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

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

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

Brain Freeze and Crazy Dots!!

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

Woof Woof!!

You'll be please to hear that my razor throat is much better, I just sound husky and interesting now...but my cough!!! I sound like a dog!! (OK, so I look like one too!)

Charlie has had a hard few days as he is totally confused and upset that I open my mouth and this awful noise comes out. I am sure he thinks I'm trying to bark!!

When it first started he rushed around looking worried every time I made that "nasty noise"..but as the cough worsened he changed to upset....then he started barking along with me. It must have looked like a bad comedy film with me doubled up coughing, him rushing around and barking and everyone falling over each other.

At the moment he is lying there watching me....just daring me to bark!!! When I do he will immediately join in. Perhaps he thinks I'm trying to learn his language...but badly!! If that's the case then he certainly would not make a patient teacher. His rushing around and barking seem to me as if he's saying "No! Not like that...like this....your accent is awful!!". I can imagine his frustration that I'm  such a bad pupil...a bit like my French teacher was at school.

On Monday I tried a day at a reference library, the idea being I would do some research work...wrong!! It didn't take me long to workout that my fellow researchers did not appreciate my breaking the hallowed silence. The silence was such you could cut it with a knife....until I arrived. Then woof, woof, woof....no I didn't take Charlie!! It was me on my warm up routine. All eyes swivelled in my direction in hostile glares. I tried to look like it wasn't me...but this awful noise just kept jumping out of my mouth!! No matter what I did it stopped for a while and then........ROAR!!!

I do eventually know when I'm beat so after several attempts at silence I decided to give them peace and came home to some hot lemon and honey.

Now the real news.... the sun has shone here for three days! Yep, three!! It has been beautiful and shows me that Spring has started..thank goodness. I hate the Winter with  all that darkness and cold.

To celebrate I made two "hand painted" papers (I only did two as they take so long!). They remind me of the forest floor when Spring arrives, dotted with new colour and life. They may not be every ones cup of tea but I love them!!

You can download them here

I'm still chasing for votes..so click the icon at the top right of the page and go click the thumbs up to vote if you like it here!! You can vote once every 24 hours too!! OK, I know.....I'm cheeky!!

Have fun and see you soon! Hopefully I'll have stopped barking by then!!!

Technorati Tags: cough,free download,Forest Floor papers,handpainted,graphic design,scrapbooking

As One Door Opens An Other Closes

Butter wouldn't melt in his mouth...or would it?

Never was a saying so true as this one is in my house at the moment. When the cat comes in the front door..the shout goes up "CLOSE the doors, the cat's in!" and panic stations!! I scrabble across the floor, slam the door shut..... not daring to look behind me to see if I'm one step ahead of Charlie. Tigger then eats his food in peace, has a wander and either goes out or back to his bed......or that's what's happens most of the time!

We also have a stair gate at the bottom of the stairs to keep Charlie down and more to the point...to remind him to stay away from the cat!!! The cat loathes him with a vengeance!! Tigger has "his own room" now, upstairs...he has since the dreaded dog arrived. His  hammock is slung on the radiator in my husbands little office..his own private boudoir away from the cares of the world (the cat's that is not DH's, lol)...and of course away from the dreaded Charlie.

But...a failure to close the door on time spells disaster...Charlie skids and slides down the hall looking for that lovely little fur ball to play with...he adores Tigger! Tigger at this point is normally minding his own business, tucked away in the corner under the stairs in the hall. Until ....he hears the skidding and scrapping on the tiled floor...and then...the fur and tail shoot up.....just before he leaps the stair banister and flies like a maniac up the staircase.

The only problem is that Charlie is almost as fast, well faster than me anyway!! He does a racing turn at the bottom of the stairs and takes the stair gate in one leap!!!! I Charlie you KNOW that's wrong!!! But in the heat of the moment he thinks his best friend is playing and he is not going to be left out..not him. When will he get the message that he is NOT the cat's best friend...more like an unwanted neighbour, no more like a hated neighbour!!

By this point I'm trying to open the gate and shouting at the top of my voice at Charlie.....why I don't know, it is a complete waste of time, he's gone deaf..again!!

When I do catch up with him he's normally standing back jumping around, ducking and diving at Tigger, tail wagging ten to the dozen. The cat however, is not amused and has his claws ready to swipe that nasty great dog on the nose if he comes within range. If I'm not fast enough then all I hear is the yelp as Tigger whacks Charlie sharply across the nose....and I mean sharply, claws and all. This normally makes Charlie back off...well, move one step back at least.

The whole episode ends with Charlie being firmly taken back downstairs by a stone faced me, to spend the next hour surrounded by stony silence. At this point he normally just goes to sleep until all the hue and cry has died down and to save his energy for the next playtime opportunity.

It's amazing, the stair gate works to keep him downstairs most of the time as he understands that he is not allowed past it. That is unless the cat runs up stairs and then the chase is on, he just can't control himself.

So you can imagine what it was like at the weekend when you added Lilly into the equation....total chaos!! I closed the door and Lilly opened it, Charlie escaped and the cat ran. Lilly was as bad as Charlie, she laughed and laughed to watch them and I think she thought that it was all for her benefit!! She, of course loves Charlie and Tigger and so she really believes it's their playtime and Grandma is a spoil sport not letting them run riot!!!

The good thing about it all was her laughter, it was just like music, so happy and sure that the world was a good place and that these to hooligan animals did really love each other...it was just a game....for her benefit of course...or so she thought. Oh, the innocence of little ones....if only it were true!!!

Before I go I have some grungy papers...not all dark and grungy, more like a Spring time grunge of lighter colours.

You can download them here

I'm of to make sure the doors are well and truly shut...or the cat is out!! So take care and have a great day/evening!!

Technorati Tags: charlie and tigger,free download,grunge papers,scrapbooking,graphic design,Cens Stuff

It's My Brit Awards!!

I hope that you had a great weekend and that the week has started well for you all. I also hope you are feeling strong...this is a LARGE post!! Bear with me and I promise that there is a goodie at the end of it all, lol!!

I have been slow in dealing with the awards that some lovely people have given me, for this I apologise....so,,,,,I decided to take a leaf out of my good friend Chris's book and have an award ceremony!!! As I'm in UK..I thought I'd have my own Brit Awards....so I hope you all have on your best frocks and tiara's!!! This is a posh event, there is even a red carpet...so settle down and get ready to clap all the great people who are getting their "Brit Awards" today!! Now no cat calling, only nice applause please!

As for me, I have on my pearls and diamonds, a haute couture dress and I'm looking oh so grand...I wish!!

The first up is Polly from Angels in My Garden. Polly has a wonderful blog with some really thought inspiring posts..my favourite is still the one about her Mama's Dishes..take a look, I'm sure you'll agree. Thank you Polly for doing me the honour of passing this award to me.

The award is presented to bloggers who display consistency in any one or a combination:

1.The blogger manifests exemplary attitude, respecting the nuances that pervades amongst different cultures and beliefs.

2.The blog contents inspire; strives to encourage and offers solutions.

3.There is a clear purpose at the blog; one that fosters a better understanding on Social, Political, Economics, the Arts, Culture and Sciences and Beliefs.

4.The blog is refreshing and creative.

5.The blogger promotes friendship and positive thinking.

The blogger who receives this award will need to perform the following steps:

1.Create a post with a mention and a link to the person who presented the Noblesse Oblige Award.

2.The award conditions must be displayed at the post.

3.Write a short article about what the blog has thus far achieved - preferably citing one or more older posts to support.

4.The blogger must present the Noblesse Oblige Award in concurrence with the award conditions.

5.The blogger must display the award at any location on the blog.

Ok, so now I have to say what my blog has thus far achieved, a difficult one!

I originally started Cen's Loft as a place for scrapbookers and crafters to visit and hopefully get to know me just a little. I hope it has become somewhere that readers feel they are friends, as I have made so many new ones through this wonderful little dot in cyberspace. It has given me a place to share some of my work and put something back into the online community that has given me such pleasure. I love it...and I hope that at least some others do too!!! Lol!!  As far as having achieved anything, I think that's for others to decided if it has done that.

I pass this award to....drum roll please (this is the Brits!!):

Grandmother's Pattern Book, this is a fantastic blog with patterns for knitting from a bye-gone era. It is wonderful!!

The next award I received from the wonderful Chris at Bling-kin-eck...that girl has crafting to die for on her blog!!! Plus this week she has a gorgeous freebie mini kit, Angelic, red and white!! So don't miss it!! Have a look.

 

 

Thank you Chris for this wonderful award and for being such a great friend !! Now for the award! It's the Arte y Pico Award...isn't it grand!!

 

 

I pass this award to:

Candy at Mermaids Haven, she is one talented lady and I think she is a super star!! Drop by and leave her some love.

Now the next one brings a tear to my eye..no I'm not over icing it cause it's the Brits!!! It does really bring a tear to my eye...that wonderful young lady Kat, TragedyScrappinAnne passed my this and she has a soft spot in my heart...so it means a lot to me that she thought to pass it my way. Thank you Kat!! Kat's blog is just bulging with brilliant layouts....and some gorgeous freebies too!! So drop by and have a look.

 

I pass this one to:

Kim from Kim's Scrappin'. Kim is such a lovely lady, with a huge heart, she is special. Her work is lovely and she is so generous in sharing it.

And last...but not least...I have been given the next award by two beautiful people.

The first is the lovely Su, Scrappy Schnooks (her quick pages are legend!) and the second is Christy of At the Creek (her blog keeps me reading for hours, the variety is amazing!).

Thank you ladies for both thinking of me!!

The "rules" of this award are that I must:-
1. Put the logo on your blog or post. (Right click on the logo and save to your own computer.)
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude!
3. Link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post with the person from whom you received your award.

Now this one needs 10 blogs but I don't think I'll make that many!!!!!

Here goes!!

• Gretchen of Chichiboulie, she is a wonderful illustrator and a great blogger too!
• Kim Smith of A Constant State of Amusement, an other really sweet lady!!
• Lori of Lori M Designs..she an other of my favourites!!
• Melanie of Sweet as Mel.....she has some fantastic challenges!!
• Kelly at A Snap and A Flash..she has some beautiful pictures!

OK...so I didn't make it to 10..but some of the people I checked already had the award.

So, it's time to put the red carpet away and wave goodbye to the glitz (big sigh). I did promise you a little goodie and as I always try to keep my word..here it is.

A Little Love - from me to you. I didn't want to do the traditional all pink Valentines kit but something with a more varied use that can be used throughout the year perhaps. This is what I came up with, hopefully a set that some of you can use.

You can download the A Little Love Papers here

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for the Elements

Thank you all for your patience in staying with me through this mammoth post!!

Take care and see you tomorrow!!

Technorati Tags: a little love,my brit awards,free download,scrapbooking,graphic designs,awards

What Card Am I and Part 6 of Colour Basics

Hi All! I hope that all is well in your little corner of the world. Here it's cold and due to get colder!!! We are forecast to get SNOW from Sunday!!! Now snow is not something we see too often in the south of England so it will come as a shock to the system...both mine and the road system!! I'll let you know if the weather forecasters turn out right...or if it's an other one of their wrong calls.

Whilst I was doing my Entrecard blog drop I stumbled on a site that "works out" what Tarot Card you are...so me being me I just had to have a go. I took the short quiz and it came up with I am the Moon..Ok, I know sounds strange!! I thought mystery and all sorts of exotic things (I would!) and on the mystery at at least I was right.

This is what it said:

 

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

 

I viewed it as lighthearted fun and what did they mean with "all logic was thrown out the window", I'm very logical! And I had to smile at the mention of sleep...I should be so lucky to get so far as to have dreams!!! Lol! Not so keen on the madness or hidden enemies bits though!! Can I cherry pick I ask myself?

But have a go perhaps it will give you some insight into yourself, who knows and if nothing else it's fun and we all need that.

OK, enough fun!! Now for Part 6 of Colour basics, the last of the Paper Packs.

Today orange, blue and green add to the riot of colour that forms this huge kit. Dots and stripes and some subtler patterns will all blend with those plain textured papers you have already collected..so add this last one to complete the set of 36 backgrounds that make up the collection. Tomorrow we move on to the Elements, so don't stop here, come back tomorrow and start adding them too...there are three Element Packs for you to collect.

 

You can download Colour Basics Part 6 here

 

Want a peak at the first of the Elements Sets? OK, you've persuaded me!! Have a look. I have tried to roughly colour code each set...but with this many colours..that's not easy, lol!!

 

 

If you don't like that one then perhaps Element Set 2 or 3 will suit you? Check back and find out!!!

Well, I must love you and leave you. Lots to do and as they say so little time!! Have a wonderful day/evening where ever you are and see you tomorrow!!

 

Technorati Tags: colour basics part 6,freedownload,scrapbooking,graphic design,backgrounds,papers

 

 

An Award and Part 5 Colour Basics

I received a gorgeous award from Keryn at ScrappinShadie. Thank you Keryn it's much appreciated and thank you so much for thinking of me. I love visiting Keryn as she has such a wonderful variety on her blog, great photographs, wonderful layouts, freebies and SO much more!! Her garden photos brighten my gloomy winter months.

Here's the award she passed to me....it's the Amazing Artist Award and I now have to pass this onto some of my favourite blogs.

 

After much deliberating I have decided to pass it to:

• Rose at All About Cakes - with her recipes and cakes she truly is an artist and I love cake!!
• Caroline at Art Blog - a riot of colours and gorgeous art..she really has an artistic blog and well worth a look if you love wild life and colour.
• Jenny at Scraps and Shots - I love the layouts and wonderful photographs she has here..brilliant.

OK, that's my three. I tried to give a cross section of the ladies that I visit who  have artist blogs, I hope you drop in on them and have fun. They all have unique and colour postings.

Now for the next part Colour Basics Patterned Paper Packs, Part 5. Greens, pinks, yellows and some snappy reds make up this dotty part of the collection. So have fun and I hope you decide to add them to your Mega Kit download.

You can download Part 5 of Colour Basics here

It's dark here now and dinner time is looming so....that's all for today folks...see you tomorrow for more Colour Basics and a chat.

Take care and be good to yourself!!

 

Technorati Tags: colour basics part5,free download,papers,backgrounds,award,scrapbooking,graphic designs

Colour Basics Part 3 and The Lovely Lilly

I decided that to get all the papers and elements for this huge kit posted I needed to post everyday, so for the next week check back for daily downloads.

But first....the lovely Lilly!! Yes I know Christmas seems an eternity away now but this Christmas was the first one that Lilly was aware of. Last year she was so new that it passed without her noticing. So sorting through this years photos has been fun and I will be starting on an album for her soon...but have a look at some of these cute expressions!! (I started young with her and the camera...so she poses better than Charlie, lol!!)

Christmas morning with Lilly

Oooh...I'm not sure!!!

More presents.......Hurrah!!!

The spell is cast...she is totally entranced!

Mother Christmas says "Your kidding!!"

There are so many I will be spoilt for choice...but as always Lilly was smiles most of the day so there are hundreds to choose from. On Boxing Day she took the 15 other people in her stride and played to the gallery...that girl is a born actress!! She plays her audience like a guitar and soon they are eating out of her hand...even the male members of the family who are not teeny tiny orientated..still fall for her wily ways. OK, without more of my grandma cooing...today's download Part 3 of the Papers!! And don't forget all my stuff is S4H friendly too!

You can download Part 3 of the Papers here

Have a wonderful day and see you all tomorrow when the patterned papers start!!

Technorati Tags: colour basic part3 papers,free download,lilly

Colour Basics Mega and Tag

OK, I have a long post today...tell me your impressed!! I have news of some Mega goodies plus I've been tagged by Kandice from Coloraddiction!!

First the tag......then the goodies!!

The rules are easy - list 7 things about yourself - weird or random stuff. Then tag seven other blogs to play the game. Also, link back to the blog that tagged you. Sounds like fun!

1. I love Colouraddiction - if you want a great place for colour charts, beads plus loads of great links and inspiration so drop by and feast your eyes...it is a colour lovers dream!!!
2. I'm a soft touch...doesn't matter what it is...I always say yes!! I really need to learn to say NO...but I always end up saying yes...even when I mean no. So if you want a soft touch, come to me, lol!! I will practice saying No this year in front of my mirror..who knows I may get the hang of it!!! But I just hate upsetting people, so you can talk me into almost anything if you look sad!!
3. I have a passion for collecting old books, newspapers and magazines. I have gathered loads over time. I especially love reading old remedies and things about day today life in past times. The earliest book I have is 1670...but it's in Latin!! I especially love old magazines.. their ads just crack me up!!
4. I watch almost no TV. I do check the programs but there is not much on that I actually want to watch. I have to admit that if I'm not interested in the program then it always feels like I'm wasting time if I sit and watch it doing nothing...I'm almost as hyperactive as Charlie....almost!
5. I am the eldest of two children, I only have one brother. I was the big sister....I can't remember if I was bossy, but I suppose I was...big brothers and sisters normally are, lol.
6. My husband is Dutch and despite going to classes I still find myself not happy speaking Dutch. I can write it and understand conversations...but ask me to speak it out loud and I clam up. I think it's because when I was learning the lady was so critical of my accent that I don't want to appear stupid. Perhaps I ought to write people cards and hold them up when they ask me something.....I'd love to see their faces if I did.
7. I have never completed anything I ever started to knit. When I was expecting my first son I started a cute little jacket for him...you know...all white with a tiny duck on the pocket. I only managed to knit the back and one side before I got distracted...but when I was expecting my daughter I got it out again and knitted the arms. That was the furthest I got!!! I would love to finish at least on garment but so far I have never managed it despite repeated attempts I only have bits to show for it!!

Now I'm going to tag seven of my favourite blogs. I hope they want to play but if it's not your thing or you've done it before then no problem.

1. Crafting at the Creek
2. 3 Scrapbooking Ladies
3. The Virtual Dime Museum - I love reading the weird and wonderful old ads on this one!
4. Scrappin A Latte
5. Stories in Hand
6. Mumure-Scrapattaque
7. Crafts and Cooking

I finally got down to some work on my PC, between seeing to Charlie, organising my mum and a few other little distractions. I just wanted to play with some colours and see where it took me. I think I got carried away...the result was 36 papers and quite a few elements too!!

Have a closer look at the papers and see what you think. I'm going to offer them as part of a Mega Kit that I will post over the next two weeks...so if you like them start collecting today with Part 1!!

Today you can download Part 1 here

 

OK, that's all for today folks. I hope you have a great weekend and that the weather is not too cold in your part of the world.

If you would like to collect the next pack in the paper set then drop by on Monday.

Technorati Tags: colour basics,paper pack1,free download,tagged

Happy New Year

Where has the time gone? I found Christmas was a challenge this year, I was a cross between Florence Nightingale and the nurse from hell....with a little Kitchen Diva and a lot of Caterer thrown in for good measure!! In other words...organised chaos!!

But the big day has come and gone and I am relieved that it is all over. Mind you I am suffering guilt pangs at the moment. Have you ever started out with good intentions, doing something with the best motives and then found yourself having reduced to a secret plotter with bad thoughts?...Guilty!!! I am!! Really I am...at my age too!!

I am so glad that my mum is so much better after her operation...but two women in a house can be bad enough but mothers and grown up daughters don't do well over the long term!! I end up, despite my good resolutions, ending the day frayed around the edges. I have found the last few weeks have left me no room at all even for thought let alone anything that I would normally do. So I think I am becoming the Grouches understudy...fast!!

But enough of that...I don't have any more time for moaning, lol.

Happy New Year to you all, may 2009 be a brighter year than people are forecasting. A year when you will find a cloud with a silver lining and a song to lighten you heart. Life is good..it just has little hiccups. So if you are having a bout of hiccups...hold on, they always pass.

My little New Years gift to you is a paper pack in greens and turquoises. It's a little abstract and a bit impressionist, which makes it a versatile little bundle. I hope you can find room for them in your stash...I know those hard drives must be groaning after all that Christmas stuff!!!

You can download them here

Take care and enjoy!!

Technorati Tags: paper pack,freedown load