Pumpkin Cupcakes

No papercrafting for me today :( but I did make something - Pumpkin Cupcakes with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting - especially for Halloween.

I wasn't sure how they would turn out due to the Pumpkin, but they are yummy (especially the frosting!)  Love the recipes from The Primrose Bakery!!!

Carole x

Chalk & Cheese

I am so enjoying scrapbooking at the moment!  Obviously, some of my layouts work out better than others, but that is part of the learning process, and I am learning to try new things courtesy of my online class.  I am really enjoying actually using some of my pretty papers instead of hoarding them away, although even some of the older ones can still be quite difficult to cut into - but I love seeing them in my album instead of in my stash.  Since starting attending the crop and doing the class, I have practically filled up a whole album (plenty more still to share!)

So, this layout is the result of prompt #3 to do a concentrated layout.  I cut up a whole set of brand new papers (eek!) only to have to abandon them because they didn't work with the white background, and I knew that I definitely wanted to use a white background (that was quite painful!)  However, I love these old papers (Basic Grey Urban Prairie) and now don't have many left ... may in fact have to purchase some new papers (yay) at the rate that I am using my existing ones!

I must admit that I really like this layout ... it may look simple but I can assure you that it nearly drove me mad.  I definitely wanted to use the rosettes that I had made with Daphne (thanks Daphne!) and also my new butterfly and border punch and that probably made life more difficult, but I did it!

Carole x

Snuggle Up

So, this layout is the result of the second prompt in my online class, Shimelle's Pretty Paper Party.  We had to use patterned paper as our background ... so I did!

I love this picture and have done since it was taken, so much so that it is in a frame in our living room :)  Don't tell Jasper's three brothers, but I have always had a little bit of a soft spot for him - shhhhhhhh!  No special supplies were needed for the party, it is all to do with using up our existing stash, so that is exactly what this LO does - Basic Grey's Boxer papers, and whilst searching for appropriate papers I found some matching chipboard stickers!  Bingo!

I've had a bit of a crafty weekend this weekend.  Friday evening I went to my first Stampin' Up event (and yes, I spent loads!)  It was a fun evening where we all made 12 cards in 4 hours!  Not bad eh?!  Saturday was my lovely new friend and fellow crafter Daphne's birthday (we met at the new crop that we both attend) and she very kindly invited me to her house to celebrate.  We had such a lovely afternoon and she showed me her AMAZING craft room (stash/room envy or what?!)

Today I managed (after much paper shuffling, and cutting up brand new papers, only to change my mind and change to others) to complete a layout for the third prompt in my class.  Phew!

Not sure how much crafting will get done this week as it is half term ...

Carole x

My Girlies

I thought that I would show you the layout that I did as a result of the first prompt of my on line class.  We had to use strips of paper ...

I'm quite pleased with it, but I have a feeling that the prompts/challenges may get a little harder as we go on!

Carole x

Love your Smile

I have recently sent off for 50 random photographs from my computer so that I have a lot to choose from when the opportunity to create a layout presents itself.  I chose the photos for many reasons, some not great pics but have a great story behind them, some because I can kind of see them working on a layout and some just because I love them and that will be a great starting point!

This is an old photo, but falls into the "love this photo" category!  I surprised myself by selecting a strong patterned paper for the background and going with it!

I even managed to use that cute little wooden owl button that I had been saving up for the perfect layout!  Love it!

Today is the first day of my very first on line class by Shimelle, turns out that I am most definitely a Pattern Contender, a Paper Collector for sure and something of a Collection Packer!  Not sure what to expect other than lots of inspiration, so watch this space!

Carole x

New Babies

Two of my cousins were expecting babies, about six weeks apart, one mid September, the other late October.  However, as is often the case, babies arrive in this world when they are ready, and who would have thought it, but they both arrived on the same day (which incidentally was what would have been my dad's birthday).  Even more spooky, one of the babies was given exactly the name that we had chosen for Alex if she had been a boy - William Paul (Paul was my Dad's name).

 Even though Isabella still hasn't reached her due date, she is now home and doing really well after a couple of weeks in hospital.  I haven't met her yet but she looks so dinky from the photos I have seen :)

Carole x

Staycation

This year, like last we holidayed at home :(  It must be admitted that it isn't the same as going away, and totally getting away from it all, and with unreliable English weather on top ... not ideal!  However, we had some nice days out and did some fun things, and living this close to Bournemouth and the beach, we waited until the morning to see what the weather was like before making any decisions about what to do each day.  This was one of those days :

I need to thank my friend Daphne for encouraging me to use (instead of squirrel away and look at and stroke!) some of my favourite papers, and these are indeed some of my favourite papers, Cosmo Cricket Early Bird - love love love them (although sadly I only discovered them late so couldn't get many nor any embellishments etc).

Carole x