I'M BACK

I know, I've been absent for 5 weeks, I just needed a break and to see if I could find where I was going with my blog.
I've also had a break from commenting on your blogs but I will be back as from tomorrow hopefully..
Still not sure where I'm going but I am taking part in the scavenger hunt that Rinda has organised again this year. Thank you Rinda we do enjoy this.

I have been scrapping my pages and will share them over the next few days (don't want to bore you with too many at a time)

I'm still adding to my Christmas album (nearly finished now)



In this one I was experimenting with washi tape, I cut a stencil with triangles on Robo and placed washi tape in strips on a card behind it.


photo's of my first hold of my first grandchild, nearly 6 years ago now.

I was looking through an old photo album and found these of my son as a teenager. Always the poser they really tell the story of who he was then. (he is 41 this year)



Today I've been trying to plough my way through the muddle that covers all my surfaces in my craft room, I've managed to find one desk and discovered lost items. Among the items found was a little book 'Words of Comfort' Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

My one word for today 'SOFT'

Simply Sweet

It's been a another lovely day weather wise but as usual after the sale in the morning I am tired, so this is just a quick post to put my layout in.
for the scan photo of my 4th grandchild, my son's second child I did an all white page. So lots and lots of texture and layering to give the page substance.


lots of lace and trimmings on the bottom part and lots of tags that I have created myself. I also created the title block using a subtle background design and some dingbat font characters which I added stickles to
finishing it off with a scattering of pearls on the top portion

Today I am grateful that we could be outside for the sale, the first time in ages that we have been able to

Artistic Nature

The sun is shining now at 4.30 in the afternoon, it has taken a while for it to break through the cloud and I don't think it will stay for very long, but it just gave me time to get out into the garden and take some photo. I wanted to do another look up/look down, but instead I've taken lots of pictures of my cats sunning themselves



I've been quite taken with Rinda's idea of what she is calling 'My Photographer's eye'
and out in the back garden this evening I spied the stump of the ivy that we cut down some time ago. I thought it looked very artistic (hence the title of this post). Hopefully I will be finding more things to photograph and post in the same vein



I'm off out to a crop a little later so hopefully I'll get a page done using this photo


Yes grandchild number 4 at 12 weeks gestation, I wonder whether it is a girl, I would really like to have a granddaughter but I'll love it whatever sex it is.

today I am grateful for getting some good photos

Look Up Look Down

Today the sun shone the sky was blue and looking up I saw a beautiful pink blossom tree

looking down the shadow of another tree seemed to give the balance to the blossom.

Today I am grateful for the love of the Lord
for the enjoyment of nature
for the use of a good camera
and for an imagination which can see the possibilities and seize the opportunty

The Organ Grinder

On Friday I posted a sketch and said I would let you see the layout I did from that sketch. So here it is,


the sketch was perfect for this week's challenge on UKScrappers the challenge was to use all the colours from our country's flag add a banner and more than one photo. It was so easy to make the tags into a banner by stringing them all together.

Today I was grateful to being able to do the challenge and add another page to my Christmas album.

Morning has broken

I awake,
dragging myself from a rather disturbing dream
I lie there a moment and listen,
Yes Mr Peaberry is there I can hear him greeting the day,
happy with his lot,
happy with the world,
happy that the sun has risen again and night has gone.

I tumble out of bed and reach for my dressing gown.
Drawing back the curtains I see him there.
He is sitting on the top of my little twisted willow,
singing with all his might.
All is well with the world







drawn from my bed with aqua crayons



drawn from this photo with coloured pencils

Friday Sketch

Here is this week's sketch, I hope you like it

I haven't done a layout with it yet, hopefully I will be using it this weekend

I do have a page to share. I was inspired Glitter Girls adventure 66, I loved the colour scheme and the strip of photos



Today has been a day when I knew that my craft room and scrapping things just had to be sorted, everything is in such a muddle I keep loosing bits and don't really have the room to scrap property. I've made a start but it's going to be a long long job. I was on my feet for so long that I just had to call it a day at 6 this afternoon.

I am grateful that I've made a start and that I found one or two things that I've not been able to for a while.

Random jottings

Oh dear my blog has been sadly neglected, trouble is I haven't done anything worth recording except a few scrapbook pages. I'll look at the photos I have taken since Oxford and see what is worth noting.

The first thing I noticed was my look up look down that I took in Oxford

 These were both taken from Magdalen Bridge, I love the way the church tower is pointing which is echoed in the boats. (I didn't manipulate the photo that is how I took it)

On Saturday 6th
I decided on the spur of the moment to take the bus to Cheltenham. It was a lovely sunny if cold day I didn't think I would be taking many photos as I have a lot taken the last time I went. But the indoor garden in the Beechwood Centre was so pretty with the sun shining down on it  I ended up taking quite a few.

Monday 8th
The challenge on UKScrappers for this week is to scrap the ordinary the everyday events and so on my walk down to Asda I propped my camera up on a bin and took my self portrait with the lane in the background (a chap walking down the same lane offered to take it but by this time I had it all set up)
and here is my page for the challenge

I turned the photo black & white as that was part of the challenge. As my coat is black and the scarf I'm wearing is white it was just the ticket.
Later in the week I did another page for the same challenge this time with colour photos and black & white papers and embellishments


I was on a bit of a scrapping roll that week and did this page to record Ben's reactions when he first got his balance bike



Wednesday 10th
Hairdressers today, I'm trying to get the purple out of my hair, beginning to wish I had never had it put in for Christmas this time they used an opposite colour to counteract it a bit and although I still have purple in there it is beginning to fade.

Friday 12th
I found something that made me smile

The frozen dessert aisle in Asda

Saturday 13th
Abbey Meads crop this morning. I did manage to do the Breakfast layout but I spent most of my time chatting and laughing. It's so nice to get out and meet up with fellow scrappers.

Sunday 14th
I had two surprise visitors on Sunday, I hadn't been long in from church when I heard a little voice calling, Neil had arrived with Rufus and all Rufus wanted to do was find Nana's kittens. Eventually he gave up trying to catch them and settled for some toys and a jigsaw or two

but he did get his wish for one of my cats to accept him, not the girls but Rudi let Rufus stroke him and seemed to really enjoy it.

Monday 15th
Yesterday I started on a double layout of some of the photos I took in Oxford, finishing it off today



Tuesday 16th

Asda today and the sun was shining and on the way down the back lane I saw a Brimstone butterfly, couldn't get a photo unfortunately as it was flitting all the time and never landed anywhere but it was so good to see it, the first one of the season. I also found that the toads were back and lots of spawn in the muddy hole. Hope this year it doesn't dry up too soon and that the eggs hatch and have time to grow to maturity.

Today's UKS challenge, to scrap someone or something you love, to use a colour palette of Pale Green & Burgundy. I did this one of Rudi
.


and that brings me up-to-date.

Today I am grateful that spring does appear to have arrived at long last.

Oxford in the Sunshine

I went to Oxford with some friends on Wednesday, it was bathed in sunshine most of the time such a treat to see the sun like that even if it wasn't particularly warm
I just want to share a few of the photos mainly of architecture

Just outside the railway station I found what I think was probably very iconic to Oxford

A shed load of bicycles over 300 of them

I love the varied styles of building to be found in quite a small area
this one is very impressive, I don't know what it was originally but it is now used as the Job Centre


This tower is supposedly the oldest building in Oxford, a Saxon tower

right next to the tower was this building I love the fact that it has stood for so long is very misshapen looks as though it would fall down and would certainly be condemned if it was built today



Gargoyles and columns next on my list



the bust on that last one made me think of the severed heads of criminals in the olden days when they were displayed on spike at town gates rather macabre

there were so wonderful signs too
this one made us think until we realised that it was an address


and in this one I would love to know who Tom is


I think that will do for now, I'll share some more another day. Needless to say I really enjoyed my day and I'm going back again very soon, on my own with my camera, as there are so many thing I would like to capture.

Easter Sunday

Christ has risen he has risen indeed

Out in the lane the frost thick on the grass but as the sun rises I praise the Lord





Yesterday I was in a lot of pain with my back, I've not had that for about 15 years, I knew it was an attach from the enemy. It was so bad I couldn't even walk to the bus stop and I needed to get an Easter Egg for Rufus. I got the prayer team praying for me, I had an offer of an Egg too. This morning my back is fine
Praise the Lord

Feeding Nanny

As promised here is the layout I did that goes with the sketch I posted earlier today



like all children everywhere they try to wind you round their little finger and believe me Rufus is an expert at this. He has a charm about him the is irresistible. In these photos he is determined to have another pudding, he had already had two helpings but when Nanny arrived after work and sat down to have her share Rufus took the spoon from her and started to feed her but it was all a ruse to get more for himself as the hidden photos reveal



today I am grateful for a brilliant Good Friday service, for the church being full as all the churches in the area join together as one for this service
for the weather being bright and although still cold no where near as cold as it has been.
And finally a phone call from my Son to have Sunday lunch with them again this week

Good Friday Sketch

Good Good Friday Morning Blog friends
here is this week's sketch and it is taken from a page I've already done (I'll share this later today)

and a little extra to the challenge is to add something hidden, for instance extra journalling or additional photos.Do hope you enjoy this and will play along with me.

I've just come home from a Good Friday service and one of the songs we sang I really want to share with you so I found it on You Tube



do hope you play it, God Bless you all

A little bit of scrapping

I have a couple of pages to share
This one was done for the weekly challenge on UKScrapper. To scrap using primary colours, three clusters of embellishments and Ribbon or washi tape. This gave me a chance to scrap in multicolours, a little out of my comfort zone but the rest of it well in my comfort zone so balanced out quite nicely. It is another page for my Florida holiday album, this is getting very full now and I still have lots of photos to use. I've changed the album to a ring type as that hold more and makes it easier to add pages.



this one is of my elderly cat Rudi



Today I am grateful to have been able to visit my elderly friend, we are a little concerned about her as she has early stages of dementia. I found her well and she recognised me this time.

Also grateful that though it is still cold the wind factor has gone so feel much better.

this Lolcat reminds me of my cats as the two girls will do this to Rudi

Just 1 or 2 Cats

I was reading this months Scrap 365 and Sian's entry was about her dream home, photographing the things in her home that represents her (I hope I have that right Sian).
It got me thinking about my cat ornaments, they represent me completely, every surface seems to have cats on them.
Perfect for my sketch and labels challenge I thought.  I have plenty of photos but most of them are landscape orientated and I needed portrait so out came my camera again and I took a photo of just one or two of them.




there are more photos of the tags and some journalling on the back





Today I am grateful that the snow didn't linger here in Wiltshire though I feel really sorry for those in other parts of the country that have been so badly affected by it.

Sketch Friday

Good morning Blog friends

Here is this weeks Sketch and a little challenge if you care to take it

challenge is to add lots of labels/stickers and to leave plenty of white space.

I'll be back later with my own page (not done yet) from this sketch

Weekend Scrapping retreat

I've had a lovely weekend away with a group of ladies who scrap
we've laughed and chatted and scrapped to our hearts content.
We've all made at least one minibook, but still have to find photos for mine before I know what sort of decorations to add. Really enjoyed doing these.
I also managed to do 4 layouts, 3 of which are for my ever fattening Florida Holiday album

This one was done using my Sketch from Friday
Finding an empty seat at one of the parks was good fortune as I found the heat very tiring. but after a short rest could then carry on


This one I've made as a early page though the two big photos were taken just as we were leaving to come home, I completely forgot to do so before


and with a little bit of tidying up and adding of the small photo this afternoon it also fits this weeks challenge on UKScrappers
Building/place/object
3+ photos
Creative title

This one really makes me smile but has been waiting to be scrapped for quite a while I just couldn't get and idea of how to use it.



The day the new pope was announced my son was in Rome, he had posted on facebook a photo of them waiting for the white smoke. One of his friends back here in the UK had said " I heard he's been chosen........ Pope Bainbridge the first."
I just couldn't resist adding a photo of Neil ready for a fancy dress party back in 1990 and of course a page just had to follow

 
this page was inspired by one of Tracee's that was in Scrap 365 this time.

today I am grateful for a super weekend
and for cats to come home to