Well, it's part of daily life - we need to replace such items, too... So, I went "lingerie shopping" with Eve and I had a miserable time finding anything I liked. Even these are much too frilly for me - but there didn't seem to be any plain ones to be had anywhere in town...!Paper is from K&Co Heritage slab; alphas from Making Memories; and the lace and oraganza for the flowers (they are simply scrunchies) are from my haberdashery stash.
Tulips in our garden - you can read the journaling in the layout; it refers to the title!Another piece of the K1 Memories paper from Scrapmuse gardening kit, with Making Memories alpha stickers and a die cut from Craft Creations.
Another spot of gardening: Sean gave the ivy hedge a trim and went a wee bit overboard... Although I must admit that it has recovered beautifully by now (end of June).Paper is from an old Club Scrap kit (I think "Botanicals", or maybe "Outdoors"); alphas from Making Memories; brad from Bazzll Monochromes, and silk ivy from Craft Creations.
We usually watch the F1 races on iBBC - this was a particulary "interesting" one because half the race seemed to be behind a pace car due to the heavy rains. Once they got going it was quite an exciting race, though... Screen shot from the laptop.Paper from Club Scrap "Workbench"; frame from my early scrapbooking days...; embellies are Jolee's By You; alpha stickers from Making Memories and peel-offs from Craft Creations.
Just a vase of bits cut from bushes around here - forsythia and rosemary.Everything I used on here is really old! The bright yellow cardstock was from the first 12x12" paper slab I ever bought, which was horrid primary colours! The chequered paper is out of my offcuts box and the frame is from my odds+ends box - probably as old as the cardstock. I just let the colours guide me...The quote is a cutout from an K1 Memories paper (they did a whole gardening line); numbers from Sandylion Flower Power alphas and the flower is Queens Co Sassy Sequins Mix.
I spent the afternoon at my friend Emily's place, potting up seeds to grow on for the allotment I'm sharing with her this year.Paper is K1 Memories with tags and cutout letters from Club Scrap kit "Farmer's Market"; flowers are from a mixed paper flower bag I got in a shop sell-out and the brads are Bazzill Monochromes.
Last day of spring term and I picked up my friend Eve, who's a primary school teacher, from her school. Before we left I helped her put up the new backing for the next term's display - a task that is much easier with two pairs of hands...A great opportunity to use up some school related bits in my stash: title from Creative Imaginations Art Plates and 3D stickers from Jolee's Boutique. The paper and acetate quote are from Club Scrap kit "Painted Desert", and the numbers are peel-offs from Craft Creations.
Journal reads: "The Shack was our church Lent read this year, and was followed by an open discussion evening. I followed the recommendation and read the book during our Spring Harvest time away – although sadly I came back ill from the trip and couldn’t go to the Forum Night as I had planned to. Still, the read was fascinating and brought a new perspective to my faith that makes it a bit more comfortable, a bit easier to get my head around certain things such as the Trinity, how it might work and what that means for us. It also made me newly aware of God’s love – how different it is from the way we love, and how far-reaching…"The paper, big "B" sticker and twist ties are from Club Scrap "Friendship"; the other alphas are from an older CS kit but I can't remember which. Number peel-offs from Craft Creations and the little ladybird was a RAK from my friend Eve. It refers to the "Ladybug Killer" in the book.
This is still a Spring Harvest - related layout. I was still packing away things when I took this photo... The journal reads: "This year I had vowed not to buy anything at those tempting stalls and booths in the Skyline. However, M.A.D. (Make A Difference) is a global charity that sells handmade goods from third world countries and reinvests the money into those places, in the case of this year’s exhibition: the Philippines. A good enough cause to be exempt from my no buy policy, and the bamboo fan will be handy at dances – a useful souvenir!"Not scrapbook paper at all but an envelope from a craft paper subscription I used to get for a while. The papers came from the US on a monthly basis in 8 1/2 x 11" format and included lots of handmade, oriental and vellum papers, all very beautiful - and the envelopes were always handmade from one of the papers, too. Much too good to throw away!The pinked fabric squares are from a recent RAK I got from a Club Scrap friend, Lori, who is also a quilter. These were leftovers from an oriental quilt.The tag is simply one from the post office, with fibres from the Club Scrap kit "Musical Interlude". Fan button from "Dress It Up" and alphas/numbers from CS "Asian Artisan" and peel-offs from Craft Creations.
This is a really silly layout: I got quite addicted to the "Hatchlings" game on Facebook and the round ended after Easter, so we were all awarded with these certificates to commemorate our participation. It's a screen shot off my computer...Good opportunity to use up some "Games" paper from the Club Scrap kit and also some graduation embellies: title is Softly Spoken and 3Ds are Sanylion Essentials. Numbers are also from "Games" kit.
Journal reads: "The lawn mower was still in hibernation mode, so when Sean took it out for the first cut of the year, he first had to spend some time repairing it! Something to do with the carburator..."The paper is a leftover from an really old Scrapgoods kit; alphas from an equally old Club Scrap kit (can't even remember which) and the brads are from the Bazzill monochromatic collection box. Alpha peel-offs from Craft Creations and lawn mower from Anita's.
I love this season when the lambs are out. We don't get very many here - it's not sheep country. Just a few private enthusiasts have sheep here I think. This one lives with some horses at a livery stables not far from our house. We sometimes walk the dog around there...Paper is Club Scrap "Painted Desert"; 3D sticker from Jolee's True Faith collection; alpha stickers are Mary Engelbreit and MAMBI.
Easter Sunday - it was good to be back home for the festive service at our own church. I thought the wallhanging was a very good expression of the Easter sentiment, but I used a file folder LO here and some hidden journaling of my musings on Good Friday and Easter inside, with a photo to match of the Good Friday cross with the Easter hanging in the background. I think the journal is readable in the picture.Everything is Club Scrap "Be Still", except file folder from "Fossils" and a random "believe" charm from my stash. Unfortunately the light reflected in the two stickers on the front photo - they are sentiment stickers that were on the alpha sheet. They say "tranquil" and "peace".
Coming back from our week at Spring Harvest - just as we drove out of the Butlins' compound, the level crossing closed for the regular steam train that has its final destination at Minehead. For all the years we have been going there, I have tried to catch a glimpse and a good photo of that train - this time it happened...The background is made from those sticker sheets that came with the Club Scrap "Journeys" kit years ago. I hardly used any and still have various complete sheets, so I simply cut a 6x6" section from the sheet and mounted as was (without taking the stickers off the backing) onto plain card. Then I took the round sticker from behind the photo and replaced it visibly as I thought the saying (actually both of them) fitted the LO.The numbers are from a HOTP cutout book and the train 3D stickers are "Kazoo Kids" from K&Co.
Good Friday. This is a picture of the plain wooden cross that always goes up here at St Peter's Church. In years past it had been decorated with a torn rag and a cross of thorns, or with arrangements of white lilies or red blooms, but this year they left it totally plain. In the afternoon we all gather for an hour's "vigil" service, very quiet and contemplative - very moving.Papers are Club Scrap "Be Still" - perfect words for this LO... The cross is silver embossed on black vellum, from an old sympathy card; numbers are peel-offs from Craft Creations.
The journal says it all: "The gulls are Butlins’ most prominent feature: they are everywhere, and they are straight out of Hitchcock’s “Birds”! One stole an ice cream right out of Zoë’s hand in a flying attack, leaving her with scratches on her finger and nose, and quite shocked! However, I found that being looked at straight up close is something the birds cannot stand – they will immediately take flight and depart. Which incidentally makes taking a good photo of them quite tricky … despite their abundance."The papers are Club Scrap "Poetic", with fibres from "Mosaic Twist" and "Groovy Christmas"; peel-off number from Craft Creations; glitter chipboard alphas are left-overs from a Scrapmuse kit; the letter "s" charm is from Making Memories. With cotton from my needlecraft stash and feathers from my card making days...
We took one afternoon "off" from the conference to enjoy the lovely spring weather and go for a nice long walk. Tag reads: "The lovely, very un-Spring-Harvest-like sunshine tempted us off site for a walk in the afternoon. We started down the Beach Promenade and worked our way up the hill through the old town to the bluff for the views. The town is very picturesque and enjoyable with quaint little lanes and thatch-roofed cottages that are tended lovingly with much attention to detail… A treasure trough for picture postcard photos! We returned via a footpath we found at the top but would have never found at the other end: it went right through someone’s driveway and gate!"Paper is Club Scrap kit "By the Seashore" which wonderfully reflects the colours in the picture - that kit was ideal for English seaside! Alphas from Sandylion; gulls are Jolee by You; bucket set are vellum diecuts from DCWV and the number is a leftover from an old Scrapgoods kit. The tag pully is one of the hangers that came with the "Framed" kit.
Sean was having serious problems locating his favourite onsite treat this year! Tag reads: "Sean’s enjoyment of Spring Harvest was severely marred this year by the absence of the sumptuous hot chocolates they used to sell at every corner, along with teas and coffees – missed not only for the culinary delight but also for the sweet memories attached to them (see Sean and Melissa photo, 2007). Two days of searching and complaining finally brought to light the fact that the onsite Rosso Café still does something similar – if you are prepared to face the queues. So finally Sean was a happy bunny again, ladling away at the reduced size option of the Hot Chocolate Cream Dream…"Paper is from Club Scrap kit "Chocolate Shoppe" with the little hangers from "Framed", fastened with brads from Making Memories; tag is also MM with peel-offs from Craft Creations. All the fibres are from CS kit "Extra Extra". I made the little chocolate cup from leftover papers and cottonwool.
Have been meaning to take a photo of the little onsite chapel for years because I think it's really cute, in the Mediterranean style. There are palms planted all around it, too, but they didn't fit into the picture...Tag reads: "During Spring Harvest, Butlins is buzzing with Jesus, with several thousand Christians of various denominations crowding the place. But each year it strikes me that outside the conference, this little Mediterranean style chapel is all the spiritual space provided for Butlins’ thousands of guests and onsite staff. Charming though it is, it does not seem appropriate…"Papers are from Club Scrap kit "Cyprus"; dome stickers from Papermania; number from "Time & Space" kit; mega brad from Making Memories and fibre from my needlecraft stash.
Day 1 at Spring Harvest - picture is of their very own little funfair which runs in the afternoons. Tag reads: "Our fourth visit to Spring Harvest at Butlins, Minehead – this year’s grievances: the front door was so stiff that it made an incredible racket every time somebody came or went (and our flat mates, the Stokers, went beach walking every morning before 7am!); the toaster blew up at first use; and the whole place is just getting dingier every year – they hadn’t even finished the “touching up” (there were still “wet paint” signs all over the place!).And as for Spring Harvest; it was good, but a bit of a letdown after last year’s high. They were very much going with the “Year of the Youth” theme – the topic was apprentices, and I can’t say that I learnt much that was new to me, and the style of music very definitely did no suit me, or Sean."Everything is from Club Scrap kit "County Fair" except peel-off number from Making Memories. The yellow strips are proper mementos: the wristbands we had to wear on site to proof that we had paid! Butlins logo from the brochure.
This was the travel to our week's holiday at Spring Harvest in Minehead (West Coast). We took the country road and just as we passed Stonehenge there was a "handy" traffic queue which allowed me to take a few photos...Paper is Club Scrap kit "Reaching Out" and number is "Let me count the ways" chipboard; the title uses the print and Papermania dome stickers and in case you haven't figured it out, reads "Ancient Spirit". The brads from Making Memories are meant to symbolise part of the stone circle...
This is a funny page - interactive. It's the view from the the window in my study/crafts room, using the shutters cut from a print. Inside is only the photo...but I thought the idea was cool...Papers from Club Scrap kit "Old South"; stickers are Provocraft Rob and Bob Studio; number from CS kit "Let me count the ways" and flowers are Jolee by You.
Back to the daffodil fetish - these are of course narcissus, but they do just as well... They are in a field near our house where I sometimes walk the dog.Plain cardstock from TSBH; narcissus border stickers from Stamping Station; yellow ribbon from a Scrapgoods kit; number 2 from Club Scrap kit "Let me count the ways" and peel-offs from Craft Creations.
This magnificient magnolia tree is also in our neighbour's garden, right behind the camellia bush. It is the most beautiful sight!The background is made with the Timeless Treasures fabric sheet from the December '05 Scrapmuse kit and the big chipboard M is also from that kit; the number is from Club Scrap kit "Let me count the ways" and the flowers are Sandylion Essentials; peel-offs from Craft Creations.
This is the view from our entrance door up the road and across to the school. In the distance you can just about see the patch of daffodils and the town sign that featured in the view "the other way" (see March 21).Couldn't find a good paper for this so I paper-pieced one myself - I don't know if anybody could guess but it's meant to be the road in front of our house: grey asphalt with white divider in the middle and double-yellow lines on the outside, all made from plain papers from my card-making stash. Tag and brad from Making Memories, shamrock from Sandylion Essentials and stickers are MAMBI "crazy alphabet".
This is the view out of my friend Eve's window - she lives right in the middle of Staines, near the station, on the 2nd floor of an apartment building, so this is all she gets in terms of garden: view of one tree, but it is splendid at this time of the year, for a very short period...Paper from Club Scrap kit "Chocolate Shoppe" with vellum from HOTP; title sticker from Softly Spoken series; numbers are Club Scrap "Asian Artisan"; Prima flower and cotton from my needlecrafts stash.
Things are starting to really come alive in the garden - the camellia bush is in the neighbours' garden but a lot of it hangs over the fence, and the blooms are lovely...Everything is from Club Scrap kit "Painted Desert" except for the ribbon from "Wild Wild West".
It's this time of the year - Daffodil Fever! Sean calls it my Daffodil Fetish - I just so LOVE the yellow blooms and cannot resist buying bunches of them at the supermarket when I do my shopping...Plain cardboard from TSBH adorned with the front of an Easter card; alphas and numbers from Making Memories; miniature daffodil from Craft Creations.
This was another Carbon Fast idea (see Match 9): take the train into Staines to visit my friend Eve, instead of going by car.Paper is from Club Scrap kit "Science"; the title is a "Sticko Leather Sticker" and the numbers are Marcella dome stickers.
Well, it's part of daily life - we need to replace such items, too... So, I went "lingerie shopping" with Eve and I had a miserable time finding anything I liked. Even these are much too frilly for me - but there didn't seem to be any plain ones to be had anywhere in town...!
Tulips in our garden - you can read the journaling in the layout; it refers to the title!
Another spot of gardening: Sean gave the ivy hedge a trim and went a wee bit overboard... Although I must admit that it has recovered beautifully by now (end of June).
We usually watch the F1 races on iBBC - this was a particulary "interesting" one because half the race seemed to be behind a pace car due to the heavy rains. Once they got going it was quite an exciting race, though... Screen shot from the laptop.
Just a vase of bits cut from bushes around here - forsythia and rosemary.
I spent the afternoon at my friend Emily's place, potting up seeds to grow on for the allotment I'm sharing with her this year.
Last day of spring term and I picked up my friend Eve, who's a primary school teacher, from her school. Before we left I helped her put up the new backing for the next term's display - a task that is much easier with two pairs of hands...
Journal reads: "The Shack was our church Lent read this year, and was followed by an open discussion evening. I followed the recommendation and read the book during our Spring Harvest time away – although sadly I came back ill from the trip and couldn’t go to the Forum Night as I had planned to. Still, the read was fascinating and brought a new perspective to my faith that makes it a bit more comfortable, a bit easier to get my head around certain things such as the Trinity, how it might work and what that means for us. It also made me newly aware of God’s love – how different it is from the way we love, and how far-reaching…"
This is still a Spring Harvest - related layout. I was still packing away things when I took this photo... The journal reads: "This year I had vowed not to buy anything at those tempting stalls and booths in the Skyline. However, M.A.D. (Make A Difference) is a global charity that sells handmade goods from third world countries and reinvests the money into those places, in the case of this year’s exhibition: the Philippines. A good enough cause to be exempt from my no buy policy, and the bamboo fan will be handy at dances – a useful souvenir!"
This is a really silly layout: I got quite addicted to the "Hatchlings" game on Facebook and the round ended after Easter, so we were all awarded with these certificates to commemorate our participation. It's a screen shot off my computer...
Journal reads: "The lawn mower was still in hibernation mode, so when Sean took it out for the first cut of the year, he first had to spend some time repairing it! Something to do with the carburator..."
I love this season when the lambs are out. We don't get very many here - it's not sheep country. Just a few private enthusiasts have sheep here I think. This one lives with some horses at a livery stables not far from our house. We sometimes walk the dog around there...
Easter Sunday - it was good to be back home for the festive service at our own church. I thought the wallhanging was a very good expression of the Easter sentiment, but I used a file folder LO here and some hidden journaling of my musings on Good Friday and Easter inside, with a photo to match of the Good Friday cross with the Easter hanging in the background. I think the journal is readable in the picture.
Coming back from our week at Spring Harvest - just as we drove out of the Butlins' compound, the level crossing closed for the regular steam train that has its final destination at Minehead. For all the years we have been going there, I have tried to catch a glimpse and a good photo of that train - this time it happened...
Good Friday. This is a picture of the plain wooden cross that always goes up here at St Peter's Church. In years past it had been decorated with a torn rag and a cross of thorns, or with arrangements of white lilies or red blooms, but this year they left it totally plain. In the afternoon we all gather for an hour's "vigil" service, very quiet and contemplative - very moving.
The journal says it all: "The gulls are Butlins’ most prominent feature: they are everywhere, and they are straight out of Hitchcock’s “Birds”! One stole an ice cream right out of Zoë’s hand in a flying attack, leaving her with scratches on her finger and nose, and quite shocked! However, I found that being looked at straight up close is something the birds cannot stand – they will immediately take flight and depart. Which incidentally makes taking a good photo of them quite tricky … despite their abundance."
Sean was having serious problems locating his favourite onsite treat this year! Tag reads: "Sean’s enjoyment of Spring Harvest was severely marred this year by the absence of the sumptuous hot chocolates they used to sell at every corner, along with teas and coffees – missed not only for the culinary delight but also for the sweet memories attached to them (see Sean and Melissa photo, 2007). Two days of searching and complaining finally brought to light the fact that the onsite Rosso Café still does something similar – if you are prepared to face the queues. So finally Sean was a happy bunny again, ladling away at the reduced size option of the Hot Chocolate Cream Dream…"
Have been meaning to take a photo of the little onsite chapel for years because I think it's really cute, in the Mediterranean style. There are palms planted all around it, too, but they didn't fit into the picture...
Day 1 at Spring Harvest - picture is of their very own little funfair which runs in the afternoons. Tag reads: "Our fourth visit to Spring Harvest at Butlins, Minehead – this year’s grievances: the front door was so stiff that it made an incredible racket every time somebody came or went (and our flat mates, the Stokers, went beach walking every morning before 7am!); the toaster blew up at first use; and the whole place is just getting dingier every year – they hadn’t even finished the “touching up” (there were still “wet paint” signs all over the place!).
This was the travel to our week's holiday at Spring Harvest in Minehead (West Coast). We took the country road and just as we passed Stonehenge there was a "handy" traffic queue which allowed me to take a few photos...
This is a funny page - interactive. It's the view from the the window in my study/crafts room, using the shutters cut from a print. Inside is only the photo...but I thought the idea was cool...
This magnificient magnolia tree is also in our neighbour's garden, right behind the camellia bush. It is the most beautiful sight!
This is the view from our entrance door up the road and across to the school. In the distance you can just about see the patch of daffodils and the town sign that featured in the view "the other way" (see March 21).
This is the view out of my friend Eve's window - she lives right in the middle of Staines, near the station, on the 2nd floor of an apartment building, so this is all she gets in terms of garden: view of one tree, but it is splendid at this time of the year, for a very short period...
Things are starting to really come alive in the garden - the camellia bush is in the neighbours' garden but a lot of it hangs over the fence, and the blooms are lovely...
It's this time of the year - Daffodil Fever! Sean calls it my Daffodil Fetish - I just so LOVE the yellow blooms and cannot resist buying bunches of them at the supermarket when I do my shopping...
This was another Carbon Fast idea (see Match 9): take the train into Staines to visit my friend Eve, instead of going by car.