Scraplift!

This is a layout that I started months ago and then put to one side and never got round to finishing. Today I got the giant Ric Rac out and stuck it on with the bloom to finish it off.

The original layout was by Debbie Jewell and was one of her entries for the Scrappers Block competition on UKScrappers. I loved her layout and kept it in mind to scraplift when inspiration was running dry. I started this a long time ago when I had barely any time to scrap and a complete lack of ideas. So thanks Debbie for the lovely inspiring layout. :)

Arghh Scanners

The scanner is working and I finished off another layout but when I came to scan it the colour rendition is awful. I have to say I like all the ideas for this layout but am not very happy with the outcome. The thing I do like is not shown at all by the scan but all the snowflakes, the frame and the word cold have a sprinkling of glitter courtesy of "Stickles" by Ranger. Now I have to say although I like glittery things I have never been one for adding glittery stuff to my layouts - I always think I end up making a mess of it and it looks tacky. BUT I heard so many people raving about Stickles that I caved in, bought some and have tried it out on here. I love it!

Anyway, the clocks go forward in a few hours so I need to dash and get some sleep.

Oh and by the way, typical that the first time blogger lets me upload an image and allows people to click on it to view it super size I jump the gun and scan it before rubbing some pencil lines out!!! Yes Yes, I know, there are grotty bits of pencil markings all over "Izzys Boat Coat" I am going in search of an eraser in the morning!

Scanner Is Working Again!

So I can upload the other layout I finished last weekend. For a while I have wanted to try a layout with a lot of journaling on. There is nothing deep and meaningful, just recounting a holiday memory and looking at it on screen it is harder to read the journaling than in real life (because it goes either side of the photo circle) but I had enjoyed doing it and it is something different for Izzys album. I am going to try this year to vary my style as much as possible trying out new things. I figure it is only paper (gasp!) and i can get the photos reprinted!

I'm currently working on two layouts, one with a painted background, glitter and a technique Tuesday frame and one with a white background, hand written titles, acetate, staz on and a bit more paint (can you tell I am in a painty phase right now!)

Right, must go, I am off to try and sneak in an hour or two of scrapping!

So In Love With Scenic Route Right Now

I have been trying to be a bit more productive in the layout department - I will never be a prolific scrapper like Karen but I am trying to find more time to scrap!



Anyway this weekend I have worked on three layouts, a circle journal, an inchie swap and Mums mothers day card which for me is loads (usually I work on one layout for a couple of weeks at a time - yeah super slow I know!) I bought myself a heap of Scenic Route as a little birthday present to myself, along with some Autumn Leaves stamps and I am loving the Scenic Route papers mmmmmmm!


I hate the photo of myself on this layout of Isabelles blessing day but it is the ONLY one we have from the church so I guess it has to do. I have been wanting to scrap this day for a while. It was a lovely day, her first birthday and the day we held her Service of Thanksgiving \ Blessing.

I used the new Scenic Route Laurel papers and chipboard, plus a bit of my precious Basic greyribbon, some Cherry Arte and BG rub ons and Doodlebug alphabet stickers.

I finished another layout but my scanner says it is not connected - it SO is! So that one will have to wait, plus I am having lots of fun with our most recent NCT group picture.

Here's to working through the huge pile of pictures to be scrapped and enjoying every minute of it!

Sunshine Makes Me Smile

Well I haven't been so good at blogging lately, but thats because it has been too nice to be in front of the computer. Oh and because we have had tonnes of yummy new stuff coming in to the shop so I have been busy uploading it to the site and so on. It's funny to think we are coming up for two years running A Trip Down Memory Lane in a couple of weeks and to look back from when we started with 100 products from K&Co to today when we have over 80 different manufacturers in stock and a current product catalogue of approximately 2500 items. I look at the stock room and see stuff that makes me smile and drool and feel the urge to shoplift!!!!

Anyway, in addition to shop stuff we have been out and about on outings to the zoo, to town and to friends houses and really making the most of the good weather. I posted a picture before of Izzy in her sunglasses but the picture was terrible and I felt the need to snap some more in front of my white double doors in the lounge. This makes it easy to dodge and clone out the darker areas so they have a nice plain background. These pictures and the recent sunny weather have put a smile back on my face. (the "hitting phase" has not gone but I am trying not to get too miserable about it.)

Oh and did I forget to mention. A certain shipment including 7 Gypsies and American Crafts has landed on UK soil and should be here on Monday - Woo Hoo! Look out for 7 Gypsies appearing on the site at the beginning of the week and American Crafts hot on it's heels!

Having A Little Wobble....

Just popping in to post an entry as I haven't blogged for days. Took this photo of Izzy in the lounge on Friday. We borrowed the highchair from the Toy Library and she loves putting her monkey and her doll in it and strapping them in, feeding them and generally being quite cute.

Shame the cute thing doesn't last all the time though.

I am feeling a bit miserable as she has reached the hitting stage. I have been quite laid back about everything so far, eating, sleeping, crawling, walking talking - my philosophy has been she will do everything in her own good time and most things are just a phase (refusing foods etc..) but this one has got me. I am finding it really tough to deal with her hitting \ poking \ pushing other people.

Today seemed like it should have been a lovely day, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and we had a nice day planned but it all went a bit pear shaped with Izzy pushing one of her little friends around and then me wanting the ground to swallow me up when she bashed one of the assistants in the shoe shop.

Arrrggggghhhh It's just a phase - I know, but I want it to be over, soon - preferably tomorrow.

Here's hoping.

There Is Another Toy Besides Mr Monkey!

OK it's not an inspiring background but Izzy was popping up and down hiding behind the wall so I snapped a few pics of her little head peeping over the wall!

Neither of these photos is particularly sharp, she doesn't stand still long enough for that and the light was getting low so I had to slow the shutter speed down and up the ISO, but I don't care. I love the not so good snaps just as much as the technically good shots!

Isabelle has recently got into dolls which is a bit of a shock to the system as I never really bothered with them! However, she has a big doll at Mums that my Gran used to have in her shop and a little doll gere which my friend Jo bought her. She can't say Dolly properly, it comes out as Lolly, so we have Little Lolly and Big Lolly! No, neither have replaced Monkey but they are definitely flavour of the month!

WOO HOO! My Wacom Arrived!

My lovely new Wacom Graphire 4 Classic XL has arrived and I have got it hooked up and working. I have had a play on it with a few old photos but haven't tried editing up any from scratch yet. I will let you know how I get on but at the moment I am in love with my new toy! :)

Photos, New Stock and Anticipation

I have the camera back and it is charged up so I decided to snap a little picture of one of the flowers from the ones Karen sent me. I put some black cardstock behind it then did a bit of photoshopping to make the black really black and adjust the contrast a little.

I also took some of Izzy in the garden this afternoon but I haven't uploaded those yet.

We have had some cool stuff come in to the shop including loads of A2Z Essentials papers which are rather funky! I like the fact that they are not the same as loads of other papers out at the moment and the collections are all quite different from one another.

We are very excited because we now know our 7 Gypsies order has been picked, will soon be sent to our freight forwarder and we have said to her that as soon as it arrives we would like them to dispatch that and anything else they are holding. So in theory it should be here quite soon YAY! :)

Cropping In Bury St Edmunds

Yesterday we took the shop to Nickis crop in Bury. I love going to her crops, everyone is very friendly and usually I get chance to do some scrapping too. We took some of our new stock from CHA and as they had bee on the website the doodling templates were very popular.

Jennie was there teaching a fabulous looking mini book class, I was so tempted to do the class but I really wanted to get a layout done for Isabelles album. I am finding it still so difficult to find time to sit down and scrap at home that opportunity to get on with a layout was too good to miss!

I spent ages faffing around trying to decide what to do but in the end I worked on some photos of Izzy learning to use a spoon to feed herself and getting in a mess! I was dying to use the stamps I bought as a birthday treat to myself so the arrows and the alphabet stamps came out! Plus I had to add a bit of doodling!!! I also used some MM tapes I bought in California and some off cuts of SEI Winnies Walls paper and letter stickers.