Fantabulous weekend!

I went to the Luxurious Angels retreat!. I have never been to a retreat before, and I can only say, if you ever get the opportunity to go to one, then DO! I don't know if other retreats are as good as this one was, it was fab. Everything was so well planned. The classes were interesting, the teachers, Kirsty, Anna and Roz were fun and all the ladies there were great too. So thank you all for making my first retreat so worthwhile. It is lovely to be able to put faces to all those names that appear on UKS too. There were some very talented scrappers there, I can tell you. I loved walking around having a peek and seeing what everyone else was up too. Roz found her niche as an auctioneer and managed to sell off a whole heap of stuff to raise money for MS, and amuse us at the same time. The shop was very well stocked, there was some gorgeous stuff, anf now I'm kicking myself for not getting some of those gorgeous velvet letters. Unfortunately I had to go home Saturday night, so I missed out on what sounds like a lot of fun!
If you are ever around Kirsty, DON'T throw your scraps away! She gave me a good talking to, in the nicest possible way of course, then used my scraps to make the gorgeous card you see on this blog- So now I own a Kirsty Wiseman original!!!! (worth throwing my scraps away for). The other picture on this post is a LO I did on Saturday. (well it will be if blogger lets me)Emily has started her own blog, and what a rich source of journalling it is. I intend to lift slabs from her future blogs to scrap, so that I will end up with a fantastic insight into the mind of her at thirteen. I haven't put photos on any of the class LOs that I did at the retreat, but when I do I will post them here too.

I'm in Love!!

Yes I am in love- with my new Rhonna Farrer scroll stamps, I used them last night on a LO I was struggling with, and what a lift they gave it. I have posted a picture of a little of the LO here, but can't post the whole thing cause the LO is for something that can't be shown just now. But those stamps- fantastic! I can see I am going to need more.... might take a look at the banana frog stamps next...
Emily and I went for a walk in the Pentlands today. We are very lucky to be able to walk from our house into the hills. It was such a gorgeous day, and unseasonally warm. I didn't take many picturs, cause the autumn clours are not quite at their best. I am about to look at some photos Emily took of me today. I hope she managed to get one or two flattering ones!

A good scrappy week.

The lovely Miss Lippy Chick has chosen me to be on her design team- how exciting is that? I am looking forward to seeing all the new and exciting books she will be launching soon. I have been scrapping mid week- unusual for me cause I usually get home from work, get the meal etc and then pop onto the computer for a quick look at UKS, Willow Tree crafts, and a few other forums, then the next thing I know I'm just checking a few blogs, and then I realize it's bedtime, and I haven't even tidied the kitchen. But this week I really did scrap. I did 2 pages for the October gallery at Jillybeans using DaisyD's gypsy harvest papers. The papers are such strong designs that I was struggling at first, but finally I produced two pages I was happy with. I am attaching a sneak preview of one of them. I am also attaching a LO done for Willow Tree crafts. Their website is beginning to take off, with DT blogs, product reviews and short scrapping articles. Pop over and take a look.

In the beginning...

I thought I would write about how I got into scrapping. Let’s start at the very beginning….
In August 2005 I visited family in Australia. Two of my nieces were scrapbookers. I looked at their albums and though they were very nice. I visited scrapbook stores with them and watched them spending what seemed like lots of money on pretty papers, rub ons and embellishments. I thought they were mad. Then my daughter, who was 11 at the time, wanted to do some layouts. I watched her and started giving her advice- it went down like a lead balloon. In the end, exasperated she said ‘mum, just do one of your own and leave me to get on with mine!’ So I did. It took 2 hours and consisted of two matted photos on plain paper with a sticker alphabet title. I left Australia hooked! I did not bring back any stash with me because I assumed there must be scrapbook shops all over the UK, just like there was in Australia, but I had just not noticed them. How wrong I was!
What I did bring back was two Australian scrapbooking magazines, one of which had web addresses, including UKscrappers. UKS opened up a whole new world- a gallery, advice, friends and importantly ONLINE SHOPPING! It really has added another dimension to my life, and that is something most scrappers can identify with. I am going to attempt to add a photo of one of my earliest pages to this blog, and you will see for yourself how far my scrapping has developed. How did you get into scrapping, and how has your scarpping changed- I would love to read your blogs to find out! Blogger won't let me upload my LO I'll keep trying.

On a Roll!

I'm on a design team roll just now- I've just been chosen for The Little Silver Hat team, along with my blog buddies Maria and Roz- well done you two! Little Silver Hat sells ribbons and braids, and I loooove ribbons and braids, so I am over the moon to be on the team. Ribbon is such a great embellishment- economical, flexible, and pretty, and I looove ricrac especially. a piece of ricrac can save the most mundane of LO's. So I will not be applying for any new design teams just now. I have more than enough to keep me out of mischief for the time being.

Super Saturday.

I had such a great day yesterday. DH went hillwalking, DD went out, and I was home with just DS. He is a lovely 15 year old who just gets on with things- he has always been undemanding, right from the day he was born. I recall having to wake him to feed him because he slept so much. Anyway yesterday I was able to scrap to my heart's content, in between hanging out loads of washing! I can't believe how many socks my kids get through in a couple of days,and how big my bag of odd socks is growing! So I completed my Lippy Chick book from Angel Crafts. I used it a bit like an art journal, and tried to make a little 5x5 work of art for each page- the inside 5 are in shades of blue and the outside 5 are reds/yellows. I have never done an art journal and now I am inspired to start one, cause I really loved experimenting with collage, inks, doodles etc. I made the book for a friend who has just been diagnosed with breast cnacer and will give it to her when her treatment starts. It is full of inspirational, positive quotes. I really hope it helps her. I have posted a couple of pics to give you an idea!