My Babies

Here is a little layout that I did a couple of weeks ago.  Just like the photos that Alex took on Easter Sunday this year, we had the camera with us on a visit to the beach in 2007 and those photos have been some of the most used and loved photos.

I really love the 12 x 12 paper that I used here, but I had been reluctant to use it as I felt it was too busy.  However, with this layout I was encouraged by the orange of Hayden's rain coat and just went for it, and I hope that it works.  I also enjoyed distressing the Core'dinations blue card to kind of represent the beach.

Carole x

Another Anniversary

Just before our anniversary, it was our lovely friends, Steve and Natalie's wedding anniversary.  This was the card that I had originally planned on making for Phil, but as I didn't know how many years S & N had been married (and anyone who might know wasn't available) I switched the designs around and made the 20 hearts for Phil!

This card was based on an idea I found on Pinterest, although I jiggled it around quite a lot.  I bought the glassine envelopes, and I love them!  I love that you can still see the patterned paper through them and then pop something in so that it kind of floats (or is that just me?!)

I used my old typewriter for the words on this card, and some Sugared paper from Basic Grey along with a bit of pink ribbon from my stash.  I think that I will make other cards similar to this one, just so that I can use a few more of those lovely glassine envelopes!

Phil and I had a lovely weekend in London even though I felt poorly for most of the time (and still do).  More on that in future posts though as I have today made a start on the mini journal that I wanted to put together about the weekend ...

Carole x

Happy Anniversary

This week, Phil and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary!  How did that happen?  We are going away for the weekend to London, and I am looking forward to it very much, although unfortunately, I have been really poorly this week :(  Hoping to manage to still do all the things that we want to do which is a different list to what we normally do when we go to London.  We usually go to Harrods and Liberty and often Covent Garden, so we are keen to do something different this time, as well as revisit some honeymoon destinations.  We were married on the Saturday 20 years ago, but didn't fly out to the Greek Islands for our honeymoon until the Wednesday, and so we spent the couple of days after the wedding in London.  We want to go and get some photos outside the hotel that we stayed in then as well as the lovely area (Shepherd Market) that we explored all those years ago.  I am intending to make a mini book of the weekend/20th wedding anniversary over the next couple of weeks ... so watch this space!

So, here is the card that I made for Phil:

I managed to find a page in my old book (about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table) all about love and marriage, and then punched out or die cut 20 hearts, one for each year of our marriage.

I'm very pleased to say that I have finally finished the curtains for Hayden's room and they are now hanging and making his room look very cosy.

Carole x

Lots of Love

I've been really busy pinning today.  However, not the highly addictive pinning on Pinterest my current most favourite website and source of huge inspiration.  No.  I've been making curtains.  We re-decorated Hayden's room about a month ago and bought the fabric just after and I have been trying to summon up the enthusiasm to make a start.  This horrible wet, typical English Summer weekend seemed like the right time.  Unfortunately for me, Hayden's room has two windows, so it's double the work.  Anyway, I have made a good start but I am going to have to give up my crafting day in order to finish the curtains ... and probably a few evenings of hand stitching the hems :(

So, here is a card that I made after being inspired by a similar one on Pinterest:

I reckon that this could be quite versatile and could be an anniversary (or wedding) card, birthday card, or like I have done here just to send some love to someone who needs it.  I made the envelope by drawing a square and using my compass to draw semi circles round all the edges - simples!  I couldn't help myself, just had to add the parcel paper and make the card my own!

Carole x

Boys!

Today I have a scrapbook page to show you.  This was one of those pages that started off well, then I hit a brick wall and couldn't work out where to go with it, but persevered and ended up really happy with the end result!  Just goes to show that you shouldn't give up even when the going gets tough!

I used my lovely old typewriter for the journalling which I am loving, buttons from my stash and Basic Grey papers, and a really cute chunky felt heart that I picked up in a local gift shop.

Perhaps one of the reasons that I struggled with this layout was the "help" that I received:

This is Arnold helping me with his picture and journalling!  The first problem is that to get up onto my desk involves climbing my leg with extremely sharp claws (ouch!!!) then everything needs checking out and small paper scraps definitely need to be batted around.  So, all in all, this page was a bit of a joint effort (Pickle was otherwise engaged but gave his blessing to the final page).

The kittens are doing really well.  Although Pickle has been diagnosed with a heart murmur, if we didn't know that, it would not be at all obvious.  He has gained a lot of weight and is now only 200g less than Arnold (he was 500g less) and when they are playing and fighting it seems much more evenly balanced than it was.  They have had their second injections and have very much enjoyed beginning to explore the garden.  They are completely adorable, very funny and quick to purr whenever they get a stroke, and we love them very much.

Carole x

Picket Fence

Had a little play with my Sizzex picket fence die, and here is the resulting card:

I'm not totally delighted with the results, and not sure that it will be as popular as I originally thought, but I will have another play and will hopefully change my mind!  I also now think that I need the grass die as this grass was hand cut (as I'm sure you can tell!)

Carole x

A male birthday card

I struggle so much with male cards so my heart sank when I realised that I needed to make two this month, one being for my little brother (age 39, 6' 2"!)  I came up with this design:

The only thing I was slightly fed up about was the glue showing through the blue vellum, but actually once it dried some more, it was far less visible.  Note to self: don't use vellum on kraft again!

I opened up my pack of V&A papers for these cards and love the masculine feel.  Apart from the bird which is a Sizzix die, out came my compass for the circles and I hand cut the trunk.

Hope you are enjoying the weekend.

Carole x

1st Birthday

I was a little stumped about what to do for my cousin's little girl's first birthday, but then Pinterest came to my rescue (as I think it will on many occasions in the future, and the present!)

I made the monkey by cutting out two different size circles (head and ears), a heart shape for his eyes, and an oval for his mouth (the heart was a die, but the circles were with a compass and the oval was free hand) and then I matted him up on to some nesties cut from girly pink and white papers.  A lot of Cuttlebug action on this card, but it was worth it I hope!

Carole x

There's Two of Them!

First thing I need to do is explain the title of this scrapbook page!  Not long ago we discovered some video footage of us on holiday in the South of France when Alex was about three and Hayden one.  Nothing much was going on, we were just all sat on the balcony in the sunshine, Hayden in his high chair when Alex looked at the little bottle of yogurt drink she was drinking and declared "D'ere's two of d'em"!  It was so cute (in our unbiased parental view) that we have been teasing her and saying it ever since.

So of course, when we acquired not one but two new kittens, this saying has been said rather a lot!

The papers are We R Memory Keepers Nonsense and are the ones that I bought in TK Max when I was with Maria.  To tell the truth, the papers are a bit bright for me really, but for £1 I couldn't resist, and despite the colours I am quite pleased with the layout.

Carole x

Birthday Card

Just a quick post to share a recent birthday card that I made for my Mother in Law.  Had a very busy day as any minute now we are expecting guests for the weekend - have cleaned the house, been for a hospital appointment, done the weeks food shopping, baked a Cherry Bakewell cake and a batch of Banana and Chocolate Chip muffins, made some homemade burgers for dinner and a big bowl of coleslaw - phew!  Looking forward to a nice weekend with them.

For this card, I wanted to use my new butterfly die (still really want a Martha Stewart butterfly punch, but this will do until I get one!)  Then I decided to try a different shape card, and this is what I came up with.  Thought I was very brave to add the black and white spotty paper but none of the matching papers were working for me in the frame, and then when I found a spotty brad in my stash it was perfect (and it doesn't often happen like that, for me anyway!)  Did you notice?  Not a hint of brown paper or kraft ... but is it still a typical Carole card?

Carole x