Monday, February 28, 2011

Nature's Calendar - Rooks in the morning light

Photo taken at 7.14 Sunday morning, as I opened the door for my cat I could hear this noise and went to investigate the rooks/crows (never sure which) were high up in the tree and the sun was just rising behind them. I of course grabbed my camera and took just a few shots. I love the colour of the sky in this one.


Sunday, February 27, 2011

Paper buttons ribbons and lace

Paper, buttons, ribbon and lace
cover my desk, and all over the place
are bits and bobs and sparklies and glue,
what am I doing? I haven't a clue.
Where are my scissors? where is that pen?
I put them down somewhere but I don't know when.
My cutting mat is the only clear space,
will I finish the layout at this pace?
Never mind I've had fun and I scrapped all day long,
I've had a good time, now that can't be wrong.
Created four pages, used lots of stuff
So what if there's a muddle, that fair enough.

One of these days, when I have enough energy and I don't feel like scrapping but I need to do something perhaps, just perhaps, I'll clear up the mess and find something I lost years ago

..................or perhaps not

I've photographed my messy desk enough times so I'm not taking another one just to show here but I will share the four pages completed this weekend

This first one was a class on Friday night but I added my own twists to it.
Together we are Family

This one was done for a challenge that one of my teamies set to do either coffee or vineyard colour scheme I chose coffee
to add a magpie moment (something collected and used that has nothing to do with scrapping)
Use pearls, either beads pearly buttons or liquid pearl.
and to interpret laid back any way we like
Lie Back & Relax

having done that one of my son in law asleep with his tiny son I had to do another with my daughter in like mode (presumably dreaming of the time when she didn't need to take a nap during the day). This one also has a magpie moment the embellishment on the top left hand corner of the photo is made up of a hair clip a home made hat pin and a flower from a wedding bouquet.
Day Dreamer

and finally just because I found some more photos of my middle grandson which I hadn't used yet
Oh Those Eyes

Nature's Calendar - Pink Buds

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Nature's Calendar - Fungi


Enormous fungi growing high up on a tree trunk I wonder if it is edible looks good enough to eat and could make a complete meal

LUNCH PATTERNS

Friday, February 25, 2011

Catching up on layouts

I have enjoyed a month of In Real Life scrapbooking this month nearly all my pages have been paper and things, only 2 or 3 Digi ones, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it too. I seem to have phases of wanting to do paper scrapping then another phase of only being able to digi scrap and can't imagine ever paper scrapping again.
Strange woman!!

I don't often get to scrap in pink but this photo seemed the perfect opportunity as the colours are quite soft the dusky pink were a good match.
Nursery Rhymes

And as I said previously I would have to scrap Daniel's question about God's footprint.
If God made footprints
I hid the journalling under the colour photo, hinging the photo with snowflake stickers
If God made footprints (journalling)

Nature's Calendar - Spring Daffs



Spring Daffs against a old stone wall

Thursday, February 24, 2011

The Tree Feller

Today has been a sad day
but also entertaining,
they're cutting down the tall trees
none will be remaining.
The feller climb up high
aided by clips and ropes,
starting from the top most branch
the chainsaw easily copes.
Bit by bit he demolishes
the years those trees have grown,
I wonder why they have to go?
it really makes me moan.
Being a keen photographer
I clicked as he was felling,
and later I'll have a layout,
this story's for the telling.






Even the dullest day can have it's moments

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Shoes


Seen in a shop near you, bright colours are all the rage, anyone fancy wearing these.

Nature's Calendar - Beetle

Walking up the street I glimpsed something out of the corner of my eye, I just had to go back and see what it was, this strange beetle with yellow legs was walking across the pavement to get to the grass verge. Photo not brilliant but I'm wondering if anyone knows what it is.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Story time

One evening after Danny had been playing in the snow, he was tucked up in bed and Mummy had read several stories to him, "Time for prayers" Mummy told him. "God Bless Mummy and God Bless Daddy"...... "Mummy if God left footprints in the snow what would they look like?" Mummy thought hard about this and finally said they would be God shaped, that pleased Danny " God Bless Ben and God Bless Daddy God bless Nana and God Bless Daddy"

Nature's Calendar - Can you see me?

'Can you see me?' If I keep very still perhaps you wont

Monday, February 21, 2011

Nature's Calendar - Great Tit & The Scrappycats team challenge layouts

Isn't it great to hear the birds sing and to be able to identify them by there call. The great tit has a very loud call for such a small bird, my little observers book of British birds describes the notes like this "Si si si" and a sharp "chink". The song "tea-cher", is a high and a low metallic note repeated several times.
Up until very recently I didn't know one bird song from another but the walk along the back lane, especially now when the birds are visible because the trees are leafless, has helped me tremendously.

My Mojo has definitely returned to the fold I have been scrapping, a lot this month and most of them so far have been paper pages

These two, one digital and one paper, both done for my team's weekly challenge on UKScrapper


Bump

Sunday, February 20, 2011

A Super Sunday and two layouts of Rufus

I woke this morning feeling really groggy and didn't want to go out at all, but of course it's Sunday and I know that if I go out to church I will feel so much better. It's good to meet up with friends and to worship together. Family service today, which normally I find very difficult, but surprisingly today was different, or rather I felt differently about it. I enjoyed it. Just as the service ended I get a phone call from my daughter-in-law, "we're going to go out for lunch do you want to join us" well of course I did, I love spur of the moment things. I was to meet them at the pub, so quickly went home and switched the cooker off before it started. A brisk walk brought me to the meeting place. We had to wait quite a while for a table but it was worth it. Carvery meals are great and plenty of yummy veg to go with 4 roast meats excellent.

Just a photo or two to share this first one made me laugh, someone had a sense of humour

and some of our wait at the pub. Well if you do have to wait why waste the time eh!



I have a couple of pages to share one Paper and one Digital
I have so many photos of Rufus, he must be getting fed up with me sticking a camera in his direction, sometimes he will pose for me and sometimes he just won't but it's all good fun and is a super way to record his activities and personality

this one the photos were taken in the play area at ASDA, it's great now he is walking as he can really use these activity apparatuses (or should that be apparati?)
Explore Discover Enjoy DLO

This digital one all the photos were taken in the Central Library Children's section, none of the photos are particularly good but it does show Rufus in his element.
Rufus's Library Capers

Nature's Calendar - Buds

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Friday, February 18, 2011

Nature's Calendar - The Owl Tree


No, an owl doesn't really sit in this tree but the removal of those branches and the effect of the bark, to me, makes the tree look like an owl with his head on one side as if querying who I am.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Bind-it-all and minibook

I not very good at making minibooks I never seem to know how to decorate the pages or even what photos to put in them. But, I have just bought a Bind-it-all from one of my fellow scrappers, thank you Daphne very much, and I so wanted to try it out immediately and what better way than to make a little book. A minibook that has really worked.
So without further ado **drum roll** here it is, with all its pages so a bit of scrolling for you all.
Front cover
Whole
Pages inside cover & 1
Pages 2 & 3
Pages 4 & 5
Pages 6 & 7
Pages 8 & 9
Pages 10 & 11
Page 12

the covers are made from hologram acrylic sheet, must see if I can get some more of this because it seems to work very well and you can't really see through it. I am not so keen on completely clear pages it means that you have to be so careful how you place everything on them.

Nature's Calendar - Clouds

Well our weather is playing silly bees isn't it one day wet the next sunny, yesterday was a fairly sunny day but with quite a bit of cloud around. As I needed to do some food shopping, I went down the back lane as usual, and as usual I found things to photograph. Hopefully there will be enough photos to tide me over any days that are too miserable to venture far with my camera.
I love the cloud formation here

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Beautiful Queens Park

In Swindon town where I reside, in the centre near the shops, there is place of serenity and peace, an oasis from the noise. A lake, all be it made by man, where waterfowl are found, where on a sunny day the fountain shoots its spray into the air and birds enjoy the sprinkling.
Gardeners keep the plants in health the grass cut and everything looking good. There are so many things to see and enjoy. Different vistas as you walk around. A willow tree and a tree full of blossom in the spring makes one of the entrances look so grand.
In the memorial garden, my secret garden I call it, there is a calmness a sense of stillness, that lifts my spirits each time I visit there. As always I have my camera at the ready to capture the beauty of Queens Park.
Beautiful Queens Park

The Secret Garden
I did this page last May but don't think I shared it here

Nature's Calendar - Daisy

Monday, February 14, 2011

Another Paper Layout and Paper Roses

Goodness me I am on a roll this is another paper layout done today for the monthly challenge on UKScrappers. We had to use a sketch and fabric or fibres
here is the sketch
and my layout using squares of curtain fabric with netting over the top and a fringe of fibre
Rufus and the Penguins

I've also been playing with making paper roses

I thought you might like to know how I made them.
First I cut five 5 petal shapes from thin white card and inked them stroking the pad from the centre out to each petal edge to give a lined effect.

Next spray them with water to soften and scrunch up. Open up slightly and rearrange the petal of the first (inner) one, in a tight circle I then pinned it to help keep its shape whilst drying. The second petal I opened up a little further pinning that one and again for the third. the last two just curl the petal under.

add a little liquid glue to the inner centres and build the rose up.

I also made some with only three layers to make buds these one were slightly smaller to start with
Final touch was some stickles on the edges of the petals
A place for me to put the pictures of layouts I have done that I am pleased with, to put in the poems I write and to add snippets of things that have caught my eye