As promised

Gee this is a steep learning curve, I've been trying to work out how to upload and share these files for most of the day and I'm still not sure I've got it right but anyway here goes.

Blue Moon

They are saved in .png format and hopefully this is what you will be getting if technology goes to plan.

A few bits to build into flowers, some clips and a bookplate.

Two pattern papers

And one of whatever these are called.

Plus a set of corners that I accidentally zipped in there as well. LOL

And hopefully (fingers crossed) you can download them all here

Watch this space

I have been playing lots in photoshop and last night succeeded in making an eyelet which I then used to make an envelope fastener (don't know what they are called but the thing with the two circles that you wind the string round). Now if Katie and Kirsty can do it I am sure I can make a few elements and hand them out for free, so I am going to look at how to upload the files. If I can work out that bit of technology then there will be a few bits and bats - not a whole kit (I find I get sidetracked and loose concentration if I try to make too many bits that go together) but a few basic bits.

So watch this space!

More cake?

The rest of the book (because blogger didn't want too many photos in one go!

Home made cakes

in a book.

I didnt fancy doing confessions as my theme for Shimelle's free class but the finished results did inspire me and it looked so simple and quick. So I rooted through my years of photos and came up with the idea of recording all in one place all the home made birthday cakes I have made the girls and Martin across the years. Now this is rather a lot because for every birthday the girls had there would be a party for the family and another for the girl's friends, so with the one for hubby that is at least 5 cakes a year and Kelly is now 25.



Of course I took photos of every one, of them blowing out the candles and of the cake sitting pride of place on the tea table. But I couldn't find them all. I know for a fact I was quite practiced at The Hedgehog cake with the chocolate button spines, and there was one year when we scoured the shoppes for old fashioned lace licourice to make train tracks for The Train cake. What happened to the pictures of the cake shaped like a huge wedge of (bright) yellow cheese with the sugar mice sliding down it?












Anyway I used the front part of the little 4x4 freebie mini album that came with this months SI mag and lots of scraps of paper to produce all the cakes for Laura from birth to age 7 and this is the result.

Another day, another .....

yawn.

I am so bored of being home!

Well I guess it wouldnt be so bad if I didn'f feel so guilty about not being at work. And not helped by another two letters turning me down for jobs I had applied for. I KNOW when I was younger it wasnt this hard to get a job, you just saw the vacancy advertised, rang up for an appointment (or the job centre sent you there) and all the stuff they needed to know they asked in the interview. When I was 18 no one had ever even heard of a CV let along got the correct type of resume professionally written.

Now its closing dates, aplication forms, letters of application, CV's (in the correct format for the job) initial visits, informal interviews, formal interviews, presentations, demonstrations and then .....

Anyway did a bit of digi scrapping while I was sitting here writing yet another letter of application.


Flowery background and frame are freebies from Scrap Girls designed by Angie Briggs
Ribbon, ric rak and stitched doodle from Miss Mint Frozen Slush
Lace frame by Miss Bonbon (but I altered colour)
And the torn corregated paper is by Pam (Simple little basic set)

Oh God I ache

You wouldnt think you could use so many muscles just painting - walls that is not LO's. But I have sure discovered a few muscles I didnt think I was ever going to need to use again this weekend.

Laura and Wayne have got to the stage of the build where the new plaster needs three coats of paint...all of it...in a three bedroom, two reception and kitchen/dinner detatched chalet bungalow! Thats a lot of walls, and a lot of paint and a lot of painting.

So I have been giving them a hand. And its hard work.

Still now we have got the colour on the wall it is beginning to look like a house now instead of a building site. Second fixings start next week and then it shouldnt be long for the plumber and kitchen, then flooring to be completed. I am going to miss having the two of them around when Laura moves out.

I have been playing around with 'actions' in photoshop. I have discovered a good site here and using the auto colour one. OK its not going to do wonders for the composition of my old 70's and 80's photos when photo technics and processes where pretty dire but it has managed to at least make photo's of my babies scrapable

Before photoshop play
After photoshop play

Why blog?

There is a bit of a debate about how to get people to read your blogs going on UKS.
It made me stop and think for a bit.

I didn't start my blog to get people to come read my twaddle. And I dont fool myself that my scrapping is so wonderful that I need to share and give others inspiration (it would be nice but I know its not gonna happen). I started it to record bits of my daily life for ME. It was an easier way for me to keep track of what had happen so I could match my photos up to dates and occasions. A way to help my failing memory in my dotage LOL Just a..diary I guess, for ME.

I am hopeless at diaries. Its all those blank days staring at me, and if I dare miss a day I cant face filling in the next one without the blank one looking up at me and demanding to know what I did on that day. Blogger doesnt mind though. If I miss a day, or a week or even a month it doesnt look at me accusingly, it just shrugs and says 'what have you been up to then?'

But then I added a visitor counter because others were doing the same, and then I joined Crafty Blogs and it all got a bit silly. It became a bit of a game to see how high I could get up the chart. And I started to get caught up in the 'blog hype'. You know the one - come and look at such and such on my blog - just to get the counter up.

I started to feel I couldnt post on here unless I had actually done a LO or could offer a digi freebie.

Pure madness.

I'm not going to take my counter off because I do like to look and see who has visited and where from. Its interesting and part of being in blogland

And I am not going to take my blog off the Crafty Blog site, because if nothing else its a link for me to find other crafty blogs and also you never know, one person my find my work interesting, or post suggestions to help me improve.

But I am going to stop competing for veiwers and go back to the basics of why I blog.

Scrap-a-Ganza

If you want to know anything about this event then a blog all about it has been set up here

Dates

Why, oh why did photo developing companies stop printing the dates on the back of your photos? It would make life so very much easier.

I am now working in Excel to put 'clues' as to what year the photos I have piled up here might be from. Things like - that year we had the brown 3 piece suite, or thats the year we still had the climbing frame that end of the garden' or even 'the girls are wearing the dresses I made for Mother-in-law's wedding anniversary so it must be..

I tell you it is doing my head in!

And I seem to have more unwrapping christmas present photos than there is years.

Oh course what all this means is that I can no longer step into my craft room because the floor and table are covered in LO's and photos in attempts to cross-reference everything. Which is a shame because I have just downloaded the instructions for Shimelle's class, and although I dont fancy the subject matter, the idea of that simple little book is something I could have easily gone for.

I've done some scrapping

I just cant manage to cataloge these photos I scanned from my dad's collection. So I have stuck them all in a box and am just randomly scrapping them. They are important because he seems to have captured a few memories that I have no photos of - like Kelly's bessie mate from school, and her when she lost her front teeth. How did I manage to miss photographing those moments?? Good old dad, but I so wish he had put dates on the back of his photos when he had them developed!.

Basic grey Alysha (see I will use up this stash!)
K&Co 3D rose sticker
PM rub ons
Hand cut rose made from Cherry Arts paper
Heidi Swap Chipboard letters
AG stamps (finally found a way of using them)

Ups and Downs

I've not really felt like blogging, well not really felt like doing much at all. I always feel like this about January and February, but this week I have had a mouth full of ulcers which have made me feel really down. I have been gargling with TCP and mouth wash, got through a whole tube of Bongela and cleaned my teeth at least 5 times a day in the hope of encouraging my gums to heal quicker. Its still sore today but at least not excruciating agony, and it did help me loose 2lb this week as it was a tad difficult to eat.

On the up side I phoned a private foster care agency yesterday, worried that our knock back from the LEA foster care dept would prevent us from being considered. But no, the lady was very encouraging and is going to send out a pack. So we may not have to wait 6 months to start the process all over again. Plus this lady assured me they expect to get their carers trained within 6 mnths - it took the LEA 8 months just to get our medicals done.

Wayne and Laura took me to the pictures on Tuesday. We were supposed to be taking my mum for a birthday treat but those two can never get themselves organised. The first time they went on holiday together they were still looking on the internet for places to go on the Monday of the holiday. In the end they just got in the car with a change of clothes - no coats- and just drove, with no idea where they were going. Anyway their chosen way of going to the pictures is to just go to the multiplex and decide what they are going to see when they get there depending on the time. I didnt think my mum would go for that idea so just the three of us went.
We ended up seeing The Pursuit of happyness, not a film I would have been likely to choose to see, but I am so glad I did. It sent you through a roller coaster of emotions, humourous to down right laugh out loud bits, sadness, anger, and bought you to tears. Will Smith's son certainly has an acting career ahead of him if he so desires but the thing that stuck with me was Will himself. Only ever having seen him in comedy slots I didnt realise what a brilliant, beautiful straight actor he was. So if you get the chance to go see it, do.

Chillin'

So I think I have earnt it, since my parents led me a bit of a song and dance this morning. To be honest it was my own fault, but I still got a tad worried and worked up.

Yesterday Mum had asked me to take her out to help choose some jewellery to go with her outfit for THE wedding, but I had to wait in for Martin's upgraded contract phone to turn up. By the time I got round to Mum's, my cousin was visiting so in the end we didnt go out. But I said I would take her today and would ring in the morning.

This morning I rang and got no answer. I continually rang her for three hours. I even drove over to their place and checked up the allotment. No joy. I just couldnt understand why she wasnt answering her mobile.

After three hours it finally dawned on me that I was ringing the home number and not the mobile - derr - but in my defence I have also just got a different handset and am not used to using it yet.

Suffice to say they were fine and had gone to pick up dad's new glasses. I say new, they were new before christmas but the lens fell out. He took them back and asked for a new frame as the one they were in was bent. After a lot of debate and looking at the frames the shop decided the lens had fallen out because the frame was too small and thats why it had bent. Solution - well common sense would have said get a new frame the lenses fit but no, dad had to keep the bent frame and have another lot of lenses made. Go figure?

So as I said, I am listening to a wonderful little site - Radio blog club - and chilling out to a little bit of Steely Dan while scrapping.

This is one result. A not very brilliant attempt at Scrapdolly's class for this week on UKS.

I found a heap of photos dad must have taken of the girls when they were younger, except I wasnt there when he took them so I have no reference for what when and where. Its fun trying to work it out though.

I have something to confess

Go take a look at Shimelle's blog for more details!

Addicted

I have to say Kirsty's kits are rather addictive and I have had another play - this time using the desaturation control.

Joy was a Christmas special gift from Scrap Girls, Sweet girl tag and the journaling tag came from Miss Mint Candy Fairway kit but every thing else is from Kirsty Wiseman's Ice Queen kit.

Another kit by Kirsty

And it is fab! She has put the download link on UKS so go grab it if you want to play. I have combined the two kits she has done so far to do this LO. Added my own touches by converting her background paper to a pattern fill for the arrow, used a few snowflake brushes on the backgound and colour filled a few of her bits. Plus there are a few elements from a kit called Heaven on Earth by Sunflower

For those of you who dont know and want to give it a try, making a fill pattern from an existing pattern is really simple. I use photoshop 7 so my instructions are for that.

1 Open the background paper you want to use as the pattern fill.
2 Use the marquee tool if you only want a bit of the pattern to select or Use select all if you want the whole pattern.
3 Edit>define pattern and give your pattern a name, click ok
4 Click on the fill icon and then change foreground to pattern. On my software this is on a drop down menu at the top left hand side of my screen.
5 Find the pattern you have just made on the drop down pattern menu
6 Use the fill icon to fill in your pattern

This is my eldest daughter who is 25 now. Grandad used to let her get away with murder including making huge snowballs in the garden with just her tights on and no coat!

Ahh well.

Which just about describes how I have been feeling all day.

The weather has been awful, gales, rain, sleet and at one point there were very large snow flakes coming down in the rain. I just couldnt really be bothered to do much. I did go and have an informal visit at a really lovely school where there is the chance of a 3 day job share going. But already, after only 2 days of advertising he has had 14 applications and a lot of interest in visits. Plus the two women going round with me just seemed so much more suited than me. So .. ahh well!

I then spent the rest of the day putting all the photos on my discs into ACDSee. I used to have this program when I first started using digital photography about 7 years ago and couldnt rate it high enough. But somewhere along the line it got lost and forgotten. It cropped up in conversation on the Pad today and immedietly I rushed to download a copy. Mind eons ago it was freeware but now it apparently costs money ...Ahh well.

I downloaded a trial version anyway because you can tag the stuff you have saved on discs and veiw it even without the disc in the drive. Now all I have to do is choose the photo I want, use ACDSee to cross reference the disc it is on, find the disc and voila. Way easier than sitting here with a pile of discs all labeled 'photos'. Martin got stuck on the A20 as Operation Stack was put into place. Honestly what other country uses their motor ways as a lorry car park every time the wind gets above force 3? Yet another ...Ahhh well.


But this evening I did some digi scrapping. I used some of Kirsty Wiseman's kit, some of Shabby Princess's Seasonal Sampler kit and some bits from A taste of India by J Sprague. Kirsty has come along way from last week when I talked her through her first digi, and I notice this evening she has just put up her second digi kit for us all to share. She is putting me to shame and maybe its about time I started designing a few bits??...Ahh well!!!

Finding my way around

With the help of google and alot of different sites offering info and tech help I managed to make and upload a new banner - do you like it? I'm quite chuffed with it although I couldnt get it as wide as I would have liked.

And somewhere along the line I lost my slide show but every time I go to reinstate it, it is too wide and only half of it shows up, so more work on that to do.

A few people without blogger accounts are also telling me they cant comment so thats another thing I have to work out how to change ( if you can).

Gee the school web site was waaaaay easier than this to update and maintain!!! LOL

Taken the plunge.

I have finally taken the plunge and updated to Beta blogger. So I am still playing with colours and have to make a new banner, please bear with me.

Fatal flaw

In my plan to use photo's of all the people who's birthday it was in my birthday book/calendar I omitted to allow for the fact that some parts of the year I dont actually know any one with a birthday in that month. OOOps!!!

I have just completed February but am waiting for the paint and glitter to dry before putting it on the scanner. It took me long enough to clean the crud off last time.

Happy birthday mum!

For yesterday. A bit late but blogger has been down for maintenance.

The family took her to the Toby Cavery for her birthday, the food wasnt up to its usual standard, being a tad overcooked but the company was good, and Kelly got all excited sharing the plans she has now got round to making for her wedding. About time she got organised with only 8 weeks to go. I didnt actually take the camera though as we have so many pics of us eating at either the cavery or the Harvester its getting silly.

Today I had to phone Occupational Helath so that they could finally tick me as fit to be back at work. I guess the guy I was talking to must have realised I was fit and well as I didnt pull any punches letting him know that they hadnt really done anything to help me. He made lots of suggestions for should it happen and the same situation arise again but I was quick to point out that it was too little too late. He did have the grace to apologise and say that lots of really good improvements had been made in the last year. Well no good for me though eh?

One thing he did say though was that the back spasms I suffered from 3 years ago could have been the result of stress - early indication, if only I could have read the signs.

But better than Occ Health saying I was fit, was the observation made by the librarian at my local library. They are all lovely lovely ladies that work in there, its only a little sub library so they get to know all their customers. Not only that Kelly worked as a Saturday girl there before going off to Uni so I know them better than most customers. Anyway today I chose 9 books, and she looked at the pile and said 'All those?' Before I could answer she added 'Thats more like you, we were really worried when you were only taking out 4 or 5'. I hadnt even noticed but the truth is that when I was suffering I simply couldnt concentrate long enough to choose my full quota. It felt really good to know I am now back to 'normal' (whatever normal may be!).