Walthamstow Weekend

Hi everyone,

We had a few days away in London over last weekend - staying in one son's flat overlooking the Olympic Village and popping back and forth to the other son's flat in Walthamstow (home of the famous dog racing stadium). There were several highlights of the trip -

• my first ever visit to Ikea, where I collected some extra paper tape measures which are certain to come in handy for something ... 
• dinner at a VERY hip restaurant called Bistrotheque (very difficult to find because it's way too cool for signage) where I started with the most delicious gin cocktail, called a Cucumber Flip, and ended with an Espresso Martini for pudding
• the Sunday Farmers' Market in Walthamstow, where we bought the most delicious artisan bread and cakes, sausages, delicious un-diet butter and the mouldiest, mankiest-looking (but most delicious) goats' cheese EVER
• the ribbon shop on Walthamstow High Street, tiny frontage but goes back miles and miles

Here are some of my favourite finds ...

Spirit of Adventure

Hi everyone,

The February challenge over at 1-2-3 Challenge Blog is a little late going live, so Mel is going to run it until March 22nd - giving you plenty of time to have a go and maybe win one of the fabulous prizes on offer this month!

Here is your inspiration ...

... and here is my take on the challenge, featuring two very brave friends of mine ...

Click on the image to see the details better

... about to jump off a high building on purpose! The journaling is written along the edges of the paper and reads, "Real courage is when you're bricking it but you go ahead anyway. Kate and Rosie just before they abseiled off the EDP Building."

I think you can see that I've totally embraced the colour purple, I've used texture paste with a mask to create the brickwork effect in the background, and the word "Spirit" is in a contrasting lime green to make it pop.

So now it's your turn - you have until March 22nd to link up your page over at 1-2-3 and be in with a chance of winning a prize! :o)

Happy Post!

Hi everyone,

I can't wait to show you what was waiting for me when we got home on Monday after a weekend away! My fabulous parcel from SJ Crafts :o) wooHOO! This is my first month on the Design Team, so I was very excited to see what Sarah had sent me to play with (and of course I had ordered one or two irresistible extras - well, it would have been rude not to!) ....

What a pile of gorgeousness! Here's a closer look ...

WOYWW #247

Hi everyone,

Happy What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday! If you fancy a little wander around Blogland and see what other crafty peeps get up to on their workdesks (and maybe share what you get up to on yours), pop over to Julia's Stamping Ground to check it out :o)

Not a lot going on on mine so far this week, because we were away over the weekend - this is the shameful mess I left it in on Friday evening ...

... and it looked exactly the same when we came back on Monday - obviously the Tidying Elves didn't turn up!

Towards the left of the picture, you can see the little Meander Book which I made for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Members' Blog Hop. If you would like to watch me Extreme Crafting for the 10-Minute Challenge check it out here!

Towards the top right are a couple of pop-out surprise cards I made for a friend, using Helen Allen's amazing template - here's a one-minute vid of me showing what happens when you open the envelope (my filming technique needs serious work, but it kind of gives you the idea ...)

OK then, enough waffle already - see you over at Julia's place

Thanks for popping in, see you again soon :o)xxx

10-Minute Wonder!

Hi everyone,

Welcome to my post for the February Counterfeit Kit Challenge Members' Bog Hop! You probably found your way here from Tina's Scrap Corner - if not, you should pop back to the CKC Blog and start from the beginning, so you don't miss any of the fun! Next stop is Lesley, and if you get lost along the way, just pop back to CKC to check out the list.

Here's a little peek at what I'm going to show you today ...

As always, we had a choice of three challenges to inspire us to make a project using our February Counterfeit Kits.  I decided to go for this one ...

3. Challenge #3 Ten minute speed challenge - You have TEN minutes to create something.  No more.  If it is not done in 10 minutes, you have to share what it looked like at that stage anyway. 

Now, I'm not the fastest crafter on the block, so this is a BIG challenge for me, and just to make it even more challenging, I thought I would make a little video with my iPad and see if I can put it on YouTube and link it here, so you can watch me Craft Against The Clock!

So, this was two challenges in one for me - speed crafting AND my first YouTube video ... unfortunately, despite several hours of dogged perseverance, gallons of caffeine and lots of huffs and tantrums, editing videos for YouTube remains a mystery to me at the moment, so you may want to go off and make a cup of tea or something during the middle section - but I did prove that you can make the guts of this little Meandering Book in less than 10 minutes, and then you can spend as long as you like making it look gorgeous!

Here are some close-ups and better instructions ...

We 3 are Family

Hi everyone!

I love this picture of my brother Ivan, my sister Mandy and me on my wedding day in the summer of 2011 and I thought it would be the perfect fit for Case File #111 over at CSI this week.

Here's the Case File, put together by CSI Mastermind Debbi Tehrani - full of delicous summery sorbet shades and icecream inspirations ...

To solve the Case, all you have to do is follow these clues to create a scrapbook page ...

• Use all five colours in the Scheme
• Include at least two items from the Evidence list as elements in your design
• Take at least one item from the Testimony list to inspire your journaling

Here's how I cracked the case ...

I started with one of Emma Stafrace's amazing sketches over at Page Drafts ...

This sketch is part of the "Love is Everywhere" 2014 Valentines Release - lots of lovely sketches, inspiration and prizes wooHOO!!!

So, did I follow all the clues?

Box of Tricks!

Hi everyone!

When a friend at work asked me to make a couple of cards for two special birthdays, she said she would like something "a bit different" - so I straight away thought of this clever template by Helen Allen (check out her demo here)

The template comes with instructions and a link to a video, so it is quite easy to do, but the results are very impressive - although you really need a video to get the full effect!

Here are the envelopes, which are included in the template ...

... and when you open the envelope ... WOW!!! Check out my YouTube video here to see what happens

Here are some more pictures showing the pop-up boxes released from captivity!

Show 'n' Tell #6

Hi everyone,

I missed Show 'n' Tell last week - busy busy busy - but I have something special for you this week to make up for it!

This is Ham, my pride and joy when I was a little girl - a very little girl in fact, because when she came into my life we were about the same size ...

I know that some people may find her a little spooky-looking now, but to me she is still beautiful :o)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hi everyone,

Today I thought it would be fun to show you the valentine I made for my Lovely this year, using some of my February Counterfeit Kit. Here's the front of the envelope ...

I used a sheet of patterned paper from the G45 Mother Goose 12x12 pad, layered a piece of pp from the MME Lost & Found "Record It" 6" paper pad, added a paper doily and some chipboard banner stickers from the MME Chalk Studio collection which I mounted onto scraps of red pp, then garnished it with a bunch of flowers. Here's the back ...

WOYWW #245

Hi everyone,

Another What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday rolls around - I blinked and missed the past week! That lull which used to happen after Christmas seems to have been cancelled and my desk has been busybusy too.
If you would like to have a gander at other people's workrooms and share yours with the world, just pop over to Julia's Stamping Ground and join the party :o)

First let me show how mine looked this morning ...

I'm packing up ready for KHC on Saturday (hello King's Head Crafters!). On the left is a box containing all the pages I've made over the last month ready to put on the show'n'tell table ... in the middle is my Counterfeit Kit for February ... and on the right is a little pile of goodies for the swap table ... then on the chair is my kit bag waiting to be filled with all the essentials ... and the gorgeous velvety bag is a lacemaking kit on loan from my lovely friend Amanda who is going to show me some more lacemaking mooooves on Saturday.

Would you like to see what's in the bag? Of course you would ...

.... and look what I made! (with a LOT of help from a very patient teacher)

I'm going to LOVE collecting beautiful bobbins of my own - because you can never have to many crafty hobbies :o)

Thanks for popping in today, see you at yours!

Annie xxx

Gorgeous Giveaway!

Just a quickie to let you know that Lou Collins has a new blog and she's doing a gorgeous giveaway to celebrate ...

To be in with a chance to win, all you have to do is nip over to Lou's new blog and leave a comment!

Cheerio for now :o)xxx

DIY Bellies!

My Counterfeit Kit for February is called Hearts & Flowers ...

We had three kits from Kits de Somni to inspire us this month. I love the black/white/pink/red/pale blue colour combination in Choice #1 and I picked out elements from all three choices which I wanted to include in my kit -

• die cuts 
• arrows 
• chipboard hearts 
• tags
• chalkboard effect
• little pockets with string fasteners
• vellum frames
• cassette tapes
• wood veneers
• elegant fonts
• doilies

Some of these things I already had in my stash, but I had to get creative and "forge" a few items - which of course is half the fun of Counterfeit Kits! Here's what I did ...

How To Make a Really Rubbish Scrapbook Page

Hi there everyone,

You know you sometimes get those days where nothing comes out right?  When no matter how hard you try, a page just doesn't look like it did in your head? Even though you have a sweet photo and lots of lovely stash to go with it?

sigh ... well, I had one of those days last Wednesday, so I thought, before the whole thing goes in the bin, I will be brave and share it here, just for the record ... so here goes ... gulp

hehehe ... really bad, right? But what's worse is that altogether I've spent about two whole days making this! It was supposed to be for Case File 109 over at CSI but I haven't uploaded it because I couldn't bear to see it there amongst all the real scrappers - in case they realise that actually I couldn't scrap my way out of a wet paper bag and if I've ever produced anything worth looking at it was just a fluke! :o)

Here's the Case File - full of bright colour and fun ideas, just my cup of tea ... you would think ...

I had all the ingredients - a sweet school photograph of the boys, which I thought would go well with the primary colours in the Case File, some lovely papers and embellies -

Hearts & Flowers

Hello Everyone,

I had a great time with last month's Counterfeit Kit Challenge so I really wanted to have another go, but as there is so much going on at the moment I was just going to do a small kit, maybe use it to make a couple of cards or something ... hmmm ... didn't quite work out that way. Here's my kit ...

Once I started rummaging through my drawers I just couldn't stop and it grew and grew and grew! But that's one of the best things about CKC - it gets you busting that stash :o)

The inspiration for this month came from Kits de Somni. We had a choice of three and I pulled elements from each of them to create my kit which I'm going to call "Hearts & Flowers" . I love the combination of black, white, pink and red with a dash of light blue in this one ...

I also wanted to pick up the chalkboard effect, the die cut arrows and chippy hearts, the touches of vellum, the retro cassettes on that patterned paper and the elegant alphabet paper top left of the picture - ooh and I've just realised I forgot to chuck in some sprinkles (ok I reserve the right to add some black Prima Sugar Dot Hearts which I think I have somewhere) So, let's have a closer look ...

WOYWW 244

What's On Your Workdesk this lovely sunshiney Wednesday?

Pop over to Julia's Stamping Ground to have a gander at other people's workdesks all over the world - it's fascinating to check out what other people get up to and where they get up to it! They may be neat and organised or completely chaotic, but they are all creative and inspiring in different ways - you can join in the fun by clicking on the linky button and showing us YOUR creative space :o)

So, without further procrastination, here's mine this morning ...

... so not a lot going on yet - but I have great hopes for today!

February Sketch Challenge at SJ Crafts!

Hi everyone,

This is very exciting - my first blog post as a member of the SJ Crafts Design Team wooHOO!

Each month throughout 2014 there will be a new challenge to inspire you on the SJ Crafts Blog - link up your project using the linky tool at the bottom of the post and it may be chosen to feature on the blog the following month :o)

For February, we have a fun sketch, based on this layout by Jennifer Grace ...

... and here's my take on it ...

This was so quick to do, because these gorgeous papers from the "Wild & Free" collection by Glitz Designs made it really easy. Here you see "Drips" and "Arrows".
Here's how I made it ...

Show 'n' Tell #5

It's Show 'n' Tell Monday, where I show you mine and you can show me yours!

It can be anything at all, as long as it means something to you - just take a picture, tell the story, then click on the link at the bottom of this post to share it with us. Check the Show 'n' Tell tab above for details and previous posts.

My precious object for today may not look much to anyone else, but it's a piece of my family history ...

My Great-Grandfather, Archibald Millar Robinson, was a gentlemen's tailor, and this was one of the labels which would have been stitched into the garments he made. He was always very dapper himself, here he is walking out with his second wife, Ida ...

In the photograph, the label is resting on these fascinating volumes ...

Circa 1910

Hi everyone,

I've gone all vintage for Case File S365-4 over at CSI this week. This is one of a series of Case Files created by CSI mastermind Debbi Tehrani to be featured in Scrap365 magazine, so it's extra exciting!

Debbi has found this gorgeous image to inspire us - from here, she has taken five colours for the Scheme and ideas for design elements and journaling prompts.
In order to solve the case, just use these clues to make a scrapbook page -

• All five colours in the Scheme
• At least two items of Evidence
• At least one item from Testimony

As soon as I saw the elegant colours, along with the sumptuous textures and decorative details in this exotic Case File, I thought of one of my favourite vintage family photos. It shows my Anglo-Indian Great-Grandmother, Eva, holding one of her five children, in around 1910 ...

- 

One of the reasons I love this photograph is that Eva looks so like my mother here. It seems to be a very casual photo for the time - she seems to be smiling or even having a giggle with someone off camera. I'm told that the baby was my Grandpa - who went on to have six children of his own ...

Anyway, here's my page

This was a blatant scraplift of a gorgeous page by the amazing Finnabair - click on the link to see it for yourself, she is such an inspiration!

So, did I follow all the clues?

Avocado Bath Time

Hi everyone,

Well, I'm still catching my tail from being away for a few days, but it's a lovely sunshiney day here so I feel full of beans ... and I have a pineapple upside-down cake in the oven, so all is right with the world!

Case File #108 over at CSI this week is full of whimsy, soft colours and mixed media inspiration ...

Debbi Tehrani, CSI mastermind, has found this beautiful Scene for us to investigate - from this image, she's taken inspiration for colours, design elements and journaling prompts.  Follow these clues to solve the case -

• All five colours in the Scheme
• At least two items from Evidence
• At least one item from Testimony

Here's how I solved this case, with a sweet photo of my boys taken in 1985, when we had just moved into a new house ...

Despite about thirty attempts and a lovely bright day, I cannot seem to get a good photograph of this page - the colours just won't come out true, they're actually warmer and greener than this, but hey ho never mind ....

I had a lovely time playing creating my mixed media background, but did I follow all the clues? ...