Precious photos, precious lives.

This is my grandmother, Ivy Johnson when she was in her late teens or early twenties. I had thought no photos of her survived after my aunt lost all the family photos on a train during the 2nd world war.. The only ones I had were of her as an old lady. I contacted a great Aunt (wonderful lady! Story for another day) and she gave me several photos of my grandmother, including this one.. I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to see her like this! It has energised me into re-visiting her life story that I put together many years ago. I'm now going to use Serif Craft Artist to make a digital version of it and to include lots of photos this time. I will put some of them on here. I was just appreciating the wonders of modern technology and how it can impact our family history. A blessing indeed!

Hand made book

I have been making this little book that I thought you might like to see. It's for a friends 90th birthday. I learned how to make them at a workshop at Unit 12 in Stafford which was really enjoyable. There are lots of posibillities. I was thinking a little one each for the grandchildren for Christmas might be nice. The name was made from thin wire that I shaped by hand, and stitched to the heart before attaching it with PVA to the book cover.

I've been ill this last few days, and have had plenty of time to rest and think and get creative. I had a play with the Tim Holtz Kraft resist paper that I bought ages ago. I wiped it with Gesso and it came up beautifully. A bit of machine and hand stitching and a few buttons finished the embellishments. I added this gorgeous photo of 2 of my grandchildren taken by my clever son Matt. I wiped Gesso on the edges of the photo too, to make it a bit more rustic looking. I have a gorgeous new granddaughter Lola now, so lots more layouts coming :-)

For anyone who doesn't yet know, the Cannock crop is closing down. Here is the note I have sent out, but I am aware I don't have emails for everyone so I hope anyone I have missed will see this. I love my scrapbooking and will still be keeping the blog, so keep coming back xx

Dear Cannock Crop Members,

This is to let you know that the Cannock crop will not be meeting again. It has been a difficult decision, but the committee feels it is the right thing to do at this time.
For some time we have felt that the crop has become more difficult to run because of all the red tape and administration involved and this has taken away much of the ‘fun’ aspect of the crop for those doing all the work.
On a personal note, as chairperson for the last 7 years, I had let the committee know I was resigning at the next crop AGM. This was due to the reason above and challenges with my health. We also understand that the venue might not be available in the future due to developments in the local area.
... Money obtained by grant from Adult and Community Education will be returned to them. Any remaining funds will be donated to a local charity to encourage craft work with disadvantaged children. We thought this would be an appropriate use of funds. The bank account will be closed.
Equipment that the crop has bought over the years will be retained by those people who have looked after it and had the hassle of bringing it along to the crops each month.
I would like to say a heart felt thank you to all those who have been on the committee and given so much of their time and energy to the crop over the years. It would not have happened without you.
We have learnt so much and made many friends over the last years, and we hope that many of you will meet together informally and continue to enjoy crafting. Thank you for your support. We hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have.

Donna Dowd
On behalf of the Cannock Crop Committee

I don't know where the weeks go! I have been a terrible blogger! I'm not giving up on my blog, in fact, I hope to do more as I discover new and wonderful things. For those involved in the crop, I have let the committee know I am standing down as chairperson in September. I have loved the last 7 or 8 years, but for a variety of reasons, its time to move on. I have reached the phase of life where I am a bit braver, and I listen to that little voice within me that says there are other things that need my time more. It's not the end, I will attend sometimes and stay in touch with the amazing friends I have made. Onwards and upwards :-)

Happy Easter

Well, you know I am a Tim Holtz fan! I just wanted to share his latest creation for Easter. Amazing! You can find out more on his blog http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/04/happy-easter.html
I hope you all have a wonderful Easter. We are going to church tomorrow and will have a family get-together at our house afterwards. Spring is fast becoming one of my favourite times of the year. We bought some shrubs from Penkridge market this morning to fill in some gaps. Looking good now :-) We also popped in to Gailey garden centre. They have a bit of a sale on some of their craft stuff. It's worth a look if you are local. Before you get into Penkridge (from the Wolverhampton side) there is a little shopping area on the right. They have a chippie, Co-op, and a newsagents that sells some quite good American imported craft mags, including Creating Keepsakes. Could be a day out?

Tea Bags

Although I don't drink tea, I may have to buy some to play with the bags! I love what Cloth, Paper, Scissors has done with them. Take a look here: http://www.clothpaperscissors.com/blogs/clothpaperscissorstoday/archive/2012/03/14/how-to-use-tea-bags-in-fabric-art.aspx?a=cpe120316