Scrap Happy

Mr Postie delivered my first box of stash from Sassafras yesterday and Ive been playing!

Ive scrapped all day - October's Bad Girls kit is bursting with colour and perfect for the mountain of photos I have to scrap!


I sat in the garden this afternoon and scrapped my little heart out some more:D

I love days like today - the sun shining with clear blue skies above.
With the weather man promising the weekend is going to be just the same, Hubs and I have decided to spend the weekend sorting the garden out....trips to the DIY store for some odds and ends and a visit to the garden centre.

My day at Uni went well - its all a little daunting, but I really enjoyed myself and am looking forward to next week when we get given our first assignments......lots of paint and Gesso - yum!

T.x.x

Sunny Smiles

I'm loving this late summer we have been blessed with in the UK...long may it continue because its going to make the dark and gloomy days of winter feel so much shorter.
Although the sky remained crystal clear and the sun shone all day yesterday - it sure turned cold quickly last night and for the first time in almost 8 months we lit the log burner.....snuggled up on the sofa, with my lap top propped on my knees, I spent the evening editing wedding photos.

I just love this photo of little Max soo much - he is such a funny fella and I can't help but adore him.

Throughout the duration of the Wedding day Max was fleecing all of the adults by approaching them and asking if they had 50p spare - that boy must have made a fair few quid during the day - how could anyone resist his pleas for "more dosh" when he looked so darn cute in his page boy get up!
I love this one of Linz too - like me, she isn't a fan of having her photo taken - I just love the smile on her face - she was simply the happiest I have ever seen her and I think it shows...

I'm not going to upload anymore piccies of the wedding - (sorry Jules you will just have to wait til Linz gets back from her honeymoon =) ) - I want to save them for the happy couple - I bought a beautiful album for them yesterday from J&A Cameras, and can't wait to see it filled - I hope they like it

Poor J is home from school today - he has the horrid tummy bug that's doing the rounds atm :(
He has spent the day laying on the sofa sleeping or watching DVDs, whilst I scrapped a little.

Im planning on playing with my Bad Girls October DT kit tonight as it may calm my nerves......its my first day at Uni tomorrow - YIKES!!!
T.x.x.x

Ta da da dah

A little over 12 years ago Hubs and I spent some time doing a little match making - it never crossed our minds that their blind date would end up in marriage - but finally 8 years after he asked her if she fancied being "Mrs Tux" - they did it - basked in sunshine and surrounded by all those who love them.








and she even has new number plates to mark the occassion!

It was a magical day - perfect in every way.
Congrats to you both - may your life together be filled with love, peace and happiness and may the love you felt for one another on your special day, stay with you always.....

T.x.x.x

Who's getting married in the morning.......

YIKES! Just one more sleep til the big day....although I'm far too excited to sleep!
Its been a fun day - lunch with the "Bride to be"



followed by The Rehearsal....

Tomorrow they will be standing in this spot as Man and Wife!

I can not wait to see these two people, whom I care so much about, finally tie the knot.

It going to be a wonderful day - filled with so many happy memories and I cant wait to scrap the lot!

T.x.x.

Shoes & Bags....do me a favour!

Just two more days to go til the wedding.....I'm so excited and can't wait....neither can Bobs and J - they are really looking forward to seeing their Godparents get married.
I need to pop into town to go collect their suits this afternoon and its a good job I need to make this trip, as my wedding outfit is turning in to a bit of a nightmare....I found a dress with beautiful matching accessories (that I just love), but I am really having problems finding a pair of shoes and bag to match....so it looks like I'm back to the shops to go and hunt out a completely different outfit....*sigh*....I did spot a rather snazzy dress in Monsoon so maybe I'll go for that?

Hubs and I finished off the last of the wedding favours last night and the Order of Service are almost complete :D

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, because by then we will be done with all the preps and I can kick back and relax before the big day.

Scrapping has been a little neglected over the past couple of days - real life happens eh?

Instead I'll share a couple of previously unseen pages - both using KI memories product from when I was a member of the Scrapgenie DT.





Have fun.

T.x.x.

Busy!

I'm feeling like I'm too busy to think at the moment!
My head is buzzing with excitement as the final countdown to my best buds wedding has started and we have just 4 more sleeps to go until the big day!
Whilst I'm busy adding the final touches to wedding favours and printing off the Order of Service covers, I'm also trying to scrap, scrap, scrap!

Ive been playing with a fantastic bundle of stash from Charmed Cards and Crafts and I have almost used up every last scrap of the papers....




A couple of my "Spooky Halloween" projects are now in the gallery over at Charmed Cards and Crafts - you can take a peep right here if you want to see them.

My Bad Girls October DT kit arrived this morning and I am soooo desperate to delve straight in and start playing as it is totally delish....BUT I have to restrain myself for a few more days, as I'd love to use some of the scrumptious goodies inside the box of delights, to create something special (and I haven't the photos just yet!)

Its been slightly manic here this week, what with one thing and another, but I wouldn't want it any other way - I thrive on being kept busy :D

A friend asked me the other day if I really enjoyed doing what I do - off course I do...its fun - that's what a hobby is, isn't it?
FUN....nothing more - nothing less - its something we do just because it makes us happy.....and playing with bits of paper certainly makes me smile :D

T.x.x.x

Surprise!

Living 200 miles away from our family is hard at times - we don't get to see them as much as we would like, but when we do get together we have such a blast.....this weekend was a special celebration as my youngest nephew was Christened.


My little nephew gave me a Willow Tree figure called "Tenderness" as a thank you gift for me loving him sooo much - I was really taken aback and shed a little tear when he handed me my gift....he is simply the most adorable little fella, so much so, that loving him comes easily.

I am so proud of my Sis and her Hubby, as they have overcome so many hurdles to finally reach their dream of becoming parents.
I used this weeks Pencil Lines sketch, combined with rather funky papers from Paper Trunk, to document how well suited my Sis is to Motherhood....

The journaling reads - "Motherhood really suits you - seeing you so happy and content, really makes me smile" - my Sis says she now feels "finally complete" and I know exactly what she means.

My gift from my nephew wasn't the only surprise I had this weekend - my breath was taken away and I was left totally speechless....as I am now the proud owner of a Nikon D300 with a Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 Macro lens - it was a belated 40th b'day pressie from Hubs and the family.
My little Sis is a superb photographer and has chain of photographic stores located across the heartland of the UK - so I spent a couple of hours having a mini tutorial with her - but I have soooo much to learn and will be reaching for my manual lots!
Its taking some getting use to - and I need plenty of practice before next weekend, as its my best buddies wedding and I don't want to mess up taking photos on her big day!

Have fun.
T.x.x

This week......

This week has past me by in such a blur.....I really haven't stopped and am looking forward to this coming weekend when I get to enjoy a little R&R back "home".

Monday saw the launch of the Bad Girls Top Designer contest - with over 300 eager students signed up and raring to go as the school gates opened wide at the Bad Girls Design Academy.

Prima Flower Girl, Carri kicked off this annual event with an amazing class, teaching how you can effectively layer on your pages and the gallery is certainly hotting up, as all the eager beaver students are turning in their assignments....go check out the eye candy right here.

If you want to see Cari in action then check out this super cool tutorial right here and whilst you are there - take a look at this bundle of stash Prima has up for grabs!

Tuesday came and went - most of my day was spent going backwards and forwards and around the block, as I sorted myself and my eyes out! Thankfully the stitches are all gone and things are progressing along nicely - another week or so and I should be able to put some slap back on my face - I hate not being able to wear makeup - especially my mascara!

Wednesday - ummmm after spending the most fretful night laying in my bed with my stomach in knots - I managed to get myself organised and off to Uni I trotted. YIKES!
As I enrolled for my course I must have been stopped at least 10 times by my friends kids.... who all started their convos with me by saying "Oh Tracie - I didn't know you worked here!" - ermmmm " I don't.....I'm a student"....how old did I feel?????
Anyways there are a couple other "more mature" students on my course and I'm really looking forward to meeting up with them at the back of the classroom in a couple of weeks time.

Thursday - shopping....for hours and hours and hours....purchases made - two outfits - one for my nephews Christening this weekend and one for the "Wedding of the Year" next weekend!
I can't believe the wedding is just over a week away....I'm so excited and can't wait to see the grooms face when he sees his "wife to be "walk up the aisle - she really does look like a Princess....and I know this for fact - because I was with her when she chose her dress :D

Friday - Oh heck! That's today - how did that happen??? - it kinda crept up on me a little too quickly!
Well today Ive been a busy bee and have spent the day adding the final touches to a rather spooky little project for Karen at Charmed Cards and Crafts.......



The day isn't over yet and I have a pile of projects all at various stages waiting for me to go complete them....I best get back to my scraproom and go finish them off

Thanks to those who left the book recommendations - I'm off to the book store next week to collect my pile of books for Uni, so will check them out then :D
J has almost finished The Boy in Striped Pyjamas....we have two chapters to go - he looked up at me last night as we finished reading and said "please Mom - tell me what I think is going to happen, doesn't" - now my boy, that would be telling!

Have fun and thanks for popping by
T.x.

Striped Pyjamas

Pencil Lines sketch #101 went live last night with Becky Novacek as this weeks Guest DT member.

I used a couple of sheets of paper by Dream Street, combined with a snips of a Hambly transparency and scraps of Fancy Pants paper to create my page. The brads are a mixture of Crate and Dovecraft.

The photograph is of J, and was taken when he competed in his first ever skate competition at the tender age of 7.
He was so happy when he won a new skateboard for being the winner of his age group category....it really was a proud Mommy moment for me too :)

J came home from school on Friday with a reading assignment - he has to select a book and then write a 500 word review - thankfully his support worker realised that the assignment would be a little difficult for J to complete so its been revised to meet his ability.

On Saturday whilst I was scrapping with my buddies Hubs took J to the local book store and together they chose a book.

As J experiences severe Dyslexia, we have to support him to encourage and improve his reading skills....so I settled myself down yesterday afternoon to make a head start on the book - and I couldn't put it down as I became totally lost in this amazing novel by John Boyne.
Seeing the world through a child's eyes - where there are no boundaries - where the child sees only good - where religion does not stand in the way of friendship - I really was fascinated from start to finish, and was left reaching for the Kleenex by the final chapter.

I lay in bed last night chatting to Hubs and said that I thought the book would make a wonderful film - only to discover this morning that its being released at the end of this week......


it will be a great visual prompt for J and is sure to help him with understanding the novel even more.
If you haven't yet read the book then go grab a copy because it really is an amazing read with such an unbelievable twist to the end.

With the darker nights drawing in, I'm finding myself curling up with a good read - so tell me - what have you read lately?

T.x.x

Party on Dudes!

Saturday was a day of scrapping......

with my scrapping pals....

using yummy Heidi Swapp.....and a funky papers from Dream Street

followed by a Hen Party for my bestest buddie......

Linz in all her Hen glory....

and Tom got in on the action too!.....

Tequilla slammers are a must......followed by loads of girlie giggles......

and then celebrating Hubs birthday today with our pals and their offspring....

J and Tom love hanging out together.....

whilst Max enjoyed his time on the swing, as his Mom and I chatted about the night before....


Happy Birthday, Hubs.....we love you so much - you crazy old fool .x.x.x.x

We are taking a breather this afternoon - Hubs and the guys are chilling out watching DVD's, whilst I prepare myself for the launch of Bad Girls Top Designer Contest - which starts tomorrow - there is still time to sign yourself up to this 6 week course of FREE Design classes, which will see one lucky scrapper being named The Bad Girls Top Designer of 2008.
The fun can be found right here.

Its been a wonderful weekend, full of laughter and loads of happy memories.
I hope your weekend was good too.
T.x.x

Back To School 2008

YACK!
Its back to school today for the guys after their long summer break.
They have only been gone for an hour and I'm missing them already.
The house is so still and quiet.
This summer has been a total washout with day after day of rain, and yet this morning we have clear blue skies and sunshine.....typical eh!
Well at least I wont get wet whilst I'm walking the dogs!
Bobs was really excited to be returning to school as he enters his first year of study for his GCSE's......no more History or Drama for him - both subjects he really did not enjoy.
He is really eager to get cracking on his Physical Ed projects and has already been raiding my stash for anything remotely sports orientated as he has to create a new folder for his work.

Hubs and I coughed and spluttered our way through a meeting yesterday with J's Head of House and Special Needs Coordinator - promises have been made that new strategies have been put into place , but time will tell!
I try to be positive about J's inclusion in to mainstream school, but at times I could scream at the system because - well - sometimes school just isn't right for some kids.
J was pleased to hear that the "Math Monster", who really pushed J to the extreme, has now left the school - I couldn't help but smile when his Head of House told us that "Math Monster" had left teaching to pursue a new career - thank heavens for that - she really was the most ignorant and unsympathetic person I have ever come across......you know the sort - doesn't acknowledge that someone has a weakness, but continues to try and educate well beyond their capabilities....like J really understands algebra - NOT!
He has no understanding of Math at all, but despite me continually informing her of this, she still decided to...and I quote.... "keep on bashing it into his head with the hope that one day he would get it" - its a shame she didn't "get it" because her actions have turned my boy agianst wanting to learn more about numbers and how they work! GRRRRR!

Anyways - I'm home alone with no plans - the house is tidy - the washing is on the line - so its a scrap happy day for me
Have fun.
T.x.x

Park Avenue Playhouse

Today saw the launch of Park Avenue Playhouse - Bad Girls kit for September.
Go check out the addons here - they are vibrant, glitzy and sure to add more than a splash or two of colour to your pages.
Here's what I did with mine....

I used a sheet of textured Perspex to make this funky little wall hanging for our home.

Ive been curled up on the sofa for most of the day with Hubs - who is proper poorly - he is sick - real sick - the sickest he could ever be - yeah well.... so are both boys and I ...we all have the lurgy and are coughin and a sneezin, which believe me is is not fun when you have a face full of stitches - but Hubs - well he is the "worstest" because he has "MAN FLU"!!!!!
I cant sit still for too long - its just not me - so whilst Hubs lay suffering on the sofa I pulled out some stash and tried to have a little play -



This scrapping malarkey isn't as much fun when you only have one working eye (and that one is totally useless at the moment too!)
Thank goodness the eye patches come off tomorrow and normal vision will resume :D

Have fun........OH! and don't forget to register yourself up to the TOP DESIGNER CONTEST over on BAD GIRLS - 6 weeks of FREE classes all based on the PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN.....with a STASH PRIZE PACKAGE worth over $650's for one lucky lady!
T.x.x.x