photos better so I have them all on computer. Once they are sorted I can use them as a starting point for the text. I will let you know how it goes..........if I can ever bring myself to step into my scrap room :)

They've flown!

It's official- we are empty nesters! I have felt incredible swings of emotions as my 'babies' finally flew the nest. We helped Nick move to his house in Telford today. I am so happy for him, but as he went out of the front door for the last time as a 'resident' the tears came. I'm fine now, but we have had such good times and been such a happy family, the changes are sure to take a bit of getting used to. They have wonderful partners and are doing just what we hoped for them. But ugh! It's so sad too!!!! If you still have children at home- enjoy every minute! There is never a minute wasted that is spent with your family. I asked Nick when he would be coming over to visit and he said "tomorrow of course- it's the football!" I could learn to love football.
Anyway, I'm sorting out the scrap room, and discovering great stash that I never knew I had. I have to tell you (modestly) it's looking good in there! i will post pics when it's finished.

Heidi Swapp

Heidi has a new web site, and there are some good ideas and inspiration there. Not everything is up and working, but deff. worth a look. http://www.heidiswapp.com/ Also check out the September kit. It's all clocks- it looks fab. The prices are usually really good, and even though you have to pay postage it still works out cheaper than we can get things here. They start selling it from 1st of the month- and you need to be quick! I love this mirror from Heidi - I have to get something like this for my new scrap room.

Saturday's Crop

I feel like I have been on another planet for a while, with weddings etc. So now I'm not as busy, I have plenty of time to think about scrapping - and tons of piccies to scrap! As I get nearer to sorting out ALL my craft stash for my new scrap room I will be bringing stuff I haven't used in a while to sell at saturday's crop. I am planning a demmo, not sure what yet but I have several things I have been waiting to do. Hope to see lots of cropping friends on saturday :-)

piccies

Here's a few pics of the wedding.

wedding

It's over, and I survived, but walking is a bit tough! Becky's wedding was a wonderful, wonderful day. She looked amazing, and she and Kev looked so happy together. The weather was kind to us too. We enjoyed a hog roast and buffet, and then danced the night away (ok, not me!) under the twinkling lights of the marquee. It couldn't have gone better. I will post the pics asap. As soon as I have recovered I need to clean up my craft room. My 2yr old granddaughter went in there after the wedding mayhem and said "oh, messy!" OK, I get the message :)

CHA and Heidi Swapp

This is a video that Heidi took at this years CHA. There is so much inspiration on it- so many must-have's:) I'm trying to curb my desire for more stash but failing miserably at the mo! Take a look and I guarantee you will feel the same!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsUsHtaZwGs

..........and another one

http://www.stickywords.net/ I need some of these! When we become empty nesters (less than 3 weeks) I am going to need something good to throw myself into, so I plan to reorganize and redecorate. Actually, my health is not good enough at the mo, so I will be doing the planning and hopefully Kevin will be doing the work! (It's OK - he never reads my blog, so I will make him think its his idea) One of these phrases would be great for the guest bedroom. I may even write my own little verse.....

the writing on the wall..........

I have always loved words. They can evoke stong feelings, and have so much power both positive and negative in our lives. I love the 'new' (I saw an 18th centuary National Trust house that had sayings in most rooms!) trend for having words, quotes, verses, on the wall in our homes. In my scrap room I have 9" tall vinyl lettering that I bought in America that says "enjoy the journey". I love it. It reminds me to enjoy the process and not just focus on the results. These words are just giant rub-ons. I like this site http://www.wallwords.com/ which has some cool ideas :) There are others that offer similar things too. Here's a couple of pics from wallwords to get you started. If you want to make your own you can cut great letters on the Cricut Expressions up to 12" high. I did this and stuck 'The Dowd's" over a family photo display in our hall. It worked well.

How cute is this????

This is my granddaughter Phoebe enjoying wearing her latest fashion item- sunglasses:) She loves to pose for the camera now too! She's had lots of experience of that as Grandma never goes far without her camera. The other pic is of my second granddaughter, Sophie who is now 7 weeks old. I took this at her blessing, which is our equivalent of a christening. No water involved though- as children in our church get baptised when they are 8 years old. I am excited about getting these printed so I can start making some things with them, but I am stacking up till I

have a few hundred to do (I kid you not!)

Photo catch up

Here's some pics of the class I did at home.

I hope it was enjoyed by all- they all certainly produced some nice results! We altered some letters that I bought from Dunelm, really an enjoyable project. Thanks to those who came, and for those who wanted to, you are first on my list for the next class :)