Cen's Loft

Sweet and Pretty...Not me!!

2009-09-30T19:28:00.001+01:00

Over the weekend I was still snuffling and coughing like I was at least 100!! The difference to Friday was that I wasn't like one little pig..I was like all three little pigs and the wolf too!! I was doing the snuffling and snorting of the little pigs like there was three of me...plus I was huffing and puffing like I was going to blow the house down!!

I tried Vick, Olbus Oil, steaming with menthol crystals.....sipping hot chai with honey, ginger and lemon...and so much more!! The result was zilch. By Monday I had well and truly got a wheeze and I felt like I was drowning. The only thing to do was to call the doctor. I tried to breath and talk at the same time, not something I normally struggle with, lol. All the huffing and puffing must have made me sound like an elderly frail lady and he told me I needed to come in so he could check me out. When I got there he took a listen ....with a very cold stethoscope.....and prescribed antibiotics for a chest infection. I hope these work, if not they'll need to put me down. I'm a hazard to the healthy!!

Today I'm still feeling rough but don't want to spend too much time lying in bed in case it makes my chest worse....hopefully tomorrow will bring results. Good ones that is!!

Enough of my woes...I need to say thank you for two lovely awards that were passed to me last week. I have been dreadful the last few months in keeping up with these and passing them on. For my past sins, I apologise. I have turned over a new leaf and will deal with these promptly in future, promise!!

Swapna at Crafts and Cooking passed me this extremely chic, very Parissien looking award. It is gorgeous, thank you! I love Crafts and Cooking, the recipes make my mouth water every time I visit...which is most days. Drop by and see for yourself.

The rules are

Add the logo to your blog
Link to the person who passed on the award
Nominate blogs of your choice
Leave a message on the nominee blogs

I pass the award on it these favourite blogs:

Digi Vickie's Word Art

Beettle's Memories 'n Ramblings

Linda's Lot

Chris at Bling_Kin_Eck

The second award was passed to me by the lovely Jackie (Shinade) at The Painted Veil. Her blog is full of colour as she shares the results of her wonderful photography, plus she is such a lovely lady. It's well worth a visit!!

I pass this award some more special blogs:

Will Oaks Studio

Kim's Scrappin'

PJ's Prose

From a Little Yellow House In England

My Gypsy Goods

And finally before I go a small gift, a mini kit. All I can say about it is; it's simple, bright and I think quite pretty. So Enjoy!!

You can download Sweet and Simple here

I have had so many problems uploading to 4shared this last few months that the download is via Media Fire. I am so sick of spending 20 or 30 attempts

Take care and see you soon.

Technorati Tags: sweet and pretty,mini kit,free download,scrapbooking,graphic design

Overlay Painting Tutorial

2009-09-25T16:39:00.001+01:00

Okay..before I start...if you hear a loud snuffling and snorting..it's me. I sound like a pig searching for truffles, sniff, snort, sniff. I have a cold and sore throat, plus it doesn't help that my nose is glowing a very luminous red!! Too many tissues!! So imagine a pig with a clowns nose and you've got me in one!!

I nearly forgot to mention the cough..a sort of raw hacking noise.....that will not be suppressed..as my DH has found out. Other details I won't describe, I don't want to put you off completely!!

Anyway, on to business. Paint!!!!

I thought I'd share a little a tip about using overlays in a short tutorial. Not only can you stack overlays to make your background papers, you can also add extra layers and stick a little paint on them. If you play with the blending modes, then you can have some real fun. I use Photoshop CS2 but you can apply the principle in most software packages.

In the tutorial I will keep things simple but you'll get the basic idea and then it's up to you to experiment!! I haven't tried to be subtle with the blending modes, I've just tried to make it simple...the finer points are up to you!!

The overlay that I used is included in the download with a PDF of the tutorial. You can use the overlay for Commercial or Personal use. If you already use this technic...I apologise....ignore me!! Lol!

Right let's get going.

1. Open up a new file 12x12, 300dpi, transparent and fill it with the colour of your choice.

I used a brown colour for my base layer bc7d5c, but feel free to use any you want. (I renamed this layer colour)

2. Now open the overlay file that came with the tutorial, jsch_pattern_example.png

3. With the overlay file as the active one, hold down the Shift Key and drag it into your new file with the colour.

(Holding down the Shift key will make sure that the overlay is central when it has been moved.)

4. When you've done this, change the blending mode of the overlay layer to: Overlay, 78%.

5. Now for the start of the fun part. Make new layer above the overlay.

(You can do this by Layer>New or by clicking the small icon, second from the right at the bottom of the Layers palette).

Rename the new layer to Paint 1

6. With the Paint 1 as the active one, select the paint brush you want to use. I choose a soft round brush, size 800. This size just covers the flower like centre of the pattern on the overlay.

The quick way to get the brush ready is select the brush icon in the left tool bar. Then change the size in the top tool bar by click the down arrow next to the brush shape.

Choose a soft brush from the drop down list and then at the top change the px size to 800.

This is what your top tool bar should look like when you've done.

7. We need to pick the colour we want the brush to paint with. I choose a bright turquoise blue, 5accd6. Again it's a matter of choice.

Make sure that the new layer is still your active on and then we can start to paint.

Hold the brush over the middle of the flower like shape and click once.

Continue doing this until you have all the shapes you want covered. (You can use different colours over each shape, but for now I'm just using this one to keep it simple.)

When you have finished painting the shapes and your happy with it, turn of the Paint 1 layer by clicking the little eye on the left of the layer. We can turn it on later when we've done the next stage.

8. Make an other new layer above Paint 1, exactly as we did before and rename it Paint 2.

We'll use the same soft round brush but we need to change the size of the brush so that it just covers the centre of the flower shape.

To change the size make sure you still have the paintbrush icon selected and then in the top tool bar click the down arrow next to the brush shape and change the brush size to 150px. (You can also change the brush size by pressing the ] key to make it larger or the [ key to make it smaller.)

We also need to change the colour. I have used a green, 3ed895.

We're ready to paint . So line up your brush and click once on centre of the first flower shape.

Continue doing this until you have covered all the centres of the shapes. Again you can change colour for each one if you want. If stuck to this one colour.

9. When you have complete all click on the Paint 1 layer to make it active again. Change the blending mode to Overlay, 90%.

10. Click on the Paint 2 layer and change the blending layer to Colour Burn, 64%.

(Okay, this is not very subtle but the subtle bit is for you to do later!Lol.)

This is what you should have.

I have kept the tutorial to the basics, but you can add texture to the painted layers via the Layers Style Palette, change the blending modes, use different shaped brushes...the list is endless!! Just play and experiment!! But most of all have fun.

You can download the tutorial in PDF format with the overlay here

Have a great weekend!!

Technorati Tags: photoshop tutorial,overlays,pdf,free download,paint and overlays

Should the Photograph Be Bigger?

2009-09-17T00:50:00.001+01:00

Autumn has arrived in my neck of the world. The last of our flowers are wilting and the sunshine is starting to loose it's warmth. I have to admit it wasn't a particularly warm summer here in England anyway, but now in the morning and evening there is a decided nip in the air. Soon the leaves will turn and the descent towards Winter will have started in earnest. The wonderful colours of Autumn will be my compensation for the colder days to come.

One of my last garden blooms

About now most of us find we have stacks of photographs from summer piling up to add to our album pages. With this backlog in mind, I had some of my layouts printed to clear my PC for the new ones to come. I was proudly showing them to one of my friends when a chance remark made me stop and examine my pages more closely. It made me think...yes, I do occasionally indulge in thought, lol.

Irene doesn't scrapbook herself, but she was really interested to take look at mine. Imagine my surprise to hear her ask why scrapbook pages gave so little prominence to the actual photograph!!

Being artistic and crafty herself, she's looked before at scrapbooking on the Internet but decided that she preferred her photos as they come. Whilst she agreed many of the layouts she had seen were beautiful and extremely artistic, she did feel that they were more a showcase for the persons skills or artistic expression than for photographs.

Okay, by now she had my FULL attention!! What..she thought I was not giving centre stage to the lovely Lilly in my pages!!!

As an illustration of what she meant, she mentioned pages with one small photo with cluster/s behind or around it, the rest of the page using lots of white space. I have to admit, I for one, love these sorts of pages. I tried to explain that those really can have a dramatic impact because of the space the eye was led to the photo and made it the star.

She was not convinced!! Rubbish..was her loud rely!!! It merely meant in years to come when fashion and fads had moved on, people would peer at our pages and wonder why we had made the gorgeous photograph so small and left so much blank space.

I have to admit, by now my feathers were extremely ruffled. Then the realisation of how she saw things started to dawn. I stepped back and thought about what she had said...she was in some ways right. Some of my pages didn't have journaling and the photo was a very small part of the overall layout. At first glance they do appear to be more artist expression pieces than memory pages for the future. Eeek!! What have I done!!

It raised the question in my mind should the photograph be bigger or more prominent on our pages? I know that we all have our own style but if you look around many, not all, layouts don't give prominence to the photo or journaling. Often they tell us more about the scrapper and their skills than they do about the person or event in the photograph. Many...like me...are guilty of no journaling at all on some pages, to note the event, date or person.

Bettina sent me this beautiful page of her granddaughter Lili and perhaps she has got the right idea...photo prominent at a good size, plus an indication of who and when. The fun wordart conveys the emotion behind it. I love it, for me it ticks all the boxes!! A great example of an album page with loads of style.

Credits: Lilly's Quilt Freebie Cens Stuff, Wordart by Bethanie

No the example below of one of my pages is just the opposite!! Loads of fun but not good!! No name or date just a sentiment that I felt about the lovely lady in the layout....oops!! Rethink needed!!

Credits: Cens Stuff, Kite by SammyD at Scrappin Digi Kreations

The next layout was for my brothers 50th birthday album this summer. It' s got names and dates plus it says in the park, but I should have put where the park was perhaps and little journaling. I should also have put the names in the top picture in the order the people appear on the photo!! It would help!! I know who they are and where but others won't, so perhaps a few more facts on this heritage one.

(Yes, the child standing up on the swing is me!! The boy is my brother and the dark haired girl is my youngest aunt.)

But that still left me begging the questions.....

Should the elements and white space play a less prominent part in our pages? Should the photograph and journaling be the stars? Have we lost the plot on this and we can't see the wood for the trees? Are we more concerned with showing off our own skills than preserving the memories? I am guilty of at least some of the above!!

So many questions..so little answers!! This needs some more thought!!

As a family historian I can imagine the frustration of future generations at the lack of journaling and questioning why we choose to utilise the space the way we did. But....the albums will pass on something else to them as well, they'll let people see the scrapbooking style and fashions over a period in time. They'll show the talent and skill of the person who made the album and illustrate the technics available at the time. So, perhaps our album pages will end up conveying different or incomplete information about us and our memories but they will still be marvelous records to pass on.

That chance remark has certainly made me think and look at my layouts differently. I've looked and reexamined what I'm doing and why. I'm not saying I'll change the way I do everything but I certainly will think more about how I preserve my memories.

What are your thoughts on this? Should the photograph be bigger or the journaling always present?

Check back tomorrow I have a little something for you!! Until then take care have fun!!

Technorati Tags: scrapbooking,layouts,white space

Photoshop Tutorial

2009-09-10T23:21:00.001+01:00

I thought it was about time that I did an other tutorial as it's been a while since the last one. Layouts can look really good with the text wrapping partly around your photograph or an object and it’s actually not so hard to do. This tutorial will walk you through it hopefully in an easy to understand way.

My text in the tutorial was done really quickly ...and yes...it could have done with a tidy up!! But the principle on how to do it is here and I know you will all be a lot more tidy than I was, lol!!

So let's get started.I'm going to show you on a basic background with a photo. It makes it simpler for you to see what I'm doing.

1. Open the background and photo you want to use on your layout. Position the photo where you want it and then we are ready to start the tutorial.

2. Select the Rectangle Tool from your side tool bar.

Make sure that you have the Paths icon selected in the top tool bar and the Add to Path icon too.

3. With the photo layer as the active layer drag out a rectangle to include all or part of the photo plus the area that you want the text to appear in. Have a look at mine below to understand what I mean. The rectangle I have drawn covers part of the photo and part of the background.

4. With the rectangle tool still selected we need to make a change in the top tool bar. Click the Subtract from Path icon, this means that we can now take the photo part out of the selection we just made.

Now drag out a rectangle to cover the area of the photo that is inside the rectangle. I always include a little of the background too as I like a small border around the photo with no text.

5. Select the Type Tool from the side tool bar.

Pick the font, size and colour you want to use for your journaling then click in the top left of the rectangle, where you want the text to start. Type in your text and it will fit around your photo.

When you’ve finished and have the text how you want it, press the Move Tool to get rid of the Type Tool and then press CTRL+H. This will hide the path and you will see the finished result.

Have fun!!

If you want to download the tutorial as a PDF File you can find it here.

Technorati Tags: photoshop tutorial,free download,pdf,text around a photograph

Cake Heaven

2009-09-04T11:27:00.001+01:00

This week I have been in cake heaven.....and muffin heaven....and oh yes in pudding delight. My taste buds have been working overtime and my house has been full of gorgeous aromas, pleasantly scenting the air and making everyone's mouth water.

How this wonder came about is all due to a new book that I agreed to view and review as part of BloggerAid. When the book arrived I have to admit that I was a little nervous. Savories and pastries are normally my forte and in the past I have been known to have a few little teeny disasters with cakes. Ask my family, they will agree, well perhaps not about the teeny bit!!

So, imagine my delight when I discovered a book with triple tested recipes for success every time. That's what the cover said..and it was true. The recipes worked perfectly even for me, with my cake curse!!

The name of this wonder book?

The Australian Women's Weekly Mix - Cakes, Muffins, Biscuits and Puddings, published by ACP Books (ISBN9781863968690).

From the beautifully illustrated cover your led through clear and easy to follow recipes, studded with extra hints and tips. There's a great conversions table at the back so that the recipes make sense and are accurate, no matter where you live or what measures you are used to. So often I spot and mark "must try" recipes and end up having to approximate on the measurements...not a good thing to do if you want the best results. Here it couldn't be simpler.

Imagine my relief when I discovered the section that gives advice on how to achieve success with the different sort of recipes in the book. Just what I needed, they must have had me in mind when they wrote this bit. Reading it made me understand where previously I may have gone wrong and not got the expected results. For example...Did you know that the quicker you mix in the liquid to the dry ingredients when making scones, the lighter your scones? I for one was not aware that it would make much difference...but I tried it and it does!!

An other godsend is the glossary at the back. It can be confusing when ingredients are known as something else in the country you live in, but this clever section explains exactly what they are clearly, concisely. I had several "ah, that's what it is" moments on reading it but ended up with everything crystal clear and understanding exactly what it was I needed.

The book offers a huge choice in recipes, from classics and well known favourites, to chic cafe-style recipes too. It certainly made my choice of which to try difficult, they all looked so delicious. A further bonus was that the recipes were not laden with fat and sugar, which can often be a problem with dessert recipes. An other bonus is the inclusion of some gluten free and dairy free recipes, ideal if you have problem with either of those as my daughter does.

I eventually singled out five of the recipes...I know...five!!! Well, I had to make sure they worked. The small fact that there was tasting afterwards had of course nothing to do with the large number I opted for..as if!! I made the five items over two days and I can honestly say they all went down a storm with my family and I thoroughly enjoyed making them. No stress just read, prepare and then do just what it said....that simply.

I picked out the Spicy Scone recipe from the first section..and yes, I added the liquid in quickly as the tip said..so they were wonderfully light and fruity with a beautiful cinnamon flavour. A pure delight with butter.

The next one that caught my eye was the berry and yogurt muffins. The preparation was simple and the recipe appears to be a healthy one with rolled oats, yogurt and berries. Delicious and healthy, what more could you ask. Perfect!!

The carrot and banana cake in the cake section sounded an ideal combination, so I gave this one a try too. It was easy to put together and then just pop in the oven and leave it to work it's magic as it cooked. The cream cheese frosting gave a wonderful contrasting taste that made a perfect balance and helped this stand out from your average carrot cake. I have to admit that I added a little grated chocolate to the top , that's just my thing but promise it's the only thing I changed. The results were pleasant light, I've had problems with my carrot cakes being heavy in the past..but it was just that, a problem of the past. This time it turned out terrifically. A definite must bake again..

I completed my selection with crunchy muesli cookies and coffee and pecan puddings with a caramel sauce...mm the sauce was to die for. All uncomplicated to make and brilliant results. No one was more surprised than me that my success rate was 100%. Truthfully it was, despite my natural cake making handicap.

Perhaps it appears that I got a little engrossed in the baking this week.....I did. This book was a pleasure to read and use and it's one that I know I will return to again and again. With 400 pages in total I still have lots of recipes to try and so much more enjoyment to come!

What's more I discovered that Australian Women's Weekly do a series of books covering most recipe areas. So, now I know what will be on my Christmas list, a few of the others. If they are only half as interesting and successful as this one then they will be a welcome addition to my bookcase.

Now, all this food talk has made me hungry, so I'm off to find something to eat and maybe take an other peek at what else I can bake. Have a great day and why not drop by and checkout BloggerAid, it's a wonderful cause and great fun too. Go have a look and see what you think.

Technorati Tags: australian womens weekly,mix,book review,cakes,bloggeraid

Spider Alert!!

2009-09-01T22:27:00.001+01:00

Last night I was well and truly traumatised!! There were spiders everywhere I turned. Okay, I'm exaggerating just a little, but there were several..all in one day!! I'm not a coward...honest, I'm not...except when spiders are around. I don't know what it is about them but they make my skin crawl.

I found two in the hall during the morning and I thought that was bad, but at bedtime...it got worse..much worse!! My DH went to bed earlier than I did, I was finishing some work on my PC and needed to get it completed last night.

Eventually with my work completed, I climbed into bed and snuggled down feeling nicely relaxed. I was looking forward to reading the next section of my book before I went to sleep. An hour quickly passed as I lost myself in the story and I felt like it was time for lights out. So, down went the book and the pillows got a good shuffle to get me comfy.

As I lay back to check they were right...I saw it!! Up there poised above my head, staring straight at me and smiling (I swear it was)... .was a spider. Quite a big spider!!!

God, it could drop on me at any second. Should I move or should I jump out of bed? Would it drop on me if I jumped? Believe me it was like 20 questions zooming through my head.I thought of nudging my DH but then thought that may not be such a great idea. There was nothing else for it...I would have to deal with it myself!!

This needed careful manoeuvring, I didn't want that nasty hairy spider on me!!! Aaah, just the thought made me come out in goose bumps!! I crept out of bed..keeping low...well I sort of slithered out hugging the mattress and onto the floor. Whew, at least I wasn't in it's drop path any more...now down to action!!

I grabbed one of the cushions from the bed (there are loads..way too many) and climbed back on to the bottom of the bed. Now all I had to do was knock it off the ceiling with the cushion and over towards the window. Steady girl, don't panic!!! I wobbled on the mattress, it's a memory foam one, wonderful to sleep on but not so great for standing on. I pulled the cushion back like I was about to do a golf swing on the ceiling and whoosh...impact!! Spider gone from the ceiling...magic! I checked that wasn't near the bed and then climbed back in, making sure I left the cushion I had used far, far away form the bed.

Needless to say I needed to read some more as I was not feeling quite so relaxed now. But, if I just read a few more pages, then sleep.

All was well...at least it was until an other spider crawled over the pillow next to me and yes...it was doing that staring again!!!! In fact this one was waving Hi.

Oh, ah...no...scream...HELP!! HELP!!HELP..it's going to get me!!!

So okay, that's what husbands are for isn't it? I had tried with the other one but this one was a sneaky guy and he took me unawares..and he was so close. I mean screaming was a natural reaction...right? Now, I have to tell you, my DH is wonderful...long suffering, but wonderful. That is...except when he's woken up in the middle of the night by a screaming lunatic who is totally incoherent, but with very powerful lungs.

Moving slowly....admittedly with an angry glare, at me not the spider.... he removed the offending monster. Muttering a few choice words, which I won't repeat... he put a pillow over his head and went back sleep. Me? I was awake for sometime waiting to see if any more "visitors" with eight legs were going to drop in or creep out on me. But finally.....sleep came and peace returned.

Now I've shared my horror story, I'll behave and get down to scrap talk!!

Have a look at the elements that I made to go with the Lilly's Quilt Paper Pack. These too were inspired by the quilt. I hope that someone out there can put them to good use.

You can download the Lilly's Quilt Elements here

I'm busy trying out some recipes in a terrific new book that I've got. It's all cake, muffins, biscuits, cakes and puddings recipes..and they are gorgeous. In my next post I'll let you know how I got on and share the results with you...well, not really share as I'm the one that gets to eat them...you only get to see them, lol!!

Take care and have a great evening!!

Technorati Tags: lillys quilt,element pack,spiders,free download,digital scrapbooking

When Life Keeps Bowling You Out...Get a Bat and Hit Back!!

2009-08-30T17:38:00.001+01:00

The last two weeks have flown by, filled with family commitments and crisis, hopefully life has started to level out and peace will return to the Schutrup's household. Even if it is just for a while!! So bear with me whilst I bring you up to date on Lilly...if you prefer not...then scroll down for today's gift from me to you.

The good news is Lilly's scalded foot appears to be slowly getting better, but I was really shocked when I first saw it. I could not believe that water from a tap could inflict such an awful injury, my heart went out to the poor little mite and the pain she must have had to endure. How I wished that it could have been me instead of her, but it turns out that she is much braver than I could ever have been in that situation. It's a warning to us all on how accidents are only a second away and a child moves fast in even a second!!

Having said that she has been so brave and we haven't seen many tears, even when the dressings were being changed. The hardest part for her appears to be seeing the burn. When the dressings are changed her face screws up and she says "Oh no!". When she has her time each day with the dressing off then she sits happily...as long as the area is blocked from her view...so entertainment is required!! It's then that her favourite quilt comes in handy...it works perfectly to block her view. (It was this same quilt that inspired the papers and elements that I have made into a two part download for you all.)

Lilly's also lucky that she has such a down-to-earth mum. Charlotte has been brilliant and even although it cost here dearly, she has smiled as she dealt with Lilly's dressings and taken great pains to distract her as much as possible. That doesn't mean that the panic didn't set in when it first happened!!

Looking back over the last year life has been quite eventful for me...not all good. But I have this stubborn (or stupid?) streak and I refuse to be bowled out. When life throws me or mine hard balls....I get a bat and hit back....even harder!! It may not always be a good thing, but I just hang in there and wait for the chaos to stop. Mind you .....it can take a while, so patience and stamina are need on this one!!!

After all nothing lasts for ever, it doesn't matter if it's good or bad...there is one thing that you can be sure of, everything has a start and an end. My husband says I have the tenacity of a bulldog...I grit my teeth and hold on tight..no matter which way the bronco bucks. That's only because I know eventually it will stop doing it...hopefully before it knocks my teeth out!!!

I use this principle in so many areas of my life..take the dentist....yep you can take mine for one, I am terrified on every visit!!! But before I go in, I tell myself "Hey, it's only 30mins....then it it's over". Saying "It's for my own good" doesn't work for me but a time limit does....I told you I was strange, lol!!

When I had my children I used the same principle. There I was in labour, feeling not so brave...ouch it hurt!! Where was that nurse with the meds? To keep myself calm and hanging in there I firmly told myself "This will only last a few hours...then it stops and think of moment when you can say hello to your own little stranger!!". It worked, but I have to admit that I kept wondering if it would stop soon..I'm really not very brave at all!! Eventually...it did!

Knowing that something has a beginning and an end really helps me hang on when the going gets tough, or if I am just feeling out and out plain scared of a situation!! I might not be sure when the end of it will come, but the comfort is that I know that somewhere down the line what ever it is will stop...hopefully the sooner the better!!

And if all else fails..... grab the bat and keep hitting the balls back with all you've got!! Lol!!

Before I give you the download link for today's gift, I want to say a big thank you to all of you, my friends, who leave comments on my posts, they are very much appreciated.

And finally.......the Lilly's Quilt Papers!! There are 12 in the set, 3 plain papers and 9 patterned with dots, checks and some cute stripes. The elements to match them will be my download on Tuesday..so drop back and collect them too.

If you want to download them you'll find them here.

Have a great day and see you Tuesday!!

Technorati Tags: lilly,news,background paper pack,free download,scrapbooking,graphic design

Inspiration

2009-08-18T00:52:00.001+01:00

I am inspired!! So many things I have seen recently have been catalysts for the creative flow, not least this wonderful page by Kim over at Kim's Scrappin'. She chose a wonderful Kit, and used a Miss Lilly photo. The results are breath taking....checkout the little bird on Lilly's shoulder. Thank you so much Kim for this beautiful page!!!!!

Now tell me...who wouldn't be inspired by this?

Credits: In the Forest by Carena's Design,

Word Art also in the kit (Kim just added the word Magic)

This post was going to be longer but I am sorry to say that Lilly has been in the wars and I need to get organised as I am almost certain to be making a trip to Oxford in the morning to see how things are going. I'm clearing the decks tonight of tomorrows scheduled work to free up some time.

Yesterday Lilly scalded her foot and I am glad to say that although it is nasty, it could have been worse. It meant another trip to hospital and a very large dressing on her little blistered foot. Her mum says that at the moment she is swinging between trying to hobble on it and wanting picked up. Her poor mum and dad were devastated that they had not seen it coming...but accidents happen even when we're careful. Kids are just so fast!!

So the rest of this post will have to wait until later this week....sorry!!

Have a great day tomorrow and see you soon.

Technorati Tags: layout,lilly news

Catch Up Time

2009-08-13T21:46:00.001+01:00

Hi all...the prodigal returns!! I bet you thought I was on the missing persons list, it's been a week and no postings. Life has kept me jumping the last 7 days with never a dull moment. So first I'll fill you in a little on my week..and then a gift!!,

The Theme Park trip on Friday went well but I am still struggling to get the photos off my old camera..it's holding on to them and won't let me download them!! I need to have an other wrestling match with it tomorrow and see if it will finally relinquish it's hold.

It was Lilly's first time at a park like this and she loved the kiddie rides..too much so...she didn't want to get off. I was of course overprotective and made a wonderful sight on the children's rides in the backseat...Lilly naturally was driving, lol. My children thought it was hilarious...an 19month old in the front and grandma in the back. I have to admit it was a tight squeeze and it raised a few eyebrows...but I did it!! Mind you I don't think I need have bothered as the little lady in question was squealing with glee. It was definitely her kind of thing.

Lilly and her parents stayed until Monday evening, so the weekend was full to overflowing with events, but it was all great fun. On Saturday we went to the street market in Lymington and browsed. There were eight of us and we kept loosing each other, but eventually we reunited in time to eat. I love markets they have such a wide variety of goodies on sale and the atmosphere is brilliant.

I told you that I was putting together some bookcases with doors...well here they are. This was taken last Thursday before the company arrived. Tuesday I finished filling them with books and they look so much better, but I thought I'd let you have a peek. I still need to get the mirrors and pictures up in the rest of the room and find the accent touches, like changing the lamp shades, cushions, new curtains...need I go on? But it gives you an idea of what I've been up to. I'll post some more photos as it progresses.

The sun shone on Sunday and the lovely Lilly threw her clothes away and so we spent the day covering her in sun cream. Good job it was water proof for every time we put it on...she headed for the paddling pool!! Typical! But we all enjoy the day and the sun was beautiful, warmth...how I love it.

However, when Tuesday dawned, it was work as usual for me, time to pay the price and catchup on the backlog. But I can honestly say it was worth it. It's taken me three days of hard slog but I'm back to the point that by the weekend ....I'll be ready for the next round of chaos!!! Lol!

Now, my gift for you. I hope there is something for everyone, designers, scrappers, Photoshop lovers, whatever ....or that's my hope. It's just some simple folded or curled papers, but they can be used in so many different ways. Each piece is quite large, that way it expands the range of things you can use them for. They're large enough to use as mats in you work, or scaled down they can be used for embellishments...your choice.

If you design there's a grayscale pack to download...if not then there is a separate pack of coloured examples to add to your pages. Or grab them both!!! I hope you have fun playing with them and adding your own personal touches to make them your own.

You can download the grayscale pack here

You can download the sample papers here

Well, time for me to go. Take care and have a great evening/day!!

Technorati Tags: folded and curled papers,photoshop,scrapbooking,graphic design,free download,catch up

Nearly Done!!!

2009-08-06T19:14:00.001+01:00

I'm nearly done my living room!! The paint and paper are finished and the cracks are sealed. I can't believe that the chaos is almost at an end. Living in a clutter is not my idea of fun at the best of ties...but this was awful, it just took so long with constant interruptions which were unfortunately unavoidable.

I have to admit I was a little disappointed when I had finished painting and stood back and took a long look. I had decided that I wanted to go for neutral in the decor so I could dress it up with accent colours that contracted with the dark blue of our sofas. But with I looked at it with very little furniture in and all that wall... it looked.....well.....nondescript!! Bland, washed out and plain. But it's moving on....the new carpet went in...yes, neutral again, but at least a bit darker....and it started to show some promise. Not a lot, but a little.

It went a stage further today, it was bookcase building day. I have so many books and so little space, so bookcases with doors were called for. I needed the doors because I hate how dusty books can get just sitting about on shelves. I have to admit with them in place it's starting to come together...but it still needs some colour!!!! But I do feel a little stirring of pride with how it's staring to look, perhaps all the hard work will be worth it in the long run. A few more days and it will be ready to show you all!!

For now though...it's going on hold...again!!! Lilly, Charlotte and Ali are arriving any minute and tomorrow we are all taking Lilly to Paulton's Park for the day. Chris, Cheryl and Kevin are coming too so it will be busy!! A real family day out, so please...no more rain!!!! It's been arranged for ages and not something I wanted to put off...so it's down tools again.

The latest news on my mum, is great. She's recovering well now from the flu and subsequent chest infection, but she is still not up to a day trip out. That's just too ambitious!! We'll all visit her on Saturday, or should I say invade her, lol.

I hope that next week I will get back to normal (what me normal!!) and settle down into my usual routine. The last few weeks have been too chaotic and disorganised for my liking, but they have had variety, lol.

Now my gift for you before I rush off.

If you like overlays then this one is one of my favourites. It's a torn paper one that is ideal for vintage or grunge papers. There are actually two overlays in the download, slightly different tones in each. They're quite large files but well worth a look. Have fun with them and layer, change blending modes, colour...anything that takes you fancy!! Just play and see what you come up with. I always find that the more I play the better the results....perhaps that's why I take so long making things...I play too much!!! Lol!

If you don't use overlays then there's some example papers that you can snag and use. The overlays are for personal or commercial use, the papers are personal use only.

Here's one of the overlays.

You can download the Overlays here

And here's the example papers.

You can download the Papers here

Have a wonderful day tomorrow and think of me at the theme park!! Hopefully if the rain stays off I'll have lots of pictures too. Till next time...be good!!

Technorati Tags: overlays,png files,example papers. free download,graphic design,scrapbooking,commercial use ok

Split Bent Frame Tutorial

2009-07-31T22:26:00.001+01:00

As promised I have knocked together a tutorial for the Split Bent Frame....it's quite long......so I have added a link for you to download it as a PDF file to use if you prefer. I just hope you can understand it!! Lol! You'll find the link at the bottom of the post.

First....an update on the my mum. Unfortunately she developed a chest infection in the middle of the week and needed antibiotics and some steroids..but the good news is..she is starting to feel better today!!! Hurray!!!

The latest on the decorating is that I've finished the ceiling, gloss and put up a lining paper on our awful walls, so that I can paint them. Now, I just need to paint the paper and then I can get some new carpet down!!!!! All this in one week and with DH laid up with a bad back. I am really pleased that what looked like a disaster week has turned out so much more productive than I thought. It just goes to show, you never know what you can achieve...mind you it does help if you don't sleep, lol!!

Now for the tutorial!!

I use Photoshop CS2 but I am sure you can adapt it for your own software. It is quite a long tutorial and I hope that I explain it clearly, forgive me if I don’t!!

You can use it for personal or commercial use..just don't claim it as your own!!

So let’s get started!

1. Open the photograph that you want to use. Check the image size and do any cropping you want to make before we start. (I had mine at 300dpi, 9 inches x 5 inches. You can always scale it down after it’s framed, but it‘s easier to work on at this size).

2. Now open a new file 3600 x 3600, 300dpi, RGB color, Transparent and move your photograph into the new file.

3. To split the photo we need to make a template. We’re going to split the photo into 3 pieces, you could make this 2 or 4...it’s up to you, but for now we will do three bits.

Select the Rectangle Tool and make sure your colours are the default black and white. (If they’re not then press D to reset them.)

Before you draw out the rectangle, check in the top tool bar that you have selected the first icon in the group of three, the shape layer icon.

4. Check the width of your photograph, we need to draw out a rectangle over one third of the photograph. As my photo is 9 inches wide mine needs to be 3 inches wide and the height of the photo.

So starting at the left end of the photo drag out a black rectangle over a third of it. This is what it mine looks like.

And this is what your layers palette should like, showing your photo layer and a shape layer.

5. We have the first part of the template now we need to duplicate this layer twice to give us the three pieces of our template.

There are several ways you can do this, my favourite way is to make sure that the shape layer is the active layer and then right click on the layer and pick Duplicate layer from the fly out menu.

At this point I always rename the layers for easy recognition.
So I would start at the bottom of the black shape layers that will form our template and rename them as left, middle and right . That way I can find them quickly.

6. Now we need to position the rectangles over the photo. At the moment they are in a stack and we need them to cover the whole photo before we can use them to cut it up.

Select the right rectangle (Shape 1 copy) and holding down the shift key move it over to the right into the middle of the photo. (Holding down the shift key whilst you drag will make sure that the layer stays inline with the other layers as you drag it).

Now select the middle rectangle (Shape 1 copy 2) and drag it to the right end of the photo. You should now have covered the whole photo with these three layer and it will no longer be visible.

7. With the left rectangle layer active right click, and pick Rasterize from the drop down menu.
(You’ll notice that this changes how the layer looks in the layer palette and you now only have one black rectangle showing.)

Repeat this for the other two rectangle layers.

8. Click on the left rectangle layer to make it active, and then hold down the CRTL key and click the layer icon this will give you marching ants around the shape.

With the marching ants still active click on the original photo layer to make that layer active.
Now press CTRL +J.
This will promote the left part of the photo only onto a new layer of it’s own without altering the original photo.
Repeat this for the other two rectangles (middle and right) so that you have three new layers each with a part of your photo.

You should now have 7 layers: 3 rectangle template layers, 3 photo layers and the original photo layer.

Click the eye on the original photo layer to make it invisible.

This is how your layers palette should look. (Note I have renamed my layers for easy recognition)

You don’t need the black rectangles for the moment, so click the eye icon on each of their layers to make them invisible.

9. You now have your photo cut into three bits. Move the three pieces slightly apart as I have done so that you have a small gap between each piece. We need a little space for the white border we will add later.

10. Now we need to add a drop shadow to each of the photo pieces.

Double click on the left photo layer to open up the layers style palette.

Select Drop Shadow at the top of the list on the left hand side.

Above are the settings I used:
Multiply, black, opacity 75%, distance 27, spread 0, size 38.

Then click OK.

Use these settings and apply the drop shadow to the other two photo piece layers.

11. Now for the fun part!! To be able to distort and warp the photo corners and keep the shadows realistic we need to separate the shadow from the photo piece.

To do this click the left photo piece layer to make it active.

Now right click on the little down arrow head, on the far right of the layer.

This will give you a drop down menu, choose Create Layer.

You will get a message saying that some effects cannot be reproduced…just click OK.

This splits any layers styles that you have used for a layer and puts each one on it’s own individual layer.

The drop shadow will now be on it’s own layer so we can play and distort the photo piece and the shadow will stay unchanged.

You now have an extra layer with the drop shadow for the photo piece. You need to do this for the other two photo piece layers to separate their drop shadows too.
So repeat section 11 for each of the photo layers.

12. The next thing we need to do is warp the photo corners to make them look curled.

Click on the left photo layer and from the top tool bar select Edit>Transform>Warp.

This will give you a grid around the left photo piece. Drag the bottom left corner up and to the left slightly to make the corner appear curled.

Next move to the top left corner and drag it up and to the right slightly to curl it too. Have a play with this, you can bend them anyway you want, you don’t have to do exactly as I do..it’s your choice.

When you have finished click the tick in the top tool bar to accept.

Repeat this with the other two photo pieces to curl and warp one or more of their corners.

13. Finally we need to add a white border to the photo pieces to finish them. It’s easier to merge the photo pieces and do this in one for all the photo pieces.

Hold down the CTRL key and click on each of the three photo layers to make them all active. Then press CTRL + E to merge them to form one layer.

Click on the icon in the merged layer and you will get the marching ants around the photo pieces.

14. Make a new layer just above the merged photo pieces layer and click on the new layer to make this the active layer.

Now in the top tool bar select Edit> Stroke and use the settings below, then click OK..

This will give you a new layer above the photo pieces with a white border. This is your photo edge.

You can now merge the three drop shadow layers, photo layers and white border and transfer to your layout.

Or you can save the template, shadows and white border as a psd file to use again!!!

TIP

The beauty of keeping the drop shadows separate is you can still change them to blend with any back ground you add by changing the Opacity of their layers.

So if you find the shadow too harsh for a light background then just lower the opacity or change the blend mode of this layer.

But don’t take my word for it…have a play!!

If you want to download the tutorial in PDF you'll find it here

Technorati Tags: graphic design,photoshop,split bent frame,pdf download,scrapbooking

It's Those Swine Again Causing Chaos!!!

2009-07-27T13:55:00.000+01:00

As promised The Split and Bent Frame...but first

First the latest happenings in my world. Yesterday the decorating stopped....totally!! No, I didn't change my mind and decide that bare stripped walls were the "in vogue" look, but my mum has caught swine flu. Early this morning we got a call from her saying she was sick and as she has a chest problem and some heart valve problems it's quite worrying that she has got it. It meant that yesterday we had to arrange Tamiflu, antiviral medication for her and check that she had everything she needed. So, waiting in line for the medication (that took an hour!) then getting her water, juice, paracetamol, fruit, soup and making sure mum was comfortable...all took time.

I have to admit that I wasn't at all impressed with the system that has been set up to collect the Tamiflu...it takes for ever. My DH thought that I was going to get really cross with the lady who was dealing with us as she seemed really aggrieved that they had been set up as a collection point and kept complaining about how much extra work it was causing. I have to admit that I was a bit miffed with her, but I managed to stay cool.... if perhaps a little abrupt, which isn't like me at all. However, when I finally got the medication from her I made the right noises of sympathy and smoothed it over. There is no point in getting cross it just makes everyone feel bad. So, I made my peace with her.

My Mum didn't want me to go in.... just leave things on the doorstep...as if I would!!! If I'm going to get it then I can just as easily get it a crowded supermarket getting her shopping. I had to check she was OK and comfortable myself or I would only have worried and felt bad. It's frustrating that we can only wait now and hope she doesn't get any complications. I'm an organiser who likes to do things and I hate it when I have no control over a situation like this one!!!!! I organised her to the extreme...made sure she had inhalers, paracetamol, water..that she understood the tablets and that the phone was set up next to the bed..and so on!!! My DH thought I would never stop!! I have to admit that even I cringed when out of habit I leaned over to kiss her goodbye and only just stopped myself...that would have been silly!!

Having done all that it was late in the day before I got back and just way too late to start decorating. I will see what the morning brings and I will fit it in as I have time. Until then, my what a pretty mess I have made of the room, lol!! But needs must when the devil drives. It will be even more appreciated when it's eventually finished, lol!!

I said I had a gift for you today, and I have. It's the bent, clipped shadow frame I used in my layout of Lilly. The download is a psd file and png files plus some simple instructions on how to use it easily.

The psd is in three layers: the drop shadow layer, the template to cut the photo to shape and the white borders. the png files are the same as the above. It's easy to use, open the photo you want use and the frame files. Move them all into a new file 300dpi, 12x12. The move the photo until you have it in the position you want and use a clipping mask to finish it and you got it!! Sound complicated? Not a bit just read the instructions that come with it and it's a breeze.

For those of you who requested a tutorial on how to make one from scratch....I will write one and post it at the end of the week for you to give it a go.

You can download the frame here

Well, I need to run now and check on my mum and my cat's not looking very well either today, need to have a closer look at him too.

Have a great day and have fun!!

Technorati Tags: split bent frame,graphic design,freedownload,scrapbooking

All Stuck Up

2009-07-26T01:01:00.001+01:00

The past two days I have busy stripping. Yes, you heard me stripping!! I have been giving it all I've got and stripped to the bare bones....my sitting room that is. It's decorating for me I'm afraid and it's a LONG job!! The sitting room has wallpaper on as the walls are old and not in such great shape (a bit like me). It is a truly hideous job. The wallpaper needs to be wet before it will relinquish it's grip on the wall..but...when it's wet it's sticky and gunky and sticks to everything else....me included!!

I worked really hard to get one clear, taking great care with the plastic sheeting to keep all the wet soggy paper bits together...but I hadn't banked on a visit from a whirlwind.. Charlie!! He got loose and shot into the sitting room and yes of course, he was so pleased to see me. I mean I had been missing for all of 2 hours. He flew over and spun around before retreating quickly at my yells. I could see that look that said "Okay...what did I do this time?" on his face. He looked indignantly at me and turned tail!

As he shot back out and into the dinning room he took wet bits of paper stuck to his paws, tail and anything else it could stick to. He really spread it around the room on his way out. Grrrr!!! He didn't stop there either, I could follow his trail down the hall and back to his bed.

But, I was soon back at work and collecting more of the yucky paper on my plastic sheet. Things were not going to badly...until the phone rang. I decided I would ignore it and call whoever it was back....but..yes, Charlie again!! He decided that he should bark and howl to let me know that I was needed on the phone. Not only that but the caller hung up and then redialed!!!! So, second time I thought it was just easier to answer it. I rushed out and into the next room and grabbed the phone only to turn around and see that someone had covered the hall again with lots of the wet nasty paper!!!

Who could have done that? "Hold on a moment can you?" I asked the caller and I filled my lungs and yelled "CHARLIE!". I was more than a little surprised when he jumped innocently out of his bed. It couldn't have been him...mmm.....so who was it? Being totally stupid it took me a minute to workout the culprit......me. Okay, I should have thought that my Crocs would have paper stuck to them and I really should have noticed that I was walking around with about 3 inches of it stuck to the bottoms.

So, after I had finished on the phone (and apologised to Charlie) I decided to call it a day and start again tomorrow. I think the paste fumes must have addled my brain and enough is enough for today!!

Before I started decorating I posted quite a lot of photographs of Lilly in an album on Facebook and I've started to make some layouts using them for an other album. Lilly is great to follow around and photograph...she doesn't mind a bit. In fact she has got so used to it she must think that all Grandma's come complete with cameras!! Nature, flowers and animals this little lady loves and she can never resist a pretty flower as her pictures show.

In the layout below I used a paper from a kit I've made called By the Pond and some flowers, butterflies and ivy from an other called In the Garden. I have to admit that I made them with Lilly in mind. I had great fun splitting up, bending and warping the frame too. I just love doing these.

Have a look and see if what you think. Yet an other new style I tried out!!

Spot the little frog at the bottom right of the paper...I love him!!

Lilly really does have a passion for flowers...show her a bloom and the hand goes out and the nose goes down. She can't resist a sniff to see if they smell as good as they look. No flower is safe from little Miss Nosey!!

"mmm....quite nice"

"This one is looking at me"

"I know your there Grandma!"

These I took with one of her great Grandma's (my mum) hats on and plus lot of chocolate spread around her mouth!!! Charlotte loved these but would have preferred them without the chocolate, lol! But I say "au natural", so here she is "warts and all"...so to speak. Good enough for Ascot!!

"I can be shy"

"Well..who'd have thought my dear!!"

That's me for tonight...it's so late now, but I'll be back on Monday with a little gift for you...that is if I don't get stuck to the floor!!

Have a great weekend and stay safe.

Technorati Tags: Lilly,photos,decorating fun

Little Bits of Magic

2009-07-21T22:43:00.001+01:00

In this world changes come at us fast and furious, sometimes they can be overwhelming. But despite the pace and uncertainty, there are so many small things in my live that ground me and make me feel that despite the pace....life is wonderful!!! They may be small and trivial but they really can change how I feel.

Small everyday miracles can lift me from the humdrum and exhaustion of the daily grind and make me think "Boy, life is good". I never cease to wonder at how the insignificant can make me feel so much better...so look around..the world is full of ordinary, mundane daily delights!!

Have you ever watched the dawn come up, with it's gorgeous colours and fantastic light? The first pink glow that radiates slowly across the horizon as the light gradually blossoms into a cascade of colours. As the light gets stronger it floods the landscape making everything look new and bright...full of promise. It's a sight that fills me with calm and warmth...no matter what the new day brings.

One of the simplest delights for me is climbing into a freshly changed bed and feeling the crisp, clean feel of the bed linen and the fresh, clean scent that lingers after washing...it's such bliss!! I snuggle down feeling pampered and spoilt...even though it was me that changed it earlier...it's just that feeling of freshness and comfort that I love.

Candles always fill me with wonder..no, I'm not simple minded...just in awe of the hypnotic feeling from staring into that soft flickering flame. It makes the shadows dance and the room looks so totally different, with deep dark pools hiding the corners. Now that is relaxing...the magic of the flame!

The smell of fresh coffee, baking bread, birdsong...they all are really trivial things that assault my senses and make me feel that life is good. They all work as wonderful pick-me-ups to my jaded senses, waking them up and sending glorious messages to my brain.

How many things can you think of that do the same for you? I'm sure that the list is endless, so think about what does it for you and indulge yourself just a little!! Let's face it they are not costly, you don't have to travel miles, they are there on our doorsteps....our own little bits of daily magic!!

Now, as I promised I have a little set of elements to add to the Everyone Kit. I hope you like them. Tale a look and see what you think.

Your can download them here

Have a wonderful evening and remember to watch out for your own little bits of magic!!

Technorati Tags: scrapbooking,graphic design,everyone elements,free download

Inspiration and Fear

2009-07-17T20:10:00.001+01:00

After the worries and laughter of an other busy week in life's calendar I often like to ground myself by taking a look at the garden. Life amongst the flowers goes on regardless of the ups and downs, nature rolls on uninterrupted. It's amazing how a garden can bring feelings of calm into the chaos. I love to check and see what changes have happened...which flowers are out...which have wilted away. It's full of inspiration and gives me back that sense of reality. The reassurance that life and nature go on, a never ending cycle, no matter what....good or bad.

The good news today is that our two swine flu ladies are much better. It's a nasty little virus but for most of us it's seems to be like a bad bout of seasonal flu.

I think the media hype has made us all fearful that something awful will happen if we catch it. It is horrible, but then again all flu types are something to avoid. Even so, I have to admit it made my poor heart jump when I knew it was in the family....that panic feeling was not far away. I had to change gear quickly back into sensible mode before I accelerated and changed up into panic!! I always was excitable!! It's amazing how deep breaths and sensible thinking work...if not give yourself a virtual slap on the wrist and a good talking too, lol! There's no need to panic...yet!

There is such a thing as knowing too much, or perhaps I mean knowing more than we need to know. We can end up feeling like we're watching water flood over a plain and seeing it slowly coming towards us with no way out.....I think the swine flu issue is one of these. Plus we always fear the unknown...well, I do. It's a bit like waiting to go into labour with your first baby...you know what will happen but not how it will feel. So we always imagine the worst.

So how do you get the balance right between information and planting the seeds of terror in peoples minds? That's the hard one, perhaps situations like this always cause panic? I have to admit that I don't know the answer...what I do know is it's not nice but most people have nothing to feel terrified about. It like everything else...will pass and life for most of us will continue on little changed.

Okay, enough of my homegrown philosophy, lol!! Below you'll find the download link for the rest of the Everyone Papers. I have left this one as one download and not split it, I hope that works for everyone...any problems let me know. If you missed Part 1, then scroll down to yesterdays post and collect them.

You can download the rest of the papers here

Have a wonderful weekend and check back for the Elements to complete the kit!!

Technorati Tags: everyone paper pack,backgrounds,scrapbooking,graphic design,free download

Where Will I Start?

2009-07-16T21:52:00.001+01:00

This is a long one...hopefully you'll indulge me!

This week has been a whirlpool of events, full of surprises and a few shocks thrown in for good measure. But all in all...it's been manic busy!! A bit like living in a washing machine on the spin cycle.

Sunday was a family lunch as my Aunt is visiting from Scotland. She's my mum's youngest sister and is only three years older than me. It was lovely to have everyone around the table and the chatting went on for hours afterwards with all the catching up we had to do. I cooked like I was feeding the 5,000 and then some and then I chattered on like I was the 5,000. When I get in full swing I really am a motor mouth, lol.The bad part of the day was that DH's bad back started again and the poor man was so uncomfortable even with the pain tablets. He looked like he was 100, he was so bent up. Plus my youngest son was going on holiday early Monday morning so there was lots of packing to do on that front, I didn't want him forgetting his shorts and socks again!! All in all...a busy, busy day.

Monday was a shock day....Charlotte was diagnosed as having swine flu. She felt so rough and she had no energy at all...just pains and aches and a high temperature...all the non-fun things in life. Then the thoughts start running to "Will Ali and Lilly get it?"...so far they are both okay. Lilly did have a temperature on Tuesday but she seems fine at the moment, so fingers crossed they escape it.

But...in the evening my mum called to say my Aunt had been taken sick.....and yes it looked like swine flu...aah!! She had a high temperature, headache, vomiting...need I go on. She too had taken to her bed.

Tuesday dawned and there were two sick ladies in the family, both spent the day in bed feeling pretty rough and DH was still doubled up with the bad back. But life continues and things have to get done...work waits for no man...or woman come to that.

Wednesday was much of the same, plus I had started re-grouting the bathroom. I always was a glutton for punishment with a whacky sense of timing! I spent most of the time scrapping out grout and sealant with a large hooked thing...don't know what it's called, but it hurts if you stab it in your fingers!! By evening I was a heap on the sofa...no energy and just longing for my bed. I didn't even get my Entrecard drops done...not enough energy left. The good news was that my aunt was feeling better after a second day in bed. A really positive note to end the day on.

Today, Thursday, Charlotte saw the doctor as the swine flu has really irritated her neuroglical problems, plus she needed some more B12 shots and some iron. She is really in the wars!! But ...her swine flu does seem to be getting slowly better...so there was some good news on that front.

The highlight of the day was Lunch with my mum and two of her sisters and their husbands...it was hilarious!!! We went to the pub restaurant that my eldest son and DIL run in Milford. It was not their lucky day as our seriously strange but lovely family descended on the place, lol! The conversations ranged from debates over childhood days, to some rather riskque items!! But I can honestly say that I have not laughed so much for a long time....in fact I almost choked several times listening to these ladies chatter. Crossed conversations and threads added to the Mad Hatters Tea Party feel...it was tremendous and had a wonderfully excentric feel to the whole event. We Brits do excentric so well lol!!

So...that's my week so far in brief!! We're not the healthiest family at the moment.....but we really are funny when we get together...trust me...it's true!!

Now, on the design front I have been working on a kit that I thought I would share earlier in the week...before life carried me away!

I wanted a kit that could be used for males or females...so no ribbons and bows or pretty flowers in this one! I really find layouts with men and boys are so challenge to find the right papers and elements. The tendancy is to design darker kits for men and often they don't fit with my taste. Plus I wanted it to be a kit that would work for everyone...hence the name.

I'm not sure if it worked but have a look at the papers and see what you think. There preview shows 10 of the 12 papers included. I have split the download over two days, today and tomorrow, as the files are so large.

If you like them you can download the first of the papers in two downloads

here and here

(Sorry it's so large I had to break it up!)

See you tomorrow with the second part of the papers.

Now I'm off to get my feet up. I think I've earned a break for a few hours, lol!

Technorati Tags: digital scrapbookingeveryone,paper pack,graphic design,backgrounds,free download,freebie

Photos Everywhere

2009-07-10T22:53:00.001+01:00

It's been too long since I last sat down for a serious scrapping session..the result is a huge stock pile of photographs waiting to be added to the albums. So, I gave myself a shake and got stuck in.

One of the age I made was inspired by Sammy D's July Element Challenge over at Scrappin Digi Kreations. She has a kite as the element and I just had to have it for one of Lilly's pages.

Here's the page I made.

I love it...but then I am so biased, lol!!! I made it into a quick page if anyone would like it. I couldn't include the kite though as that is Sammy D's...but if you would like it drop by SDK and check out the July Element Challenge you can download it there.

You can download the quick page here

On the subject of layouts...Linda sent me a copy of a gorgeous page she had made using My Little Garden. Linda's layout and quick pages are always beautiful and this one is no exception...it's so cute!! Thanks for sharing it Linda!! Drop by Linda's Lot and checkout some of the terrific freebies that she makes as well as her admire her awesome layouts!!

Credits: My Little Garden by Cens Stuff

And finally before I go...the June edition of the AFX Files is out...yes..I know it's July!! Lol! But seriously don't miss out on the wonderful tutorials and the beautiful gifts for your scrapbook pages. I've got a little tut in there myself, an other little tip really rather than a full blown tutorial...short and sweet!!

Click on the image to go to the AFX blog and download it.

Happy reading!! Have a great weekend and see you soon.

Technorati Tags: quick page,free download,afx files

Frustration!!

2009-07-08T00:10:00.001+01:00

Have you every had one of those days/weeks. If so you'll understand where I'm coming from. I am surprised that I am not bald...I have been pulling my hair out today and the last few days, with my emails!!!! I send them and they show sent...but....they don't arrive at their destination. So my question is...which cookie monster is chomping my emails? I know it's out there just gobbling them up so show yourself and explain.

To make it worse, I tried to leave comments on several blogs today and now Blogger has joined the ban on me. It just comes up with an error code and won't post the comment. Of course it only does it after I have typed my comment...sometimes I just hate technology,lol!!

Tell me, am I suddenly persona non grata, or literally "an unwelcome person"? What did I do....or perhaps it's something I said? I have been wracking my brains for some recent misdemeanour, like shouting at my PC (yes, I have been know to do it), but I can't think of a thing.

Even Charlie is not having anything to do with me today. I committed the cardinal sin...I fed Tigger first!! Now, he'll not eat his food...how dare I feed that pesky cat before him!! So for the rest of the day I am going to keep a low profile before I get anything else wrong. Perhaps if I grovel a bit to Charlie he'll relent and at least stop looking at me with such a reproachful glare.

The good news, well for me anyway, is that I bought some new pens and had a doodle. Pens are funny things..not all doodle well, these are really great to play with. So I decided to share some of them with you. They can be used as plain doodles or you can dress them up a bit. I've included a ladybug, an ant, a butterfly, a snail and a caterpillar. The drop shadows are just for the preview.There is a basic doodle and a dressed up one of each. Personal and Commercial Use are both OK. Enjoy!

You can download the Doodle Bugs here

Technorati Tags: doodle bugs,free download,cu ok freebie,scrapbooking,graphic design

Move it!!

2009-07-01T23:31:00.001+01:00

What is it about breaks that makes you so tired afterwards? I think it must be all that relaxing..it makes it harder to shift back into top gear and start speeding up again. Anyway, to add to it, we have got some sun!! Really...sun, warm, hot, bright sun!!

It's not often that we get it hot here in UK, but it has been hot this week and I love it. But it is so tempting to just put off work and enjoy it. I know I shouldn't...but the little devil in me says "Oh go on, just for a while". I can almost feel the little horns poking out but still I sit a while or wander around the garden and check the flowers. I'm bad!! But....the solution is at hand...it is due to rain tomorrow and the temperature will drop...so it will be no more excuses and back to work. I mean who likes wandering around in the rain? Well, actually....I do!! But..I won't!!

I mentioned that I had visited Bruges again this trip and spent an other lovely day wandering around it's old streets and canals. It's not called the Venice of the North for nothing, it is full of bridges and calming water, with some superb buildings. Take a look.

The Rosary Dock (Rozenhoedkaal) and the Belfry.

The squares are full of cafes with menus in English, Flemish and French, really tourist friendly.

What more could you want than shops full of Belgian chocolates and lace?

For the romantic there is the opportunity to ride around the town in a horse drawn carriage...at a price!!

Okay, you have suffered my holiday snaps and now I have something for you. Just a small gift to add to the My Little Garden Kit, an alpha. I don't do many alphas but I made this one to use myself and so I thought I would share it with the rest of the kit. It has upper and lower case letters, plus 3 letter frames that you can use with the capital letters if you want...I did..

You can download the Alpha here

Have a great day/evening and I hope that the sun is shining on you where ever you are.

Technorati Tags: bruges,photographs,freedownload,alpha

Travel Trip Update

2009-06-29T23:01:00.001+01:00

Our trip through the tunnel was a good one and on arrival in France we decided to drive just over the border and visit the Belgian coast as the base for our break. We live near the sea and so we've never normally stayed in seaside places when we go away, but this time we thought "seaside".

We opted for De Panne, just over the French border and a seaside resort. It turned out to be an interesting town, full of contradictions. The buildings along the wide white beach were mostly blocks of holiday flats..a bit like Spain..going for volume, but the streets behind it reminded me of Blackpool without the funfair!! The whole town was like that...almost like different places depending on which streets you walked...a real mix, but fun exploring. Market place, shopping boutiques, seaside stuff, you name it they seem to have it all in this one small town.

One of the interesting things about Belgium is they have two languages, French and Flemish. It just depends what area of the country you are in as to which language people speak. As De Panne is a holiday town a lot of the people speak both, plus English and a few speak German. It is lovely to just sit and listen to people around you and hear so many different languages and dialects all in the one place. You really feel like your watching the world go by...or at least listening to it!!

The beach was lovely, wide white and clean. So, after checking into our hotel we decided to take a stroll. The tide was out and a large sand bar was available as a second promenade and even although it was early evening, we walked for miles, taking in the peace and fresh air. What a beautiful sight, seeing the sun reflected on the sea and watch the light get less and less as the sun slipped silently away.

Our hotel, the Hotel Royal, is a family run hotel. The owner/manager is a lovely, friendly young lady who took over running the place on her father's death. She is the fourth generation of her family to run it...and she is doing a wonderful job. The rooms have all mode cons, but atmosphere of the place is of a gentler less frantic time. I could imagine the hotel in the 1920's, 40's and 50's, full of respectable Belgian's drinking coffee in the "tea room", or sedately eating breakfast in the dinning room.

We were on the second floor and had a balcony which I was slightly scared of...it was VERY narrow and it was a long way down....I hate heights!! I did sit on it but I preferred the ground floor terrace..coward that I am. I went out to grab a quick photo or two and then scuttled back in!! It did appeal to some though as when we came back in on Saturday afternoon, we found two young men were sitting on our balcony enjoying a drink and the sun. It seems they came through the emergency exit that leads on to it and thought they would just stay and enjoy the view. DH explained the balcony came with our room and they moved on...to find an other unoccupied balcony I expect, lol!!

The only thing I did missed was a kettle in the room, but in Belgium it seems that people prefer to promenade and visit the terraces and plentiful cafes where they can watch the world go by as they sip. I have to admit we did a fair bit of watching the world go by ourselves but we had a multitude of bottles of water for those dry moments in our room. Perhaps the Belgians are also shrewd enough to know that if you have no kettle they can sell you the coffee...or perhaps they feel that good coffee can't be made in your room...who knows.

We only ate breakfast at the hotel and then we had fun picking places to snack or eat dinner in. Being a seaside town, fish and shell fish were on the menu everywhere. Mussels were the big thing, done to various recipes....some with lots of garlic...yummy!!The sea front promenade has space for cycles and carts of all sizes not to mention the scores of people who appeared at the weekend for what turned out to be a holiday weekend locally.

As our break was short we didn't want to spend all the time driving but we did spend Friday walking around Bruges to visit some of our favourite places. The temperature was around 30 degrees in the morning and very hot for wandering around, so we sat in the shade in a park and watched the water flow by when the going got too over powering. What is it about water that is so soothing?

But by afternoon, when we were driving back to De Panne the rain arrived and cleared the air, leaving a newly washed feel to everything.

Saturday morning brought the sun back after a misty start and again the temperature soared to the high 20's. Saturday was a special day for the town, a Braderie, and so there was a street market, brass bands and all the shops had 30% off..a sale!! We walked and jostled in the crowds and then ate and walked some more on the sand bar. The day flew by and soon that sun was setting again and I was yawning wide!! Tired but happy I fell into my bed.

Sunday morning we ate our fill on the standard continental breakfast, fruit salad, rolls, French bread, cheese, ham, jams, croissants, jam, juice...you get the picture..I'm a pig!! Feeling a little over stuffed, we headed for the patisserie and after buying some of our favourite breads set of back into France and the tunnel under the sea. Mind you, it still takes three and a half hours to get home after we get to Dover, so it was afternoon before we rolled up at our front door.

I felt tired and refreshed at the same time...have you ever felt like that...or is it just me? Strange as usual!!

Well, I'm off now but I'll be back tomorrow with a little goodie for you all and some more pictures. Take care until then.

Technorati Tags: Belgium,De Panne,Bruges,trip,photographs

Crazy Cats

2009-06-26T18:00:00.000+01:00

Today's post is about cats, crazy cats or crazy owners..depending how you look at it. I've got a cat myself, plain old black and white, nothing fancy but cute. I am certainly looking at him in a different light after receiving an email from my friend Su yesterday.

The email was about having your cat painted...you heard right...your cat painted!! Some of the colourful creations cost up to $15,000 and the worst part is they need to be done every 3 months as the cat's fur grows out. Imagine up to $60,000 a year for a colourful cat!! I complain about the basics...and I can just picture my DH face if I told him I had had the cat painted, lol...especially at that price.

Have at look at some of the pictures she sent in the email. What do you think? Can you think of some fantastic design for your moggy?

Goldfish Cat

Skunk Cats?

Scary Skeleton Cats

Tartan Cat

Femme Fatal Cat

Okay enough of cats...on to the last part of this weeks kit, My Little Garden.

You can download the last part of My Little Garden, Day 5 here

Have a wonderful weekend and see you Monday!!

Technorati Tags: scrapbooking,my little garden last day,free download,crazy cats

France Here I Come

2009-06-25T18:00:00.000+01:00

Yippee!! I'm off to France today..... but I made sure that my posts for today and tomorrow were done before I went. Hopefully I got it right and things will run smoothly in my absence...fingers crossed.

Take a look at the gorgeous layout that Bettina sent me of her granddaughter Lili using "My Little Garden". I love that photo, it really made me smile...the expression is priceless!! The mat behind the photo is really clever too, I love the effect, almost like it was tipped and was 3D. Thank you Bettina for sharing it and your talent.

I talk of my long suffering DH often and he has never made an appearance on my blog....till now!! So, I thought I would finally give him an airing and post an other photo from graduation day...but I hope he doesn't see it!! He is not really keen on making public appearances in my posts...plus he's normally camera shy. So, ssh...it's our secret!

Now your patience will be rewarded with Day 4 of My Little Garden.

You can download Day 4 here

Check back tomorrow for the last part, Day 5 of the kit. Have fun and be good!!

Technorati Tags: scrapbooking,my little garden kit,free down load,graphic design

Hurray for Charlotte!!

2009-06-24T21:38:00.001+01:00

The graduation was a great success yesterday and a great time was had by all. Lots of proud smiles and camera clicking as parents and friends of the graduates snapped away. I struggled along with my new camera and yes, I really wished that I'd had more time to practice with it, but yesterday was the day, so I just clicked and hoped!

There was many a tear that slid silently down a mother's cheek as her offspring walked up for their degree....as it should be. I was one of those proud mothers, admittedly no tears but a huge smile! I must have looked like a Cheshire Cat, lol.

The day was a real family one for Charlotte, she had her other half, parents, a grandparent and sibling all there to clap her on..and yes, Lilly was there too. Charlotte wanted her to take part as it was a family affair and that's how we do things. Luckily there was a Family Room for children to go to with a large screen showing the ceremony and Lilly went in there for the duration. But afterwards, that girl really rocked. She almost stole her momma's show!! The little madam!! Thank goodness for her reins. I felt a bit like we had a runaway horse on the other end. I think she thought the day was for her benefit not the graduates.

Yes, Lilly wore her favourite green and brown dress..we need to get her an other in these colours before she wears this one to death!! Even at this age Lilly has her likes and dislikes, plus she seems to be influenced by the colour of the things around her and what she wears.

It made me think about how the magic of colour can work on our mood, like soothing green, rousing red and tranquil blue. Think of a gray wet day and a warm sunny day...the first makes us feel inclined to feel a bit under par and the sunny day makes us bounce!!

Yesterday the graduates all wore their black gowns and mortar boards but the audience was a multitude of colours. It was celebration time..mind you that theory breaks down with what I was wearing, lol!! Trust me to be awkward!!! But really colour does influence our mood and how we feel.

Here's a photo of three generations on the day, me, Charlotte and Lilly..taken by my DH yesterday. I HATE having my photograph taken...but needs must on a day like this. I look like the camera is going to bite me...worried look or what!! Note the hand ready to grab Lilly's reins if she bolted!!

Well, my news for today is that tomorrow I am off to France/Belgium until Sunday. But don't worry, the last two parts of My Little Garden will appear on schedule each day for the rest of the week. Thank you Blogger....it's great how I can set it up to post them on schedule whilst I'm gone.

Now to the good stuff!!

If your collecting "My Little Garden" you can download Day 3 here

So have fun and take care.

Technorati Tags: scrapbooking,my little garden kit,free download,graduation

Graduation Day Is Here!!

2009-06-23T18:00:00.000+01:00

Well, it's the big day and we leave very soon for Oxford. Everyone is dressed and ready. My mum is here and we are organised....I hope. Most importantly the camera is ready to catch the moment.

Last night I thought I would try to colour my hair and get rid of some gray...not a lot of gray...I don't have gray hairs, I have "lighter ones", lol. This was not really one of my best ideas, the night before a big event...more to the point I don't normally do this myself. If ever I have my hair coloured I leave it to someone who knows what they are doing, or should I say I normally do. But, what the heck it wouldn't be me if I didn't cause chaos, so off I went to the bathroom, bottles in hand.

It is ever so easy (or so the box told me), just mix a bottle of stuff with a tube of stuff. Simple!!! Well, it was until my DH looked in the bathroom and said "Oh my god, what are you doing?". After a brief explanation he really started to look worried!! I have to admit that the dark brown ring around my face did look rather alarming...but, it's like I told him "Trust me". He still didn't look convinced.

"it's easy...they say shampoo it in and leave it"...I assured him. The problem is that they don't mean shampoo it in..they mean just add to dry hair and rub. It took me a while to work that one out. I had visions of adding water..or shampoo, but I did get the hang of it eventually. It was a messy business and my poor DH was so concerned that my ears would stay a dark brownish colour....or worse still that my hair would go that colour! Poor man. What was he worrying about, we were going to the graduation of a young lady who had pillar box red, green and turquoise hair in her younger days...she wouldn't even think it was strange if I turned up with my hair a delicate shade of green.

The irony is that after all the fuss and bother of doing it.....no one has noticed the difference!!!! Not a word of comment and DH is steering clear of the subject and his near panic attack, lol!

Well, I need to go and get travelling. Have a wonderful day and don't forget to collect Day 2 of My Little Garden.

You can download Day 2 here

I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes today. So, fingers crossed that everyone manages to be in the right place at the right time. They have been warned!!

Technorati Tags: scrapbooking,my little garden kit,day2,free download

An Other Year Gone!!

2009-06-22T18:10:00.001+01:00

First, the good news, Chris survived his boys trip to Amsterdam! He was a little pale and slightly wrecked looking when he first got back...but youth is a wonderful thing and his recovery was fast. Me, I would have suffered for at least a week but he bounced back like a bungee cord. After a couple of days catchup on his sleep he is already planning his next adventure.

The last week has flown by. My DH is on holiday from work and so we have been doing things together for a change...so not much work done!! Ok, I'll be honest almost no work done!!! It's been fun things like a trip to the sea with Lilly, eating out and shopping, not to mention Father's Day and yet an other birthday for me!

An other year is gone and an other candle added to the towering inferno that I called a birthday cake. I'm surprised that it didn't just melt clean away with all those candles!! It was almost a fire extinguisher job, but I puckered up and blew like a hurricane and after a few gasps..they were out....well, almost all out. Just the odd rebel who refused to surrender gracefully...mm, that sound familiar!!

This week is packed full of excitement too as lots of things happening. We start with Charlotte's graduation on Tuesday and as we'll all be there to watch her big day, it's turning into a bit of an epic. A long day with travelling and our celebration meal afterwards. My mum is going too so we need pace ourselves just a bit. Mind you, I'm driving everyone crazy with my organising streak.....they all have their instructions and timetables...it's like a military campaign getting everyone organised. Woe betide anyone who's late...they have been warned, lol!

The graduation day is the ideal excuse to take lots of photographs and as I just happen to have got a new camera for my birthday, I need the practice. Well, that's my excuse! The cameras is terrific..it has a fantastic range of shutter speeds and no lag!! I feel like a member of the paparazzi with it's large zoom lens...point, click, click and the shutter whir is music to my ears. I've had great fun playing with it already, not brilliant results...but that's the photographers fault...not the camera. One small thing to fit into my schedule for today....to finish reading the manual, which will help!! I think I'd better get reading..fast!! Perhaps I'll take both cameras with me to make sure I get some decent shots.

There is a problem with the camera though...Charlie...(yes, he's always a problem..I know!). He sees the new camera...and he runs...fast... in the other direction. When I pointed my old camera at him I needed to fight him off to get space to take his picture, but he hates this one and won't stay long enough for a bad photograph let a lone a good!!

Mind you, he was not very well last week and had to have a visit to the vet. They thought it was his hip and so he got some medication for that plus a shot. He seemed much better for a few days but today, despite the medicine, he was looking sorry for himself again and his big eyes looked sad. It looks like an other trip to the vet may be called for...fingers crossed that he has a more comfortable day tomorrow.

I did manage to settle long enough to do some layouts for my albums, although I have to admit that as usual Lilly got the most pages done for hers. This is one that I played with black and white with a little colour put back into the photograph. I made the kit for her, "My Little Garden" and used that for the latest pages. I decided that I would like to share the kit with you all, so from today through till Friday you can download a part each day.

Here's what the kit looks like, I hope that you like it as much I do

You can download Day 1 here

Well, that's all folks!! Check back tomorrow for the next part of My Little Garden. Have a fun day/evening and take care.

Technorati Tags: scrapbooking,free download,my little garden kit,day1,layouts

Matchsticks Please

2009-06-12T20:13:00.001+01:00

Where are the matchsticks, my eyes are just about still opened and could use a little help staying that way. I had a very early start this morning, my son was going to Amsterdam early this morning for the weekend and quiet is not in his nature. Can you imagine a group of ten young men in their twenties, all quite large, partying? I can and it's not pretty, believe me. Sorry Amsterdam!!

Chris worked yesterday at his normal job and then he had his "fun" job last night. That left him about 3 hours before he was due to get picked up for the airport. So, what did he do, rest..not a chance. He just stayed awake and set off with no sleep. My body cringes at the thought, but he seemed to be doing okay this morning. It'll be later in the day that it really hits him...like a ton of bricks I should think.

Last night the packing was done and he was organised, but this morning..well about dawn to be precise...he was wandering around the house trying to find something to do until he left. The result was that Charlie was convinced, absolutely certain, that there had to be something very wrong....could be a burglar..or worse!! So, we all ended up getting up, just for some peace. Charlie of course thought it was marvelous and really exciting.

Eventually, Chris was picked up and after many "reminders" from me...well, nags actually, he left. It was only about an hour later, on checking his room, that I discovered he must have played around with his bag this morning and taken things out. But...yes, it's that but again...he had forgotten to put his underpants and socks back in.

So, if your in Amsterdam and you see a group of young males.....one who looks absolutely exhausted and has no socks on, say Hallo to Chris!! I'd love to see his face tomorrow morning when he tries to get dressed. I think that after a hard night partying. ....shopping for socks and pants will be the last thing he needs, lol! Enjoy!!

I for one, will be out for the count tonight......no partying for me!! The upside is that this weekend will be peaceful in the house, or that's the theory. I have promised my DH that I won't worry about what Chris is up to......well, not verbally anyway. But, you know what we mums are like, to us they will always be our children, even though they may be grown we are convinced they will run into trouble without us.

They could miss their plane...or worse still have their wallets stolen...or loose their passports...maybe get robbed.....or kidnapped...ahhh!!! Breath deeply, be sensible June...it's only Amsterdam!!! I reassure myself he's been there lots of times and nothing nasty has happened. Then my imagination takes over again and I'm off......white slavers, drug smugglers, anything as long as it's a really far fetched and silly idea runs through my over active imagination.

Perhaps it's really is a good thing I'm tired or I wouldn't sleep a wink tonight!!!

My gift to you this evening is a peaceful one, which in the circumstances is very appropriate. These two backgrounds show just what you can make with images, brushes, a little texture and lighting effects. I love these papers for their serenity and calm. By changing the colour and lighting you change the mood of the paper, almost like your switching the time of day. Have a look and see what you think.

You can download the papers here

We'll that's all from me folks, have a wonderful weekend. I'll let you know what condition Chris comes back in!

Technorati Tags: natures papers,scrapbooking,graphic design,freedownload,nature,backgrounds

Catch Up

2009-06-09T18:00:00.001+01:00

(Edit: Sorry!! I have put up the link now...I told you I was not with it today!!)

I finally made it back to posting. The last few days I've had a nasty headache and a very sore throat...yep, an other little bug decided that I was a good place to make a stopover in!! Normally I only catch them in winter but this one is obviously doing a late run.

The good news (well, it is for me!) is that I'm feeling better but my energy levels are still way down. That's not a problem I normally have, but at least I don't feel like I did on Sunday!!

I have a little gift to add to your collect of scrapping stuff, a delicate metallic frame. The download has two example frames and two grayscale (one light, one darker) metal frames. The grayscale looks quite plain...but you can have so much fun dressing them up!! They can be used for Personal, S4H or Commercial Use.

You can download the frames here

Experiment and try adding gradients, colours, patterns..... anything you want, or you can skip playing and just use the example frames. One of them I added some colour and the a small gradient and left it at that...it gave a sort of bronze look.

On the other example frame I played with a gradient, inner glow, inner shadow and texture but no drop shadow.....it makes it look like a stamped frame.

If you just add a drop shadow then it looks different. So use your imagination and have fun!!

See you soon...hopefully with a little more to say!! Take care and have fun!!

Technorati Tags: scrapbooking,commercial use ok,free download,metalic frame

Read All About It - The AFX Files Are Out!!

2009-06-02T23:01:00.001+01:00

Okay today, no waffling it's first things first....this months edition of the AFX Files is out. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of this wonderful monthly ezine it's a brilliant learning resource from the terrific Al Ward, Mr Photoshop. If you use Photoshop or Photoshop Elements then this is a must have. It helps you find out about tools and techniques to expand you knowledge and have fun. What more could you ask for?

It's packed with contributions from a host of other amazing people too. A not to be missed item...and it's free!!

Having said that.....I contribute too, lol. I have to admit that I feel a little like the baby in kindergarten with all that talent grouped in one place. My contribution this month is a short tutorial that shows you how easy it is to use Polar Coordinates in Photoshop. "What are they?" I hear you ask...."sounds complicated". It's not, believe me. Using this filter you can make a circle with a ribbon, string..you name it. It's fast and so easy!! You'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

Click on the image below and it will take you to Al's blog to collect your copy.

(The link has been updated as there was a problem at the AFX site and a new amended link has been posted)

AND there are some great gifts from the contributors for you to add to your pages.

Here's a peek at my gift for this month that you can download from the ezine.

Well, I hope that you all have fun reading and playing with the terrific resources you'll find. I hope you enjoy my little tut...and any questions, just shout!!

Have a great day!!!

Technorati Tags: afx files,graphic design,scrapbooking,photoshop,photoshop elements

Summer Sun

2009-06-01T17:56:00.001+01:00

The last few days have been wall to wall sun here...and haven't I just loved it!! The warmth and brightness really lifts me and makes me want to be everywhere, do everything all at once!! I'm not a sunbather...not for me basting myself in the sun for hours, so I'm still pale and pasty looking....or as I prefer to describe me....pale and interesting!!

I have photographed my garden almost to death, if it had colour or blooms, I got it! The grass is mown, the new plants in and the weeds got the nimby (not in my backyard) treatment. Things are looking good, wish I could say the same for my back. The garden, like me, seemed to feel the sun and bounced into action. I could almost see those little shoots growing. There are so many beautiful flowers to capture that I'm like a kid in a candy store..not knowing which one to admire first.

Mind you, it wasn't good news for Charlie, he spent the last few days chasing reflections and lights like a demented soul. It's an obsessive behaviour he had when he came to me and it is so hard to get rid of. He spent Saturday boiling himself by rushing around in the sun and bouncing of walls and plants in his efforts to catch those elusive rays of light. In the end, he got banished indoors for his own health....but I'm working on the problem, just an other "work in progress" to add to his list.

At the moment, we are thinking of buying a motorhome to use on our travels, especially for the summer in Europe. It started small...but you know me...I have this tiny, weensy tendency to get carried away, so the idea kept growing. In my mind at least!! First it was DH's height (he's needs a lot of leg room), then it was the thought of making beds up every time I went to bed and from there.... I just got totally and utterly carried away!! Visions filled my head of one with all the conveniences of home with a large touch of luxury thrown in for good measure. The fantasy definitely took over on this one!!

To cut a very long story short, I drifted from ideas of something compact..... to aspirations of a Winnibago with a trailer!!! It was only visions of trying to drive it around the small country roads in France that brought me back to reality with a bump. That and DH talking of how many miles to the gallon it would be and the fact that my "little trips" would require several mortgages to pay for them ,that made me get a grip on the real world again. So, after some realignment, my thoughts are back on track and compact is the buzz word of the day!!

But I have to admit, it was such fun just getting lost in the fantasy and imagining what it would be like to go HUGE!! A touch of day dreaming does you no harm and is lots of fun...well, once in a while that is. Reality can be so boring!!!

To reflect my outdoor mood and my love of gardens, I've done a Quick page for anyone who'd like to share it. I hope that someone can find a use for it.

You can download it here on 4shared

Have a great evening/day and see you soon, it's due to get colder, so perhaps I might get more work done!! I have a tutorial for you next post so check back for a handy tip or two.

Technorati Tags: garden,quick page,freedownload,scrapbooking,graphic design

Gardening With a Twist

2009-05-26T22:13:00.001+01:00

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a terrific holiday weekend. I certainly did! I love it when we get a Monday holiday, it makes the rest of the week seem nice and short.

The sun was actually shining all day Saturday and for part of Sunday and Monday. That's the most sun we've had all year so far and no..I'm not joking. So, it seemed the ideal time to start to tame our garden again. I mowed grass, trimmed paths, planted some things and in general cleared away the last evidence of the garden's winter sleep.

My camera was out and each new flower, bee or butterfly set the shutter clicking. I had a great time and added lots of photos to my stash. I remarked to my DH that I was always behind the camera and I really needed to start getting someone to take the odd photograph of me. I am fast becoming the missing link in our family albums. In a few generations they'll start to believe that I was a myth or mystery due to my absence from the pages.

I instantly regretted it! "No time like the present" DH said and then it was like having a stalker around the garden. Me in my gardening clothes, trying to look natural..not posed. It wasn't a great success and after a while I sarcastically asked him if he wanted me to pose in Lilly's bird Bath...we have so many of Lilly there.

He thought it was a brilliant idea...he would!! So, anything to get the photos over with and I could return to my gardening in earnest....you know me....I obliged. Now here comes the BUT folks.......I forgot the bird bath had been moved for the mowing and I hadn't put it back properly. I had thought I would fix it later (that'll teach me to do it there and then). The result was, I sat...the bird bath didn't!! It was a bit like Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall, except there were no kings men to the rescue!! Needless to say my DH couldn't stop laughing, he really howled...after he had got his "action shots" that it is. My dignity was a little bruised but after the initial bang no harm was done...and after all it's just about on par with the chaos I normally cause. So nothing new there either!

Have look for yourself...it's not one of my finest moments!!

Going, going

Gone!

My photographs just seem to pile up, so I set to work adding to Lilly's album. I wanted to use some other designers stuff that I have collected instead of making everything myself. I trawled through my stash and decided to use a photo mask by Carjazi Designs as the base of the page. In fact I enjoyed playing with the masks so much that I made a few of my own too. The picture is one of a sleepy Lilly, she was really tired and just about to have her bath and go to bed....note the soother in her mouth.

Credits: Background Paper from Get Doggy by Irene Alexeeva, Photomask by Carjazi Designs, Sheep, Sheep Paper and word art by me, Font Mistral.

Before I go, today's little gift is a mask to cut your photo's into shape. It's easy to use as a clipping mask to "cut the photo to the shape of the mask. I use Photoshop CS2 and this is how I do it:

1. In photo shop open the mask and the photograph you want to use.

2. Move them into a new file (or the file you are working with). Make sure the mask is on the layer below the photograph.

3. Make the photograph layer the active one by clicking on it and then press Alt+Ctrl+G for the clipping mask.

And there you have it!! You can move the photograph layer around until you have it just how you want. Have fun!! You can use the mask for personal/S4H and CU.

You can download the mask here on 4shared

or here on Media Fire

Take care and have a great week!!!

Technorati Tags: layout,clipping mask,free download,scrapbooking,photoshop

Affirmations Work!

2009-05-21T23:39:00.001+01:00

Hi all. It's a long post today as I have lots of little bits to share, a lovely layout, an other of my oops moments, a site to check out and a little gift. Loads of things!

What do you think of this gorgeous page? I love it!! Kim from Kim's Scrapping sent it to me using the Mary, Mary Kit and pictures of Lilly and Charlie. Kim is a wonderful designer and scrapper as well as being a very good friend. Thank you Kim for yet an other beautiful page for Lilly's album. This pages says it all about Charlie and Lilly...friends fur-ever. Great word art!

Now, my oops moment. I really need to stop having these before they lock me up or stop me going out alone!!

This is how it happened.......

On days when I'm feeling under par, or just plain unsure I affirm. I can hear you asking "You what?". No, it's not some weird and wonderful strange habit! As if I have strange habits!! What I do is pick a phrase, sentence or similar that describes how I want to feel, not how I do feel and repeat it...over and over and over again! Yes, it's monotonous but it works for me. A real mood changer.

Yesterday I felt a bit wishy washy and not in the mood for much..so, the answer was to pick a phrase and change my mood. The ideal group of words was "I'm happy and bright and the day is just right". Ok, I didn't say it would be poetry..just a phrase. Of I went walking to the chemist to pick up my sons prescription.

"I'm happy and bright and the day is just right" I repeated silently in my head as I walked. I don't really think about the phrase as I do it. I just repeat it parrot fashion...I sort of brain wash myself into being positive. But........(yes, I know..with me there is ALWAYS a but) what I didn't realise was the quiet path wasn't as deserted as I thought.

The path runs alone the road but behind a lovely deep bed of shrubs. It felt quite pleasant...... it was being to work!!! I was at the end of the path near the chemist, when out of nowhere a cheery voice said "You're a real little ray of sunshine my dear". My ears perked up and for a brief moment I thought I was hearing disembodied voices. I have to admit it sent a chill up my spine, until I turned around and saw the elderly man behind me. Thank goodness, it was a real person!

He looked me in the eye and grinned "I'm happy and bright and the day is just right". What!! He knew my phrase!! I was confused..is this guy a mind reader or worse still...the chill was back, big time!! I think he must have noticed the panic flit across my face and my flaring nostrils because he gave a chuckle and told me that he had walked behind me down the path, listening to my chant. Nothing weird, just my large mouth letting me down again!! I had been saying it out loud!!

He was a lovely old gent and we shared a laugh when I explained my phrase for the day. But before we went our separate ways he said he hoped the phrase worked for me as it certainly had for him! Lol!! Now that's what I call a result...two happy people!!

A site for you to visit is Glynis's Photoblog. She very kindly invited me to post some of my photographs on it and I was delighted to join in. I picked some pictures that were taken on my forest walks last year showing some of the animals and plants I encountered. Glynis's blog is a great place to pick up some free photo images, all copyright free. The site is in aid of charity so if you like the images and decided to use any of them you can donate if you want...but it's not compulsory as all images are free to use.

Those of you who have stuck with me and are still reading, thank you!! It's a long one I know, but you will not go unrewarded..it's gift time. Today it's one that is for Personal, S4H and Commercial use. It's little flowers with a string edge. The download incudes the example borders, 4 coloured examples, a Psd grayscale file and a Psd flower template...so have fun and be creative!!

You can download them here at 4shared

or here at Media Fire

Well, it's getting late and so I'm off to get some rest. Take care and see you soon.

Technorati Tags: flirty flowers,commercial use ok,scrapbooking,free download,affirmations work

What a Mad, Mad World!

2009-05-19T22:37:00.001+01:00

I fixed it!! Hurrah!! Finally after a system restore and reinstall, removing programs and a hair pulling session or two...my PC is running well again. I have written myself a reminder it reads "If it's not broken...don't fix it!" I need to leave it in a prominent place in case I forget the last few days of grief!!

I know that the world is a strange pace but this week I have read so many news items that have proved the point that the world is MAD!!

The first was about a woman of 66 years old who was pregnant. I know that everyone has the right to choices in their lives but I can't help but think this has to have been a selfish one. I know...I'm being judgemental, for that I apologise...but, what about the child? When it's 3 years old it's mother will be 70 years old, more a grandparents age, or even a great grandparents age. Who will look after it when she is 80 years old and the child is only 14 years old. Then there's the energy issue..have you tried to keep up with a toddler or a teenager? Yep, I know a lot of you have and even at a young age they run you ragged. Imagine if you were elderly. I know the maternal urge is strong but nature makes things so that we have our children when we are best able to care for them. I'm not 66 but I also feel that at my age I may make a good grandparent but as a parent of a young child on a permanent basis , year in year out....I would be frazzled!!

An other story that caught my eye was of a 7 year old girl who is a radio agony aunt, advising people on their relationship problems. What is this!!! How can a 7 year old have the experience to advise adults on their relationships? Apparently she advised one lady in a troubled relationships to move on and hit the town as men weren't worth the hassle. What is this radio station thinking of and more to the point who in their right mind would call in for advice from a 7 year old!!! It's scary!!

There was one little news item, that crazy as it sounds, proves to me that there are still some imaginative, caring people out there. It's the story of some bald chickens, yes chickens. The Little Hen Rescue Centre in Norfolk, England rescues factory chickens that have stopped laying and are destined for a short life but...there's more than one problem in doing this.

Not only do they have to find homes for these little bald ladies, they have to make little jackets to keep them warm until their feathers grow back. That's where the public come in. On their web site they have patterns to either knit or sew cute little designer hen coats and they ask people to make some and send them in.

You may laugh, but they have managed to get 1,500 wooly jumpers for the hens in the last 2 months!!! The good news is that the chickens feathers grow back and they start laying again. How great is that!! I love it!!

Keep up the good work!! I may even make some myself, lets face it these poor little ladies have been abused to bring us cheap eggs and now it's their turn to have a free life. They deserve it after the nightmare they have been through. The centre have a big job on their hands as they are trying to rehome 10,000 chickens at the moment..that's a lot of chickens!! So check them out and get knitting!!

It may be a mad world, but there is still a lot of good out there. Crazy, but good. How do you see the world and what's crazy in your neck of the woods?

Before I go, a gift for you to help with your scrapbooking pages. I love overlays, any kind, textures, patterns...you name it I love them, so here are some papers that I made from my stash.

You can download the Overlay Papers here at 4shared

or here at Media Fire

Have a great evening and get the knitting pins out those hens are waiting!!

Technorati Tags: scrapbooking,free download,border background papers,swirls,mad world

Last Part Mary, Mary

2009-05-15T20:48:00.001+01:00

Hi All. Tonight need to be a short fast post as I changed my virus scanner and the new one is causing havoc with my PC. I have some sort of a conflict that means my PC keeps freezing and stops everything!! With a bit of luck and a fair wind it will last until I post this..it had better. Mind you this is my third attempt and I am getting mighty mad (steam coming out of my ears job).

Why, oh why, did I not let well along...but no I had to go and change things!! Hopefully I should get it sorted out soon, if not I will throw the PC through the window!!! We don't realise quite how much we depend on our computers until they start to play up, a bit like cars really. Thankfully my car is working well, so I suppose things could be worse, lol!!

It's the final part of Mary Mary for your to download tonight. I hope you have fun with it. If you missed the first two parts of the kit then scroll down and get the links in the previous posts.

You can download Part 3 here from 4shared

or here from Media Fire

Be good and have a great weekend!!

Technorati Tags: mary mary part3,freedownload,scrapbooking,nursery ryhme

Red Faced Day and More Mary Mary

2009-05-13T20:25:00.001+01:00

Before I confess to my red faced "yes" experience, I just have to give Tragedy Anne a plug. That girl is a source of boundless energy and talent, always on the go. The real news is that she and Diana (Freestyle Mama) have started a new blog and store to showcase their terrific Scrap4Hire and Blog Makeover services. It's called Keepsake Creators AND they have a competition running with chance for you to win a custom 4x6, 10 page brag book ready for printing. So if your feeling lucky drop by and have a look.

Okay, now my red face has turned back to normal after my embarrassing experience..when I yet again said "Yes" when in retrospect I should have said NO!! It's was one of those times when I knew I should shout "NO", as I was snowed under with other things but.....the gremlin was working overtime and "Yes" just popped out!! AND...it would only get worse.

I promised I'd tell and I will but it's under protest!! Lol!

It all started when a friend asked me if I could keep an eye on her cat whilst she was away for a few days. The usual thing feed it, change the litter tray etc. Straightforward stuff...as if anything is straightforward when I step in. (I swear it's that gremlin again.)

I checked the first day and everything was good. The cat was normally out during the day but it's mum wanted it kept in whilst she was gone and hence the cat litter tray. I started to wonder what was wrong when on the second day the litter tray was still clean. Wow, this cat has some bladder control I thought. Second thought was the cat was sick!! Eek, not on my watch it doesn't!! I searched around to see if he had gone in the corner but nothing and there wasn't any cat smell so I fed him and left.

It was on the third day that all became clear and the litter tray mystery was resolved. Dear kitty had decided that it was an outdoor moggy and litter trays were sissy....large indoor planters were much more his style, dirt and all that. I nearly died...there was not a lot of smell until I started trying to repair the damage and then...all hell broke loose and it smelt like he had been burying dead things in there...or worse!! Well, it was worse, or it smelt like it to me.

"Okay, breath...don't panic" I told myself. Don't panic, as if I would!!! But how would I explain the smell and by then the dead plants....okay, go ahead panic!!!! This needed superhuman action...no more panic, what I needed was action!! What would I tell my friend..she would think I was a total incompetent who couldn't even look after a cat inside a house without disaster. Why had I ever said YES!!!! Gremlin...I will squeeze you so hard if I ever catch you!!

I rushed home and came back armed with a trowel, black bin bags and a large bag of new compost. The perspiration was by now spread across my forehead I don't do rushing around with heavy bags of stuff.

It was smelly and yucky in there but all the compost had to go. It was a struggle, those planters were big!! But I wrestled with them, got them emptied and rescued the plants one by one. All the time that naughty kitty was staring and watching me with a really evil eye. Believe me it was a two way thing..he stared and I glowered back!! I have to admit I was the first to blink, well I couldn't waste all day, I had a job to do...a nasty one at that.

Finally I had it fixed. I stood back and there were the planters...all redone and looking good and more to the point..smelling good. At least if the plants died it wasn't my fault..and hopefully they would do it next week or later when the connection wouldn't be made to me!! I was dirty, stinky and a real health hazard but it was done!!

When my friend returned I casually remarked that her little Cutie had tried a couple of times to use the planters but I had stopped him. I had my fingers crossed behind my back as I said it...it wasn't actually a lie but it wasn't all of the truth. I hate telling half truths but I did think that I should at least warn her discretely that kitty had a problem!! My face was really red and I felt like the kid caught with it's hand in the cookie jar. I just hope that she doesn't read my blog!!

Footnote: The plants are still alive!!

Thank you for bearing with me. Your patience will be rewarded..Part 2 of Mary, Mary is ready for downloading!

If your Collecting the Mary, Mary Kit you can download Part 2 here with 4shared

or here with Media Fire

There is still one more part to go to make the kit complete so don't forget to check back and get the final part.

Have a wonderful day/evening where ever you are.

Technorati Tags: scrapbooking,free download,mary mary part 2,red faced

Yes, I Mean No!

2009-05-12T11:55:00.002+01:00

This last week bacon and I have had a lot in common, we both jump into the frying pan often! Life as usual was confused last weekend...lots happening and my inability not to know when enough was enough. I love to say yes to things but sometimes my body just gently reminds me that I am not as close to super woman as I would like to be....well, not so gently sometimes! This week was one of those times.

I really have to practice saying "No", but I'm sure that you all understand how it happens, you open your mouth and out comes "Yes". How does it do that? The message in my brain starts as one thing but by the time it reaches my mouth....it's different. Personally I think there's a little gremlin in there who pulls the wrong lever just for the shear fun to see what chaos it can cause. My gremlin must have an overdeveloped sense of humour it does it so often. I'm sure that I must look surprised half the time when the word "Yes" pops out of my mouth, a bit like a puppy that discovers it can bark and scares itself when it first does it.

One of the good things at the weekend was my brother was visiting from Belgium with his kids and wife. It was lovely to see everyone again during the a big family lunch I did on Sunday. Lots of people, lots of cooking...but the good bit was everyone could chat and catchup over the meal. They don't make it over often and so the family all try to drop in over the weekend to see them.

My brother works in Brussels but they have a small farm with horse, sheep, chickens, pigs, llamas and alpacas. My SL breeds alpacas so they have quite a few!! My niece Sophie, who's seven, brought me a lovely basket with eggs she had gathered on Saturday morning before they left home....you can't get fresher than that!!

The children had grown so much since I last saw them. It's just unbelievable how fast children can sprout up. I swear that they are part human, part weed, somewhere along the evolutionary chain the weed gene must have crept in.

Now for scrapbooking......this week I have made a new kit as a gift that you can collect over the next three posts. It's called Mary, Mary a bit like the nursery rhyme. It's got some flowers, rikrak, curly frames, bell flowers and of course Mary! Take a look.

You can download Part 1 of Mary, Mary here

I've only done a 4Shared link today as I can't upload to Media Fire at the moment...not sure why. Sorry about that!!

Edit: You can download with Media Fire here

Well, I'm off..back to the grind stone. Drop back and collect the rest of the kit in the next two posts.

Technorati Tags: scrapbooking,mary mary kit,freedownload,frapgic design

Owl Cluster and Other Cute Things

2009-05-06T22:51:00.001+01:00

Life here is chaos as usual and today the lovely Lilly came back to stay for a few days. Charlie of course was overjoyed!! he spent all afternoon rushing around the garden entertaining Lilly with his antics. Eventually he wore himself out and Lilly was exhausted after laughing so hard at his antics....so peace reigned for at least five minutes and they sat quietly together on the grass just watching the world go by. It's lovely to watch them and see the pure joy on Lilly's little face. She is Charlie's heroine, he loves to entertain her and follow her around, his own little best friend.

Wild Child...rushing around the garden...well Charlie is, Lilly just laughs hard at his silly nonsense! Look at his ears flying as he does a running turn..that boy was really moving but he never knocked Lilly once. He loves to show off and she is his ideal audience.

Quiet reflection after all that energetic activity. How peaceful they both looked.

The wisteria behind the house is out and blooming beautifully. I love this plant, it winders above our dining room door and across the back wall of the house...and it has a perfume!! Pure bliss at this time of year as the wonderful scent drifts in through the door. It does have it's downside...the blossoms fall and walk straight in doors, but it's worth it.

Bedtime for Lilly was fast, her little head hit the cot and she was very quickly fast asleep. All the walking she did today and her fun with Charlie had worn her out, so this evening has been peaceful with time for me to clear away the remnants of the days fun..mess in other words!! But tomorrow will start early and it will be a long day. Where do these infants get their energy? I wish I knew and I'd get a double helping for me, a single on for Lilly. That way I would stand a chance of keeping pace.

Before I go I thought I would make today's gift something cute...I'm in a cute mood. So, it's an owl cluster, in two different colour schemes to add to your pages. Have fun!

You can download them here at Media Fire

or here at 4Shared

Have a good day tomorrow and have some fun...you know it's good for you!!!

Technorati Tags: owl cluster,cute,free download,scrapbooking

Tagged!! Now I Need to Think!

2009-05-01T23:44:00.001+01:00

I know everyone will be busy with this weekend being NSD and there will be so many things to collect and pages to make..but it's Friday so I have a small something for you. It's okay for Personal, S4H and Commercial Use. You'll find it at the end of my post...a surprise!!

I was tagged this week by the lovely Kyra at With A Russian-Dutch Heart Design. (Kyra also has a great new kit on her blog that I think you may like. It's called Wishful Thinking.)

Kyra's Kit Drop by and Check it out

Now.. the tag!! I needed to think on this one as I have to list things about me and what I've been doing. I have to admit that I seem to have recovered from my brain freeze earlier in the week...so I managed it.

This is what I have come up with:

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:

1. Summer

2. Seeing Lilly

3. Getting my website

4. Going to Charlotte's graduation in June

5. Charlie getting some sense (I won't hold my breath on that one!)

6. Feeling less tired and achieving some inner calm

7. Visiting the Yorkshire Dales

8. The world becoming a kinder place

8 Things I did Yesterday:

1. Got up later than I meant and had to rush! To much staying up late!!

2. Grabbed some toast and tea

3. Checked some old papers and took notes

4. Played with Photoshop (I wish this said "worked" not played!!)

5. Took some photographs of Charlie and Tigger

6. Did my Entrecard drops and read some great blogs

7. Made dinner for the boys

8. Went to bed late...as usual!!

8 Things I Wish I Could Do

1. Visit my online friends Cindy, Kim and Tracy in the US, Linda and Chris here in UK and so many more!!

2. Concentrate and be productive when I design and not play!!

3. Give people hope when they see none

4. Go on a long road trip around Europe taking photographs

5. Make the sunshine!

6. Limit the number of things I say yes too!

(I seem to find the word "No" hard to get off my tongue)

7. Stop Tigger hating Charlie so much!!

8. Make my girls well

8 Things That or Shows I have Watched

(This one was hard as I don't watch much TV )

1. The Lady Detective

2. Time Team

3. News

4. CSI

5. Who Do You Think You Are

6. The Black Book (in Dutch)

7. Midsomer Murders

8. The Mentalist

Now I have to tag 8 other people and they are...drum roll please!!

1. Glynis at Ghunibee Scraps

2. Kim at Kim's Scrapping

3. Mature but Not Senile

4. Tracy at Latte Dah Designs

5. PJ at PJ's Prose

6. Kandice at Colouraddiction

7. Swapna at Crafts and Cooking

8. The wonderful Grammology, full of wisdom

And before I go my gift to you. Its a set of three journaling brushes..only three...but I have done them as custom shapes and png files too. The examples are also included in the download.

You can download them here from Media Fire

or here from 4Shared

Have fun and enjoy NSD tomorrow!!!

Technorati Tags: tagged,scrapbooking,freebownload,commercial use ok,s4h,journaling brushes,custome shapes

Paint Pots and Cameras

2009-04-29T18:50:00.001+01:00

Paint pots and cameras do mix well....not in a physical sense I hasten to add. I don't mean tip the pot on your camera. More playing with your photographs and seeing what little gems you can come up with by adding a touch of imagination and a little "paint".

I got so carried away last night with some of last years flower photographs. The time just went and I was totally lost in what I was doing, a great relaxer!! I have a habit of playing and the good thing is that I don't mind if it doesn't work, I just enjoy the experiment!! The bad thing is that I never get any work done!!! I tend to be that I start out with one thing and then somehow it morphs into something totally different and I'm off at a tangent, forgetting what I'm meant to be doing!!

How many times have I sat down to make a kit and ended up wandering again. I really have to develop some self discipline on this!!! The strange thing is in most other things I am an organisation freak...but with things like this I am hopeless at staying on track.

Anyway....look what I did!!! (Yes, I know, I sound like a little girl tugging to momma's skirt to show her something!).

What do you think...good/bad? I am so biased because I LOVE it!!!! Perhaps a "could do better" would be on my report card on this...but trying to do better will be something I'll enjoy!!

This is the result of merging photos, masks, brushes, lighting effects and a few things more....and for me it works. Not bad from a few flowers!!! If anyone wants to know how to do it..let me know and I'll do a more detailed "how to". If anyone wants a full size JPG of the image let me know and I can let you have a download link.

After all that...a gift for you!! A simple and elegant quick page 12x12, 300dpi in Png format. I can think of some of more formal or romantic photographs that this would suit....how about you?

You can download it here at Media Fire

or at 4shared here

We have had some sun today but it's still cold.....and we had frost last night!! But for now the sun is sinking and shining in through my the window behind me. I can feel the warmth on my back and it's good! Roll on summer!! Have a great evening where ever you are and see you soon!!

Technorati Tags: scrapbooking,quick page,freedownload,photo merge and art work,simple elegance

Brain Freeze and Crazy Dots!!

2009-04-27T21:37:00.001+01:00

The brain freeze is mine...the crazy dots are the result of my doodling.

Too much thinking is bad for me, it's given me brain freeze!!! It's a bit like eating real, really cold ice cream, your brain hurts!! I've been trying to workout installing WordPress and using it as CMS. Not that I'm doing it, Cindy Reilly is patiently putting up with me and my constant indecision. First one thing and then the next, the idea being that I setup a website with a gallery etc.

I have done a website for my Family History work using DreamWeaver but it was a while ago and I'm struggling to get back into things. Today was my worst day yet, reading too much, swaying one way and then the other until my little brain was doing triple flips!!! Warning...brain freeze!! So, I have stopped reading for now..tomorrow is an other day.

The news from our house is that Charlie is back in disgrace. He has naughty down to a fine art and he adds to his talents in this field all the time.....unfortunately!! Over the weekend he was all leaded up for his walk, sitting at the door quite excited, but then again dogs always are when a walk is in the offing. DH got him to sit, opened the door....and Charlie put his now famous Houdini move into action and DH was left with a lead...no dog....just a limp lead.

Well, the yell told me something was not quite right...to put it mildly. So, it was all hands to action stations. My son did not appreciate being hauled out of the shower...yet again!! Charlie always seems to escape when Chris is in playing water babies.

It was an other chase me Charlie...literally!! Eventually, after many a heart in mouth moment, the rogue was caught and brought home. Was he sorry ....or even a little ashamed? Not a vague chance!!! His tail was wagging, eyes bright and he was bouncing!! I swear that dog is going in shackles or my hair will turn gray!!

I am happy to say that Lilly is doing well, no further problems with her walking. She came to see us last week and she and Charlie were as buddy buddy as usual.,Or I should say she and "Cha" (her name for Charlie) were buddy buddy. He really is great with her but Lilly always wants to share everything with him...which can be a problem!!

Lilly was bathed and ready for bed and she wanted to give a dog biscuit to Charlie before she went to bed.

One for Charlie before I go to bed.

We didn't anticipate that her curiosity would get the better of her. She just had to try the new dog biscuits before Charlie did. All went well as she took the biscuit from the tin....then she wandered in the opposite direct to Charlie. The mouth opened ....and in it went, her mouth not his!! There was a little bit sticking out...just!! I grab the camera as her mum grabbed for her....she little madam just strolled over biscuit in mouth!! I know, trust me to go for the camera..but her mum was moving in Lilly's direction, so it was OK.

Look at me...I've got a biscuit.

After we had extracted the offending biscuit both she and Charlie looked with pleading eyes asking for an other biscuit...the cheeky pair!!

Please..just one!!! We'll be good!! (Those two good...not a chance!)

And still with the photographs, I thought you might like this one of the first wall flower in my garden, a touch of brightness, struggling through a sea of green.

Now, the Crazy Dots Paper Pack. I drew some doodles and ended up using them for a pattern which I thought I'd share with you.

You can download them at 4shared here

or at Media Fire here

Have a great evening and hopefully next time I post my brain will be "unfrozen"!!

Technorati Tags: crazy dots paper pack,free download,charlie and lilly,scrapbooking

Adding A Snagable Blinkie To Blogger

2009-04-26T12:13:00.001+01:00

Snagable...is that a new word? Anyway....you know what I mean!!

A while ago I did a tut on making your own blinkie......but I didn't do the follow up on how to add your blinkie to your blog so that people can snag it with a clickable link back to your blog or website. I've been slow in doing this and have now updated my own blinkie to include the instructions on how to snag it (see my sidebar). I kept meaning to do it...but, you know what it's like.

So after much tying myself in knots I've come up with this tutorial, which I hope is not too complicated!! (I'll do an other post that will listed instructions on adding other peoples blinkies to your blog after you've snagged them.)

I use Blogger, so the instructions are based on Blogger and how to add your blinkie and link using the Blogger Dashboard.

1. To do this properly there are two things you need to do before we start:

First, you need to upload your blinkie image to your photo hosting....which ever one you use, I use Photobucket. Copy the URL of the link to your image as you'll need it later.

Secondly, you need to write a blog post telling people how to snag your blinkie. I have backdated mine so that it's not on the front page of my blog. You can backdate a post by going to POST OPTIONS at the bottom left of the screen you use to write your post on Blogger. Click Post Options and choose any date you want to post your instructions. It's easy to change for those of you who use Windows Live Writer too.I choose a date last October for mine.

You need to write something like this in your post:

If you'd like to snag my blinkie and add it to you blog, with a clickable link back to Name of Your Blog, here's how you do it!

1. Go to your Blogger Dashboard and Select LAYOUT.

2. Now choose PAGE ELEMENTS and then select ADD A GADGET.

3. From the choices pick HTML/JavaScript, then in the content box paste in the following code: (You would add the following in your post to give the link)

<a href="your blog url" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="your blog name" src="your image url or direct link" ></a>"

Then save your post to the date you want, it doesn't matter what date really. After it's posted to your blog get a copy of the page URL as you'll need it later too.

2. Next go to you Blogger Dashboard and click the tag that says Layout and select Page Elements. This will take you to the Add and Arrange Page Elements screen.

2. Click Add a Gadget

3. This will give you a pop up window that allows you to make a choice in what you want to add to the side bar. Scroll down until you see add Picture and click.

4. This gives you a new window Configure Image.

5. Where it says LINK, put in the link to the post on your blog on how to snag your blinkie.

Where it says IMAGE, click on the circle next to "From the web" and paste in the URL for your Blinkie Image from the web. (The one we copied at the beginning from Photobucket or similar hosting.)

If you want to give it a title such as "Click to Snag" then type it into the TITLE box, it's a matter of choice on this one.

Click Save in the bottom right corner and your done!! The blinkie will be at the top of your sidebar so you may want to move it down...it's up to you but it's saved to your blog!!

If you want to download the tutorial as a PDF you'll find it here

Now people can click on your blinkie, go to your post and learn how to snag it with the code included. I just hope that I haven't made this as clear as mud, lol!! Any questions just email me and I'll get back to you. If you manage to do it using the tut...let me know so I can drop by and take a look. Good luck!!!

Watch out for the tut on how to add other peoples blinkies to your blog after you've snagged them!!!

Have a wonderful weekend and take care.

Technorati Tags: posting blinkie with link,tutorial

Sing Louder!!

2009-04-21T16:27:00.001+01:00

Singing is not something I do often. The fact that I'm tone deaf discourages me from scaring the neighbours too often...but yesterday was one of those days when I made an exception.

Monday was full of appointments and really busy so I was geared up for fighting my way through traffic and dealing with people all day...a busy but productive day, nothing more. Just an other Monday.

I know that times are worrying and hard for so many of us at the moment, no matter where we are around this great big world..but yesterday was just about the limit. By 12.00 midday a few mobile texts and calls had come through. News and updates from family...good news normally, but they just confirmed that now all of my children and grandchildren each had quite a large problem. The problems varied..but they all had one, health, job, money, stress etc. Now, me being me, I tend to have a policy of "Your problem is my problem", especially with family.

So, I felt just a little swamped...well, more like my rubber ring had deflated and left me struggling in the water. Where was it all going to end...and there was still the rest of the day to fight my way through!! I could feel that depressed feeling setting in....the slow sinking in the stomach, the "oh no" feeling...the water slowing covering my head feeling!!! Aaaaah!!

But people..... you can either sink or swim..... and I hate water up my nose!! So, I grabbed my emergency "save me" kit...one of my old music CD's!! I shut the windows, banged my CD into the drive and turned the volume way up and started to sing...LOUD!!! This would be real cat wailing stuff!!

In times of emotional stress...get it out...sing!! If I am sad, I have a good cry to soft, slow stuff...but this called for LOUD!!! This was me against the world, de-stressing, lung stretching wailing!! The fact I was in my car and driving along belting out the songs...totally off key, who cares. (I did still drive carefully...I just did it loudly). For me it has to be songs I know and for me it has to be old ones...and for goodness sake, today not sad ones or slow ones...they have to be upbeat and sing-along friendly. My only exception was "Wild Eyed and Legless"...no I'm not a drunk, but it is such a good one to give your lungs a bit of a break in between!!

I ran through my whole playlist..Good Vibrations, Rock Me Baby, I Want to Break Free, Is this the Way to Amarillo...etc, the words don't really matter it's the beat. Mind you I had to skip "Spirit in the Sky" halfway through, I kept wanting to click my fingers to the beat...not a good idea when your driving!! I think I'll save that one for my funeral, a great one to play me out...I think I need to put that in my last requests as a must have!!!

The list wouldn't have been complete without one for Charlie (he has constant problems!). Charlie's song was "Who Let the Dogs Out" by Baha Men!!! I barked so well on that one!!! This song brings back those warm Caribbean days when life was sunny and warm...plus I get to sing and bark....what more could a girl ask for? You Tube have a video that goes with this song that I hope Charlie never sees..it would give him too many bad ideas!!

So, I arrived at my destination exhausted and a little dry in the throat...but feeling so much better! My fight was back, the waters had receded and this girl was ready for anything...bring it on!!

Take a tip..pick out your music, stick it on CD's..one sad, one loud, one happy etc and when ever the mood changes...reach for the stack and find yourself a spot. Shut the windows and go!! Sing it out, what ever "it" is. Really fill your lungs and sing! Just close the windows and let rip, you'll feel so much better...and it's so much cheaper and easier than therapy!!!

Time for me to go but before I do..a gift from me to you. A Wishing Frame..my good wishes to you.

You can download it here at Media Fire

(Edit: I just checked the Media Fire link and it should be OK now...sorry!)

here at 4shared

Have a wonderful evening and start getting that music together...you never know when you may need it!!

Technorati Tags: singing out loud,scrapbooking,free downlaod,frame

What a Week and Don't Forget the Friday Freebie

2009-04-17T23:48:00.001+01:00

This has been a long week full of surprises, not all of them good. One of the not so good was Lilly had to go back into hospital overnight. She needed some tests done as she was unable to walk for a couple of days. On Tuesday she suddenly had problems with her walking, one of her legs kept collapsing and she just kept falling over. She was sent to hospital and they ran some tests to try to find out what the problem was.

Lilly being Lilly she let them take blood and things and even laughed for the nurse. She had an ultra sound of her hip and was really interested in watching the funny "TV". The strange thing was she had no fever, nor did she seem ill....she just couldn't walk. She looked so puzzled when she kept falling over.......she must have wondered what was happening.

Was allowed home late on Wednesday and by last night she was walking again...how strange is that? So we have to wait until next week when all the tests are back...hopefully it is a one off event!! But it is really worrying her mum and dad as to what could have caused it and if it will happen again.

Charlie has been an average naughty pup..nothing ultra bad...thank goodness!! But I am sure that he will come up with something new...he never stays "good" for long!! So watch this space!!

My head has felt a little like it was filled with cotton wool this week...do you ever get that? Thinking is happening, but slower than usual....I need to blow those cotton cobwebs away and get a clear head...perhaps the hair dryer in my ear would work, on cool of course!! But you know what they say laughter is the best medicine for anything that ails you and so I think I just need a good giggling session to clear the air and release the tension. Was it Victor Hugo said that "laughter is the sun that drives Winter from the face"...whoever said it...they are right!!

Perhaps a girlie night in and a few face packs will do the trick..it certainly gets me giggling to watch the others. That why my mask never seems to work..I laugh too much and crack it before I'm cooked!!

The weather is cold and wet, so this evening I grab my cosy socks and jumper again. I think Spring is temporarily on hold for a few days. Lets hope it comes back soon before I freeze. There is nothing so comforting as being warm and cosy, it makes you feel safe sheltered. I can remember as a child on those dark Winter evenings curling up by the fire and toasting bread and my toes...mmmm, gorgeous! Great for toast...bad for getting chilblains but so comforting!!

Now to this Fridays Commercial Use OK gift. It is two overlays to help add some texture to your paper making...plus there are some sample papers in a separate download to give you an idea of what they can do. I hope that someone can find a use for them.

You can download the overlays here

or here from Media Fire

You can download the example papers here

or here from Media Fire

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy yourselves!!

Technorati Tags: freedownload,commercial use ok,scrapbooking,graphic design

Holiday Over..Now Time for a Rest!!

2009-04-15T00:55:00.001+01:00

Goodness..who said Easter was a holiday? I think it's one of the busiest times of year, at least it was here!!

Saturday was cooking and cleaning and getting organised and then Sunday was just none stop all day!! It was lovely, though Lilly thought it was very strange that the birdies left their eggs in the garden..naughty birdies!! Never mind, next year we'll explain properly to her what it's all about.

The highlight of her day was "cooking". Well, she thinks she's cooking. It involves her gathering stones, twigs, leaves etc and putting them carefully into the stone birdbath...then she takes a stick and stirs. She worked this one out on her own and she just loves it...so much so that it's the first thing she wants to do when she gets out into the garden. The good thing is she doesn't expect us all to eat it!!

The other thing that caused a tricky moment was Lilly had two dresses and she wanted to wear both...together!! Okay, it was Easter and she didn't look her best but...she got to wear both...together...and she thought she looked great!! And at the end of the day, that's what counts.

"Come on Upsey Daisy...be a good girl and play nicely!"

"Nice stones for cooking, have to have some of those!"

"Now...just an other little stir and it's done."

By the end of the day I was in a heap..tired but happy. Monday was more of the same and by the end of "the holiday" my head was spinning. It's funny how we mum's always end up with such busy "holidays", the word just seems a contradiction to the reality. But it was good...so I'm not complaining...just exhausted!!

This evening was a big event for Charlie...he got to go out with Chris to the common. Normally he's not allowed to go as he does tend to escape...well, he always escapes!! But this evening we took a chance..and a very strong lead, plus a harness and a collar...the whole shebang!!

He loved it..and more to the point he didn't run off..but..yes, it's that but again!! He did manage to fall in a very smelly pond. Thank goodness it was not the back of my car that he travelled home in!! Needless to say when he got back I smelt him before I saw him. He was so proud of himself and he looked so offended when he was dragged off to have a bath.

Now Charlie is not too keen on baths. Okay what I really mean is he HATES them! So, it was a very wet event with lots of noise. In fact it was total chaos...Charlie trying to escape, me trying to washing him, Chris trying to hang on to him and everyone getting soaked through.

The best bit was when he was finished.....there he was dancing around with Chris acting as ballast on his collar to slow him down. I was trying to catch him with a very large towel....but of course before I did he shook all over everyone. The only consolation was this water was clean!

Afterwards he had to be kept in to stop him finding a nice muddy bit to roll in. Being clean is not Charlie's favourite state. Give him something nice and smelly and he's in seventh heaven...but clean...yuck!! And no...I didn't take pictures. I wouldn't risk my camera in the chaos and water, lol!!

Now, enough rambling. Before I go I have a little freebie, a quick page in two different colours with a doodle flower border and a little word art.

You can download them here

Well, I'm off to bed. All that bath stuff is tiring. Take care and see you soon.

Technorati Tags: quick page,freedownload,charlie,lilly,scrapbooking

Fish and Chips

2009-04-11T15:13:00.001+01:00

(Sorry this is a late post...Blogger wouldn't let me post it last night.)

So, I'm bad..not only that but I'm making other people bad!! I'm leading them into bad ways...well, one at least. Shame on me!!

I worked this morning, the whole time watching the rain fall in a never ending stream down the window. Where had all the sunshine gone? Gloomy was not the word!! But, I told myself sternly to WORK...concentrate! I know it's a holiday today, Good Friday, but I don't know about where you are...it seems that here holidays like today are vanishing fast and people are working them more and more. As the others were all working I thought I would too....but it was hard! Good Friday should be Hot Cross Buns and rolling eggs!!

I settled down and concentrated, well at least until 1.00pm then I'd had enough and thought..."to heck with this" and I grabbed my keys and off I went. I decided that despite the rain I was going to drive and pick up my Mum....... then go get some Fish and Chips (yep, we Brits are great at these) . We could drive to a cliff overlooking the sea and just sit and watch the rain and the sea do their thing.

Not productive I know, but I thought it would blow my cobwebs away from what has been an unsettling week and get me in the Easter mood. The fact that I am helping clogging our arteries with fat is not the point..it is just once in a while after all....and today I didn't care!!

It was cold and wet and very windy....a bit of a disaster day weather wise...but it was beautiful. The tossing waves with the white horses ridding the crests, gray skies low and threatening and the rain falling sideways....I could feel the emotions and stresses of the week draining away as I watch nature vent itself.

In a calm moment..between wind and rain...I got out and took a couple of pictures. Look how gray and misty it was. The shadow on the horizon is the Isle of Wight, normally you can see it clearly but it was shrouded in sea mist...and this was afternoon!!

The windows of the car steamed up and I knew the chip smell would be there for days, but I was glad.....it would act as a reminder of Mum and I and the sea...and some gorgeous Fish and Chips!! I felt quite calm and at peace with the world as I sucked the salt and grease from my fingers.....yes, tradition says Fish and Chips have to be eaten with your fingers to taste their best!! So it was an afternoon well spent.

This week is the anniversary of Dad's death and so it is normally a thoughtful time for us, full of memories of when the sun shone and Dad was still here laughing. We had our space and quiet time...well not so quiet really...lot of talking as usual. But now...Easter..I'm ready for you. Bring on the family, lots of cooking, eggs and starting to explain to Lilly what Easter is all about..the latter could take a while...at least a couple more years!!

This weeks CU OK gift is a knotted frame. The download includes 1 grayscale frame and the samples that I have done. They can all be used for personal/S4H/CU.

You can download them here

Enjoy the rest of the holiday and be good!!

Technorati Tags: rain and sea,knotted frame,free download,commercial use OK,scrapbooking,graphic design

The Value of Time

2009-04-08T21:13:00.001+01:00

Hi All!! Things are back to normal here after the barbeque..even Charlie has recovered from acting as unofficial dustbin for Chris's burnt offerings. He positioned himself next to the barbeque and despite warnings not to feed him, it just happened that the over done bits "fell" onto the patio. Strange that isn't it? Why do kids, no matter how large, try to kill of our pets with kindness? But despite that they all survived even with the cold weather and bad cooking!

I was thinking today about time...yes, too busy again and trying to catch my tail. We say such funny things about it...like buying time, costs time and time is money. All of these link time with money...does that just signify that we feel time is precious or does it mean that we feel our time is wasted if we're not doing something? Or do we think that time not spent earning money is a lost opportunity?

What about lost time......this one is crazy....how do we loose it? Does it just creep past us hoping we won't catch it...or do we drop it on our way to the shops. I can just imagine someone asking "Excuse me you haven't seen my time have you? I seem to have lost it". It just goes to show how silly some of the things we say are if you stop to think about them.

We talk about free time.....implying that it's time we give away without charge, or that we waste. It's strange but I had never realised that time and money are linked so often in our day to day speech.

I like many others never have enough hours in a day and often worry about wasting time. Why are we so driven by the clock ....how many times do you look at your watch or clock in a day..even on weekends? I feel naked without my watch, the only times I don't wear it is in the shower and in bed.

I think it's a shame that we are so clock driven. I know we need to be punctual for appointments but surely our whole day shouldn't be time orientated? The next chance I get I'm going to leave off my watch for the day and just do things in my own time...what a luxury!! Knowing me I'll forget and go searching for the clock!!

What I should do is take the time to watch the sunset, see nature come alive, feel the rain, hear the birds sing and so many other things that I often miss in my frantic chase to follow the clock hands.

The good news is this weekend is Easter the family are all gathering here and yes, the lovely Lilly is coming too. I am happy to announce that she is staying with me for a couple of days and I have got lots of plans to keep her occupied. I thought a walk in the forest...well the edge of it...her little legs are small and perhaps some finger painting..if I can keep Charlie out of it. I can just imagine him lending a paw!!! The kitchen would be in a fine mess. I think I'll take a few photos to add to my Lilly 0-5 albums. There will be quite a few of them by the time she has reached the ripe old age of 5 years!!

It's almost time for Charlie's last walk and so I need to go (see, time is rearing it's ugly head again!). So check below if you want the link for Big Boy Kitty, for those little gentlemen.

Download Big Boy Kitty here

(If you missed the girl Pretty Kitty then check Monday's post for the download link.)

Be good and see you soon!! Watch and see how often you think about time in your day...it will surprise you!!

Technorati Tags: time,big boy kitty,free download,scrapbooking,graphic design

The Smoke Gets in My Eyes

2009-04-06T20:24:00.001+01:00

The sun has been shining earlier today and Spring is definitely here. It should have been a peaceful evening..chilly now the sun has gone in, but peaceful. But...(there's always a but) my youngest son seems to think it's summer!! He has holiday from work this week and so he's really in the mood to have some fun. I don't mind this, but I think loosing touch with reality on a temporary basis must be genetic!!

He decided whilst he was out that a barbeque for dinner would be a good idea and so he shopped for some stuff. Loads and loads of stuff!! Now I know he's a big guy but there is a limit to how much you can eat.

Cooking is not his strongest point and his food shopping skills finish with chips, orange juice and chocolate...so when he shopped for the barbeque he bought enough for a small army of starving giants!! If we were to cook it all we could ask our half of town to dinner. (Mind you I am sure that Charlie would volunteer to suffer leftovers for the good of the cause.) It doesn't help that the barbeque is just a little basic too...he would be up for a couple of days if he had to cook everything on it.

Now the sun has gone in the temperature has dropped and there he is on the patio in T-shirt and shorts warming up the barbeque!!! I say warming up loosely..what I really mean is he's filling the house with smoke..cough, cough. Now I know how a fish in the smoke house feels. My eyes are stinging and I keep shutting the door....but will it stay shut? No...he keeps remembering something else that he has forgotten and really, really needs..like now!!

Of course he set it up right next to the back door...it would be silly to walk any more than he has too, or so he thinks. Now we Brits are not renowned for our barbequeing skills....I mean with our weather there are normally only about four weekends a year we can have one for a start! But this is the guy who had a barbeque on the common with his friends and they had to bring the stuff home to cook it as they couldn't get it going.

That said he is sitting on the patio with his long suffering girlfriend chatting...through the smoke. Perhaps I should take out a paper fan so she can waft it away or maybe an electric fan and a scarf and gloves would be more help.

Me...I'll stick with the lasagne that I made..at least I will get to eat it before midnight and it will be smoke and burnt bit free. My DH just shakes his head and retires to his computer "Call me when he's done" drifts after him as he wanders off.

And yes...there goes the smoke alarm..again! "Shut the door..and keep it shut!!!"....as if he will. The only way that door will stay shut is if Charlie learns really fast, which is not likely..learning is not his strong point. Anyway at the moment Charlie's just sitting watching his "friend" Chris burning something with a really puzzled look on his face and is much too interested in what's happening to bother with learning.

All I can say is I hope they come in before they turn blue with cold. I can imagine that my freezer will get a few contributions of uncooked food too. The downside is that it means he'll want to do it again to use the stuff up. Who said they less trouble as they grown up? Wrong...it's just different, lol!!

A little gift from me to you, today is a pretty little girl kitty and on Wednesday you can add the big boy kitty...so then you have one for those cute girls and one for your "big" little boys!!

Have a look and if you like them then download Pretty Kitty (girl) today. (The download is a direct link so you don't go to the 4shared page, I know a lot of people worry about going there.)

Download Pretty Kitty here

Check back on Wednesday and download Big Boy Kitty then

Well, I'm off to air the house to get rid of the smoke smell and to drag Charlie away from scrounging more sausages!!

Take care and have a peaceful evening.

Technorati Tags: free download,pretty kitty,barbeque disater,scrapbooking

Thank You!!

2009-04-03T20:24:00.001+01:00

What can I say but a HUGE thank you to all who let comments on my last post. I was overwhelmed when I saw all the responses to my requests for an opinion... I actually felt a lump come to my throat. Thank you all for being so brilliant and sensible...unlike me!!

I appreciate all the sensible opinions and words of advice and your right, I should do what I feel is right on my own blog. I need to give myself a reality check and say "Who Cares!". My initial reaction was shock that people would take the time to be so rude......my mistake was to react. Your right..if they don't like the way I do things it's just tough. So I am staying as I am...one blog, this one!! I feel a little silly for being such a baby now!!

Now I have said that...I'll move on.

Lilly is doing well this week and is back to her normal rushing around self. When she was ill she was such a sad little soul that grandma just had to try something to make her smile. So, knowing Lilly's passion for dressing up I got her a hat, one with a ribbon down the back and a fancy brim.....her mother looked a little doubtful when I pulled it out of the bag and proudly perched it on my head. Lilly often proudly struts her stuff in a variety items to achieve her own unique fashion style. Fashion Lilly style is a stunning ensemble.....her Father's high visibility vest combined with a contrasting set of Mummy's beads, granddad's winter scarf and..... for that "Tres Chic" touch.....a pair of Uncle Chris's size 13 shoes. The effect is eye catching to say the least!!

The thing with Lilly is she only likes to dress up with other people's stuff...it's no good with something she already owns!!

You can understand that to get her interest I had to make her think the hat mine...a hat she would just long to wear. So...I gazed in the mirror and posed and preened, exclaiming how much I loved my new bonnet!! A strutted and twisted and walked up and down an imaginary catwalk. Mind you, for a while she stayed silent and watchful...most probably thinking why did she get such a weird grandma when they gave them out!!

But....then came the suggestion of a smile, that grew...next the hand came out in the hat's direction....and then a loud "Tah". She wanted it!! They say everything has it's drawback..and it does, even little hats (that is apart from the fact I had spent 30 minutes acting like a lunatic with a tiny hat perched on my far from tidy hair). Bath time was just a teeny, tiny bit difficult with a one year old in a straw hat!!! Ducks and a straw hat...yep, now I know she's one of mine!!! A true blue eccentric!! Lol!

Have a look, here she is after she first claimed the hat...and yes, it does look terrific with a high visibility vest...or ducks. I know because the next day I bought her the smallest visibility vest Ikea had. She now has her very own....but we don't tell her that! Oh gosh no, she thinks it's Charlie's vest she wears. It's a bit large still but it's a lot smaller than her dads!!

I've got "grandma's" new hat....and half a smile.

As it's Friday there is a gift, one I hope will prove useful...it has for me. It's a set of brushes(.abr) and custom shapes (.csh), plus 5 png files for making labels or adapting to make other things....it's your imagination!! Hopefully having them in several formats will make them useful to more of you. Commercial Use is Ok for these too...so enjoy them and make some great goodies for your pages!!

You can download them here

Have a wonderful weekend and thank you once again for being the "wind beneath my wings".

Technorati Tags: custom shapes,brushes,labels,freedownload,lilly,scrapbooking,graphic design

What to Do - Opinions Sought

2009-04-02T22:50:00.001+01:00

Hi all. I nearly didn't post tonight because I can't decide what to do!! Cen's Loft started out as a place for my scrapbook freebies with a little bit of me. In the last week, since I said I would post everyday...but only post freebies Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I have received not one but quite a few emails that I found a bit disconcerting. I do have my email address freely available, that's not the problem.

Now, don't get me wrong I love a freebie as much as the next girl but....... I also like to blog hop and read blogs too. If I find a great freebie then I look on it as a bonus. But I have had some less than flattering emails this week saying that I have ruined my blog..not enough freebies and too much of my "boring life...who cares what you do" (to quote one). It's the fact that I have received several that has made me stop and think if I should change things.

So I have rather a heavy heart tonight and am thinking that perhaps I should get an other blog to write on and just have Cen's Loft for freebies. I must admit it rather took the shine of things a bit for me, which I know is stupid. I have been blessed with the lovely people who visit and leave comments and become my far away friends but I should have realised that there are people who just come for the freebies and the rest of my ramblings are just so much nonsense they have to scroll through to get to the freebie. They are not happy when they scroll down and find...shock horror...no freebie!!! All that scrolling for nothing!!

So the question is.....should I split it into two blogs, or perhaps just keep Cen's Loft but just stick to scrapbook speak? Banish the Charlie and Lilly tales and the rest of the rambling. I was thinking of changing the timing of the blog updates as well...perhaps I should just send those out on freebie days but if I split the blog then then that one won't matter anyway.

I really don't know which way to jump. I know I sound a bit lame on this but I am quite shocked that some people would go to the trouble to email me to be rude!!! I feel a little silly on this one and perhaps I have rambled on too much and lost the point....but please don't email me your complaints tonight!!! Lol!!

Well, now I have got it off my chest I'm off but if you have an opinion on split or not too split then please say. I could use some honest opinions...but not rude comments, lol!

Anyway I'll be back tomorrow night with the Friday freebie, till then be good and take care!

It's April Fools Day!!

2009-04-01T22:21:00.001+01:00

I was tempted to do something silly, well sillier than usual if you can believe it, for April Fools Day but I decided that I was a big enough fool without making an extra special effort. Perhaps I should try to be sensible today...well, I did but that doesn't work either, so you just get me as I am and today I actually managed to stay out of trouble.

Well, it's late in the day as I spent time with my middle granddaughter, Emma and what with the rest of my day I wasn't in until this evening. We went and watched Marley and Me and it sent goose bumps down my spine.....I thought...Charlie!!! Those shredded cushions were just like his bed...and the shoe. The rushing off and the ability to ignore someone yelling at the top of their lungs....it's him, it's him. I think they must have cloned Marley's personality and made Charlie's. I did have to admire the couple, I would never be brave enough to let Charlie have the run of the house when I went out, not a chance!!

But the ending.....it was so sad!! Emma cried buckets, I should have taken a life preserver to keep us afloat...we nearly drowned in all those tears. She started, then I could feel the tears coming and then a girl behind use topped us both and really started sobbing!! I know it does you good to cry once in a while but this was a tsunami!!

As the credits started to roll Emma rushed for the exit with me stumbling in the dark to keep up. When we reached daylight she vanished into the toilets "to mend her face"...the mascara had run rather badly with all the tears. Me I didn't have that problem, I hadn't worn any as I was forewarned it was a weepy ending...for once I got it right!!

So tears over I came home to find out what my own little "Marley" had got up to.

Now to the scrapping. First let me share an absolutely stunning layout with a fantastic photo effect that Bina sent me. Cutting the picture in four works so well and I love the hearts, just one of the little details that make this a special page. Thank you Bina for sharing it!! (I apologise for not giving full credits, I do know that she used some of the blog freebie papers but any other credits I missed...I'm sorry!!)

Today's little freebie is some threaded petals. It's really simple but I like simple at the moment. Have a look, I really need to brush up on my preview skills, I always struggle with these. Am I the only one?

You can download them here

Take care and see you soon!!

Technorati Tags: marley and me,threaded petals,freedownload,scrapbooking,graphic design

Not All Changes Are Bad

2009-03-31T20:52:00.001+01:00

It's amazing how much the world has changed over the last two hundred years (no, I haven't been around that long personally)...mostly it's for the better. How often have you heard the older generations talk about how much society has gone wrong and how things have changed...they have but not always in negative ways as they imply.

Imagine having no doctors, or no doctor who knew something about medicine. What would it be like to have no anaesthetics? I know one think for sure, I for one would have died if I had lived then. So many of us would have because of illness or the need for an emergency operation, diseases like diabetes or the often fatal child birth. Mothers and babies who survived the ordeal often had to face the fact that one in five children died before their fifth birthday and the mother still had to avoid Child Bed Fever. It makes me shudder just to think of it. Give me good anti and post natal care and hygienic conditions.

Mind you, we would all be much fitter having to walk most places or at best riding on horse back.....think how many of our muscles would be bulging!! Wash day would be literally that, an all day affair once a week, boiling the water and scrubbing the clothes. Oh yes and then wringing them all through the old mangle to get out the water. This delight would be followed by ironing day...warming the flat irons on the stove and changing them as they cooled. I think I'll just stick with the front loader and the steam iron!!

Working hours were longer, holidays none existent and travel was severely restricted for many...well, unless you got transported. No fast food or supermarkets, no fridges or vacuum cleaners...boy it must have taken for ever to clean and care for a house...and people say that women never used to work!!!! They did, but after they were married it was not for money, but to keep the family organised and fed. We think we have a hard job but it must have been a real slog then.

Having said all that, the past did have positive things too that are often difficult to find in our modern society. The sense of community was strong in general, families normally lived closer to each other before our high speed travel age. The average person belonged to a community and enjoyed the benefits of belonging and a sense of self. That to me would be something that would make a big difference to modern life but it doesn't really go hand in hand with our anonymous cities. People can go for years now and never get to know their neighbours beyond a quick hello in the street or on the stairs.

I would love to spend a day in the past but I would hate to stay there. It would be wonderful to see how people lived and how they coped with life's challenges..and there were many!! But I enjoy my life just where I am, the past sounds way to dangerous for a wimp like me...and cold...imagine, no heating!!! Worse still, when Winter came I would have to stay in the same clothes for most of the time until it got warm again..no showers, hair washing etc until Spring when I got a soak in the river or a tub. Just face and hands washed in a bowl...I would stink by March, well okay... before then. And can you imagine not brushing your teeth at all...yuck!! What a fortune deoderant salesmen would make if they could go back in time and offer their products!!

I deal in the past but when my sense of romance gets the better of me I think of how it really was and give thanks I was born when I was. Life today and society has problems..huge ones in fact but we at least have some say in trying to solve them by voting and voicing our opinions without fear. We have a good chance of surviving to an old age and our children being healthy. All that is enough for me to feel grateful to be here now...not then.

So count your blessings and remember the past as it was not through rose coloured glasses!!

Well, enough of the rambling...I'm off. See you tomorrow with an other goody!!

Technorati Tags: changes,then and now

Ate a what?

2009-03-30T22:15:00.001+01:00

Do I look sorry?

I was going to blog about something intelligent and useful tonight...so that you would all start to think perhaps I wasn't totally insane...but... Charlie did it again!! He ate his bed!! Not a blanket..a bed, mattress, cover every thing.

Well, he didn't eat every last crumb of it, it was more a case of slash and rip...big time. This is the second bed in a month that he has demolished..two, soft comfy, warm beds!!!! Now he's got yet an other new one, a large molded rubber type bed with one confession to comfort in it...a fleecy pad and that's it!!

It all started after I had taken him out for a walk and then settled down to work. Charlie got on his bed and seemed to snuggle down for a well earned rest...note "he seemed to" . I was just getting into my stride when I turned to check he was okay and there it was...a large white mass...eek!! He can not only rip zips, cloth and stuffing...but...he can do it silently.

I was cross!!! I grab the shredded mess and bundled Charlie into the garden...yes, before I murdered him!!! I cleared everything up in a large dustbin sack and called him back in, making sure he knew I was not amused...big time!!

I jumped in the car and headed for Pet City..yet an other bed was on the agenda. When I arrived I asked some advice from a friendly assistant who after discovering he was 2 years old reassuringly advised me that it was doubtful that he would outgrow it. I was just unlucky to have a born chewer...just the sort of good news I wanted at that moment!!

A large molded rubber bed seemed the answer...it's rock hard and not easily chewed..or that's the theory!! I dragged this monster from the shop and tried to wrestle it into my car but the cars parked either side were too close to allow me to manoeuvre it in. Next I tried the tailgate, dropped the parcel shelf and tried to thread it in that way...the head rests were in the way and the stupid thing was too deep!!

At that point I decided to think laterally....if I reversed the car out of the parking space then I would be able to get it in the back door!!! Eureka!! So I put the bed down, climbed in the car, reversed out enough to clear the back door and jumped out. Where the heck was that bed? It was nowhere in sight!!!!

It's at this point that I could feel the breakdown coming on!!! Breath deeply, calm down...it can't have just gone!!

A man going back to his own car noticed me looking puzzled and muttering to myself and asked what the problem was. I explained that the dog bed I had just bought had vanished..gone, whilst I had been reversing out. He gave me a strange sort of a look and pointed down under the back of my car. "What this bed?" he asked.

There it was..in my rush I had put it behind the car and reversed...luckily I had gone straight back and there it was sitting there undamaged, hidden underneath. Be grateful for small mercies!!

I felt a complete fool!! Needless to say my thank you was a hasty one and I pulled the offending item out and shoved it in as quickly as I could and beat a hasty retreat!!! I will strangle that dog...an other fine mess he got me into!!

He spent the rest of the afternoon "helping" my DH with the garden...well out of my way!! Even there he just could not stay out of trouble and joined in with the digging!!

"What you doing dad?"

"Really...I can help.....I'm good at digging"

Today's freebie is a Quick Page, my gift to you. I have kept it simple to leave room for journaling or any other little extra touches you want to add. It's a 12inchx12inch, 300dpi, Png file.

You can download it here

Have a great evening and stay away from dogs!!!

Technorati Tags: charlie and the bed,quick page,free download,scrapbooking

Lights Out!!

2009-03-28T10:37:00.001Z

Earth Hour 2009 - Sign up for Earth Hour!

Tonight at 8.30pm local time...where ever you are..... is Earth Hour when millions of people around the world will be turning off their lights for an hour. Global warming is and will increasingly in the future affect us all. This evening people have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming.

What could be easier than turning out your lights? Use the time for a gentle candlelit hour of calm and relax and bask in the gentle light, play some games with the kids, eat a special meal by candlelight....the possibilities are endless. Or if your tired out like me...have a nap, maybe even a very early night!!

I have to admit the even with the lights out in our house it is never really totally dark. There is so much light pollution in and around towns now which means real dark, dark is hard to find. I remember when I visited my parents several years ago in the country and needed the bathroom in the middle of the night...was it dark!! The only way I could find the light switch was to first find a wall and then work my way around the room fumbling along the wall until I got to the switch. That was dark!! I waved my hand in front of my face to see if I could see it and absolutely nothing....I could feel the slight movement of the air as a draught on my face but my hand was totally invisible. But believe me most places are just not that dark now even with the lights out.

So, think about this little planet we're all passengers on and switch those lights out tonight!! We need to realise that after us our children and grandchildren have to suffer the consequences of our actions with extreme weathers, flooding as the ice caps melt, crop failures...need I go on? There is no point in us personally nurturing and caring for our young and then bequeathing them a poisoned challis, which is what we are doing now.

Make your voice heard and TURN THOSE LIGHTS OUT at 8.30pm!! Take some action and let's face it...it won't hurt or cost you anything, in fact it will save you money..one hours lights energy costs!

The WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

The conference will determine official government policies in taking action against global warming and will replace the Kyoto Protocol. This a chance for people all around the world to make their voices heard!

So don't miss out, add your voice and make it count!!

Technorati Tags: earth hour 2009

Friday and Commercial Use OK Day!

2009-03-27T21:42:00.001Z

All's quiet on the western front...no cake disasters or newly sick people..that's some achievement! Hopefully I will get some work done this weekend and face next week a little more collected (well, I live in hope!).

Before I get onto the Friday freebie.....perhaps someone can help me with a little question that I have been asking myself. Why do men wake up looking the same as the night before but a lot of women...me included...seem to deteriorate during the night and it takes us a couple of hours to recover and get back to looking good, or in my case to looking human!!

At night I must lie on my face because when I wake up there are these mysterious crease marks all down it...and why won't my eyes open fully for at least 15 minutes? I fumble around and I swear that if anyone could see me they would think I was a very old lady or just plain hung over. I'm really not either but I temporarily look that way. It's a bit like Jekyll and Hyde.....at night someone else takes over my face and pulls it all out of shape. Believe me it takes a good helping of gravity, a lot of cold water and plenty of time before I can even think about putting makeup on!! Too early and it would be a disaster....like a kid let loose in the paint pot!! Is it me, my age or what?

I have to admit that when I have people staying or visit and stay over night the same holds true. There are exceptions that prove the rule and some of us ladies look stunning when they rise in the morning...how do they do that!!!!! One of these is my SIL..but she does spend an hour every morning when she got up locked in the bathroom..and NO ONE..but no one, can see her before she has had her bathroom time. So, my guess is that she is just like me...deteriorated in the night and spends the first hour putting it all back together.

Me...I don't lock myself in the bathroom I just give it time, about an hour....and then I start putting the bits back in the right place. It's easier that way because at least then my eyes are starting to focus again and the creases are fading.

It does how ever make me wonder about my original question....why do men look so normal in the morning? My DH looks like the same person when he wakes up...no strange night changes or creasing..so why don't I!!!!

All wonder cures, stunning tips or plain straightforward miracles gratefully received on this one!!

Now....

It's Friday and that's commercial use day! This week it's just a couple of simple journaling blocks in grayscale Psd and Png files plus 2 coloured examples. I hope you have fun playing!!

You can download them here

Have a wonderful weekend and take care...especially at night!!

Technorati Tags: freedownload,commercial use ok,journaling blocks,scrapbooking,graphic design