Jet Lagged but happy

Well, am back from our holiday to Florida and with the exception of the flight crew on the way out who were the rudist, most ignorant and unhelpful flight crew in the world on the way out and the fact that our villa wasn't where it should be and we had to move (and we still weren't where we should be) we have had a fantastic holiday.

We visited all the disney parks including Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon aswell as the Kennedy Space Centre, Busch Gardens and Sea World and I even managed to fit in some shopping too!!! Bought lots of goodies, both Disney related and not, for my scrapbooking and card making which meant we were well over the limit on our luggage allowance (which was also cr*p) which cost us more money!!!

Once the jet lag recedes I will start scrapping and adding pictures to my blog.

Away for his birthday

Well, we are on countdown for our holiday - only 3 days and a few hours to go and we will be jetting off to Orlando, Florida. We are all exceptionally excited and the only thing marring the whole holiday is that we are away for my Dad's birthday. Although it's not a special one, I have never been away before on his birthday so in anticipation we are going for dinner on Friday night and I plan to take a cake with me as a surprise (but it won't be if he reads this!!!!)

Making cards for men is difficult, but making 3 different ones for the same man is even harder.

So to start I made a card from the kids - he is an avid Leeds United fan (well he can't be perfect all the time!!!!! - well he is actually) so



as he shares his passion with his eldest grandson we opted for a football card.

















This card uses the Dovecraft masculine papers which I used as a background and border









The stamp is one of the sugar nellie stamps coloured with my prismas/sansador in the Leeds colours and decoupaged.

I hope he likes it.




The next project is to finish off the card from me and my hubby for him which I will upload later and then wait for photos from my mum to go in the card from her.

I know I love card making but it is getting silly when I have to do so many cards for the same person - especially when my "mojo" has gone on holiday

A Layout for my daughter

I am sure you scrapbookers will understand this feeling, but on searching through my recently collected photographs, I came across this picture of my daughter (aged 3) that I realised just had to be scrapped. I thought and tried fitting it, with the second matching picture onto a 12 x 12 layout but just couldn't get it right, so I chopped that up and produced a 2 page 8 x 8 layout for her.

As I have previously done albums celebrating the boy's coming of age (13) my daughter who is only 9 was feeling left out. So this layout was something she wanted me to do.

I have decided to produce an album of my family so that I can legitimately scrap the wonderful pictures I have of my kids (and not so wonderful ones too!!)




This is the second page of the layout and although the picture isn't as good as the first it is taken at the same time.

I have put comments on the tags behind the pictures for her later in life and labelled them Dreamy and Cute which I think gives a good description of the photos.

This is really the first scrap because I want to layout that I have done and is not an album based on one subject, which gave me free reign to do anything, which was difficult for a first time even though I really enjoyed it.



The only problem was that I then found other pictures that I needed to scrap only to find that the one piece of card I wanted to use has miraculously disappeared so it will be off to the craft shop tomorrow to pick up another piece - lets just hope they have it!!!!!

So instead, here I am blogging - but that's fine.

My first name book card

Well, having made a card for a friend's daughter, her son wanted a card too - so as it is her 21st I knew I had to do something different. I thought I would have a go with a name book card and here it is.Then I realised that I had to add some embellishments but didn't want to go over the top, so I added punched flowers with brads to the first page, a picture I uploaded from facebook of her and her friend, a nestibilities scalloped circle and circle layer with a 21 on for the next page and the back page is left blank for sentiments to be written.

I think, that for a first attempt I am quite pleased with it but there are some glitches that will need working on - so that's my job for when I return from my holidays.

Sneak preview

The reason I started scrapbooking was so I could create a scrapbook to celebrate my eldest son's 18th birthday in 2009. Thinking it would take me forever to do I started early.

Recently I found a link to a challenge on http://papertakeweekly.blogspot.com/ which I thought I would look at. The first one that I have is this week's which is to use scallops or zigzags on a card or layout.

This is one of the pages that I have done and shows the first professional photo we had as a family in 2006. I think the design shows the fun we had on the day and uses various papers that I had along with the new nestabilities I had bought which makes scallops so easy to use.

I hope you like it.

Mega Magnolias and Sugar Nellies

Well, as I am going back to the physio tomorrow I am not sure what state I will be in!!! So I thought I would craft like mad tonight - so out came my magnolia and sugar nellie stamps to make a very special card for a friend to give to her daughter (who is one of the nicest 21 years olds you could meet).

This is an A4 sized card (well I needed room to fit it all on) and uses Christina Cole paper as a backing, Lakeland's chipboard letters which I coloured with chalk inks and embossed with sparkly clear embossing powders and various magnolia stamps coloured with prismas and blended with sansador to match. I am really really pleased with the result and I have to ask you to trust me when I say it looks better in real life (I can't take photo's to save my life).

So as it's 1.40am and I have tidied up so think it is probably time to go to bed but wanted to add this to my blog before I tuck myself up. It's funny, but having completed something like this gives me such a sense of satisfaction and satisfies my need to craft regularly. Having been very involved with my scrapbooking over the past few weeks, it has set me back on the road to my card making and I now just have to find the correct balance between making my cards for orders and my scrapbooking for fun!!

A Maze Book - Amazed at how easy it was

Well, after deciding to have an early night, I packed everything away and thought - I wonder how easy it is to do a maze book. The tutorials I've seen have always seemed fairly simple so off I trotted and had a go.

The only down side of it was my daughter came down and decided she'd like it so instead of embellishing it as I wanted, I have done hidden pockets for the tags and left it blank for her to fill in.

This is the front of the book.


















And this is it opened up.















I must say that for the fronts I used old cardboard that I had cut to size and covered and it works really well as it doesn't bulk up the book. It was a really economical way of making a card/book as the 12 x 12 I used was from a card pack I had bought and the rest is made from scraps that otherwise would have got thrown out.

My mind is racing with the possibilities for this and obviously I want to make lots more now but unfortunately bed is calling.

For sale!!

Well, having not been able to craft much over the past few days I decided instead to have a clear out - well being the sort of person that NEVER gets rid of anything I am suffering terribly now but it has got out of control, I have stamps still in the wrappers that I just will never use so have decided to put them on the marketplace on UKS and then thought, I have a blog - maybe I should put them on here as well. Prices vary and start at £2 so if you are interested in any of the stamps please email me or contact me through UKS.

present stamp shoe/fan/wig stamp

wedding dress


4 stamps (and yes I know the last one is upside down!!) which are all brand new too.


cheers stamp heart stamp



This one is the only one that I have used (and then only once) and is a tuxedo and wedding dress.

Autographs please

Well as we are off to Disney, my kids all wanted (yes even the 16 year old) autograph books so off I went to hunt for some. Not only are they difficult to find but when you do I think they were extortionately priced for what they were, exactly the same as everyone elses.

So armed with some disney papers and my BIA I decided that I would make personalised and individual autograph books for them.

The fronts are the same but with their names on

The backs are their favourite character

And the inside has a little extra added just to make them happy (and because they are cute).

I have to say, except for the fact that I had to make Gemma's name 3 times because I mucked up the first one when glueing together and totally lost the second one, that is until I'd made the third one, it was quite an easy job. So altogether I am rather pleased with myself.

Now I must clear up and go to bed cos I have work tomorrow and lots to do.

Cards and cards

Well, seeing as I am home I thought it would only be right to update my blog.

So, with what I thought - cos I haven't crafted since I finished the albums off as my shoulder has been sore. I did clear out my daughter's bedroom and the kitchen and the dining room but that's not crafting so doesn't come under the title of FUN.





This photo is a picture (ok, it's not a good picture) of one of the cards I made for my daughter's birthday recently. I used an idea from the crafters companion dvd and adapted it to suit Gemma by using a fairy from Lily of the Valley - they are gorgeous.

This one is a thank you card. Can't remember the make of the stamp (sorry) but it came from a set and I coloured it in with my prismas and blended it with sansador.


















Do I need to tell you that this is a magnolia stamp and I LOVE IT - I thought this was a stunning stamp for a new baby card and made at least half a dozen different designs based on this one.

And yes, another magnolia stamp and a than you card again coloured with my prismas. Just love these stamps and these cards.










Having been out this morning with my daughter who is off school today, we went round the craft shops and bought her stamps and inks of her own which she has gone off to play with (might keep her quiet!!). Mind you, it cost me a fortune. Also bought some papers to cover the fronts and backs of the autograph books the kids want for the holiday so will be off to make those soon ..... wonder if my 16 year old will want one?


Bought a few things for our upcoming holiday to Florida. Mind you when I was checking the details yesterday I did notice that the date we thought we were flying on wasn't the date on the tickets, car hire and villa!!!! Whoops, who's been working to the wrong date, admitedly only a day late but that could have caused a small problem, we'd have missed the flight. Unfortunately my husband is working away that week and the day we had planned to spend packing etc will now be spent flying so I will have to pack etc on my own - which is what I usually do but with my shoulder being bad it would have nice to have had some help!!!!

And another album

Well, having done an album for my middle son, I thought that I should do an album for my eldest son - so here it is.

This one is a gatefold album which I hadn't realised would be so complicated as I wanted to match up the pages!!!

I used various papers throughout including DCVW, papermania, brads and gems along with my thickers and new rub ons from Royal & Langnickel.

This page says it all - we are family (from the sister sledge song) and is very apt.

This page is themed to match the fact my hubby and I both wore beige.

I really enjoyed using these papers as I cut them to fit the over the sides of the photos and to make a frame.

Behind the tag on the left hand side is a comment for my son and I love the fact it adds an interactive element to the album

These are the group shots and therefore titled family and friends

These pages are us dressed up for our evening party - for which the dress code was evening dress!!

These show my nieces (who came in to the song Sisters are doing it for themselves) hence the title!! and the right hand page holds a tag in a pocket (see I'm getting daring now) which has some more personal comments for my son.

These pictures show my husband welcoming everyone to the party and the right hand party The pictures on the right hand side are of me receiving a surprise present, a heart necklace - hence the copy of the design on the title page.

These pictures are of the dancing and our song - flying without wings which seemed to tie in to the photos.

On the back of these two inside pages is a personal letter to my son from me (but that remains hidden)

I am really proud of my achievement and would love to stay home and make albums every day but work unfortunately calls. I also need to make some cards as my scrapbooking seems to have taken over from that and I know that I need some cards!!

I got an award!!

Yes, I (that's me - little old me) has been given an award!

Voodoo Vixen (Annette) (this is her blog voodoo) from UK Scrappers has awarded me the Arte Y Pico (Art & More) award.

It's awarded to bloggers who share their art and creativity making their contribution to the blogger world. Well, to say I am flattered (actually overwhelmed is more accurate) is an understatement - thank you so much!

The Rules!

1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity,design,interesting material,and also contributes to the blogging community,no matter what language.

2. Each award has to give the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4. Award winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of Arte y Pico blog,so everyone will know the origin of this award.

5. To show these rules.

So my 5 blogs are clairandshanisblog for being so inspirational and having so many good ideas, Kelly for having the cutest children and wonderful LO's, Tcake for having the most beautiful cards, Kirsty for some superb layouts, cards and generally being a wonderful person and lastly Sarah for her inspiration use of the Bind It All.

My very first completed album

Well having been and bought a BIA it would have been rude of me not to have used it, so yesterday and today has been spent quietly making an album (well not so quietly as I have involved the family in the decisions of which photos to use and to what wording I should use.

I based the cover on the colour scheme we had for the saturday, which was burgandy and worked from there. This front shows the first of my mistakes (I am sure you will notice more) in that I cut too many holes down the side - but having practised I now know how to do the correct number only!!

The first page holds a handmade envelope which inside is a letter to my son reminding him of how proud we are of him and that he is capable of anything if he sets his mind to it.

These are the pictures of us ready for the Saturday morning - hence the phrase - suited and booted (and we were raring to go!!!!)

And here we are on the Sunday. I know so many people don't like peel offs but I think they work on this page

And here are my two boys (hence brother's love) but I must say it's a rarity to find them together with a smile on their faces. And I used my new thickers for this too and added the nestabilities for the frames - see I am beginning to get a little more adventurous.

And here are the speakers (well of my house

anyway) doing their speeches on the night.

I even added a tag which slides out behind the picture of my hubby speaking with some personal words hidden on it (see - that's adventurous too!!)

And here is my favourite page - the one showing the present I got off my hubby - but that's hidden behind the flap (getting daring now)

The second page is of the dancing on the evening with Alex up in a chair - hence the title.

And this last page is of Alex and his friends because without them the weekend wouldn't have been the same to him.

I have now made a box with an acetate insert for the album and it has been put away for the moment and will be given to Alex when he gets married (I hope!!) or leaves home (I hope too!!)

Thank you for looking at my first attempt and I hope you like it.

Another gadget (but keep it secret)

Well, here I am having survived 2 cortisone injections last night in my shoulder. So as a treat to myself I decided I would go to our local and brilliant craft shop and purchase myself a gadget.

What gadget, I hear you shout (well ok, I don't actually hear you shout but you know what I mean). Well I bought myself a BIA (bind it all). And why, you may ask, would a card maker use a BIA. Well, although I love making my cards I am getting very quickly hooked on scrapbooking (this from someone who couldn't understand the point of it (I say in a whisper) and I have decided that it must be cheaper to make my own albums than buy loads. Well that's the logic I will use when I eventually tell my DH that I have ANOTHER GADGET!!!!

I have started on a very special project celebrating a family event back in June 2007 and have just printed of the photos (ok I know it's 9 months ago but what I can say!!). I have done the front cover which i will upload later and am starting the first pages.

What a day today has been

Well, what can I say, have had to endure two, yes TWO, cortisone injections into my shoulder after my recent fall and now feel very very very sore but hopefully I will now start to recover and be able to get back to work, even if only part time. I really need to catch up before I take my holiday which is in 3 weeks. We are going to Disney in Florida, a long awaited (only 18 years since we thought about it as a honeymoon but couldn't afford it) holiday which we have saved and saved and saved and saved for. The kids are really excited and there are so many things to think about that next week's job is for me to try and get as much information together so we are organised. Mind you, it would be nice if the tickets and info arrived from the travel agent. I am beginning to get a bit worried.



Well, I decided last night to make a small thank you present for my mum and dad, who always complain that they don't have any up to date photos of us so I made a mini album for them using sizzix album dies, sizzix texture plate which I then chalked and lots of different dies, including nestabilities along with brads etc. I am new to "scrapbooking" so it was a challenge but I think I am pleased with the outcome.

So this is my family, my darling husband who is so supportive of my crafting but maybe that is because it keeps me from nagging him, but seriously he has been wonderful since my "accident" and I really appreciate his support. My children are "wonderful" when they are asleep but it's lovely that I can now scrap them ........ scrapbook them I should say though when the arguments start, scrap them might be what I have in mind. And the last photo, the most troublesome member of the family - Harley our puppy who is just huge, and just like any other puppy but bigger.

Another Card

Well, I did promise that I would put something on my blog regularly but you know what life is like.

I am still recovering from a fall I had which has meant I am off work at the moment (well most of the time anyway) but I can manage the odd card or too - so here is my latest addition to my magnolia card family.

I made the frame using nestabilities and cuttlebug embossing mats and then put Tilda on with a matching dress. Think it looks better in real life than on the photo but that could be because my photography skills are next to useless.