Inspired by ...

A few of the cards I have made inspired mainly by the Lili of the Valley card stall at Ally Pally.

Ally Pally

Today I am suffering from a poorly back so I have spent most of the day (aside from the hour spent at Laura's because the bt engineer was there) in my craft room. My new craft room, as most of the stuff has now been moved into the larger back room giving me much more space to create a mess in..

I have mainly been experiementing with new goodies bought at this autumn's Big Stamp and Scrapbook show at Ally Pally on Sunday. Now that Kelly has finished her degree she can now once again join me in our shared scrapping/crafting enthusiasum so we went together, where we spent far too much money but had a terrific day.

Lots of people have complained about the crowds and rude people getting in the way, but we saw none of that. After driving to Gillingham because of engineering works, I met Kelly at Victoria from where we tubed, trained and bussed over to the Palace, arriving just after doors opening time. Even stopping for a cake (thankyou Kez, yummy!) and cup of tea we were still ahead of the crowds, and started our methodic work around the exhibition hall from the back on the left, working from left to right and back again down the room. We had lists of things we wanted clutched in our hands but failing to find most of what was on them, and stopping to watch demo's of techniques on our way, we soon had a whole trench of additional things on our wish lists.

Being out the loop for at least 4 years, Kelly was amazed at all the new products available now, and needed to watch all the demonstrations to see what she had been missing over the time of her studys. We broke for our picnic lunch and then returned to start at the front and make our way back to the middle of the hall. Still we did not meet many crowded parts of the hall, only in the last hour did we find we were often bottlenecked into stalls.

Finally tired yet happy we came away with lots of new goodies. We both loved the glimmer mists and were overjoyed to find a man selling empty spray bottles 6 for £5. We bought 2 shades of the mists each and before going home Kelly decanted some from each bottle into our spray bottles so that we could share colours. Kelly being Kelly managed to spill it all over her fingers though.



We spent a good bit of time, and money on the stall selling masks, especially when the lady demonstrated that they could be used for dry embossing as well. (Of course now Kelly's next must have is a cuttlebug, while it is yet another reason for me not to give up on my zip-e-mate)

My first attempts at using the glimmers wasnt that wonderful as it managed to bleed under the mask, but it does give a brilliant effect all the same.




Our fav stall was the Clarity stamps where the wonderful Barbara Gray was giving demonstrations. Having watched her every time she is there, I finally gave in and bought a brayer, some ink and a stamp. I still need to get the hang of using the brayer, and am pretty sure some of this talented lady's videos are going on my christmas list.

I loved all the cards on the Lili of the Valley stamps and took heaps of photos of their example cards so that I can scraplift them. I have been having fun sorting out my Promarkers into cd cases and putting them into a metal chest my mate bought me a few years back.

Time for a move

I have decided that the reason I have little mojo is not really because I keep getting distracted by Bejeweled Blitz on FaceBook, oh no, not at all, it is because the scrapping room is way too small. I took over the smaller of the three bedrooms when Kelly moved out to Uni but before Laura left home. It seemed ideal when Loz was still using the bigger room. But 2 years down the road after Laura moved out, I am wondering why I am still cramped in a tiny box room with 2 expidit units, a bookcase, a chest of three drawers and a dining room table (not to mention a computer chair, a large printer, a scanner, a large stanley box and a sewing machine). Actually put like that it seems amazing that I fit in there too.

So I decided it was time to move into the bigger spare bedroom and relegate the guests (who we never have anyway) to the box room. And whilst at it, it also seemed a good idea, what with the new job and all, to move all my books back down from the attic where they have been collecting dust since I gave up full time teaching.

Of course all this necessitated a trip to Ikea, and Martin was all too pleased (not) to take me to Lakeside after his game of golf yesterday on his day off. We did really well, not only did the larger Billy bookcase fit in my little KA but so did two extra bits of wood and four tressle legs destined to become greenhouse staging, some of those nifty little screw top jars, some stoppered bottle to fill with home made lemonade and a few more kilner jars for a bit of christmas preserve making.

Today Martin was all too pleased (not) to get all the boxes of books down out the attic for me. I have filled the Billy Bookcase already, managed to throw three boxes of tatty books away, and still have another three boxes left. But its ok, as I have plans for where they will fit ..........

Then next weekend I am off to Ally Pally to the stamp show to buy some stash to fill up my bigger room!

Paper and glue?

Here's a strange thing. I have scrapped!

Yes, thats right, a whole Layout.

I know hard to believe isnt it?

And not only that I am blogging about it too. Whatever next?

Its for the latest Scrapping the Music challenge and the sketch is from Creative Scrappers 120

The photos were taken during the summer on one of the rare sunny - nay, hot days we had back in July. We went for a picnik with mum, dad and Laura, at Mote Park. Now as a child we spent many a 'happy' picnik in a car park, as we would intend going to visit some wonderful house/mannor/castle/monument, but once we arrived, often the entry price was more than my dad would entertain so we would have our picnik in the car park, then come home again.

This has left me a tad fussy about where we lay our picnik clothe, and despite dad's protestations, and moaning about having to carry all the gear, I instisted we walk a bit further away than 10 yards from the car, choosing a picturisk place overlooking the lake. Ok so it was up a bit of a gentle slope, which was difficult for dad with his angina, but Laura soon took care of that by giving him a helping push.

The photos were ideal for this weeks usic challenge, which is Pink's 'Get this Party started'. A bit of artistic licence in the wording, but they work so very well. All the papers and embellishments are from DCWV Nana's Kitchen stack (mmmm lots of lovely glitter), and some thickers thrown in.

Catch up before returning

I would like to do a catch up on my blog............ except there is very little to catch up on.

The weather this August has been grey, miserable and even cold (we had to resort to jumpers and hot water bottles at one point). We have been out a couple of times, but mainly drove round and came home again because it was so miserable. Martin has been back at work, Wayne was off so I didnt get to see much of Laura while they were out doing stuff (although they did take me for a nice pub lunch at the Red Lion) and Kelly/Ollie had their weekends booked fully (camping, Spurs matches) and couldnt come down.

One important thing did happen though, and that is that Kelly passed her final exams for her degree and is now a fully fledged accountant. Well done that girl :D

This weekend combined bank holiday, the Old Etonian's cricket match and our 30th wedding anniversary. After last year's drunken escapades Martin was eager to repeat the exercise but I was dog/house sitting for mum and dad who were away in Norfolk for a few days, so had to get home for the dog. Forced inside the club house by the biting wind and not able to drink I was sober enough to actually see just how rude and ill mannered the visiting team really was. I hadnt noticed before as this was the first time I had stayed inside and not sat outside watching the game. They completely took over the club house, forcing Laura and I (physically) out of our seats, later moving the table we had put our drinks on (without asking us, and nearly spilling our drinksin to the bargin) and just being totally ignorant and unsociable to the people of the club they were visting. I was quite glad in the end to be able to leave, dropping the kids and Martin off at the curry house while I went home for a measly toasted cheese sandwich with the hound.

Our wedding anniversay passed without much fuss, Ollie and Kelly came for lunch as Ollie had to go visit his sick grandmother in hospital, Kelly and I tried out the hot tub but I had put too much chlorine in, so we soon had to get out. Kelly and Laura later came over for cake and a cuppa, and that was that.

I havent done much in the way of paper crafting, nothing to share anyway. I have been continuing my learning journey into dress making. I have been sewing clothes since I was at school, making much of the kids clothes when they were small, and many items for myself through the '80's when I was able to get cheap fabric from the local market. Yet it is only in the last month that I have discovered most commercial patterns are made for a size B bust (and I am far from a size B!!). No wonder the pattern I made up last year didnt fit me. But I have also now discovered something called Full Bust Adjustment, a means of altering the pattern so it fits. I dont have a body form so getting it right is still a bit trial and error but I have nearly finished a top which I think is going to be a lot nearer to my shape than the model on the pattern packet. Watch this space.

I am also starting SOFA, a health and fitness regieme being run by the lovely girls on the Pad but also a FB group so anyone can join in. I am hoping to loose weight, get fit and generally pamper myself. Again watch this space . . . . . .