4/100 and another new place to play :0)

How's this for on the ball scrapping?? Had a lovely day en famille in Suffolk with Ma, Fa, Bruvs and my motley crew, came home and scrapped one of the photos taken of me and my two little lovelies :0)

Whilst browsing around for some inspiration I found another new challenge site Creative Craft World, they had a fabulous sketch so I decided to give it a go!

I pulled out some old OA 'Farmhouse' papers...perfect for little ones!

I cut the title on the Silhouette in pink and blue and cut away the blue 'adore'. The stickers are American Crafts and October Afternoon

Echo Park 'Life is Good' stickers matted onto card 

Proud Mamma with her little stars :0) The other stars on the page are a new die from Memory Box and the stamps are from Scraptastic Kit Club

Neither of the kids are having this one in their albums...I am having it on the wall of my craft room :0)

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x 

Wall Art for my boy :0)

Helloooo!!

As I said in my last post life is busy at the moment and a lot if it is being taken up with the refurbishment of DD#2's house.

At the moment I am finishing off the painting in the baby's room and as soon as the carpet is laid we will start getting his room in order. So I started thinking about bits to decorate his room with. DD#2 has already bought the woodland animal line from Ikea so it had to be muted earth colours.....I know....October Afternoon's 'Campfire'!!!!

You just can't go wrong with such adorable images :0) I have also used the rest of the paper to cover some 3D chipboard letters to spell out his name....so I think that was one collection well bought!!!

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x

'Right Direction'

At last....time in my craft room!!! Yayyyyy!

I sat and I sat...... picked things up and put them back down again and really felt a little out of my depth.....it's been too long :0(

Then I remembered all the lovely inspiration videos at two peas and within a few minutes Janna Werner had inspired me not only to do a layout but to create my own background paper!!!

The challenge was to use the colour palette from the mood board she had created on Pinterest and arrows. So off I went to cut an arrow or two and then decided to use the negative as a mask :0)

I stencilled through using my new Dreamweaver brushes....fabulous!...using Distress Inks and then outlined them in black with a handful of hand drawn ones for good measure!!

2012 was a pretty rough year and although this year has been madly busy, it is all positive stuff, hence the right direction :0) The arrows in all different directions represent last year and the photo is of me in London on New Year's Eve....ready to start afresh :0)

Distress Inks: Old Paper; Chipped Sapphire; Fired Brick; Pumice Stone

October Afternoon and MME papers, tag with hidden journalling, Studio Calico triangle, letters from Pebbles

A massively HUGE thank you to my dear friend Lizzy for my first ever RAK.....the gorgeous little sparkly heart was one of the many goodies she sent me :0)

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x 

Today is Your Day

Another FAB-U-LOUS challenge over at ScrapFriends :0)

This time I am playing along with their colour challenge.......and it's a good 'un!!

I have had this old photo of me, DH and DD#2 hanging around since I brought it down from the loft to repurpose the frame...I know it was taken on one of my birthdays...I think around 1993...hence the hair...both DH and me!!!

Papers are scraps :0) Background stamp is Kaisercraft

Check out the fabulous texture rub ons from Christy Tomlinson...yummy!

Lovely flair badge from Stash Panache :0)

So the challenge is:




and I used this week's sketch from Let's Get Sketchy



go and have a play here

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

'Woodentops' on a passing whim!

Does this sound familiar? I was on my way to get dressed and as I passed my craft room I noticed a washi tape on the floor. In I went to pick it up and before I put it in the jar, I pulled out a piece of paper and started messing about with it. I had just been flicking through the blogs I follow and had seen the Skissedilla sketch and had also spotted the chevron paper from Crate Fourteen collection....an idea was born!

2 hours later I am still in my pyjamas, having created my page for the challenge, photographed it and am now posting it!! Have just had a phone call from DH as I am supposed to be walking the dog round to DD#1's to help out with taking stuff to the dump! Needless to say I lied through my teeth and said I had been busy with the hoover and was on my way......so without delay, here is my take ;0)

washi tape 'chevronned' up

Weathered Wood and Pumice Stone distress inks, Tattered Angels Glam in Heffalump

me and my baby bruvs a long time ago! 

Stash Panache button and October Afternoon stickers

yummy sketch!


Not brilliant photos, but I'm in a rush!!

Happy weekend, thanks for popping in,

Ali x

'The Beauty of Everyday Life'

Hello, hello!!

Still going strong with my giving up, which means lots more time in my craft room :0)

A little mini to share with you today. I rarely take photos with my camera but the few I have taken just sit there...I don't upload them, I don't print them, I mostly forget that they are even there!!

So today I decided that I would do something with these not particularly brilliant photos. They do represent funny and special little moments in a normal day, so should be used!!

I took out a Flash Card Album from October Afternoon from the box that really has far too many blank chipboard albums in....how did they get there?? Et...voila!!

OA and SC papers, OA camera sticker and Ali Edwards stamp

and without the string so that you can see it properly!

Every page has a tag with the details of what, when, where

I am really pleased with the result and will start using my phone more often just so that I can fill this little beauty :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 

'Worms Head'

I am playing along with the Scraptastic Kit club challenge to use a grid today. I will be the first to admit that this page is nothing like what I normally do and it has taken me a few days to think it's ok enough to share!!

I think if I did it again I would make the grid smaller and then it would be more my style. having said that it does echo the multi pocket pages in my album that are filled with journalling cards similar to this. I made up a little kit for this album so the whole thing is cohesive. So, without further ramblings here is my effort:

papers are Websters Pages, Pink Paislee, Glitz and OA

Crate paper sticker, TH butterfly painted and OA tab

arrow cut on Silhouette, Pink Paislee stamps

MME brad, Stash Panache button, Studio Calico wood veneer

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x