Cuteness

A little while ago, I probably wouldn't have been able to do this page.  I used to stick religiously to using papers on a layout all from one collection/manufacturer.  Don't get me wrong, I still love paper collections, but now I can mix and match a little bit more than I used to!  And here is some proof of that!

Cute picture too of Hayden and Oscar, just love it :)

Carole x

Adorable

Don't old photos make your heart melt?  This one does with my heart :)

Being able to put photos that mean so much to me into my albums is part of what I love about scrapbooking, along with the actual process of cutting and sticking pretty papers of course!

Carole x

Baby You Can Drive My Car

Such a cutie!  Alex really loved her little car, and I really love this photo :)

I dug out my Picadilly papers for this one which go well I think.

Carole x

Those Were The Days

It feels really funny to scrap a photo of my Mum taken before I was even born, before Mum was even married in fact!  But that is exactly what I have done with this layout!

Very, very simple layout (not that that means that no shuffling and umming and ahhing went on of course!) where I tried to give it a 1960's feel.  Not sure if I succeeded with that, but the papers go pretty well with the photo, so I am happy!

Carole x

The Happiest Place on Earth

So, I am slowly getting around to scrapping some pictures from our holiday of a lifetime over six years ago now.  Such lovely happy memories that they really deserved to be scrapped :)

Using up some old papers on this one again, but I'm happy about that!

Carole x

All Boy

I find it amazing that one family could consist of four boys!  What are the odds of that happening?!

I had been wanting to use that little boy sticker for ages, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to pop it on!  These papers are so old, one of the first collections I bought in fact, and although I still like them, maybe the fact that they have been kicking around in my stash for so long has made me a little bit bored of them ... :(  However, they worked well with the colours the boys are wearing in the photo, so all's good!

Carole x

Mouans Sartoux

Quite pleased with how this one turned out!  Just a little bit of corner rounding and LOADS of paper shuffling and there we go, voila!!!!  If only it were that easy ... for me at least!

I used some of my Basic Grey Picadilly papers which I have managed to squeeze quite a few layouts out of so far, and still a fair bit left too :)

Carole x

It's a Dog's Life

I managed to use up lots of scraps on this one, and tried something new with the scrunched up strip of cardstock along the middle which I sewed down.  Not entirely sure about it though, I usually like things a bit less grungy and more neat and tidy I think!!!

Carole x

Love and Marriage

I was very happy that Suzie decided to join Emma and I today on our Crafty Tuesday!  We thought it would be fun to all use the same pin from Pinterest as a starting point/scraplift and see how different all three layouts would turn out!  As they have both already blogged theirs, I was under pressure to also blog mine today so that they can see how mine turned out!

I had thought that I had done enough wedding layouts, but you know how a photo just sometimes grabs you?  This one did that today!  I love how this one turned out, and I know that both Suzie and Emma love theirs too!  If you would like to see theirs, head over to Emma's blog and Suzie's blog!

Got to dash, off to the theatre with Alex tonight :)

Carole x

Cute as a Button Part 2

I loved the "Cute as a Button" page that I did of Alexandra so much that I wanted to also scrap a picture of Hayden when he was little, and since I had loved the title, I used that again too :)  However, the two pages couldn't be more different:

I must admit that I did struggle a little bit with the random bunting (as anyone who knows me will agree, I don't do random very well!) but love how it turned out in the end!  How cute was my baby boy?  I have to keep reminding myself that the lanky teenager upstairs used to be this cute little chappie!

Carole x

Cute as a Button Part 1

I love this page!  I love the simplicity, I love the subject, and I love the photo!  So glad I found it!  How I wish that I had been into scrapbooking when my babies were little, and that I hadn't missed so many years by discovering this wonderful hobby too late!

Carole x

Cold Hands Warm Hearts

Although it was supposed to be Spring, the weather here was very cold, and we even had snow in April, so it inspired me to scrap some wintry photos and delay putting away my snowflake punches just for the time being!

(Although it looks wonky in the photo, it isn't!)  I used some of my old favourite papers, Wassail by Basic Grey :)  I do still love them, but they might not be my favourites any more - took a while though!

Carole x

Pendini Dream

Pendini Dream is the registered kennel name of our beloved old Italian Spinone, Ollie, and as I explain in the journalling, we didn't know that for the first seven years that we owned him!  It was only because we received Tilly's registration papers with her kennel name on that it got me thinking, so I contacted the kennel club and with what little information I had about his previous owners, managed to find out his name and get a copy of his papers!  Bless him.  He will be 14 years old on 22nd May, which is an incredible age for a giant breed of dog.  He is really showing his age now, and can't go out on walks any more, but he's doing OK for such an old gentleman.

Carole x

You are YOUnique

Meet my gorgeous little nephew Otto :)  He is the youngest of four lovely boys, and a real tough little character!  We haven't seen him for a little while now, so I'm betting that he will have grown quite a bit and be even more funny than he was last Summer!

Once again using those papers that I wasn't sure about initially, and again, having to admit that they worked really well with this set of photos :)

Carole x

La Famille Griffin en France

I struggled for ages to come up with the title for this one!  Isn't it funny how sometimes everything just comes together on a page and sometimes you get stuck on one particular element?!  I knew I wanted something frenchy because the photos were taken when we were in France, but what?!  I know the title I came up with isn't very original, but sometimes you just have to go with it and move on to the next layout!

I love that peacock paper that is from my new October Afternoon papers, it is just beautiful :)  These pics may have been taken a couple of years ago, but I can't believe how much my children have changed in such a short space of time.  Sigh.

Carole x

Cool Dude

I thought I would blog this layout today in honour of Hayden's 16th Birthday today.  How time flies, it seems like only yesterday that he was a little boy and now here he is, 6' 4" and studying for his GCSEs which start next week (eeeeeeek!)

Not sure that I really love this layout, it was from a sketch and it just felt a bit funny having two distinct halves, but here it is anyway, and even if I don't love the layout, I do love the photos :)

Happy Birthday Hayden!

Carole x

Little Griffs

I found this old school photo of my babies along with some other lovely old pics, and just HAD to scrap it!  I used some papers that I must admit I wasn't too keen on initially, but think they work really well on this layout, so have to admit that maybe I was wrong about them?!

Carole x

Aren't we Lucky?

I really quite like this page!  I love the old map pages, the stitched heart round the (approximate) area that the photo was taken (!), the October Afternoon patterned papers and the TH tickets :)  I also thought the story was quite worth telling, so all in all a lot of things going for this one!

Carole x

Who's Your Friend?

Unlike the papers that I used in my previous layout, I LOVE these new October Afternoon papers :)  Can't wait to place another order for some more OA papers, they are definitely my new favourite!

A photo taken last summer on our holiday in Portugal is the subject for this page, and although I only used a couple of the patterned papers, I really think they make this page :)

Carole x

Big Cousin, Little Cousin

I bought these papers a while ago, and to be honest I don't love them :/  But, since I don't like to waste things, I gave them another go ... and actually I quite like them on this layout!

Of course it helps that I love the photo, but I tried really hard at layering bits and bobs onto this layout, so maybe its that that helps?  I'm also loving sewing on my layouts right now, and am finding that a page doesn't feel complete without a little bit of sewing ...

Carole x

Group Hug

A simple layout ... so why did it take me so long?!  Don't answer that!  A photo taken a couple of Christmases ago of my (little) brother and his daughter (my niece).  This photo has been in my pile of pics to scrap for a while but it had never been the right time, until now!  Does anyone else do that?  Flick through the photos that need scrapping and pass one by for ages but then suddenly inspiration strikes and that picture finally makes it into your scrapbook album?!  A bit like going to the freezer that is full to bursting, but there is nothing at all in there to cook for dinner?!

I do like circle layouts, they appeal to me so much more that more angular square ones :)

Carole x

Full of Adventure

My lovely friend Emma is back to doing her LOAD again during May (layout a day), and as it is usually a prompt she likes it if I also challenge her.  So, I usually trawl through my Pinterest boards and find something that catches my eye, it might be a colour scheme, it might be a scraplift, an element that has inspired me (and therefore hopefully Emma too!) maybe a sketch - you get the gist.

Today, I was remembering that I have a stamp in my collection that I love so much that I also bought Emma one for her birthday last year, but that sadly we both have massively under-used ... so far!  So, my challenge was to use the jar stamp on a layout.  I found a few pins to illustrate how it might be used (but Emma usually goes off on a tangent and does her own thing no matter what I send her!), one layout had one jar, one had a few, and one was covered in jars.  Of course, in challenging Emma to use her jar stamp, I was hoping that she in turn would inspire me to use mine ... and guess what?  She did!!!

Here is Emma's page, and here are a couple of the pins that I sent to Emma

http://pinterest.com/pin/214343263487840556/

http://pinterest.com/pin/214343263487671135/

http://pinterest.com/pin/214343263487310825/

I must admit that I love this one :)  Must remember to use that lovely little stamp more often!

Carole x

Project Life 2013 - March

Here I am!  I've been thinking about whether or not to blog any more, still a little undecided, but sometimes it is a useful reference for me, even if no one else!

I am delighted to say that I have managed to keep up with Project Life and I am still loving this project, despite the headache it causes me as I try and sort out and print out my pictures each month!  Once I have the pictures in my hands however, the fun part starts and I get to do my thing with them and those lovely little pockets :)

This month is my favourite so far (including April's which I did today) ... I love Easter/spring colours :)

Some lovely things happened in March, along with some disappointments - life as usual then!

Carole x

Project Life 2013 - February

Still loving this project :)  I couldn't wait until the end of February so that I could do the next installment of my Project Life!  All month I was making notes and planning which photos I wanted to include and pinning loads of ideas onto my Project Life Pinterest Board :)  My February page turned out quite different from my January page, probably because I was trying out lots of new ideas!  Who knows if I will settle into a "style" or if my pages will keep changing month by month?  How exciting to find out!

I really wanted to use my old typewriter (and will have to learn to not mind any typos if I want to type straight onto my journalling cards!) - love how the old fashioned typing looks.  I am also loving journalling and/or adding a title or embellishments directly onto the photos.

I've got my list on the go for my March pages already and still got loads of ideas to try out in the coming months, as well as some new journalling cards and bits and bobs that I was lucky enough to get for Mother's Day :)  Can't wait until the end of March!

Carole x

Hop, Skip and Jump

I did say that my new rosette die would be popping up again soon didn't I?!  Here it is playing a starring role in my layout.  I have been wanting to scrap this picture for a long time and finally got around to it :)  It turns out that I don't actually have many lilac or purple papers but the photo really called out for some lilac due to the coat that Alex is wearing in the photo so I had a rummage and the best I could find was some plain cardstock, so went with that.  I actually really like this one :)

Carole x

Four Legged Friends

I was very brave on this scrapbook page, even if I did cheat a little bit with being brave!  I like it when I see other people's pages who have, very bravely, added little ink splats.  However I have tried this a couple of times and it has always ended in disaster for me, so as a rule, I don't go near my layouts with messy stuff.  So, whilst away on our crafty weekend, I got to have a little play with some different stamps (I don't own many, and the vast majority of those I do own are sentiment stamps for greeting cards).  The paper I chose for the background seemed to represent the sand of the beach, and I very bravely stamped the splats!!!  A bit of a cheat I know, not real splats, but it was a start!

I'll let you into a secret ... I actually really like the splats!!!  There.  I said it out loud!!!

I also happened to notice that this post is a bit of a mile stone for me - my 300th :)  Never thought I would get to that many!

Carole x

My Boy

I normally find the sort of paper that I used for the background of this page really awkward to use, so wanted to have a go.  It's not like I don't like the papers, just can't use them!  My friend Angela just loves these papers and will choose them over normal papers every time, but not me.

My boy has grown up so much since this trip to Corfe Castle and is now no longer a little boy but a young man.  A young man with lovely straight teeth (even though we haven't yet been finally signed off from the orthodontist due to one particularly naughty tooth that keeps moving).  I do love these pics though :)

Carole x

You Mean the World to Me

If I can't be slushy on Valentine's Day, then when can I be?! Another layout from my weekend away!  Look away now if you don't want hearts and roses (OK, not so much of the roses, but plenty of hearts!)

I like how this one turned out even if I am not too sure about the pear!

Carole x

Meeting Mickey

I have recently been using a lot of sketches via Pinterest mainly to help me with my scrapping.  This one however just happened on its own :) Very simple but I am happy with how it turned out, and I am loving the little tabs at the moment, you might have noticed them popping up on lots of my recent projects ...

I am slowly getting around to scrapping our Disney World trip - hasn't taken me too long, we only went 6 years ago :D

Carole x

The Long and the Short of It

I love this photo!  My Father in Law specifically asked me to take it last Summer at a family gathering, he was amused to see his eldest and his youngest grandsons together :)

Since the subject matter was the height difference, I couldn't resist adding a strip of measuring tape washi tape :D

Carole x

Jubilee

Over the course of my recent girl's crafting weekend, I created six layouts :)  Never have I had the chance to craft for such a long time, and far from getting bored, it has sparked my creativity and made me want to craft more!  I just hope I can keep up the momentum :)

I purchased the gorgeous rosette die, so just had to put it to immediate use!

As the subject was the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, I had thought that I would scrap these photos using red, white and blues (so predictable!).  However, as you can see, I resisted!  and I am so pleased that I did, and really love the rosettes (expect to see them popping up on my projects a lot!).

Carole x

Project Life 2013 - January

Oh my goodness!  I LOVE this project!  I love those little pockets!!!  It was such fun to fill them - in some cases like tiny little scrapbook layouts and others just a photo.  I know doing this project monthly means that it will probably contain edited highlights of our life rather than nitty gritty life, but that's fine with me.  As I said before, I just know that I would fall behind if I tried to tackle it weekly.  However, never say never, and let's see how I get on this year and see what I decide for next year ...

So, a double page spread each month.  This one took me some time - mostly in the editing and printing of the photos, so I will need to get better at that!

I have made my 12 monthly month headers, all ready just to pop in the pockets as I assemble my pages, so that will save a little time each month too :)

I was so looking forward to the end of January so that I could do this layout and just because it is my least favourite month of the year.  ALSO because myself and three crafty friends went away last weekend to a lovely little lodge in Somerset where we spent the whole weekend (Friday - Monday) crafting!!!  Bliss.  It was such a lovely, relaxing, creative, inspiring weekend and I absolutely loved it :)  Thanks so much for a great weekend Emma, Debbie and Angela ... can't wait to do it again!

Carole x

Going Going Gone

I really wanted to do a snowy layout whilst the snow was actually still here, even though the photos I chose to scrap were taken a couple of years ago!

I used some of my left over October Afternoon "Holiday Style" papers which I am still loving (and missing just a little bit!)  I was delighted to be able to use my lovely snowflake punches and die on this layout since they didn't get much of an outing in my Christmas Journal due to the lack of snow!  I was also really brave and stamped on this layout - OK, not much stamping, but it is still there!  A bit of bling and it was done :)

Carole x

All But One

After over a month of Christmas crafting, including my Christmas Journal, I thought I might have forgotten how to do a proper 12 x 12 scrapbook page!  Indeed it turns out that the last one I did was way back in October (how bad is that?!)  Turns out that it is a bit like riding a bike, you never really forget ...

This layout came about because I was challenged to do a layout using strips.  I took it to the extreme, and created the whole background paper out of strips of all my different different stripey papers which I sewed together onto an unwanted piece of 12 x 12 paper.  With all that colour going on I didn't feel like it needed an awful lot more so apart from the doily just popped on some stars and left it at that!

Thanks for looking!

Carole x

Project Life 2013

I have been thinking about doing Project Life for a while now.  Quite a long while to be honest.  I kept talking myself out of it, but the niggle never really went away.  I think it has something to do with those scrummy little pockets that really appeals to me!  I also love the idea of having a visual diary along with a little bit of story telling thrown in for good measure.  However I am realistic.  I know that I wouldn't keep up with doing it every week, no matter how appealing those little pockets are.  So, I aim to do a double page layout every month.  I figure that that should be achievable - around the first of each month, check all the photos on my computer and go from there.  Feel free to give me a shove if I haven't done it by, say the 10th of the month!!!

So, my title page is done!  Project Life has begun!  I haven't opted to purchase the proper kit but intend to use my own stash and do my own thing.  With this in mind, I was delighted to stumble across a lovely tutorial  for making your own journalling cards here (thanks Miss Smith, love them!) and made a few to fill some of those little pockets:

I am really excited to get going now, and so hope that I will be able to see this project through to the end of 2013 at least :)  Watch this space!!!

Carole x

A Christmas Carol(e) - The Final Installment

Ta - Da!!!

Here it is at long last ... my completed 2012 Christmas Journal.  It wasn't easy.  It took a long time.  But ... I LOVE it, as I always do, this being my third complete Christmas Journal :)

The last few pages:

a double page layout for Christmas Day.  So many photos not much room for the patterned paper, so just a little bit of bunting!

I considered doing a double page for Boxing day, but when I worked out which side of the page the journal would end on, I stuck with a single page :)

Having loved my earlier pocket pages, I couldn't resist including some more!  (I am SO looking forward to starting my own version of Project Life with all of those lovely pockets to fill!!!)

It wouldn't have been right to complete a journal without including all our pets, so here is Pickle's page.

A really simple page, again for a day when I failed to take a photo :/

Tilly's page (even though she has actually appeared in the journal previously!)

New Years Eve.  I don't like New Years Eve.  Never have.  Having said that, it hasn't been too bad in recent years, so therefore even though we didn't have plans I wasn't dreading it like I have done previously.  However, this New Years Eve had the potential to be the worst ever when we had a health scare with our lovely old dog Ollie.  Luckily, although the problem is still unexplained, he seems fine for now.  Well, as fine as a nearly 14 year old large dog can be.

Not really a page about New Years Day, more a page of reflection and hopes for 2013.

So, that is it for the pages of my journal.  I had a little bit more to do, namely the inside front and back covers:

A very simple inside front cover, from a poster art pin on Pinterest (love this).

Another simple layout for the back cover, including a photo taken on New Years Day 2013.

Thank you for looking and for bearing with me!  I am so glad that I stuck with it and kept my determination to finish my favourite project of the year.

Right!  How do I do 12 x 12 scrapbook layouts again?!?!?!  It seems like so long ago that I last did one I may have forgotten how to :(

Carole x