UFO day

Had a great day at a quilting UFO workshop today organised by Sue Harris of Caesarea Quilters. Nobody batted an eyelid when I pulled out this layout to add some machine stitching. I got everything that I took to the workshop finished which is very satisfying.

The layout is a scraplift from 2peas garden girl Stacey Sattler http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/cg_display.asp?g=1&seed_id=26980 I even had the right product. You probably can't see that I put a cross stitch in the centre of each felt flower in yellow/orange. I even managed to find the right letters in three sheets of AC stickers to write Eisteddfod.

Lucky me

I may not have won the big prize on the Weakest Link, but I had a great day at the studios. After a night at the Heathrow Sheraton with Janet and Ruth, I had two days in London. The weather was glorious. This layout is a 2peas free class entitled celebrate the season http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/education_class.asp?cl=2 Lots of scraps of patterned paper used and a green flower I'd forgotten I had. I spent the day in Hyde Park geocaching and did a little shopping and finished the day at White City watching Golden Balls being taped.

Two photos from my weekend

Doing afternoon tea to celebrate Mother's Day, need to get lunch on the go and then I'm going to do a lemon cake, some cheese scones and sandwiches to go with the delicious strawberry tart and fruit scones I picked up from the bakers near the Town Hall.

This friendly little squirrel came to within 10 inches of me whilst I was caching in Hyde Park.

And this photo needs no explanation, other than I didn't win the money but did get to the final three, voted for the strongest link who I thought was the Weakest Link and in a tied vote, he changed his vote to me. Which is exactly what I would do too. Never mind, great bunch of people and a lovely day.

Almost ready for the off

Send positive thoughts this way as I should be facing the Queen of Mean this afternoon. Then two days shopping, caching and generally mooching. I have a free ticket to go and see Goldenballs being taped tomorrow. Off to the airport now, I wonder what I've forgotten to pack? Medicine - check, tickets - check, credit card - check. all present and correct.

More blog candy

At http://www.sallys-daze.blogspot.com/ Do have a look at the videos.

A new blog

Monica, who I met last year at Gogogetaway, has a new blog she is a very talented card maker. The blog is at Stamp with Us I've just noticed they're going to do retreats too.

Two more crop layouts

Some more photos Nick scanned from slides. I used a page map, added some stitching. I particularly like the cross stitches on the bottom ribbon. Wasn't sure of a title so added a monogram and stamped over the cardstock with a swirl stamp.

I'd pick these photos out to scrap.The quailty isn't very good but they're scrapable. I then picked up some Scenic Route class layouts from a kit I purchased ages ago, which just needed photos. Unfortunately I had hoped to cut the lettering at the crop, but I didn't have the right platform, so it came home to be finished. Again I love the QK blossom font and love the size. Added some journalling blocks and it was finished.

K Werner has a great video on gathering ribbon on twopeas http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/cg_display.asp?seed_id=29135 I'm going to try the same technique but with glue. I'm not a big staple lover.

March crop

Here's the first two layouts I did at the crop yesterday. Two more to come tomorrow.

The photos have been printed for the first layout for some time and came to the top of the pile at the same time as this kit Joanne bought me for my birthday last year. I thought the papers went well with Fiona's top. In theory the layout went together quickly!! I've even used some more Fastenator bars.

I now have my favourite items in a basket on my desk together with other items that I just need to use. Now that they're in view, they're being used up slowly. I've been sorting my cardstock today and even most of my carstock scraps are sorted by colour in a ziplock bag in the same cropper hopper as the full sheets of cardstock. I've even found the Egypt themed cardstock from Club Scrap that I wanted to use up last year but couldn't find!!

Second is Red Nose Day which uses the dotted Heidi Swapp mask on a background of swiss dot black Bazzill. I spotted the felt ribbon in a box of threads I'd brought to the crop for Joanne to use, so I'm definitely using it up. Add a half sheet of busy Rouge de Garance paper that I won some time ago and it's almost done.

Encouragement

Yesterday I went to Grainville to watch Elizabeth and some of her class play in a fun football tournament. Their headmistress (seen here in luminous pink jacket with hands on hips) also came along to cheer them on. They got so close to scoring a goal but they don't kick hard enough and are generally too nice and lack that killer instinct, which some of their opponents had in generous amounts. They also played a couple of friendly games to fill in the time when they weren't playing an official game. Elizabeth (dreesed in green) doesn't really have the build of a typical goalie but she worked very hard.

The photographer from the local evening paper took a photo of their friendly game. It would be quite funny if that's the photo they used to represent the event and not one of an official game.

As February ends

I have to produce one layout today and I've managed to do a Layout a day for the month of February. Several of the layouts have been works in progress that just needed jounralling or my Scrap your Day calendar that has the paper already adhered and just needs photos and some journalling. However my in progress pile is still very big and I need to continue finishing them.

Everyone has enjoyed doing LOAD and I ahve started a new group to continue the idea at a slightly slower pace and ahve called in LOAW. If you'd like to join in the fun and complete at least a layout a week, join up at Flickr and search for LOAW 2009 to join in the fun.

New Look

Do you like it? It's a free download from House of 3 They even have a detailed tutorial (thank goodness) on how to use it on your blog. I also managed to alter the header.

There is also a housewarming party at the website and some free downloads which are only avauilable this weekend. I'm intrigued by the download with the menu planning checklist which only goes from Monday to Friday - don't people eat at the weekend???

Today is the penultimate day of LOAD and I have just about kept up. Yesterday's was an old class kit that I found whilst tidying my craft room. I used the photos from one of my first layouts that I wasn't happy with. Amazingly I had used a Xyron to stick the photos and they just peeled off the old layout and then stuck to the new one. Just need to do today's layout.

So frustrating

Blogspot has been playing up and I haven't been able to view or post for several days. However that has meant more time for quilting my quilt, which I finished yesterday. Work for the Eisteddfod needs to be in by Saturday and by tomorrow if I want Astra to take it in with the group entries. I have three quilts in this year and the show is at the beginning of March.



Here are a couple of layouts I've finished this week. I've also done about four months in my scrap your day calendar.

Half term fun

M&E enjoyed the afternoon with Fiona yesterday - swimming at the Aquasplash and then playing on the Wii. Why can't the outside of the pool be open at half term, when surely the demand is higher?

Another layout finished at the crop. I had made a journalling block but then mispelt a word so had to start again. Thanks to Liz for the suggestion of a MM journalling block and also for letting me pinch one of hers.

Coincidence

Joanne and I had both pulled the same Pagemaps sketch - mine was for these photos of Saint Maarten and Joanne's were of Jersey live. Same sketch, two completely different layouts.

Marks paper company

My LA friend Ching is on the Design Team for Marks Paper Co and has a giveaway on her blog of some of their new papers. So head to her blog and leave a comment .http://notleftstanding.blogspot.com/

Thank you to everyone who came to the crop today. It was lovely to welcome a new member Emma, who completed two pages of an album for her parents. I completed three layouts including one for my scrap you day calendar. I'm embarassed to say the last month with anything on the calendar is May and even that's not finished. I've taken the photos, but not completed the pages. So I will print out photos next for December and February and do them at the next crop

Wild about you

Crop tomorrow

And more Big Band layouts today. I started this one at the November crop. When I was tidying my room the other day I made a pile of in progress layouts and kits which have been made up ready with photos. So this layout was at the top and only needed a title. The others will be loaded into my crop back for tomorrow.

I borrowed some stamps from Lorraine called "Wild about you". I have made two cards tonight which I'll post tomorrow. E is going to a party tomorrow and the birthday girl is going on safari at Easter and her present is some SA Rands, so these stamps fit in perfectly with the present.

Day 12 of Load

And I'm keeping up. This is another cybercrop layout. My photos are much bigger than those used in the example, but it feels great to use up some old letter stickers and scraps of paper.

Two more layouts

Still keeping up with a layout a day. Matthew was enrolled into the ATC at St Ouen's church on Sunday. They all looked very smart in their uniforms. Ties have to be done with a Windsor knot, eventhough you can't see the tie for the jumper.

I forgot

to post this layout yesterday. I think it will need some adjustment though as the pop dots are too thick for the buttons and the letter stickers don't stick.

And why did I forget, as well as Elizabeth being off school again with a blocked nose, I was playing with my new fancy pants sewing machine. Now if only I could find the little baby quilt I'd made to practise my quilting on. It's here somewhere. I need to ring the shop today (closed mondays) as there are two bits missing that I've spotted.

Off to the gym now as I missed my usual Monday morning workout