FREE!

The classes have started to go live over at Bad Girls.
If you fancy taking a class or two from the comfort of your own home, then pop over to the message board and take a peep at the wonderful classes put together by the Bad Girls DT.
Im just loving Ania's recycled loo roll project -

If you want to see how she made this then check out her class today!

Its all FREE too!!

Hubs has decided that my scrap space needs an overhaul....so he is off to IKEA to go buy stuff whilst I stay home alone and start to reorganise again!
Ive decided I want to go for the less is more approach - Im going to be really ruthless and LOTS has to go!
Ive opted for the Expedit units from IKEA - after reading how useful these are I think they will be perfect and should help me lighten the load!
I love that feeling when you have purged yourself and are free of the clutter and everything is organised and tidy - just how long it lasts remains to be seen!

Sorting stash - here I come.

T.x.x.x

Boo!

Its been days since I blogged so I'd better catch up.....be warned this is long!!

Being sick has really hit me harder than I thought....its given me the wake up call I needed to make some pretty drastic but much needed life changes!!
Its certainly no fun being whisked away at full pelt with the sound of blues and twos ringing in your ears!I really have never felt as frightened before in my entire life and seeing how worried Hubs and the Guys were has added to my determination to make sure that over the next few weeks I do exactly as Ive been told and will rest up LOTS!

Initially Hubs was told the Docs suspicions - tests were carried out - the Junior Doc treating me in Rhesus wasn't happy so she called in her Boss....lots of prodding and poking happened and all I can remember was me begging the Docs to "back off" with their needles and leave me alone in a darkened room to sleep!

24 hours later after being hydrated and fed Morphine like it was going out of fashion I started to feel a little more human.
Docs thought it was possible I had suffered my first ever Migraine - so with me feeling Okish I pleaded to be allowed home - the Doc relented and I was outta there as fast as my aching limbs would allow.

It turns out that I wasn't experiencing a Migraine at all but had in fact contracted Aseptic Meningitis - which explains why after a week I'm am still suffering and feel like I need to be left alone in a dark corner so I can bang my head against the wall!!

I'm off back to the hospital again tomorrow to undergo even more tests so the Docs know exactly which course of anti b's I need to fight off this nasty!

Over the past few days Ive been trying to do business as normal - given I was under the illusion the pain in my head was the aftermath of Migraine - I thought I could just carry on as "normal" and eventually the hangover feeling would disappear......

"Normality" for me included a couple of nights away from home as we joined our buddies on a camping trip - in Force 10 gales with rain lashing down - the thought of jacking it all in and heading home to the comfort of my bed passed through my mind on more than one occasion - but the Guys were having fun and that's all that kept me going - well that and a handful of painkillers every now and then!!!!!


I can highly recommend Stowford Farm Meadows if anyone is looking for a family place to stay - its surrounded by beautiful countryside and there's plenty of activities to occupy everyone.....even in the rain!


It was fun and we did laugh - I just wished my head didn't feel like a freight train was whizzing through it every time I moved - Jumping in to my own bed after a couple of nights roughing it was sheer bliss!

With the Guys on half term hols Hubs has taken the week off and has been looking after things whilst I've slept and plodded around the house.
Ive managed to scrap a little here and there in between dozing and generally being very listless!




Vibrant is definitely a word I would use to describe June's Bad Girl kit - which was a sheer pleasure to work. I dug out a box of Golden Paint Mediums and got very messy whilst working with the kit. I'd forgotten how much fun scrapping can be when you start experimenting with paint.

Friday sees the start of The Bad Girls Summer Workshop.....with over 10 FREE classes, challenges and prizes up for grabs over the duration of the weekend there is sure to be something to inspire you to get busy and create....check it out here.

With me feeling Yack 99% of the past week its not been so much fun for the guys so Hubs took them off to Bristol today to go and enjoy a few hours BMXING at Motion Indoor BMX Venue.....a great time was had by all apparently :)






Another week over - highs and lows - tears and laughter - lessons learnt.

Ain't life just perfect!!!

T.x.x.x

Scary Times!

Its been a scary few days in this house but all is now well thanks to the UK's wonderful NHS.I know the service gets a bashing from time to time, but having spent time at their mercy I have nothing but praise for the Docs and Nurses at our local hospital.....the chef could do with a lesson from Jamie Oliver tho! - cold lumpy porridge for breakfast is hardly going to temp anyone's appetite!

Nothing much else to report - little scrapping achieved due to circumstances beyond my control.....Ive only managed 2 LO's this week - which is most unusual for me!!




With the Bank Holiday weekend fast approaching I'm taking some time out and plan to do nothing but chill out and rest up.
My Bad Girls kit has arrived so I'm sure I'll find some time to have a little play:)
What do you have planned for this wet weekend??????
Hope its fun.

T.x.x.x

The Bowl!

The guys have had a weekend skating at the local skate bowl.

It's there favourite place to go and hang out with friends.

They would skate 24/7 if we let them!

I suppose we shouldn't grumble.....at least they are active and healthy unlike some teenage kids out there.

I used photographs which were taken last year whilst J was skating at The Bowl for my my Pencil Lines layout this week.

The sketch was created by Tina McDonald , who was one of the recent sketch competition winners.

I loved the sketch and found it perfect for creating a lettersized LO - which seems to be my preferred size to scrap atm.

I've used a multitude of manu's on the page - PP's from Love Elsie, Urban Lilly, Jenni Bowlin and Scenic Route plus a lil bit of Hambly, with buttons from my stash box! The alphas for the title are Scenic Route letter stickers which I outlined using a white Signo pen to give them a little *pop*.

Things are getting busier over at Bad Girls , as scrappers worldwide start preparing themselves for a weekend Scrappinfrenzy....the Summer Workshop is crammed packed full of classes from the likes of MMMaster Iris Babao Uy, Alison Schubert and the oh so talented original Bad Girl, Wendy Rago!

Make sure you don't miss out on popping by to check out the classes, which BTW are all totally FREE!!!!!

Here's a lil sneaky of my class -

Happy days....tweet tweet!

T.x.x.

This week!

I'm not really sure what has happened to this week - its seems to have whizzed by.
The beautiful sunshine has meant Ive been busy outside in the garden :)
Its looking really grand now and I'm hoping that by my birthday all of the plants will be in full bloom :)
We have planted up some Pumpkin seeds and the race is on - we are having a competition to see who can grow the biggest in time for the 31st Oct!
J really is into his gardening which is a great positive focus for him - especially as school is pants atm :(

Its been a ploddy sort of week and I guess the family highlight of our week was eating out on Wednesday night - midweek outings never happen for us so it was a refreshing and welcomed change after a day spent in the garden!

We took ourselves off to one of the pubs in a local village - the Nacho's are to die for, but tend to be very spicy, which is fine if you like Hot Hot Hot - Bobs was insistant that he would be able to cope with a small portion, but I don't think he expected the jalapenos to be quite as fiery as they were! Ouch!!!! Ive never seen him drink water so quickly before! LOL!

I had a wonderful surprise yesterday - this little loot was delivered by Mr Postie.

A big thanks to

Anam for sending me some yummy Riff Raff to play with.
I have an idea for the tree and can't wait to play later on today!

Scrapping wise Ive been busy and have had a few magazine assignments to complete - no sneakies to share I'm afraid;)
Ive also been plotting and planning for this event

Get yourself over to Bad Girls if you want to take part in a weekend of classes created by some of the industries finest.....Ive seen the projects designed by the DT members and believe me when I say they will rock your socks off! Gloria's class is totally amazing and Ania's - well its probably one of the most inspiring classes Ive ever seen!
With 10 FREE classes available over the duration of the weekend, it promises to be a fun filled scrap packed weekend.
Hope to see you there!

T.x.x.

Pottering

Its been a pottering weekend for us.
Just messing about in the garden soaking up the sunshine, whilst adding a little more colour to our lives.



Hubs planted more plants in the garden, whilst having help from the hound (who decided he just had to be involved in all of the the outside activities - much to Hubs annoyance!)


The guys hung out with friends, doing what boys do when the sun shines - having water bomb fights!!

Bobs came home and complained he was cold! WHAT???? It was 74 degrees!!

Nothing much else to report - its been a restful and chilled out weekend - mainly thanks to my puta giving up and closing down on Friday afternoon!!! - Bloomin updates are a PITA especially when they update a pile of poo to your puta which then screws up everything!!

Thankfully I know "a man who can" and he got rid of the nasties :)

This weeks Pencil Lines Sketch was provided by Breanne Crawford, someone whom I admire lots. I love her scrapping style and have done since I first stumbled across her work last year over on SiSTV - go check out Breanne's blog - she is so talented and I love her photography.

My interpretation of the sketch was created using products from Scenic Route Grafton collection and a few buttons from my stash box.

The photographs were taken last summer when J and my friends boy enjoyed a skim boarding session down on the beach - they had so much fun that day, that it was almost impossible to get them out of the water! It was way past 10pm before I persuaded them that it was just too late to be skimming anymore!

T.x.x

Toot Toot

With the South West basking in glorious sunshine for most of this week, I've kept myself busy pottering in the garden.

Whilst I've been tending to the garden, Ive been enjoying tunes from this guy - Donovan Frankenreiter.



I'm so looking forward to seeing him perform live for my big 4-0 birthday celebrations in June.
This guys philosophy on life really inspires me - he is a happy person and is the first to admit it.

“I’ve talked to people who’ve asked ‘why don’t you write more depressing songs? Sure, I have bad days like anyone else, but mostly, I feel lucky. When I pick up a guitar, I feel good. It makes me want to open a bottle of wine and have a party, and that’s what I’d like people to feel when they listen to my music.”

His music makes me feel happy - its true that we all have bad days - but whats the point in festering and wallowing in doom and gloom?
Personal life experiences have taught me that life is far to short to surround yourself in negativity - life is for living and enjoying.
Even the bad days can be good if you look for that silver lining - being positive in life surely can't be a bad thing - or is it???

I don't know whether its because I have a child with special needs, that I view the world differently??
The smallest of achievements that J makes are huge steps for us as a family - simple everyday things, which are taken for granted by many, are celebrated by us.
Learning to tie shoe laces has taken us an age to teach J - but he learnt to tie his laces properly yesterday - and he is 12 - so a huge TOOT TOOT is in order for my boy!

With the garden now looking a lot more colourful, I settled myself down to a lil crafting session, as its my Mom's birthday next week I needed to dig out my cardmaking box! I haven't made any cards in such a long time, but I really enjoyed the quick "fix" it gave me.



Card completed meant I had time for some scrapping too!



T.x.x

Hazy, Lazy Days

Whoo hoo!

The sun is shining and the surf is up - happy smiley faces all around :)




There is no better way to escape from it all, than to head for the beach - sun, surf and sand means plenty of good times are guaranteed to be had by all.
I love days when we can just head off and enjoy time with friends down at the beach.....making memories is the best.

T.x.

NSD

Celebrating National Scrapbook Day with the ladies from my crop was a complete pleasure.
As always we had a huge feast, plenty of natter and chatter with scrapping thrown in to make it a great get together.
We managed a total of three LO's in between all the natter....








I have a couple of kits left over from the crop - all you need, plus a lot more, to complete the above LO's with full instructions are included - email me if you are interested in purchasing a bumper 12x12 baggie of stash :)



Whilst I was busy croppin with my pals, the gals over on ScrapDreamie were sharing a collection of classes - you can download the PDF's here.

I came home to find I had no net connection again - sometimes its a PITA living in such a remote area. Given the choice of living in the city with all the mod cons at hand 24/7, or here, in rural Devon with its slower pace of life and behind the times services - I would always opt for the latter - there is no choice really - I just wish sometimes we didn't lose our connection to the wonders of the net so bloomin often!!
Friends came round for supper last night - their kids ate with mine before the "young un's" were banished to the den, allowing us "grown ups" time to dine with no disruptions.
We ate far too much and as soon as we settled down in front of the fire to watch a movie - I did exactly what I said I would and fell fast asleep!!!
The shame of it! LOL!

This weeks Pencil Lines sketch is live and was designed by the very talented Debbie Jewell....go check out her sketch and totally inspiring LO.
I used papers from Sassafras to complete my take on the sketch, which records a fun afternoon sand jumping with a friend and her boys.





Have a good Bank Holiday - be happy.
T.x.

Pocketfull of Posies

May's Bad Girls Kit "Pocketfull of Posies" is live!

Check out the other DT's amazing creations here















The sun is shining today :)

T.x.