Tuesday 29 July 2008

Introducing Teeny Ted


Isn't he just the cutest little teddy? Helen sent him to me so he could travel and see the world, so I have made him into a handbag charm so he will be hanging about during my travels to Saudi Arabia in September. Teeny Ted will keep you updated via my blog on all his new experiences but he says he is glad he doesn't have to wear an abayah like I will!! ;) Go and check out all the gorgeous detailed things Helen makes on her blog. Thank you Helen, I love him to bits!!

Wear Sunscreen BIA Mini Book

A mini book bound with my BIA using Cosmo Cricket papers and one of my own versions of the Prima Beauty Marks and lots of bling with my Bejeweller. The journalling is from one of my favourite songs - which is a weird description because its spoken and not sung. :) Wear Sunscreen by Baz Luhrmann.
" If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours. Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own. Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room. Read the directions, even if you don't follow them. Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young".
Instructions
Instructions for making the covers - this would be handy for calendars and make great gifts.
Chipboard - for the base you will need:
2 pieces 5" x 51/2"
2 pieces 2" x 51/2"
For your front cover you will need:
1 piece 5" x 51/2"
Cardstock and papers of your choice to cover.
Double sided tape
Because the total length of the base is greater than 12" you need to make it two sections and join them. So you will adhere 1 piece of the larger and one piece of the smaller to your first paper. Then repeat this for the other 2 pieces. Make sure you leave a gap between the chipboard pieces of at least the width of the chipboard you are using (I use two offcuts as my measure).
Now put both pairs together, ensure there is a gap between so that the paper doesn't tear when you fold it up into a W. Cover the entire thing with cardstock on the inside.
This is what you should have when you are done. :)
When I am doing a few pieces and I want the holes to line up nicely, I cut off a piece of scrap paper the same width as my project and fold it half and mark it. I can then use this on all the cover bits so I get the same centre every time!
Hope you have fun!

Wylde Women Award





I got an award... and what a pretty award it is too! Thank you Ruby May, its lovely of you to think of me. Its taken me 52 years to become a wild woman... oh no.. wrong spelling!! (in your dreams DH) !!


The Wylde Women award created by Tammy Vitale can be passed on to one person...or a hundred ....and is for being generous (for instance with your ideas or time) towards other crafters. Oh and you must go and see Tammy's artwork... it is stunning and I am so glad I don't live anywhere near her or I would be broke and I wouldn't have any space left in my house (who am I kidding... I don't have any space left now)!!

So I would like to give this award to..... Hysteri-Cal - because she is my type of wild woman too! ;)

Monday 28 July 2008

Ooooh raspberries!!



Look what I found down the bottom of my garden this morning? Aren't they beautiful? They taste yummy too... I know, I ate half a bowlful already!! :) I'll have to remember to check again a couple of days or the birds will get them first!!

Wednesday 23 July 2008

Please Vote for Charlie

I wonder if you could please help a friend out. Her daughter has entered her doggy in this competition to win a pencil portrait. Charlie is number 17, and you are allowed one vote per day.You will agree that he is gorgeous. And here are some snippets about him:"He knows far too many words for a dog including foxy, birdy, 'does ya', ball, toy, sock, birthday bone, treat, dinner, walkies, sit, stay, roll over, mr snowman, fetch it, find it." "he's just had his 7th birthday and his favourite present was his 'birthday bone' - a red rubber bone that treats can be stuffed into. Second favourite is Mr Snowman, a small fluffy snowman attached to a plaited bone"

You can vote here. You don't have to sign in or do anything but vote for Number 17.

Please try and vote daily between now and July 31st.

Thanks so much - Charlie would slobber you, if he could!!

Off to Saudi Arabia

Yep, I am off shortly to join Chris in Saudi Arabia for about a year. I have bought my abayah and it is at the seamstress being shortened because I am obviously a midget!!
This is the house, that long window is the staircase and I will draw the curtains when I get there... DH appears to have forgotten to do so! ;)
This is the view from the master bedroom balcony... the beach looks great!! The bonus is that it is a private beach and I can wear what I want on it! ;)
OK, this is the beach... think I may spend quite of lot of time here... Chris told me its 52 degrees today-that water looks cool....

My house is 2nd from the left... once the kids find out what I am like that playground will stay deserted and I will be able to play on the swings myself!! LOL

Saturday 19 July 2008

Mother's Tag Book/Card




You will need the following:

1 metre of ribbon
1/2 sheet of chipboard
2 sheets palin cardstock
1 sheet of patterned paper
3 x standard sized envelopes (or make pockets from cardstock which is what I do)




Step 1
Cut 2 pieces of chipboard 15 x 10 cm
Cut 2 pieces of cardstock 17 x 12 cm
Adhere your cardstock to the chipboard.
Score all the way around.
Step 2.
Trim back the corners and fold over your flaps securing them with double sided tape.


Step 3
Cut a piece of cardstock 30.5 x 8 cm
Score at 1cm from the short edge and then at 2.8cm intervals until the end of the strip (1.5cm should be left).
Fold in a zigzag method to make mountains and valleys.
Adhere this to your covers as per photo measuring 0.5cm from the bottom.





Step 4


Depending on the width of your chosen ribbon, make two long pockets for the ribbon to slide through. Mine is 25mm ribbon so I cut two pieces 50mm by 10cm and popped the ribbon through it and adhered it to the covers just at the top of where your folds are attached.


Feel free to skip this step if you want, I just hate getting the ribbon stuck to the double sided tape when pulling it in and out.



Step 5


Cut 2 strips of pattern paper 14.5 x 9.5cm. Adhere your papers into place on the inside covers.



Step 6


If using the envelopes, ink the edges and adhere them to the folds. Remember to place the cut opening of your envelope to the TOP so we can slide tags. Attach it so that the back of the envelope is facing the front as it will be covered with paper.


If you prefer to make pockets, cut 6 x strips of cardstock 19 x 10cm and fold in half to form a pocket. Use double sided to tape to seal two sides leaving the opening at the top.





Step 7


Cut 6 pieces of your remaining paper to 6.5 x 7cm. Adhere these to the front of your envelopes or cardstock pockets - whichever you did! :)


Cut 6 tags from cardstock (can be a contrast colour). 13.5 x 8.5cm.


Corner round the top two edges of each one. Place in your pockets.




Step 8


Puncht 6 squares and add your chosen letters (MOTHER) to each square and adhere to front of the pockets turning them diagonally to form a diamond shape.

You can now add photos and journalling to your tags.

Complete your cover by tearing a strip of patterned paper down the side and decorating it with some flowers or a small photo in a frame or slide.

Though it is called a Mother's Day tag book it will work just as well for any 6 letter word - Father, Brother, Sister, Friend - just change the papers!! If you have seen the blue version I made for a baby called Darwynn... yep, 7 letters, and to get that extra letter was a major faff so I would suggest sticking to the 6 for your first attempt!! ;) I have to say thank you to Michelle Van Wyk in Jo'burg for the original instructions - she is a brilliant scrapper/teacher and friend but I have changed a couple of bits which makes it work more easily.

Hope you enjoy making it and if you come back and head me in the right direction I would love to see your versions!!



I've been tagged and awarded!!


by Misteejay, Chriss, Linda, RubyMay, Tash and Cass and maybe some other lovely folk too so apologies if I have forgotten!

I think I am supposed to answer the following questions, so here goes....

The rules as I understand them are...I answer the questions below and tag 5/6 folk by visiting their blogs and inviting them to visit my blog so they can see what needs to be done. Here we go...

Ten Years ago: I was working full-time and I was a single Mum. I was dating Chris who I met at work, in fact, I might have been engaged to Chris as we have just celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary so in fact, I could have been driving the girls in the office absolutely insane with conversations about what wedding favours to have... LOL
Five things in today's "to do" list:
1) Spray the weeds in the garden. Tick
2) Do some washing. Tick
3) Start sorting the stuff I need for Saudi
4) Buy some milk, bread and birdseed.
5) Tidy/sort my papers in the scrap room.

Snacks I enjoy: Cheese, chocolate, fruit, not necessarily in that order and I think I added the fruit to make it look good.... ;)

Things I would do if I was a millionaire: oooh, difficult one, I always feel like I am one already, I have a lovely husband and son, a nice home, get to do scrapping all day if I want... but I guess if I was a millionaire DH could give up work and we could stay in one place and he could have a little Westie pup and I could have a Blue Ragdoll kitty and I could nag him all day long and we would live happily ever after... ;)

Places I have lived: Born in England, moved to Libya, back to England, moved to Scotland, moved to South Africa, back to Scotland and am now about to go to Saudi Arabia.

Now, I think I am supposed to tag 5 more people so I choose...
Sam, Michelle, Tracy, Kim, Denise.

Thursday 17 July 2008

The cheapskate's Prima Beauty Mark...










Saw the Prima Beauty Marks on a thread on UKS and thought they were really pretty then sort of did a double take at the price!! Yikes... so I got all my jars of Primas off the shelf and cut a rectangle out of a transparency and started sticking!! I also found out that you can, if you are very careful, use your Bejeweller on transparencies! Bonus!! So what do you think?? ;)


They are really easy to make and quite good fun too - who doesn't have heaps of little Primas sitting around in jars un-used?? I stuck them onto the transparency with 3D foam pads. I can see these appearing on all sorts of stuff in the near future!!
I thought I would add the latest one I made in black and white. I don't have any of those cool white primas with black spots and stripes so thought I would make my own and a little alphabet stamp and some black ink later.... Voila!! :)







Look what I got!



Today is our 9th Wedding Anniversary and I just answered the door to a man with flowers - and such gorgeous flowers too! :) Poor Chris is in Amsterdam waiting to catch his plane back to Saudi Arabia so not much of an Anniversary celebration for him! :( And see what little toy I got? Its PINK!! Now I just have to figure out how to use it....

Sunday 13 July 2008

A little bling never hurt...




I am on a couple of secret assignments so can't show you anything scrappy but.... I am so chuffed with my nails I thought I would show you them instead!! LOL And before anyone asks... yes, they are mine, not false, you can tell this because the right hand nails are always shorter than the left... because I can't get brads into my pages if I let them get too long!! The things we do for scrapping.... ;)


Monday 7 July 2008

He Passed!


Congratulations to Christopher on achieving a brilliant 2.1 pass for his BSc Honours in Policing. All your hard work paid off , well done, I am proud of you. :)

Saturday 5 July 2008

Graduation Card


I put my hands up straight away and admit that I do not make cards. I make mini books and even if I say so myself, I make quite nice mini books - I do not make nice cards. This being said, I have DS graduating in September and 2 other kids he grew up with graduating in a couple of weeks. I paid a lovely cardmaker to do DS's card for me ;) but hiccupped at the expense of ordering 2 more!! So I made a couple of grad cards.... they are not in the same league as DS's card but they will do - I hope!! :) I bought the Pink Persimmon wise old owl stamps as soon as saw them - cute or what? ;) Embossed the stamped images in gold and then layered the wings, eyes and cap with another set of embossed images.