Apologies for not being around

Well, having intended to blog every other day with my scrapping, the plans never came off due to a month of things being difficult at home.

Unfortunately my wonderful husband hasn't been well but the past week it escalated and we have spent most of the week running to and from the hospital with him. After his fall he hurt his neck and the tablets he was taking has meant he has had a reaction and now has gastric problems and other things. He went downhill on Wednesday very quickly and at one point both the emergency doctors and I thought he was having a heart attack. However he is now on medication and hopefully will feel better soon but they have advised him to take gaviscon and watching him take it is like watching the kids take medicine when they were little. If I wasn't so worried I would be laughing.

Then a problem with his left eye over the past few weeks worsened suddenly too and after going to a pre-booked appointment at our doctors (a wonderful locum who deserves a medal for everything she has done for us this week) she told us she wanted an urgent CT scan and made call after call to get us an appointment on the NHS with a consultant the next day. Well we went to St James and saw a wonderful eye doctor, Dr Sullivan, who, because they had lost his previous notes (no comment but it was only last week he was there) went through everything thoroughly, brought in a registrar (I really feel old when these doctors are young enough to be my children) and she also agreed to an urgent CT scan. However the CT department think differently, and say an urgent CT scan can take 2 weeks. So he has been put on steroids and we are off to the specialist again on Monday!!!!

However, in the midst of all this my CJ entry needs doing to be posted for Monday. Having booked a week off work this week I had loads of time, until medical incidents stopped me, so last night, or should I say early this morning I managed to do it and below are some sneak previews.

And there's more!!!

Yes, this stash diet is definately inspiring me to scrapbook - and I am really really enjoying it.

I have decided to work on my Disney Album, seeing as we have been back for nearly 5 months I thought I would try break the back of it.

Here are a few of the pages (including some DLO's that I have done this week).




This is the left hand side of a DLO

I even managed to stamp and emboss the background

And this is the RHS of the DLO

This is us meeting the mice - a dream came true!!!!!!!

Mickey & Minne were made on my cricut and the title is from a set I bought whilst in America

And here are the pictures showing how the boys charmed Minnie.

And pictures of cinderella's castle changing colours whilst we waited for the night time parade.

Another LO of my daughter, but one that she will cherish forever.

We had queued for 2 hours so she could meet the Princesses and it was so sweet that when she met them she went all shy

STASH DIET and it's effects

STASH DIET ALERT

I am a member of a crop, called the Leeds Paper Dolls, but for some reason, Kirsty (our leader) decided that we should start a stash diet together!!!!!!!!!

So at the end of the monthly crop, some of us started a stash diet. The idea being that we don't need more stash (we all seem to like buying but not necessarily using LOL) unless it is an adhesive, and we can use up some of the large stash we have all collected. We can borrow/give stash to each other to help each other out and to give us an incentive we earn points/money for every LO or card we make (i.e. you can't buy unless you use it first).

So, with this in mind and the fact there are a couple of things I would like to buy, I joined the diet and started scrapping. I have to admit that it does make you scrap knowing you are earning toward spending. Here are a few of my LO's and I have even progressed to doing some DLO's.

This LO was to celebrate my beautiful DD - who always as a little one dressed up as Snow White, when I was looking through my photos these shone and I just knew I had to do a LO about it.

Another LO for Gemma (she's sat on the left). I had already bought this paper for this photograph but hadn't got round to doing it. I used some Chipboard Letters and some embellishments that I also had but never wanted to use LOL!!!!!!

A busy week for the family

Well, what a couple of weeks it has been.

In my life out of crafting, we arranged for my DS1's girlfriend to come up and suprise him - we took them bowling and I arranged to meet them after my monthly crop there, what he didn't know was that I was going to the station to pick up his girlfriend.

As you will see, we definately gave him a surprise, his face says it all.

(aside to this, just look at my daughter's face, she was not impressed that the reason we were having a photocall was not to take her picture LOL).

And once he realised who was stood behind him then this was the result (awwww!)

The week went well until we picked up his AS results, not too good but hopefully the kick up the butt he needs to get his act into gear for the forthcoming year so that he can pass his exams and get into the university of his choice. We have a couple of plan B's just in case but hope we don't need them.

I have been working hard this week, especially as my colleague is off on holiday!!! (who said she could have a holiday LOL)

Unfortunately my DH isn't too well, he has a severe case of conjuctivitis (well it is something more than that but I can't remember the name!) and isn't feeling too well which could all be connected.

DS1 is going away on a youth trip to New York (I never got trips to NY when I was his age) on Sunday morning so I am busy washing and ironing to make sure he has everything he needs. I hope he has a brilliant time.

A Circle Journal

Ok, I have been a very very brave girl and with a bit of persuasion from my good friend Kirsty, I am taking part in a circle journal on UKS. I belong to "Kirsty's Kolourful & Kreative Newbies" which is 10 new timers to circle journals. So first of all I need to say hello to them all, Amy, Genevieve, Debbie, Debby, Catherine, Emma, Maxine, Toni & Liz (waves madly at them).

We all had to decide on our own theme and then we complete a page in each others layouts.

Well, my theme was Special Moments, why, cos I am a soppy so and so and love to hear nice things about people.

We are not allowed to put on our blogs or in our galleries our pictures of the CJ's until it is finished (in another 8 months time!!) but I am allowed to show you the front of my CJ.

This was designed during an afternoon with Kirsty, where I tried out different designs on her and this was the one we liked the best.

The first CJ entry I received was Amy's Nursery Rhymes one and boy did her introduction reduce me to tears - it was so lovely.

Well, as I said I am not allowed to show youmy LO's but I can show you some hints :)

Not sure even I can guess it from those LO's

but I am now looking forward to receiving the next one from Debby, Favourite Destinations. I have my idea for this, but who knows whether it will turn out the way I planned.

UKS Stash Bash Challenge

Well, this month on UKS, there is a daily challenge to use up all your stash, and boy do I have a lot of stash to use.

So having had a day off work yesterday I decided to give it a go.

The first challenge were mini books by Voodoo Vixen (Annette) who is the master of the mini book. So I decided I would try the circle album first and here is my attempt at this one.



This is the final cover - I am really pleased with this bit of my album and love the colours, especially the use of ribbon.

The inside was covered with some of the black and white DCVW paper pack I bought many moons ago when I started card making (so that fulfilled the criteria of using old stash)

I have added a couple of pictures but to be honest I am not convinced with the finish of this one, but as I will use it as a sample for customers to see what I do, I am happy with it.

The second album was a square one, and this one just said "baby" to me. I had some papers I bought with a QVC card kit, which once it arrived I realised I had absolutely no idea what to do with it. I have made some of the cards up but was really stuck with using the papers and thought I could utilise them on some LO's. Well, I suppose this is a LO of sorts and I used them to make a baby album/card (hence the back page being free to write a message). No photo's were added this time but I do love the finished effect.

The inside of the book has had some tags made and stamped with precious and cherish and the teddies have been decoupaged.