Monday 22 November 2010

Getting ready for making



this years Christmas Journal along with Shimelle & Ali Edwards. It will be a combination  of Ali's December Daily - with lots of preparation and Shimelle's prompts to inspire me as I go along. I love this time of the year!!
I have made a Christmas Album of some kind since 2005 including those titled A Christmas Alphabet, Meandering in Munich, A Journal For Christmas, A Christmas Journal, A trip to Bruges and December Daily - --
I plan a further one for this year - another album documenting my December - because although it is rather a frantic time for me - 2 of my 3 children are December babies - one on the 17th and one on 23rd- - I do truly love this season. I am a sucker for the glitz and sparkle of the decorations in the shops, I love the aromas -the spices cinnamon nutmeg & ginger, the baking,  the sounds of the season and just the general hustle & bustle!

Gura mie ayd
J x

Saturday 9 October 2010

October Afternoon

pale grey skies this morning, drifting quietly past  - and it had rained in the night but the forecast was for better - fortunately - as today we celbrated with a birthday tea. An incredibly  mild day - the still cloudy skies holding the warmth in. In the stillness we found ourselves driving into a golden day as we headed to our destination for Afternoon Tea. Misty; damp; hazy and quiet empty roads, and pale drifting sunlight as we wended our way across the island to Milntown - the sun brightening all the way so that we arrived in the most glorious sunshine. And though it is most definitely autumn - it was beautiful! The gardens of Milntown are a joy to see - so much still in bloom - yet that unmistakable scent of autumn in air - earthy, damp leaves, woodsmoke - whilst insects danced and flitted in the shafts of golden light from the suns rays.
There are fruits and blooms everywhere -colour abounds, russets, greens, golds, purples pinks anf blues whilst espaliered apples line the paths and windfalls scatter the orchard, - and in the potting shed the aroma of the harvested apples was so appetizing!! The garden produce is used in the cafe and restaurant kitchens and since it is all grown organically no wonder the food  tastes so good!

We had the most delicious afternoon tea to celebrate S's burthday with a real traditional feel to it - delightfully dainty sandwiches, luscious cakes - lemon drizzle, chocolatey slices, home made strawberry jam, cream filled scones! All served on a  3 tier cake stand with pretty china and pots of tea or coffee - lovely!! Delightful company of course made it a perfect afternoon! What more can one wish for at this time of the year.
Gura mie Ayd. J x

Friday 8 October 2010

Crafty Corner

- - in the library - and what a busy lunchtime it was!! We had two tables of  busy bees today making card holders - - and to our great delight we had a couple of our lovely 6th form girls come along to help with the Year 7 pupils! It was a delight to have them there! We were so busy we had to turn a couple of little ones away as we had no more space round the table - and I do hate to turn anyone away :(
Hopefully it won't happen again as the Sixth formers are happy to take a table each.

Friday 1 October 2010

Another Lesson - - -

- - -learned - dark mornings make it so hard to get up! I have decided as a mammal I am meant to hibernate through the winter months. As the days shorten I find it more and more difficult to get myself out of the cottage to go to work. I do it of course - - but oh how I wish I didn't have to!!

Wednesday 29 September 2010

Wet Wednesday

Oh dear - what a dreadful morning - so grey and gloomy that it really doesn't feel light at all - in spite of the fact that it is nearly 11am.It began raining last night and hasn't stopped since! Nice weather for ducks!!

Hope it brightens a bit later - I don't feel as if I see enough daylight as the days draw in - though I can't say I dislike the changing seasons - as that would be a lie - just wish I didn't work full time so I could see a few more hours of daylight.
I do have an evening out to look forward to - though I am sure I will feel too tired when I get in - LOL - I always do!! Making myself make the effort is good for me though!! Villa Marina here I come!!

Friday 24 September 2010

We don't always know - -

- - when we come across "a Good Samaritan" - - - - - - I learned there are still some really kind &amd decent people in the world. My youngest daughter lost her passport - though she didn't realise it at the time. On my way home from work I received a text message which said -" Hi. I wanna let u know that I've found Rhiannon passport on the street this morning."
I texted my daughter as she is back now at University -  found I was informing her that she had lost her passport! I was able to reassure her that it had been found, and passed on the phone details of her unknown "angel in disguise" - she then had a rather stressful night awaiting contact - however she made arrangements to meet her good Samaritan and she and her passport were re-united - - result - one very, very relieved and grateful young lady. And also a mum who didn't have to find the money to replace it!!

Tuesday 7 September 2010

A little more - -

-- progress today - - a few tags, which are actually my pages for my album. I have made them all from scratch - and though they are a variety of sizes they do all co ordinate as I have used a fairly restricted colour palette on them. I am working with just one collection of papers - Wisteria from Basic Gray - and very few flattish embellishments as all the tags must slide easily into my pockets - and indeed today's lesson - Limiting my supplies this way makes for much more efficient scrapping! might well be the lesson for today.
It's been particularly hectic at work today - teaching staff are back in after their summer break - and students will join them on Wednesday - so I might find that all my intentions of trying to make a page each day for this album might going flying out the window! I will keep on doing my best though.

Please feel free to leave a little comment if you stop by,

Gura mie ayd -  J x

Friday 3 September 2010

A slightly different - -

- - kind of "album" for this my September daily class. I have participated in Shimelle's Class - Learn Something New Every Day since 2006 - I have 2 completed albums to show for it, and 2 half full. This year I hope to have another completed one - though I am hopeless at uploading my work - Life just seems to eat away at my time so!! Anyway here is this years' - an exploding box - made from envelopes - inspired by Laura Denison. She does some amazing stuff with envelopes! And here are a few pictures of mine. It's based on the exploding box mini album - but of course you get so much more scope to create in a larger version. This one is full of tags- which I intend to use for my daily lesson learned during the month.
I have used 3 envelopes for each side  and between them they contain 8 tags  to each side- in various sizes -  so there is one for each day of the month plus a beginning tag and end tag. I still have some embellishment I want to do and some tabs to add to my tags - but essentially the basic album is now finished.
I have my "lessons" for the last couple of days ready to add to my first two tags - but as we are going out tonight I won't get them done til tomorrow.

Please feel free to comment if you stop by.


Thanks for looking
Gura mie ayd - J x

Wednesday 1 September 2010

September 1st - -

- - and that heralds the start of my Learn Something New Every Day class with the fabulous Shimelle. I think this will be my 4th or 5th year of participation - though I haven't always managed to reach the end of the month with a finished article! I do enjoy trying though - so I guess that is what counts. I hope to post pictures more regularly than in previous years - but I know that it will very much depend on how life pans out! It has a very irritating habit of getting in the way of my urge to create!

Monday 23 August 2010

So Long - - -

- - since I posted anything at all - life has just happened - and blogging went on the back-burner. In fact I think I might have to re-learn everything I thought I knew about blogging 'cos I can't remember what to do anymore!! I seem to have lost my backgrounds and everything - still it doesn't help when you can't remember your login!! 
However just recently I have been able to get back to a bit of creating - hurrah!!and have a couple of items to share - not much I know - but hey ho - that's the way it is. I have made a start on a holiday album from our trip to Sorrento earlier in the year and made a couple of mini albums. Hope to upload a couple of pictures later.

Gura mia ayd J x

Sunday 28 March 2010

The first day of spring

official that is - at least here in this hemisphere anyway. And I have lost my mojo somewhere - if you find it please send it back!!
I have been a very poor blogger of late - lost my mojo and done nothing creative except shuffle papers from one place to another without actually making anything at all - so what was the need to keep this blog up to date as I started it as a place to upload my "makings"????
I have signed up for Shimelle's new class in the hope it would give me the kick start I am so desperately in need of - and as usual it is a brilliant class - with some awesome participants, whose work is fabulous as always - but me - did I make any pages? start an album? make a hole in some of my stash? A resounding NO!! And I do feel as if I am letting myself down - as I so WANT to make something - but am not!! Not sure I actually know what to do about it - since I have already tried the suggestions my classmates have made for others in a similar situation - - I haven't even made one post on the class forum for this class - which is unlike me. So - what now?? Any ideas gratefully received - please feel free to leave a little comment if you stop by. :)

Gura mie ayd Jx

Friday 15 January 2010

Why I Scrapbook

I DO - I promise! I just never seem to find time to keep this up to date or upload my creations!
However - my resolution this year was to try to do better.
Shimelle has a super little video on her blog saying why she scrapbooks - and asking us the same question.  So why do I scrapbook? Surely Shimelle's reasons are mine - she has put it into words for me - well yes - but - - -
It made me think -  - and I realised - mainly I scrapbook for pleasure. To make something - to be creative - to relax - its my therapy - to escape, to play - to de-stress, to just BE ME - not wife, mum, sister, aunt, daughter, its fun, it gives me a social activity I can enjoy and share with others, both in the real world and online -
and the resulting records of our lives are a bonus, all be it a very "pretty"collection of pictures & words.
Take a peek at her video for yourself - here
And whilst I am thinking of Shimelle -
She made me really smile on her video when she took a moment to explain her name - it is totally unique since it is, as she says "made up" - It will therefore never appear in the Baby Names books - which give meanings to names - you know - the ones we buy when we discover we are expecting a first baby - but when I think of Shimelle, or participate in her online classes - INSPIRATION lights up in my head like a beacon - so forever for me Shimelle will mean just that. Thank you Shimelle - I envy your real life students - whether they be those teenagers who studied GCSE English with you when you were tied to a school timetable - or those very lucky ladies who manage to attend any craft workshop you are running. I am so glad you run online classes!!

Gura mie ayd J x

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