Counterfeit Kit for October

I have been trying to sort out my counterfeit kit for October I have chosen the papers but as a lot of my embellishments are packed for another weekend retreat I still have not added them to it. Still I did do a page of 'stickers' here

here are my papers



Here I could do with some inspiration please. Note I have a peacock feather pp, (similar to the one in the kit we are counterfeiting) I've had it some considerable time probably 2 or 3 years. I have never found how on earth to use it so if anyone has any idea I would be so grateful

I forgot to do my As seen yesterday so here it is my 10 bed fellows (mainly cats)


and today's are my 10 wooden cats that sit on my hearth




today I am thankful for being able to hold the sale indoors when the weather is so threatening.
for still taking a tidy sum even though we didn't seem to have many people in.

10 on the 10th

It's the 10th of the month, time to think of 10 things that are special or are quirky
Shimelle started this idea some time ago.
I thought of my feet 10 toes to help me to balance. A friend of mine has just had to have another toe amputated, he is a diabetic and has had several toes affected over the years.
I thought about my digits 8 fingers and 2 thumbs, without which I couldn't touch type.
I have 10 soft toys on my bed that keep me company at night
I have 10 wooden cats that sit on my hearth
Then I thought hard and realised I have 10 wonderful cross stitch pictures that John did (there were many many more but I have given some away and others are stored in the loft I just do not have room to display them all)

The Cyclists, this is my favourite one, so delicate, done with a single thread over very fine count linen


Castle sampler, the hours and hours that went into this one, John had so much patience


John love to do transport themed pictures, we had them all in the hall and going up the stairs



This majestic eagle caught his imagination


then he did a little series of sepia type industrial pictures I seem to only have two of them but I am sure he did more


my final one is this little one again of a bicycle but not so delicate

As seen - In a magazine

Today I had my hair done, I thought it was tomorrow so it's a good job I put the appointment on my phone and get it to buzz me half hour before I'm due to go. It's also good that a friend text me an hour before I needed to go and when I went to check the text I discovered my appointment. I was contemplating going into town.
As usual while I am waiting for the hair colouring to take I read good Homes and Ideal homes, didn't have so many snippets of ideas from them this week but still found this which really amused me and just has to be my As Seen for today.



I haven't managed to complete a page today but have made a start on one. Still I do have some to share that I did over the weekend


My brother and I in 1957 in our back garden photo taken by our Dad


Rufus at almost 3 photo taken by his great aunt Lyn


Muffin & Mittens sharing a toy, or rather the elastic from a toy.
The title on this layout was from a tutorial by Jemma (Jimjams)

I'll share the rest tomorrow.

Today I am thankful for the timely reminder
for a phone call from my daughter a chance to chat
finding a couple of new fonts that I know that I'll use

Playing catch up

Sorry I've been awol for a few days. Been trying to catch up on sleep mainly as I had very little over the weekend.
I do have some 'As seen' pictures and six layouts to share but I may have to split them over a post or two because this will be very picture heavy otherwise.


Harborne Hall where we stayed a lovely big hall to scrap in and a bedroom each. All meals cooked for us and really tasty and tea coffee & drinking chocolate on tap at all hours day and night. Adding to all that there was a nice bar so we didn't have to bring our own drinks.

Sunday a few of us went for a little walk, most of them were geocaching but I just wanted to take photos



I didn't get to bed till nearly 2 o'clock in the morning both nights and so on Sunday night and Monday I felt extremely lethargic and tired hence no posting. I also didn't venture out on Monday stayed in and finished a page started before I had to pack to come home. Had a sleep in my chair in the afternoon something I haven't done for ages and watched TV in the evening before heading for bed again a little earlier than usual.

This morning I realised I didn't take any photo yesterday but I did have a play with my latest toy a big shot, Thank you Jemma (Jimjams) I will enjoy this I know. So that is my 'As Seen' for Monday


I had a great time with a super bunch of ladies so I'll end this post with a photo of the group


today I am grateful that I didn't have to do much yesterday and now seemed to have caught up on sleep and can prepare for this coming weekend

Green Button Retreat

It's OK I haven't lost the plot, Green Buttons is the name of the house I am in at UKScrapper and 15 of us are here in Birmingham, having a great time scrapping.
I came by train and asked for assisted boarding as my large case was so heavy, Oh what a blessing that was especially when I got to Birmingham New Street, the most oppressive and difficult station to find your way, but I was helped of the train and taken to the taxi rank by a very nice porter.
On the way through the centre of Birmingham I saw this 'monument'.



the driver told me that a Chinese business man had come over here and made millions so wanted to give something back to the city and this is what he gave.

Just a short post today I will share all the layout I do over the weekend, during next week.

Today I am grateful for helpful porters
for friends and camaraderie

Story Telling Sunday

Good Morning Blog Friends it's time to tell tales of our lives or the lives of those around us.
Sian has started the ball rolling as usual and her suggestion is 'Fancy Dress'

My story starts many many years ago and looking at the photo I must be about 7 or 8. There was to be a party for the Sunday School children at the church I attended. It was to be fancy dress, I was very excited.
Mum was a dressmaker and she promised to make me a costume, I didn't want to be a fairy that was too ordinary, lots of girls would be fairies. I was going to be a butterfly. Mum had some grey lining material that would do for the body part and she managed to get some blue organza material for the wings. I loved it and once mum had made a start and I had the first fitting I wanted to keep it on. "It's still not fitted right" mum said but I still wanted to keep it on. Eventually she was happy with it and the wings were stiffened with wire around the edges and lots of sequins attached. a little cap made of the grey lining with wire and sequins for the antenna and I went out into the garden for dad to take my photo.
I was a butterfly, I am a butterfly, I am a butterfly. On the day, all dressed in my beautiful costume, I paraded with the other children. The judge was asking each child what they were. I am a butterfly, not a fairy a butterfly. I kept repeating to myself, well you know what is coming don't you. Yes that's right when the judge asked me what I was I said I'm a fairy. Oh I was so, so disappointed, but too embarrassed to correct my mistake.



I didn't win a prize, I wonder if I would have done if I had told them I am a butterfly

Nice finds

Today being Thursday it was the sale at the church this morning. I didn't take my trolley or go on my bike I was not going to bring anything home that I couldn't get in a small plastic carrier. I started well. I only picked up some ribbon (can't miss that opportunity now can I?) Oh and some one gave me a soft toy tiger/pussy cat, would have been churlish to have refused and he is cute.


Then as I was unpacking a box of bits that someone had just donated I found a book with no covers and was about to consign it to the bin when I noticed it was Shakespeare plays illustrated very tattered falling to pieces and the pages brown spotted but Oh I just had to have it.

Some birthday candles was the next must have, be perfect for Rufus's next birthday
And finally as I was packing the last of the bit before getting ready to go home I saw what my Daughter in Law had asked me to look out for, a couple of little mats. So much for not bringing much home. Still I did manage to get them all into one small carrier bag.

My As seen for today just has to be one of the illustrations from the book in fact the title page, I really couldn't resist it because of the spelling



today I am thankful for my finds the sunshine we had today and the excitement of having something really nice to look forward to this weekend and next weekend too

Let the Adventure begin

I made a quick visit to ASDA today, the weather has been pretty dire so took the bus there and back. That was this morning, since then I have been trying to make sure I don't forget anything important for the Scrapping retreat, so have packed my cases, yes cases one large and one small, more than once but I think I have finally got everything I can possible get into them. It's a good job I've booked assisted boarding on the trains because these cases are HEAVY



the only thing that isn't craft related is my pants, pjs, a spare top just in case and my wash kit.

My computer will go in it's rucksack along with the choccies and anything else that I can cram in that I think I may need. lol

Of course after I had pack for the 2nd or 3rd time I decided to do a layout so some things had to come out again hence the further packing afterwards. May all have to be altered if I decided to do a page tomorrow but tomorrow is another day and can bring its own delights and problems.

Here is the first page for my Florida album, the photos were not all that brilliant but I did want to record the journey, airport and flight.



today I am grateful for the anticipation of a great weekend

Design

I went into town today, I needed one particular piece of pattern paper and some spray glue, I came home with 5 sheets of patterned paper the glue, two rolls of glue dots and from my favourite haberdashery shop buttons, ribbon and trim. Still I enjoyed the spending and the looking at all the designs and of course choosing what I would buy.
As I was waiting for the bus I saw again the posters that are on Debenham's wall just opposite. I really took in what has become a familiar site, never having really thought about it before.



As fellow bloggers and scrapbookers that is so true design is at the heart of everything we do. Whether it is in our pages our writing or what we wear, design is everywhere we look and in everything we do. Even if it is just making the home tidy and pleasing to the eye design is there.

I do have a page to share, it is one I started yesterday and finished this morning.
It is for the monthly challenge on UKScrappers and using this sketch by Nuts about Sketches

today I am thankful for being able to get around. I saw several people in town today who where having so much trouble with mobility and it made me realise again how blessed I am that I have my health and strength even if I get tired sometimes

Counterfeit Kit challenge October home made stickers

I've been fiddling with bits and bobs today. Making up my October counterfeit Kit and creating labels as I don't have many. I found that I had some HP brochure paper and that has made the labels look like stickers so if I put some wide double sided tape on they will be almost as good as sticker.



I've also found some photos of my dear husband that I haven't scrapped yet goodness I had forgotten these. The quality is very poor so I've changed them to black & white, which has helped a bit. Still they are worth putting on a layout I just hope I can remember enough to give the story behind them. I have made a start but not got very far yet but here are the altered photos







these were taken in the late 1970s or early 1980s

my As seen for today just has to be Mittens this time curled up in one of the cases I am trying to sort out for the retreat everything is going to be covered with cat hairs. If there is a bag around anywhere they want to use it for a bed.



today I am grateful for a good nights sleep last night
for finding these photo and being able to manipulate them so I can use them.

Learn Something New Everyday

I did it, I completed the whole month with paper and glue and embellishments that have texture. I wasn't sure whether I could keep up to date. The other years I did it digitally and that is much easier to tackle daily, no photos to print out and pages more or less ready to go each day. I think my biggest learning probably is that I can do a page every day and sometimes more than one page.
Here are my last two pages, Saturday 29th and in keeping with the challenge to make Saturday a new skills day I found that I could paint metal buttons with alcohol ink and make them look almost like enamelled ones.



as my pages are only 6x6 I was reluctant to use the buttons in the photo as they will enhance a larger page later, but I did paint another button which I have used here.

Today's page here records how chuffed I feel that I have a lovely book to look back at but how sad when something good comes to an end.



I didn't have room on the page to record my thought so I put them on a tag and hidden them behind the photo



My As seen today is this lovely tree, it always amazes me each year how this tree goes because it starts to change colour on one side and the other side remains green for a lot longer. I suppose it's because the other side is shielded by more trees.

Beautiful Nature

It is so difficult to do anything well when you are feeling a bit down. It was an effort to even go out today, but as usual the walk down the back lane helped lift my spirit off of the floor.
As seen today just had to be this close up of a clover such details not noticed with the naked eye but so beautiful



I was having a little play with alcohol ink this morning and some metal buttons. Quite pleased with the effect, almost gives them an enamelled appearance.



I will use this for my Learn something new, but although I have done a page I am really not at all happy with it. I'll leave it and see what tomorrow brings.

Today I am grateful to the Lord for giving me so many lovely things to see on my walk today.

Little bit of this and a little bit of that

I did yesterday's page for Learn something new this morning, I was just too tired last night. It just had to be the conkers with there lovely glossy pattern. I learnt that even when there doesn't appear to be any reason for it except for our enjoyment God does the extraordinary. The patterns seem to have no benefit to the horse chestnut but God put them there anyway.

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My toaster went wrong the other day, it wouldn't stay down so the only way to use it was to hold it down. This is a little bit inconvenient especially when I'm trying to cook a fried egg for breakfast. So a trip into town to buy a new one seemed a good idea. I also had run out of photo paper completely, (well I did have some 6x4 glossy but I really am not a lover of glossy, reflects the light too much).
I got my paper and it was buy any 3 and get the cheapest one free so have ended up with a 6x4 7x5 and A4 should now be well stocked up.
I did get a toaster too so all shopping done I phoned my son to see if he was available for a coffee. Yes he said give me a little while I text when I'm coming down.
Time to pop into Paperchase then, and I am a sucker for the cutsie, I bought these little pencil top roller stamps, and some pretty stickers too. (that's the trouble with having to waste some time lol)

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When I unplugged my old toaster and put the new one in it's place I thought I would just try it again before confining it to the dust bin and guess what...... Yes that's right it worked. So that is my Learn Something New for today. I should have unplugged the toaster and given it a shake and replugged it in and tried again all before spending money on a new one.

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I love taking photos of my cats and tonight it was Rudi's turn and he is my As Seen for today

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Today I am grateful for a Son who finds time for me.
and for getting the extra photo paper

Random items

It's Thursday morning and the alarm goes off at 6.30am I dress half asleep, the only day I actually get dressed before having a cuppa.
It's the sale at the church on a Thursday and today it's going to be different. The decorators are in painting the main part of the building so we can not use that at all, we need fine weather as the stalls will not be able to be rushed in if the rain comes. Praise the Lord he always know what is needed and the weather has been brilliant. People rallied and we served coffee and tea in one of the upstairs rooms had the stalls out the front as usual and the clothes and odds and ends that are normally indoors we had out the back of the church. Normally that area has cars on it but not today. We still managed to take over £100

The sky this morning early well 7.30ish was not all that promising but worth a photo if only on my phone camera.


I had made up several kits complete with photos to take away for our scrapping retreat next weekend but I was itching to use at least one of them, so difficult to have them there waiting. I succumb and here is what I did



I had run out of 'f's so I carefully cut the waste part from the sticker sheet and used that


Tonight I've had a curry from the takeaway across the road, yummy but the beef was a bit tough, which reminded me that is the reason I usually have chicken curry.
Coming back into the back lane with my dinner I found lots of conkers still in their outer shell, there is no horse chestnut around that area so someone must have dropped them. Bringing a few home I opened them up and aren't they beautiful when newly hatched. Like polished wood



Not even thought about Learn something new yet but will not post that until tomorrow at the earliest.

today I am grateful to the Lord for the fine weather
for everyone pitching in and getting the sale underway