Creative Craft World December Scrap Map Challenge

click on the sketch to go to the CCW webstie

This is the page I have created for the December CCW scrap map challenge

The photo was taken on my recent trip to Lawrence, Kansas for Thanksgiving where the Christmas lights were gorgeous.



Some close-ups

Sparkly spritzing!

Oh Christmas Tree!

Thought I would share a few photos I took of this years Christmas tree. I'm a bit of a tree snob. I have to decorate it myself. I like it to look just right!

Having a bit of a play with the camera

and a few of my fav decorations

Not James Taylor!!

This is my scrapbook page done for this week's challenge on UK Scrappers,


The challenge was to scrap yourself or a family member and something about how they were given their name. Were they named after an ancestor or someone famous?


James shares his name with James Taylor, the singer/musician but he was not named after him. We chose the name James without realising that everyone would think we were James Taylor fans. 


When I Googled James Taylor to get a photo I found that this one on his album cover bore a remarkable resemblance to a photo I had taken of my James in New York last week!



The journalling reads :
Contrary to popular opinion, James, you were not actually named after the famous musician of the same name.
Before you were born we were positive we were going to call you Oliver. Until the day you were born, that is, when we both admitted we didn't think Oliver suited you and we settled on James. It wasn't until people started asking if we were James Taylor fans that we realised what we had done!
23 years later and people still ask if you were named after him! As this picture, taken in New York 23rd November 2011 (your grandmother's birthdate) shows, you definitely have something in common - good looks, a black overcoat and Burberry scarves!!

Autumn Mini book

I've finally printed and added some photos to my Autumn mini book that I made at Scrap Angels a few weeks ago!!

 Autumn always has opportunities for gorgeous photos - I love the vibrant colours and the stunning effects of the last show of sun. I am so lucky to live near to some fabulous walks and amazing scenery :)

Front cover
The front and back covers are shakers!!

Back cover

Page 1 with room for journalling

 Page 2 pumkins at Bissoe - I picked the one on the far right just above the 'U'!

 I have combined the photos of the pumpkins with some of my favourites from my walks this year to show off the gorgeousness of autumn in Cornwall.

 One of my fav photos of the leaves on the ground at Tehidy Woods

 The absolutely stunning Golitha Falls on Bodmin moor

Some more pumpkins at Bissoe - perfect for photoraphing!!

 Tree stump by the river at Golitha

I have not bought a pumpkin for a few years (always been working!) so I was very impressed by the way the lady at Bissoe had decorated the farm trailer.

The letters in the bottom right hand corner of each page spell Autumn!

Crimbo Poem

At our Inner Wheel meeting last night it was decided (by some members) that we would do "A Turn" at the Christmas Party next month...so I have written a little poem this morning and thought I would share it :-D

Christmas Time                 by Karen Taylor, 2011

Creeping quietly up the stairs

With sacks so cunningly hidden

Sneaking into bedrooms

Seeing faces so peaceful and calm.                                         

Waking in the early hours

To shrieks “he’s been, he’s been!”

Hearing the ripping and tearing

And no I don’t need an alarm!

Hearing footsteps running down the hall

“Mummy, daddy, look, look!”

A small child in pyjamas is jumping on your bed

Showing you the presents that the list they’d sent had said.

A tentative step, a careful peep

Has the reindeer eaten that carrot?

Did Father Christmas really get down that chimney?

Ho! Ho! He is such a very clever chap.

The lights on the tree are twinkling and sparkling

The last of the chocolate for advent all gone.

Has he had his glass of sherry?

Oh I didn't remember to finish that!

Your work is nearly finished

The magic is all done

Is it time to put the turkey on?

Another year, another day

It’s Christmas time hooray! hooray!!

Catch up!!

Here are a couple of scrapbook pages I have finished recently. I have not been very good at keeping up to date with the blog so here is a catch up!

This was our hotel in Tenerife

I took a photo of the hotel name and used it as an embellishment

I also took a photo of the floor number by the lift and this time I used it in the title

I dropped a peice of card onto my page before the ink was dry and it smudged :(











So I used a flower to cover it up !!!

Sorry this is out of focus!  It reads " I booked a room on a high floor thinking it would be nice to have a good view and it would be quieter but I didn't realise that the other two didn't do heights!!"

When we arrived at the hotel, after the taxi journey from hell (we all swear we time travelled!) the receptionist said 'You're on the  14th floor - nice view!) to which Karen and Elaine both went 'what?'
For the first few days neither of them would go to edge of the balcony they just skitted across the back like crabs!!
But by the time we left Karen was at the edge even if she wouldn't look down! LOL
        *                *                *               *             *                

And this one is another page in the Tenerife album. I did this for a weekly challenge on UKScrappers. The challenge was to use something we had printed (the ticket), something that was free ( the strips of paper were the cover sheet to a paper pack!) and 10 embellishments - for the 10th month. I have 6 brads, 3 buttons and a flower :D
The photo is the hotel taken from the pool bar looking up! I loved the way it seems to rise out of the palm trees and, of course, the lovely blue sky helped make it a nice picture :)

Wedding Card

Today I made this wedding card for my neighbours who are getting married on Friday. They have been living together for about 5 years but have finally decided to tie the knot  - yay :)

I've not made a wedding card before.........

I really enjoyed it and am already planning the next one - I just need someone to get married now !!! :)

Creative Craft World - October Scrap map challenge

Here is the page I created using the sketch on Creative Craft World - the challenge blog.

In the centre of the photo is William in the Goonhavern Pre-school race on sports day. I can't remember if he won or not on this day (terrible mother!) There were at least 2 in his class at school who were very fast so even though William was good he never got a chance to win :( Didn't stop me being proud of him for giving it his best though xxx

 This is the sketch

and the challenge can be found on the blog here

UKS Weekly challenge layout

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted on here - where did September go?? I think there is a bad fairy somewhere stealing my days :)

Anyway here is my October week 1 challenge page

This is all 3 DSs on one of the rides at Legoland c. 1998.  I don't like the high rides very much so Nick went on with his dad, while the other 2 sat together. I probably would have been alright on this though - it's the ones that go upside down I don't like!

The challenge was to use 3 lots of 3 embellishments - I used 3 buttons, 3 blingy stars (top right) and 3 punched stars). Use blue and NO pink and use an everyday object.........which is why -

the punched stars were made from a coke tin ...

 which I then coloured with yellow, orange and blue ( and a little dab of copper) alcohol inks :)

September 11th

I just wanted to write something today. I dont know what really and the sad thing is I only have a vague memory of the events 10 years ago. I remembering hearing the news on the radio and turning on the TV. I saw the film footage of the second plane hit the 2nd tower. 

We could not believe what was happening :)

I've just talked to my son on the phone, he was 12 ( a month off 13) at the time and still has vivid memories of the events of that dreadful day. He remembers that we were living at Goonhavern and he was home from school, playing on his new playstation. He remembers coming down stairs and watching the news as it unfurled.

My thoughts are with the families of everyone who was killed, injured or affected by the tragedy. Almost 3 thousand people lost their lives. A very, very sad day.

 

Just because I had a bit of time on my hands.......................

I popped off a quickie layout -

This was James 1st sports day at primary school. He came first in his race - oooh I was sooo proud :)

He continued to excel in his sports and represented the school many times in cross country and track events.

This little tag is tucked in behind the bottom photo

Uk Scrappers weekly challenge Sept wk 1

Here is the layout I have done for this week's challenge on UK Scrappers.

The challenge was to a) use the sketch provided b) use only 2 colours, not including black and white and c) use a school related embellishment.

Here is my interpretation

I couldn't resist adding a little bit of misting and some bling :) 




The stars are yellow and green alcohol inks on glossy card

and the journalling tag reads






My school related embellishment is the stars because I used to love it when I got a 'star' on my work. 

Having completed the challenge I then 'me'd' the page up a little bit (it's a tad too bare for my liking, although I do like the overall effect). I just added a few 'gold' stars!! I wasn't sure these came within the remit (gold being a third colour) so I left them off till after the challenge.
                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This picture was on my fridge door for a number of years  :)

With 3 county players on the Perran team the other side didn't really stand a chance!
What was so nice for me though was having both boys playing together for a change - James usually played for Newquay Hornets but on this day did not have a game.
On another occasion, Perran v. Helston, they had to move James across to the other side in an attempt to even up the score a bit - he had already stopped taking the ball because it was getting embarrassing!!