A-Z of Me

As I mentioned in a previous blog post (which can be seen HERE) I had completed the pages of a 6x6" album titled "A - Z of Me".

Although 26 layouts were hard work to plan, part of me did enjoy it.  When it came to putting the layouts together I did not really think that I would be able to complete all 26 in 1 day, but I did!

All in all I am pleased with the album and have a couple of layouts that are really special & I love so much, see the bottom of this post to find out which ones :)

My layouts will be going with all of the other A-Z albums to a crop on Saturday, those attending will get chance to vote for their favorite.  I will let you know how my album gets on.

In the mean time I did promise to post the photos of the finished 12x12" pages (with 4 smaller pages to each 12x12 page).  I completed the title page and the last page last night so here they are hot off the press.

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

Page 6

Page 7

Page 8

My special layouts are:

• Anxiety - When I look back at how I was 20-25 years ago I would not have believed how my life was going to turn out
• Ufo - It took several attempts to get the journalling right, but I love the look of this page
• You Are To Me - DH asked if he could write the words to describe what I mean to him, I did mean to get him to sign the journalling

National Scrapbook Day 2013

Saturday seems a very long time away now, and it is only Tuesday! However I did promise to include some pictures of our National Scrapbooking Day crop on 4th May, so here goes...

First of all I must say that the SkelliScrapers had set ourselves a challenge - Create a A-Z album (6x6) for any topic of your choice.

Preparation could be done before 4 May, but you could not assemble any pages in advance.  You had from the 4th May to 18 May to complete your album.  Each of us paid £1 to take part and on Saturday 18 May all albums would be judged (at another groups crop) and the winner would get the prize money.

The challenge was set back in Feb/March so we had plenty of time for planning - I had decided that I would create a A-Z of ME.

My planning consisted on creating a A4 folder with a sheet for each letter, working out what each letter would stand for and what I wanted to include in the journalling.  For each letter I had printed out the journalling and cut it to shape (using my Labels 7 die set), cut out the letters required using a 'Go Kreate' alphabet die.  I also sorted out what background paper I wanted to use, printed any photos, cut any matts & sorted out what embellishments to use.

The good news with this album is that I have been able to use 6x6 paper pads I already had sitting on the shelf along with odd scraps - in total I only used about 4 x A4 pieces of card stock :)

All I had to do on the day was to pull everything together.  Despite this I was not expecting to have completed all 26 layouts in 6 hours - after all that would mean approx 1 layout every 14 minutes!!!

Here are a few photos taken on the day:

Organisation in action - This is the page for 'F' my Title letters, journalling, photos, matts and embellishments are all in the money bag for safe keeping.

Naomi, Ann & Sue F

Sue H & Emma

 We all made good progress with our albums, here was the last letter I completed on the day:

YES, I managed to complete all 26 layouts - and we stopped for a lunch break!

My planning payed off, all I have left to do now is create a title page.  As these 6x6 layouts are going to be part of my "Book of Me" 4 of the alphabet layouts have been mounted onto a 12x12 page.

I will be taking photos of the 12x12 pages, I have not got around to it yet, but I will post them here once I  have.

US... The early years

This is the title of a double layout created for my "Book of Me" scrapbook.  I wanted to record our journey together, what happened and when, this was going to be a mainly text based page, with just a couple of small photos.

It took me a long while to get the dates together, at the time (back in 1997 & 1998) DH was using Lotus 123 and not Microsoft Office, so all of the calendar info I knew we kept was in a format we could no long read.  However we found a way to view the Text version of the calendar entries... I then had to look at each text entry, I then decided to transfer them all to our Google Calendar.

This done I could then start to decide which dates/events I wanted to use.  My last job was to find a few photos of us taken in 1997/8.

Here are the finished pages...

A few of my highlights include:

• Our first kiss
• Our first official date
• Meeting DH's Mum
• When DH asked me to marry him
• Our first Christmas together
• Getting Married

In total this page includes 22 dates & events between March 1997 & July 1998.

Happy Scrapping :)

Another new Layout

Last week at our local crop I was able to completed 1 layout and make a start on another one. Both are for my Book of Me.

The first takes me back to when I was 12/13 years old and features a computer game... you know you are getting old when you find computer games you played as a kid in a Museum!!

Does anyone else remember "Chuckie Egg"?

Once I have finished the 2nd layout I will post that too.

Happy Crafting.

WOYWW - 10 November 2012

It has been a while since I have joined Whats On Your Workdesk Wednesday, but this week I decided to make an effort.

Sitting on my desk this week are 3 layouts waiting to be put away in my scrapbook albums.  They were all created last week at a local Crop.


8x8 Layout, this is another page for my Florida 2010 album.



This 12x12 layout is for my Book of Me & features my first ever Computer!

This double 12x12 layout was created using photos taken in Lincoln Cathedral last year.

Wishing everyone a Happy Wednesday :)

Too Many Photos...

Is it possible to have too many photos???

I have started to look at the photos DH too while on our African Adventures (approx 2,000 photos in 14 days!) and decide which ones I want to print and use on my scrapbook pages.

After the last 2 Africa holidays in 2007 & 2009, I decided that I was not going to create a whole album for this trip.  I have however decided that I could not go without creating some pages, but I will be adding them to the back of the 2009 album.

What I have found is that after 2 trips to Africa to watch the wildlife, I have so many pages featuring many of the animals we also saw this trip.  So, this time I wanted to feature things that were different or unique to this trip.

I started this process the other day by looking through the pictures and writing a list of the animals or events I want to create pages about (along with the photo number).

I have now created a PowerPoint file and on each page I create a title and import the photos I want to use, this also gives me the chance to write any journaling.

Screen shot of one of the PowerPoint 'Slides' to be printed onto Photo paper (The font used is Lucida Calligraphy)

I can then take my A4 sheets and start to look for papers & embellishments to match each.

I would love to know how you go about scrapping your holidays or big events - do you plan ahead or just print out all the photos and have a pile left unused at the end????

Just before I sign off here are a couple of photos...

OK... I could not just choose a couple - I even had problems deciding on just 5!!!!! 

Happy Crafting :)

The end of an era...

While at our local Scrapbook Crop (held at The Craft Room in Lincoln) we were told that the shop would be closing in the next 2 weeks.

Last night was the last crop to be held before the close :( 

After much discussion last night we all decided that we needed to continue meeting up as the Scrapbooking was only one reason, the second (and main reason) is the social element of the craft. 

I have been scrapping since 2005 and for the last 3-4 years have been attending once or twice a month for the crop. Over this time I have made many friends, and at times the support network of friends is more important that meeting to scrap.

The good news is that between the 7 of us we hope to be able to meet at someones house.  The big difference will be not having a 'shop' full of stock to chose from...  I guess this means I will have to be mega organised!!!

They do say that as one door closes another opens, I am now looking forward to stepping through the door when the 7 of us meet up in 3 weeks time :)

What Happend to Wednesday??

What with the long Jubilee weekend I have really lost track of this week.  It did not twig that it was Wednesday until just after lunch time, when I was catching up on reading various blogs. 

As once I got home from work I had enough time to eat & then run out again to the Crop in Lincoln I did not get chance to take a photo of my work desk.

However the evening crop was great fun & I even got 2 layouts completed (and a 3rd half done) :)

Sue F runs a crop from her house during the week & started  monthly challenges, although I don't attend her crops anyone can take part in the monthly challenge. For June the word is 'Waiting'... so I thought & thought and came up with a couple of idea that I could take a photo for & then enter.

However when I got out some photos to scrap with I thought that the title of 'Waiting' would fit really well.  This was one of those pages that I found the 12x12 paper quickly and just put the photos on top to see if they would work well together.  Not only did the paper work well I loved the way in which the photos landed, so I took a photo & added some glue & put it back together!

Journalling Reads: This Sliver Back gorilla was seen at Disney's Animal Kingdom - 27 Nov 2010.

I was now on a roll so I reached into my bag for more photos.  The next set were small ones and I then remembered that my Florida 2010 album was a 8x8 - Ohh No... I had just completed the 'Waiting' layout on 12x12 cardstock!!!!!  The solution - I think as I have photoed the page I will just print it out 8x8 and add it as a Digi Layout!

So onto my second layout (on 8x8 cardstock this time!), this was a simple one with not much in the way of embellishments, I used a Mask & Snorkel set that I picked up whilst in America & the title of 'Us' is a hologram alphabet set (showing either white flowers on black or black dots on white).

Journalling Reads:  Us on the boat looking for manatee. Florida Adventure - 23 Nov 2010

More Florda Layouts

Last Wednesday was Crop night and I was able to complete 2 more layouts for my Florida Album (1 double & 1 single)...

Both layouts featured pictures taken at Wild Bill's Airboat Tours on 23 November 2010.

This single layout has the journalling "After our airboat ride we were introduced to a baby alligator."

The next 2 pages used picture taken while out on the airboat and the journalling reads "One sunny day when it was lovely and warm we went out onto the Withlacoochee River.  Flying over the water and into the swamps in an airboat.  We got wet and it was loud... but it was a lot of fun."

Left page

Right page

I started it... & now I have Finished it!

Last Wednesday at the Crop in Lincoln I started another Double Page Layout for my 8x8 Florida album.  When I start a page it can be weeks (and sometimes months) before it actually gets finished LOL.  However over the Easter Weekend I was able to get it finished.

Left Page

Right Page

The Journaling reads " While at Kennedy Space Centre we saw Space Shuttle Discovery on the launch pad.  All we could actually see of Discovery was the top of the orange fuel tank.  Discover launched on 24 Feb 2011."

The main paper used was from the Kennedy Paper Pack, mounted on white card (coloured with my distress inks).  I also used a Space Shuttle sticker from the Paper Pack as well as printing a copy of the 'Patch' worn by the Crew who would have flown in Discovery (STS133).  The small picture was taken from a pack I brought while at Kennedy.

Florida 2010 8x8 Layouts

At the Crop on Wednesday evening I was able to complete 1 x Double Layout and 1 x Single Layout & I must say that I am pleased with both.

1st the Single Layout...

I used background paper and a tag from the Paper Pack I brought from Kennedy Space Centre.  The little space man is a wooden button that I found at the NEC.

The Journalling reads - "Jimmy joined others on the Shuttle Lauch Experience.  As for me I watched from the gallery."

In the gallery was a TV screen showing those on the 'experience' I used my camera to take a photo and point out DH. 

The Double page layout featured the Newspaper you saw on my workdesk back on Wednesday morning...

Left Page

Right Page

The Journalling reads - "On 20 July 1969 the first man walked on the moon.  One display featured a selection of Newspaper front pages from around the world."

I took photos of a number of the newspapers and I wanted to use Newspaper print on the layout, so I kept a couple of pages from the daily newspaper that had columns of text - I then cut these into strips to use as part of the background.  The Layout was finished off with the Kennedy Space Centre logo (from the Paper Pack) and a rub-off split between the pages saying "The Eagle Has Landed".

8x8 Florida Album

It has been a while since I did any 8x8 pages - but as my Florida 2010 (yes, I know that I am 2 years behind LOL - but I'm getting there!) is based on 8x8 digital layouts, I decided that I would also do some traditional layouts for the album as well.

Here are the first of the traditional layouts...

a Double layout called 'Candle Light'

A Single Page layout featuring one of DH brilliant photos of the Epcot dome at night - I just love this photo!!

Over the next couple of months I hope to print out the digi pages and create more traditional pages.  I then will have a mix of both worlds in one album :)

Creating a Scrapbook for a Page-a-Day Calendar

In our office at work we currently have a Page-a-Day Calendar called 'The Secret Daily Teachings'  my colleague brought it and it is now read by most in our office.

As each day contains a thought or quote my colleague said that after the pages were read he wanted to somehow keep them so that he could look back.  I said that I would see what I could come up with.

My solution was to use a 12x12 scrapbook & to show the pages by weeks (this calendar is not dated, but lasts 365 days), I wanted there to be a theme to the album so decided to use papers from a PaperMania Paper Pack (I brought this pack when I stared Scrapping, but have used very few pages from it)

I have then taken 2 pieces of paper and laid out pages from 1 week:

What I plan to do is to place a 'die cut' tree in the space left over (this space moves around the pages to create a bit of variety). I have my eye on the Marianne Designs Creatables Tree (LR0203) which I hope to get at the NEC later this month.  

Once I have the die & have some pages finished I will add a update :)

Wednesday Evening Crop

I'm running a bit behind with my pictures at the moment, and I have only just photographed the 3 pages I completed last Wednesday evening at our local Crop in Lincoln.

All 3 pages are for my nephews album and as he is Danish the journalling is in both English & Danish.

Pirate Toast - Page 1

Pirate Toast - Page 2

I Wish...

I also have 3 more pages nearly finished, I just need to find the right embellishments!! They are one of those pages that you know what you want when you see it... I just have to start looking through my stash to find the right 'IT' :-)

2 More Layouts for my "Book of Me"

Last Wednesday was Crop evening in Lincoln, and I have only just been able to take photos of the 2 layouts I got completed.

A large part of the evening was taken just chatting :)  I do like craft evening like that, sometimes the social side is more important than the crafting.

Both of these layouts are for my Book of Me...

Grandad's Chair is about just that, the chair that was brough for & used by my gradad.  Even though he passed away many years ago the chair is still part of the furniture

I completed the Race for Life in 2010 in 55:23 minutes, my aim was under 1 hour. 

Book of Me Pages

Something I started a number of years ago was a 'Book of Me' featuring Scrapbook layouts about me as a person and DH & I as a couple.

I had not added any pages to this album for a while, however I had decided that I wanted to scrap something that happened before we were even engaged.  At the same time that I was thinking about how to scrap this topic I was scratching my head about what embellishments to use on the page. 

Then Little Claire Designs issued their Blog Challenge for January... Anything but a Card...  After looking though both my digi & clear stamps I had made a decision.

The reason for all of this head scratching about the embellishments is this... DH & I were unwrapping fridge magnets from their bubble wrap packaging to put them on sale, I told DH "I'll Unbubble 'em & you hang 'em up".  I should say at this point that DH & I share a sometimes silly sense of humour, this conversation got sillier & sillier until we had created a place called Usngus (otherwise know as Us 'n Gus).  Before too long we had created a Map of Usngus... this map was what I wanted to scrap!!

I know it is a bit of a long story, but just in case you were unable to read the journalling on the photo, I though I would explain all here.  

Right hand layout

This pair of owls was from Little Claire Designs & coloured with my ProMarkers

I am entering these into 2 challenges:
Little Claire Designs - Anything but a Card
I Love ProMarkers - Anything Goes

Don't Forget: If you want a chance to win my Blog Candy click here & follow the instructions.

Scrapbook Pages

At our local crop on Wednesday I completed a Double & Single Layout for my Scrapbooks.  It is not very often that I do pages for me, so this was an exception.

The Double Layout was created using pictures and bits from the Bruno Mars concert we went to in November.  This layout came together quite quickly once I had found the paper.

Bruno Mars - Left Hand Side



Bruno Mars - Right Hand Side

The Single Layout was about the Solitaire game we were given by friends in Canada, and the running battle DH & I have for winning games and getting high scores.

Solitaire Machine

I do have plans for more Layouts for my Albums so as I complete them I will add them to the Blog.

I've Missed WOYWW :(

For the first time since I found the Whats On Your Workdesk Wednesday I missed it :(

What was I thinking!!!  Yesterday was a busy day at work and as soon as I got home things just had to be done (including the pairing of black socks that I had been putting off... and off).

I then had time to find some papers to take with me to the Crop last night.  It was a very good evening with 6 of us attending.  I only completed 1 page (the last from our holiday in Denmark in March 2010) but I was happy with it.

As for the rest of the evening it was spent talking, talking and there was also a bit of planning involved as well.  I have printed a number of photos of our nephew when the family visited us in September, as the photos will go to create pages in his own 12x12 album any text needs to be in both English & Danish.  I have now worked out a numer of titles & what the jounalling is going to say... all I need now is the Danish translations :)

I have also finally finished 3 cards for the Little Claire Monthly Challange and will hopefully get them added by the weekend.

Crafty Evening

Last night was Crop Night... and a very good evening it was too :)

As you may have noticed by now my craft style is very "Less is More" and I don't 'do' fussy and complicated (it hurts my brain too much!)

At the last Crop I started on a layout of my Nephew on his Balance Bike, trying to find any embellishments that fitted was so hard - and ended up being impossible.  So I decided to do something I had never done before... Paper Applique (using paper to build a picture)!!

Using a image of a balance bike (which was the wrong colour) I cut out the different elements (frame, seat, wheels) and used them to create a patten which I cut in paper, add a few buttons and it was done. Here is the finished Balance Bike...

Once I had created my Balance Bike I went on to create the rest of the Layout, and here it is...

Creating the Bike took me about an hour and I then struggled with the words for the journaling, but got there in the end.

The remainder of the evening was taken up with cutting images from the 'My World' Cricut Cartridge, these will be used on the next layout I have started on.