Sweet and Pretty...Not me!!

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

1. Add the logo to your blog
2. Link to the person who passed on the award
3. Nominate blogs of your choice
4. 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

Spider Alert!!

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!!

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

Catch Up Time

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!!!

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

It's Those Swine Again Causing Chaos!!!

 

 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

Little Bits of Magic

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

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?

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

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

Move it!!

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

Crazy Cats

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

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!!

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!!

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!!

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