Monday 12 November 2012

Craft Island Design Team Blog Hop

Welcome to the Craft Island Design Team blog hop - you should have arrived here from Lets Get Krafty with Debbie. If you are lost just head back to the Craft Island blog.

Each member of the design team was asked to create a project using Bo Bunny's new festive collection - Mistletoe.

For my project I decided to create a scrapbook page using a photo of my big little man - Jack. The photo was taken one evening in Decmeber 2010 when he was two years old.


I started off with a sheet of kraft cardstock and created a die cut banner adding some hand stitching to hold it all in place (along with some teeny tiny bits of double sided sticky tape to hold it in place while I stitched!). I added some Mistletoe embellies, alaphs and inked the edges using Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Black Soot to finish my project.


To be in with a chance of winning a Bo Bunny Mistletoe Selection Pack, simply leave a comment on each of the design teams projects. The winner will be picked at random on Wednesday 14th November at 9am. Good luck!

Monday 10 September 2012

Ten on the Tenth in September

10 Things in September brings you 10 things I've learned being a mummy.

1. To wear spit up milk with pride.
2. Baby wipes are the elixir of life.
3. A stash of toy cars in your handbag is not only normal but essential.
4. Your chocolate is not your own.
5. Every inch of grass must be covered by trampolines, swings, slides, playhouses and sandpits.
6. Going straight to the children's clothes section over the woman's section is normal.
7. A never ending supply of chicken dippers, dinosaurs, yoghurt, Dunkers and tomato sauce lives in your kitchen.
8. Toys, crumbs and melted in chocolate must be accepted by anyone who wants to ride in your car.
9. You stick more things to your car than you knew possible; mirrors, mobiles, seat tidies, DVD players, toy steering wheels, sun shades, aerial antennas and still feel the need to add a baby on board sign!
10. I love every minute.

Every month, we blog ten things on the tenth. Your ten things can be absolutely anything you feel like sharing. Pop on over to Shimelle's blog and link to your specific blog post so we can all come read your own list of ten.

This post was also inspired by Shimelle Laine's class Learn Something New Everyday.

Tuesday 21 August 2012

Welcome to the World - Noah Xander Young

Big brother Jack would like to ask you to join him in welcoming to the world his little brother; Noah Xander Young. Noah was born on the 9th August 2012 (Daddy's birthday) at 4.04pm weighing 8lb 12oz.


Having kept us on our toes during July with lots of worry and hospital stays I am delighted he is here safe and sound and in his moses basket where I can keep an eye on him! Jack is enjoying being a big brother and is a great wee helper.

P.S. Jack's not quite got the hang of the difference between photo and video - cheeeeeessssseeee!!

Sunday 1 July 2012

100th Blog Post Giveaway Winner!

And the winner is...











Please drop me an email at kirsteenmonteith (at) hotmail (dot) com and I'll organise your Craft Island voucher.

Thank you to everyone who entered. Happy Sunday :) xx

Sunday 24 June 2012

Feeling a Little Folksy

***don't forget to enter my 100th blog post giveaway here***

I have spent far too much time drooling over Folksy lately. It all started a week or so ago when I placed my first Folksy order with Merry Berry and the Little Panda (how can you resist with a store name is cute as this?). I've been looking for a sleeve for my Kindle since Christmas but couldn't find what I was looking for until I saw this {cue drool}.


It arrived last week and is even more gorgeous in the felty flesh. I am so pleased with my purchase. Like all Mummy's I had to add a little something to my order for my little man. I'm always on the lookout for cute decorations for his bedroom. I couldn't resit this little fire engine.


Do you have a favourite Folksy store? I'd love to hear all about it. Thanks for stopping by. Kirsteen x

Sunday 17 June 2012

Grandma's Round-Up


***don't forget to enter my 100th blog post giveaway here***

My 10 Things in May brought you ten pages/photos/projects on my scrappy to-do list. Today I made a start on number five on my list; to look through my Mum's 'Jack' album and take a note of what is missing. I started by taking photos of the pages that I have done and here they are...


I made this page today using Bo Bunny's Blast Off! The photo was taken at Edinburgh Zoo in September 2009. It is a photo that my Mum loves (not that she doesn't love EVERY photo of 'Grandma's little star', hence the title), so I really wanted to include it in the album. I like the page so much I am in the middle of creating another one of my album.


Jack's second Halloween and the first time he did his 'funny smile' face. Supplies for this page include MME Boo to You, Bazzill, Thickers and K&Co.


Jack's first Halloween at only a little over two weeks old, using Bo Bunny's Whoo-ligans collection. I think most of the embellies are by K&Co.


This is Jack at the Almond Valley Heritage Centre in Livingston. I used WRMK's 72 & Sunny.


Jack's first Christmas and first Santa costume. I think the embellies are by Reminisce but I'm not too sure.


Jack in the snow December 2009 not too sure whether he should laugh or cry. I used Echo Park's Wintertime.


Jack only 6 weeks old doing the funny 'hands up' thing that babies do. Suppies are LYB Babysaurus.


Jack's first ever photo! I used Simple Stories Baby Steps for this page.

This is as far as I got but it's a good start. I now know what I've done and can think about what else I would like to include.

I would love to hear about any projects you are working on for other people? Thanks for stopping by, Kirsteen x

Sunday 10 June 2012

Ten on the Tenth in June


***don't forget to enter my 100th blog post giveaway here***

10 Things in June brings you... my top ten items on my baby boy bump to-do list.
1. Find out where the hospital is. Nevermind the labour ward, the hospital will do! We have a 'rough' idea, but it's a new hospital and only opened earlier this year so we should figure out exactly where it is.

2. Start thinking about/packing my hospital bag. I have my eye on the Sunshine Holiday backpack, mini overnight bag and the trolly case from Papercase.

3. Bring all of Jack's baby clothes down from the attic and have a good old ooh and ahh through them.

4. Buy a new change bag. I have my eye on this one from Pink Lining.

5. Convert the cotbed back into a cot, and add the cot top changer.


6. Empty Jack's toy box and find homes for all of the toys.


7. Buy wicker baskets and a clothes tidy for the wardrobe in the nursery. I've been spending a lot of time sitting on the toy box looking at all of these lovely things, it's so exciting to think a little person will be wearing all of these clothes really, really soon.


8. Test the baby monitors. We had to buy new ones as Jack's had stopped charging. We went with the BT ones you can see in the photo above (at the bottom in the purple box). Seemingly you can play your iPod through them. Suggestions of a Pink Floyd playlist have already been made. I'm thinking more along the of lines sounds of the rainforest and Playhouse Disney.

9. Build the baby gym and bouncer chair from Grandad.


10. Decide on a hospital leaving outfit for the bump. Jack was born in October so he wore a bodysuit, sleepsuit, a velour pramsuit, woolie hat and a little blanket. I'm thinking along the same lines but a cotton hat and perhaps a Summer pramsuit. Can you buy Summer pramsuits?
Every month, we blog ten things on the tenth.  Your ten things can be absolutely anything you feel like sharing.  Pop on over to Shimelle's blog and link to your specific blog post so we can all come read your own list of ten.

Friday 8 June 2012

In with the Old and the New {kinda} and a Giveaway


~Welcome to my 100th post and a celebratory giveaway!!!~

I've been 'saving' the Little Boy sticker from Echo Park's Little Boy collection for as long as I can remember. Why do us scrappers do that? Where better to keep our coveted supplies than in our scrapbook albums? So I challenged myself to use it.

Moving out of my comfort zone a little more I looked past the kraft cardstock for once and reached for an old sheet of blue WRMK sewn cardstock. I really like the stitched detail and I think this is definitely something I will try to recreate using my WRMK Sew Easy tool. I added a few embellies from some of my favourite ranges; the little owl is from the DCVW The Green Stack, the sun, cloud and tree are by Bella Blvd. (part of my recent birthday haul - I can't recommend these enough - the are lovely) and the pin badge is American Crafts.


I'm really pleased to have transferred some much loved bits from stash to paper and to have scrapped this photo of my little man from early 2010 - he looks so grown up to me in that photo even now two years on.

To celebrate my 100th blog I'd like to giveaway a £20 gift voucher for you to spend at Craft Island. All you have to do is become a follower of my blog and post a comment on this blog post either linking to a project where you have used a coveted item of your supplies or simply tell me about something you have been hoarding for that 'special' project. The closing date is Saturday 30th June. And I'll announce the winner on Sunday 1st July.

Thanks for stopping by x

Thursday 7 June 2012

I Will Scrap This {love you onions}

Recently we have started saying 'I love you millions' to Jack at bedtime. I usually say this walking down the stairs as Jack stands at the top waiting for me to go into the livingroom, while his Daddy waits in his bedroom to tuck him (and over 10 soft toys) into bed. In reply, Jack shouts 'love you onions'.


This is a cheeky snap taken very, very quickly while trying not to wake him up. Thanks for stopping by x


In the Summertime

And from an old collection to a new one... so the thing is, stash bought for your birthday operates in a silimar way to calories eaten on your birthday - you know the fat free, point free, check free, syn free ones...? This meant I could treat myself on my birthday and it did not affect my stash diet AT ALL. Obvisouly :p So, I treated myself to Echo Park's Hello Summer and Bella Blvd.'s Sunshine and Happiness. I can't get enough of these Summer colours and I'm loving that I managed to use them for a page for Jack's album too.


This is Jack after a hard days work at Edinburgh Butterly World (and when else can you really go to town with butterfly embellies on your little man's pages?!). Seeing Jack sleeping a a rarity as he usually wakes the second I open his bedroom door (although more recently he has been sleeping with the door open so I can sneek a peek more often - not so good in the middle of the night when you want to sneak to the toilet - which happens A LOT at 30 weeks pregnant!) so I always try to snap him when he falls asleep in the car. I then crane my neck as much as possible to look at him. Don't worry I'm not the one driving when I do this! No fellow motorists were harmed in the making of this layout.

Supplies include; Bella Blvd. Summer and Happiness, Thickers, Bazzill, AdornIt, KI Memories Puffies, Martha Stewart butterfly punches, Sizzix Subshine die, Sassafras Lass Felties, gems and a little lone red brad.


I really wanted to make a point of using the gorgeous stickers in the new Echo Park Hello Summer collection rather than hoarding them for that 'special' project (that never transpires) so I really went to town with the stickers on this one. The photo is of my little neice enjoying a bounce in her Jumperoo. Isn't she a little cutie pie. Supplies include: Echo Park's Hello Summer, Bazzill, Thickers, Sizzix Sunshine die, ribbon and decorative pins. Thanks for stopping by x

I Will Scrap This {double trouble}

On Saturday morning I explained to Jack that we were going to see his little brother. I explained he wasn't actually going to come out of Mummy's tummy but we would be able to see him on a TV screen (a 4D scan to you and me). He was super excited and ran upstairs to collection a toy to 'show' the baby. He was bouncing in his chair in the sonographers office whispering to his Daddy that 'the baby is coming'. If only it was so easy - nip into town, llittle bit of jelly on the belly and hey presto a baby - my kinda labour! When the baby appeared he held the little toy lion up to the screen and waved. Cue proud Mummy moment!!


And this is our little man junior, he's Jack's double in so many way but we can also see his own features peeking through. We can't wait to meet you little man x

Wednesday 6 June 2012

Digging out an Old Collection

How many must have collections lie in your scrappy supplies unloved, unused, forgotten about? Please tell me I am not the only one who has to have a collection like yesterday and then promptly forgets all about it? In light of my recent attempts at a stash diet I decided to dig out one of my unloved but much loved 'must haves' - Farm Fresh from October Afternoon. 



I love the whimsy colours and the little peas in a pod are so cute. Supplies include: Bazzill, October Afternoon, Thickers, Bella Blvd. chipboard jounralling spots, Sizzix Sunshine die, decorative pins, ribbon and KI Memories Puffies. Thanks for stopping by x

Thursday 10 May 2012

Ten on the Tenth in May

10 Things in May brings you... 10 pages/photos/projects on my scrappy to-do list:
  1. A photo of my friend Lesley, heavily pregnant with her beautiful baby bump number two. The photo was taken at least two years ago as my Goddaughter (said bump) is now over two years old and I have had the photo waiting to be scrapped for an age. 
  2. Jack's 4D scan photos. I've just booked a 4D scan for Jack's little brother so it's really about time I got my scrap on. And it's the last of Jack's scan photos I would like to scrap although I think I'll include a scan photo for Jack's Gramdma's album so coming in at number 3...
  3. A 2D scan photo of Jack for my Mum's album.
  4. Which reminds me - look through my Mum's 'Jack' album and take a note of what is missing.
  5. Work on my neice's and nephew's albums. I have five on the go and a neice on the way. Love it!
  6. A Disney page. Just because I haven't scrapped a Disney page in so long and I really want to start filling up my American Crafts D-ring album and putting my WRMK divided page protectors to good use. Specifically I'd like to scrap the Hollyday Hollywood Parade we watched at MGM Studios in December 2007 as I have a lot of photos that I would like to include in my album but don't want to commit a whole 12x12 page to each photo so the divided page protectors will come in really handy here. 
  7. Scrap The Bump's scan photos. So far I've have three scans and no scrapping. But The Bump is still in that too scared to start, too important a project to 'mess it up' stage in my scrappy thought process so maybe that's one for after August. And I haven't found an album that makes me go oooh buy, buy, buy yet... 
  8. Which brings me nicely on to number 8. Decide on an album for The Bump.  
  9. Organise, remove duplicates and order more photos for Jack's 'normal' photo albums and add journaling.
  10. Back-up photos from old and new laptop, and take external hard-drive to my Mum's for her to copy and keep a second back-up. 
Not too much to be getting on with. Hopefully I'll be back soon with some progress to report!

Every month, we blog ten things on the tenth.  Your ten things can be absolutely anything you feel like sharing.  Pop on over to Shimelle's blog and link to your specific blog post so we can all come read your own list of ten.

This post was also inspired by Shimelle Laine's new class Cover to Cover

Wednesday 9 May 2012

what i LOVE about you... {take two}

...or should that be take three... I scraplifted my what i LOVE about you... page which was orginally a scraplift of Jaime Warren's page as part of the recent online scrapbooking event Shimelle Laine ran. Are you still with me? what i LOVE about you {lets just call it take two} is a page for my little neice or nephew's album.


Again I used Echo Park's Dots and Stripes Metropolitan and Candy Shoppe kits, but this time I added a lot more pink, some paper blooms and a pretty Petaloo bloom. I used my new Big Shot flower die to cut the layered flower and to add some dark blue embellishments - who knew it was possible to be dark blue embellishmentallty challenged..? And some of my new Queen & Co Trendy Tape (I'm loving the tape but had to reign myself in from using too much - it's addictive!). The alphas are a mixed of Thickers, Bo Bunny Boo to You and AdornIt. I've added some buttons, ribbon, tulle and a decorative pin as well. I've left lots of space for their Mummy to add some journalling too. Aren't they the cutest??

It's all about the photos

I am an online printer kinda gal, I don't even own a home printer (at least not one that doesn't live in a cupboard under the stairs without any ink or any idea of whether it actually works or not...). I order all my prints online from Truprint. It's more economical for me and I like the professional finish of a photo from a professional printer rather than from a home printer.I mainly print 4x6. I like how it looks on the page and I like that you can easily add more than one to a 12x12 layout.

My photo process goes a little something like this... point, shoot, delete, upload on to laptop in year/month order, delete, move 'working' photos (i.e. photos of layouts for blogging/design team work/items for sale) upload what is left to Truprint - share with friends/family depending on content of photos. If we have attended a birthday party in March then I'll share my March album with the relevant people via Truprint. I have a 'family' share list that get everything, like it or not. Some of them use my Truprint photos to create their own albums - my Gran has her own physical photo album of Jack that she orders directly from the photos I share with her on Truprint. She's 75 and that rocks as far as I am concerned! The last thought in my photo process is to back-up my photos on to my external hard drive - that still hasn't happened but 'one day' SOON!


I store my prints in a mix of Paperchase photo boxes and RUB photo boxes. They live on a shelf on my Expedit unit (behind the monkey). I would have pulled them out to take a photo but at 26 weeks pregnant and only 4' 11 leaning over my desk is a challenge I can live without.

The photos from my WDW 2007 live in the Paperchase boxes, one RUB houses Jack's photos and one RUB houses everything else - simple. I have a few photo wallets/envelopes for photos that have been given to me for my neices and nephews albums or baby scan photos (next to my recent addition - Monkey - I won him on the PlayMerrily Toys Blog - go check out their amazing toys).

I haven't placed an online photo order since before Christmas and I don't intend to place one anytime soon. Not for scrapbooking purposes anyway. I have plenty photos to scrap and it is my intention to work on these as much as possible before baby boy bump arrives in August. I am going to place an online order for 'normal' photo albums though. Jack has four 'normal' 4x6 photo albums (two full, two empty) and I would like to go through these taking out all the duplicates. I kept, printed, 'albummed' every photo I took of Jack in the first few months after he was born before realising that 10 shots of Jack in the exact same position is not neccessary and that I was going to need 10 albums just for his first year!

This post was inspired by Shimelle Laine's new class Cover to Cover.

Where Am I?

...with my scrapbooks/scrapbooking? I started off scrapping the cat. I spent many a Saturday snapping photos of him, buying catty supplies and I didn't even own a scrapbook album. I have a few pages to show for my efforts, a few, not many. Something else 'came up'; I went to Walt Disney World (twice) and I'm still scrapping those holidays. To be brutally honest, I'm got bored of scrapping the cat and I'm OK with that and so is he. He's 8 now and retired, he's happy the paparazzi photo shoots are no more.

My first trip to WDW in 2005 lives in three postbound albums (one bright pink Papermania album that was bought for another project entirely - that I never quite got around to - that's OK, there is always 'one day'), one Tinkerbell album all the way from WDW and one K&Co American travel themed album that I coveted for two whole years before buying it (cheaply in the states on my second trip in 2007). Although I think of my first holiday to WDW albums as 'finished' I am quite happy to return to them if I want to.


The bright pink album is also home to all my random layouts (and by random I mean anything that is not a WDW page or about my little boy; Jack) - the cat, a random Christmas page that I made for  a cybercrop on UKS and I think that's about as random as I've got. I'm not a 'Project Life' scrapbooker but maybe I will be 'one day'. There is no reason why my first trip to WDW lives with my random pages, only that there were enough page protectors left in the pink album to house all of these miscellaneous pages once I'd decleared my 2005 WDW trip 'closed' (but not officially).

My second trip to WDW has three albums. One postbound 12x12 DCWV Once Upon a Time album (it was our honeymoon - it would have been rude not to buy this album), one American Crafts ring binder with different sized page protectors (all empty at the moment - another 'one day' work in progress) and a 6x12 (by a manufacturer I can't remember). There was an EK Success Mickey Mouse 8x8 album but you can read all about its demise here. These pages in these albums aren't in order, there is no rhyme or reason to which photos are 6x12 or 12x12. I just scrap whatever I fancy at the time or I might follow one of the challenges on UKS or on the Disney Scrappers Ning, it's random, not thought out at all and unfinished and I am happy with that. Maybe 'one day' I'll go back, fill in the gaps, make sense of it all but I scrap for the enjoyment it gives me now and I don't mind if I've left out a day or two or three or four...

Jack has two 12x12 albums - one for his first year and one thereafter. This will change as I scrap more of his baby photos but for now this is my 'filing system'. Both albums are postbound and felty touchy feely works of art from Amanda Blu. I have big plans for 12x12 ring binders as well - I wanna mix it up - I want different sized page protectors - 'one day'. There is no rush.


All of these albums live on the shelves of our Expedit entertainment unit in the livnigroom where everyone can see them and everyone is encouraged to take a peek. Even Jack, although under supervision. He has form for trying to steal my embellishments.

I have one lonely DCWV Once Upon a Time 12x12 album that lives in Expedit unit/desk in the corner of my bedroom. I won it in a competition on the DCWV blog. I have no plans for it but maybe 'one day' I'll add pages of my boys adventures or their first trip to WDW... I hope you have enjoyed my trip down album lane.

This post was inspired by Shimelle Laine's class Cover to Cover.

Thursday 26 April 2012

I Will Scrap This {the one with the green man}

Jack arrived home from nursery recently armed with a masterpiece! Having been given free reign to paint anything he wanted he painted 'the green man'. At first the nursery teachers weren't sure what he was talking about but once they realised that he had painted a set of traffic lights with the correct colours and in the right order they were very impressed!! Well done little man. Love Mummy x

'The Green Man' by Jack Age 3 1/2

Friday 20 April 2012

Back to the Magic

I picked up this cute 8x8 Mickey Mouse album while we were on honeymoon in Orlando in 2007. Once home and scrapping, I found 8x8 scrapping wasn't my thing. I just don't work well with this size, I don't know why as I love 4x6, 6x12 and 12x12 so what's up with 8x8? Who knows, but after a few pages I was sold on the idea of giving up gracefully. Recently, I sold the 8x8 album but was left with a stack of lonely pages sitting on my craft desk.

Continuing in the stash busting spirit (and generally clearing my craft desk) I decided to repurpose my pages for some 12x12 living.


I stuck each layout onto a sheet of 12x12 cardstock and added some embellishments. For some reason my original 8x8 pages didn't have many bulky embellies. I have no idea why. I wish I could ask my former scrappy self - why so flat? Did I have an aversion to foam pads perhaps?! I also added some long awaited journalling to each page. Hey younger me - why no journalling?! Now I have some new(ish) layouts for our honeymoon album and more space on my desk.

Tuesday 17 April 2012

Where's your smiles for Mummy

Where's your smiles for Mummy is a phrase that Jack has heard a lot. Much to my enjoyment he is currently going through a happy to be photographed stage. I can't lie; never looking at the camera and the inability to stay still for one nano second was not my bag. I'm so pleased we've moved on to this new poser stage. I'm fully prepared that it won't last and I am making the most of it armed and dangerous with my point and shoot. But there was the captive audience stage where he couldn't move (much), didn't comment on his outfits and happily posed all the time (although it's safe to say he didn't have many other options).

Ages ago I made use of a special offer at Truprint for a collage print. I had no idea what I was going to do with my print but I think it was always my intention to chop it up. As a scrapper who relies on online photo printing I am always looking for ways to print in a size other than 4x6 (although I love my 4x6 dont' get me wrong) and this seemed like a great idea. It's really simple to create, just pick your photos and Truprint (or I'm sure any online photo printer) does the rest. 

In the spirit of using existing supplies, and I include my pre-printed photos in this, I thought it was about time I put this collage to good use. Three years sitting in my craft room was not part of my grand master scrapping plan (I just checked my Truprint order history which goes back to early 2010 - this order isn't even there). Time to get scrapping!

Keeping the layout Truprint had already given me all I had to do was cut the photos and stick them down in the same order (losing a column and a little from one of the photos on the left hand side to make this it fit onto a 12x12 sheet but I am sure you can order collages in A4 to get around this. 


I added a couple of strips of papers, a title, embellies and some journalling - a super quick layout with lots and lots of photos to look back on.

Supplies include; kraft cardstock, Bella Blvd. Baby Boy paper, stickers and chipboard, Simple Stories Baby Steps alphas, gems, brads and Thickers.

Sunday 15 April 2012

Rollin Rollin Rollin

When Jack first started to roll, he rolled only to the left. When he reached the sofa he would indicate that he wanted to be taken back to his starting position at the opposite side of the rug. Such a precious memory, I wish I had blogged/scrapped this at the time as we had to do a little detective work (looking back at old photos and video) to remember the details. This makes me sad but makes me even more determind to blog/jot down (scrap!!) the little details and the big milestones as they happen. This is even more important to me with Jack's little brother on his way! How do you scrap with two??? Practically? Will there be time? How do you decide who to scrap?! I'd love to hear your strategies?

This page was inspired by Shimelle's second challenge to mix three or more paper collections on one layout. I have to be honest I NEVER do this. I am a lazy scrapper. I don't want to spend too much time on one page. I don't have (or at least I didn't think I had) time to search through collections upon collections to find papers that match. I simply scrap by collection, adding the odd embellishment from another collection/manufacturer but generally sticking to one range. I was ready to mix it up, to give this challenge a go and I am so pleased that I did.

I think I cheated a little however, as I picked collections that have really quite obvious and similar themes - baby boy and animals.


Supplies include; Bazzill (kraft cardstock), MME Lime Twist Fly a Kit (blue star and grey/brown polka dot papers, red stars transparency), LYB Babysaurus (yellow stripe paper and stickers), Bella Blvd. Baby Boy (yellow cloud paper, star and bodysuit borders stickers and chipboard), LYB Baby Boy Safari (chipboard and journalling spot), Ki Memories Puffies (red flowers) and American Crafts (Thickers). Plus some lace, tulle and decorative pins.

I love the introduction of the red from MME - I would never have thought to add red to the other collections. I am so pleased with the results that I am going to keep these supplies together all mixed up. Here's to mixing it up and blogging/jotting things down more!

Friday 13 April 2012

what i LOVE about you...

I've really been struggling to scrap this photo of my gorgeous Goddaughters. The colours of their clothes didn't fit with any of the pink girlie collections I had bought to scrap their pages. So the photo has been lying in a drawer for ages unscrapped. Until today...

Insprired by Shimelle's first challenge (Shimelle is hosting an online scrapbooking event this weekend) and armed with Echo Park's Dots and Stripes Metropolitan and Candy Shoppe kits I made this:


Lots of mad colours (in my opinion) that I would have never thought to use together but love the result. I added some buttons, lace, tulle, gems and decorative pins along with some journalling spots for their Mummy to complete. I'm really pleased that I have finally managed to scrap this page and that I am happy with the results.

Wednesday 11 April 2012

I will Scrap This {the one with the mother's day plant}

My all time favourite Mother's Day present is a plant Jack grew at nursery. I had no idea he had been growing it, it was a lovely surprise to see him running in the front door armed with a Mother's Day gift - he was so proud of himself.

This is Jack last week with his plant and his Easter gift from his Grandma and Grandad - his own gardening set. I am loving this new super posing phase he is 'growing' through. I better make the most of it before he changes his mind!






Tuesday 10 April 2012

Easter Baskets

**I promise this is the last post from me today. You'll not hear another peep from me, honest**

I bought a stack of Easter decorations last year in the Easter sale at my local garden centre. I wanted to use the decorations to make some Easter baskets this year. Not one to leave things to the last minute I popped into town on Saturday morning for some wicker baskets and shredded tissue paper. Luckily Clintons had everything I needed.

I added one and half packets of shredded tissue paper to each, creating what Jack calls 'a nice cosy bed' for the contents of my basket. With hindsight they could've probably done with two packets each.

I untied and retied two felt butterfly decorations plus a chick decoration and hung these on the handle of each basket. On the opposite side I added two flower pegs. I tied three peices of ribbon to the handles and untied and retied a felt rabbit or chick (bought in Tesco a few years ago) as well. I added a wooden flower decoration and lots of egg decorations along with some chocolate eggs and hearts to each basket. Once I had decided on my design it didn't take long to make these at all.


P.S. Pop over to the Craft Island blog to see my Easter Basket using paper mache eggs. Remember to check out this months 6x6 competition too.

10 on the Tenth in April

10 Things in April brings you... 10 random things {you may or may not know} I am looking forward to right now:
  1. Baby's arrival in August.
  2. Watching Jack with his little baby brother.
  3. The arrival of my little neice or nephew in October.
  4. My birthday this month.
  5. Our first trip to Disney World as a family (Grandparents, in-laws, the lot!). Planned for October 2015! 
  6. My maternity leave. Spending time with my boys and being a 'proper' Mummy for a little while.
  7. A week off work in May.
  8. Changing Jack's room into a big boys bedroom complete with midsleeper car themed bed with a tent underneath!
  9. Going to bed tonight (Jack is waking up during the night for a pee pee/tissue/Calpol/stairgate check (it must be closed)/general attempt to sleep in our bed) = tired Mummy.
  10. Christmas! Our first Christmas as a family of four and our first Christmas dinner at my in-laws with three children.
Every month, we blog ten things on the tenth.  Your ten things can be absolutely anything you feel like sharing.  Pop on over to Shimelle's blog and link to your specific blog post so we can all come read your own list of ten.

P.S.Check out the new competition over on the Craft Island blog. The closing date is Friday 27th April. Here is a cheeky wee 'egg'xample from me.

Country Style Clutter

A little over a year ago I discovered Country Style Clutter. Country Style Clutter is based in Edzell at the foot of the Angus Glens in the North East of Scotland. In the shop you will find hand painted hearts, wall hangings and decorative works of art for your home. Linda is the artist behind the shop front and is one of the loveliest people you could ever meet.

Linda has sent me so many gorgeous items for my home and for my friends and family over the last year or so. I don't think there is a room in my home without a little Country Style Clutter. And if there is, then it's only because I haven't got around to placing my order yet (I'm thinking of the door signs for the bathroom and the downstairs loo). I always think of Linda when a friend gets married or has a baby. I've lost count how many friends and family have Country Style Clutter works of art in their homes. I have sent Country Style Clutter as far as Austraila.

In my recent order Linda popped these little extras in for Jack. How delighted was I? I am going to stick this to Jack's bedroom door in a superstar dressing room fashion.


Jack was delighted with his lovely Easter gingerbread man with his name on! He is gingerbread men daft so much so that we still have a gingerbread man air freshener from Christmas in the car!



This Happy Easter heart is a little something that Linda 'popped' in my order last year. Isn't it the cutest. I have mentioned to Linda that smaller versions of her creations would be welcome additions to my scrapbook pages. Watch this space and hound Linda until she makes some handmade wooden embellishments!!

On the Move

I did it. I made the big move all the way across the landing from craft room to crafty corner. After a big clearout; selling, recycling, donating anything that I was definitely never going to use my crafty supplies been somewhat plundered but I still didn't expect it all to fit into the space we EVENTUALLY found in our bedroom!


My old craft room with my extra large craft desk which was originally bought for a much bigger room plus lots of 'dumping ground stuff'.


My crafty drawers (oo er missus) and shelves plus a multi-gym (as you do) (not mine obviously).

I didn't do anything forward thinking like, measure the space or the new desk. I'd decided on an 4x2 Expedit unit with desk from Ikea and that is what we bought. I'd kinda worked where everything would go in my head but no proper thought or planning had gone into it. So I thought we had nothing better to do than rearrange some furniture and to build my unit and desk. Simples. Ahem. NOTHING fitted. EVERY new idea we had fell foul to me not being able to maneuver myself plus bump though the teeny tiny spaces we were creating between bits of bedroom furniture. After a whole morning of shifting we finally found a solution which by some weird twist of fate actually makes the bedroom look bigger?!?  


Before - lots of mess in our bedroom.


Finally someone decides to do some measuring.
 

A Little helper. Jack loves nothing better than mess and furniture building. I hope he is so eager when we change his bedroom furniture to put his nursery furniture into the baby's room.


Ta da!! It's all there every last bit of craft stuff. I'm enjoying it all being within reach and it's all much more visable than before. Now just gotta get crafting!!