Whit Woo I have been published!!

Well to add to all the recent excitement I have received my copy of Scrap365 and a little gift....like seeing my layout in print wasn't the biggest scrapping present I have ever had in my life!!!

So here it is :0)))

lots of lovely diecuts and dimension.....that's what they wanted!!!

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x 

A real 'scrap' mini!!

Some of you will have read that I organised all my scraps into individual acrylic folders, one for each colour plus neutrals...well I have also done the same for my embellishments, one drawer per colour..... patterned paper and ......cardstock!! Told ya...OCD Queen (and I wonder why I have so little time to myself!!) Ribbons, flowers and buttons were done a long time ago...and as for stickles....

 need I say more? LOL

Anyway I am on a mission to use all these bits and pieces I lovingly spare from the bin :0) I saw a mini recently on the Pink Paislee blog, super simple, fold 6 x 12 papers in half and attach!! Great huh?

I have a lot of 6 x 12 pieces as I only have a mini cricut and that's the size of my cutting mat. Armed with a selection of randomness I folded and punched holes and tied with seam binding.

I also have a little box that contains anything I have cut on the Silhouette or Cuttlebug and didn't use.....at last, a use for these little bits and bobs!

And here we have a mini documenting our day at the Discovery Centre with DD#1 and DGD :0)

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x

A promise is a promise.....

Hello,

I have been saying for ages that I am going to stop my dirty little habit and with the imminent arrival of our new DGS there is no time like the present!!

Quid pro quo is that I need to have more time in my craft room to keep my hands busy!! So you will be seeing a lot more of me, at least until DD#2 gets her new house and new baby :0)

DD#1 and DGD moved into their new house last week and we have been spending a lot of time with them settling them in nicely. DD#1 is a chip off the old block and wants everything done yesterday so amazingly she already has 2 rooms completely redecorated and her Dad is busy decorating her bedroom as I type in preparation for the arrival of her new flooring and furniture next weekend!!

We have managed to fit in a weekend in London for the New Year and last weekend we went away en famille for my Mum's 70th birthday......it takes a lot of planning!! Lucky that I am queen of the list!!

Anyway, I didn't want to quit on NYD as I knew there was so much coming up, but promised I would buy no more cigs after the 6th...so far so good. Do you know what's helped? We have a programme here called One Born Every Minute about a maternity unit and I watched a Grandmother help deliver her Grandson and then go and have a fag, come back in and pick him up....disgusting! I did give up before DGD was born but started again just before she was a year old. Just having the odd one, easy, NOT! So this time there will be no cheating, no 'I can be a social smoker' what an oxymoron that is!! However, I am not judging those of you who do, just jealous LOL

Saw a lovely sketch over at Sarah's Cards after shopping in their fab sale :0) and took myself off to play!

I wanted this to be bright, happy and positive...and yes I am back to my beloved white backgrounds!!

This delightful die cut is from Lileth Eckels for the Silhouette. The stamps are Pink Paislee arrow and MME phrase

 Pop over to Lileth's blog and pick it up for free

all the papers are from my HUGE collection of scraps - using more and more since I sorted them into colours. 

These MME stamps were chosen because of what they represent: Balloon for freedom of tobacco, Tightrope Lady because it will be tricky at times but I can do it, and phrase because I intend to stay positive and not an old grump! Hearts are Studio Calico veneer, painted chipboard and Sizzix die using corrugated card and painted

Here is the sketch at Sarah's Cards




Sorry for the incredibly long rambling....it's good to type, LOL.

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x 

'Behave!'

It has been some while since I took part in the CSI challenges :0(

This week I found a little bit of time to sit and rifle through my stash and come up with the criteria to solve the case....hooray!

These photos have been hanging around for a while and after seeing one of the journaling prompts was about etiquette (or rather DH's lack of etiquette!) it seemed the perfect chance to scrap them. They were taken in a photo booth at our friends' wedding earlier this year.....you have hats, wigs and various things to put on...then you get a copy of the photo and another copy goes in an album and you write them a message on the page...love that!!

papers are from my scraps folders...so easy to find the right colour now :0) Cosmo Cricket, Pink Paislee, Crate Paper, Webster's Pages

my journaling is on a film reel die tucked behind the mat

Flourish cut on Silhouette, Ali Edwards stamp

stitched fabric and Basic Grey letters....I have just found a whole load under a pile of sticker sheets!

My evidence is patchwork (of sorts), gold accent, flourish, fabric and journaling...oh and obviously the colour scheme!!

Here is the challenge if you would like to play along :0)

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x 

'Funny Faces' ;0)

I am loving that there is more and more happening in the UK blogging scrap world....and about blinkin' time, if you ask me!!!

Another lovely sketch over at Sketchbook365, it's running till 20th December so pop along and give it a go!!

My lo is of my DD#2 and DGD one evening whilst getting DGD ready for bed (she'll be wearing pink pyjamas when she comes!)

frame and heart were cut on my beloved Silhouette!! Stamp is Elle's Studio. |Letter stickers are Glitz Design

handmade paper clip bow on the photo of my little honey. leaves and star bubble cut on the Silhouette. Stamps are American Crafts 'Dear Lizzy' .....never noticed them before!

leaves misted with Cosmic Shimmer spray. Hearts are Martha Stewart

all the papers are from my pink scraps file....it's great to have them in order...in theory it is saving me a fortune!!! hahaha who am I kidding?????

Here is the sketch that inspired me:



I suppose they were hoping for a Christmas theme, but I just don't scrap Christmas.....no reason, just don't!! Maybe this year will be different as Father Christmas is featuring heavily in conversations with DGD at the moment :0)

One of the magic moments of this week was DGD being asked what she would like Father Christmas to bring her and she replied 'presents would be lovely, but most of all I would like him to bring some new slippers for my Mamma (me) as she hasn't got any and if he brought them to my house I could give them to her on Christmas morning and she would be really happy and have warm feet' ...... little treasure :0)

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x 

'Interested in You'

Hello all :0)

I am always on the look out for Scrapbooking sites in the UK and was delighted to find a blog affiliated to one of the  shops I use Sarah's Cards Ltd and even better they had a sketch challenge!!

So using my new kit from Scraptastic Kit Club that has a lot of Pink Paislee's Portfolio line I disappeared for a bit to have a play.

It's another layout for my Welsh album of DH taking a photo of me.... taking a photo of him :0)

papers are mostly PP with a little Crate and Glitz thrown in for good measure

Cosmo Cricket sticker, Crate Paper chippie heart and my bargain find in The Range...wooden numbers! painted and glimmer glammed :0)

glorious Studio Calico stars

totally forged PP tag :0)

my most favourite Ali Edwards stamp ....love the wording

here is the sketch that kicked off my inspiration:

 you can see that I used the elements but just layered them up!

Thanks for popping in,

Ali x 

Encouraged Scrap Lifting ;0)

Hiya

I was delighted to see that over at Let's Get Sketchy this week they are encouraging you to lift the DT. It takes me back to when I first started scrapping ......that is pretty much all I did, and would then get frustrated as I didn't have the same papers and embellishments!!

Now that I am older and wiser I know that lifting doesn't mean copy :0)

I have now completed Project Italy and Project Wales begins!!

This lo is of the cottage we stayed in 'Home....for 7 days!'

Papers are Pink Paislee and Crate. A Jenny Bowlin Bingo Card, washi tape from Etsy

glassine pocket with a shipping tag (journaling on back reads 'for 7 days we lived happily in this idyllic place. Daisy Cottage, Llangenith'. The sticker is Cosmo Cricket

Speech bubble from my Scraptastic Kit, backed in Studio Calico paper, die cut heart and wood veneer heart slightly stamped!

I chose to lift Bev (the one on the left)

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x

'Slip, Slide, Away'

I am on a roll!!!

The truth is that I have had a chunk of time and have beavered away on some challenges but am drip feeding them to the blog.....I don't want to overload you :0)

This one is for the ScrapFit Workout #76, use the colour palette. A deliciously cool and sophisticated colour combo....I adore it!! I did have to cheat a bit though and added a dash of pink to echo DGD's T-Shirt. I know that I shouldn't but hey, without the pink it would have sat on the easel and now it can go in her album :0)

Lots of stamp play on this one! Tim Holtz, MME and Martha Stewart dot stamps, Cosmic Shimmer and paint splats, al little bit of ink through a mask and voila....one background!

MME Miss Caroline papers and those lovely little freebie printables again!

Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type letters.....love these!!

Hop on over to here to have a play with this little beauty



Thanks for popping in,

Ali x 

Let's Get Sketchy #28 'Climb'

I am slowly getting back into my scrapping groove and finding time to participate in a  few challenges :0)
First up for this week is LGS!

The postman delivered my Claudine Helmuth stamps that I got in the clearance at QVC and I couldn't wait to have a play! I also received all my prints of our Italian holiday so thought I would combine the two and get cracking with my Project Italy album.

The bp is the reverse side of another Vintage Vogue paper. Lake Mist Paint Dabber to tone it down a bit.

MME and Cosmo Cricket papers, Prima resin flower, Crate Paper heart, the journal tag is one I printed from Pinterest. Glimmer Glam splatters and Claudine stamps (foam ones with paint and clear stamps in black ink)

More CH stamping, another journal tag printed from Pinterest in grey and then Pro Markered

here's the sketch:



still time to play :0)

Thanks for popping in,

Ali x