Merry Christmas

Just a quick post to say Merry Christmas to you all. I don't think there are many followers LOL but its been good to blog and keep record of my year crafts just for myself to reference. I hope there is someone looking on on my blog from time to time but hey ho!  This is rubber stamped and I used chalks and a 3d topper to finish it off.. I hope 2015 is a good year for everyone, Happy crafting. I want to push myself to do some art journalling its out of my comfort zone. so, take care enjoy Christmas and peace and love.

a card or two

I haven't posted for a while, what with kidney infections, chest infections and flu. Not to mention some stress caused by a so called friend...but that's another story. Some people are not happy unless they are causing grief for others..I can raise above it and karma is a wonderful thing!


Here are the latest cards folks, I really enjoyed having a break from Christmas card.

dove

Been a while since I posted. This is the lastest Christmas card. A simple parchment one

new card

This is a design my Christine Coleman. Enjoyed making this one.

About me.

Every couple of years I do a scrapbook page about myself. I journal to record what I feel about how my life is and where I hope it is heading. etc etc.. The photo I use is always taken on my birthday. I used butterflies has I say in the wording that I love them. I think they made a nice frame with a colourful, positive feeling.

summer

this doll is called Summer..That's another one done! LOL

another challenge

Another Monday another UKS challenge. this time you had to follow a sketch, use yellow and black and alter something and hide something. I hid the story of the photo  behind the snapshot label and I altered the card stock and the smile frame. and yes I used  black and yellow :)   This is not my normal style but its good to try something new. The photo is one I love of my granddaughter Courtney and her Dad Paul my son.

Its been a bad week for me, the exhaust fell off the car, the microwave blew up, the phone played up, the roof leaked. Lots of other niggles and I have been left feeling stressed ! But crafting is a good way to relax so that's what I shall do. relax, craft and look on the bright side!

playing with a die cut

This morning I have been playing with stamps and and diecut. Its a cottage cutz die. There are various pieces and you have to build up the die, and you get a nice Santa in a van!  Colour the pieces and there you have it I rubber stamped the houses and snowflakes and added glitter. well you can't have Christmas cards without glitter! I think it is quite a fun card.

UKS challenge

Here is this weeks challenge on UKS. There is a new one each Monday. I love signing on and seeing what it is. This is Angela my daughter Two photos taken when she was younger and the third taken quite recently.

Has you can see in the background, is my dining room table. Not that I use it for that it is more my crafting table! It does get cleared every once and a while honest!  At the moment its quite tidy, you can see its there! Normally you can't! LOL

My poor little Leo got a spider bite and its turned quite nasty so he is under the weather. Things are bad when he doesn't want to play ball..so beware folks. If your dog likes to chase the balls and dives under bushes and hedges some of  the spiders can be bad guys! And there's some huge ones out there this year!

UKS challenge
 the challenge this week was to use white card and four different colours and a title with words that start with the same letter. I got two out of three. I love doing the challenges but I feel I have to end up with a page that I like and am happy to have in my book. So, I failed on the title element... but I am happy to claim 20 pts for my team and have a page I am happy with. The pictures on this page were taken early morning has I walked Leo. The sun was coming up over the fells which tower  above the coast to coast walk/cycle route. This part of the route is in Frizington.

wishing tree

I have been working on this for ages. Using odd left over pieces of parchment. The little boxes slide open so I can add a treat inside. I want to add some battery operated fairy lights to finish off the effect.

birthday

Today I reached the ripe old age of 62. I don't feel 62! In my head I'm still 21! LOL

I had a great day, lots of love, cards, presents and cake ! OMG the cake is yummy :) I sliced into it and the chocolate beans fell out!  I refused to count calories on my birthday and that cake serves 24! and there is me and Leo to eat it! Wish me luck or should I say wish my waistline luck LOL!  In fact I had two breakfasts today. I had cereal at home then Karen and Kez took me out for a cooked birthday breakfast! Tomorrow is my wedding anniversary. Has my daughter said the years still count. Trouble is sadly there were not enough of them . I never could get enough of a good thing! I married the best ever...and in my heart and mind  that will never change,I will always be married because I shall never love like that again....

complete

this is the final page of the wedding scrapbook for Karen amd Kez... its done and I hope they like it. the next one is a page about Leo how is snoring his head off right in the centre of my bed!

The verse on Leos page is Now I lay me down to sleep. The queen sized bed is soft and deep. I sleep tight in the centre groove my human can hardly move. I've trapped her legs she's tucked up tight and here is where I pass the night. No one disturbs me or dares to intrude till morning comes and want food. I sneak up slowly and it begins my nibbles on my humans chin. she wakes up slowly and smiles and shouts "You darling beast cut it out!" But morning's here and its time to play I always seem to get my way. So thank you Lord for giving me this human person that I see the one who holds me tight and shares her bed with me each night!

wedding album

This is part of a wedding album I am doing for my eldest daughter and her hubby Kez. They got wed under special licence so that Karen's Dad could give her away before he got to ill to attend. The wedding was arranged in just four days , and had little too no trimmings. So, no wedding album just the photos Dan, Chloe's boyfriend and Paul, my son took. It was a very simple wedding, but a lovely beautiful  one. I want to get the album done to give them for their second anniversary which is this month. Just one page to go... it's been hard at times has there were no wedding souvenirs to collect for the pages... but I'm glad they will have this such has it is, I just hope they like it!

canvas

A while ago a lovely lady call Sian on UKS hosted a She canvas swap. I pulled out thinking I was not good enough to send someone else a canvas. Very new to this arty stuff you see. Today I decided to play with ink and water. Its a very childish drawing of a tree!  the she art lady was stamped for me by Sian, who trying to encourage me to give it a go has she just knew I could do it! ( more confidence in me then I have!) sent me the lady and a the canvas.  I thought I owed it to Sian at least to give it a go..so judge for yourself...but I enjoyed making a mess anyway :) On her dress it says she decided to leap. I wrote bottom left corner she loved the autumn joy in colour.

uks challenges

On UK Scrappers (UKS) they do challenges. The top one is for the monthly house challenge. You had to read the poem and be inspired to scrap. I added the poem to my page and snapped photos in the garden of autumn berries..
The second one is the weekly challenge. Someone puts up the criteria each week. This week we were asked to use Grandparents  has a theme, and ribbon and die cuts. I love my Cricut machine. I used cartridge Looby Loo to cut the bird, bird house and the trees and owl. It is a photo of Kevin reading Chantel our granddaughter a story.

Eboni

This is Eboni. The latest doll I have dressed. Heaps of work in this one.. but so enjoyable to do.. Pattern by Adele Griffins again...

parching and scrapping

Here I am showing a birthday card I have made recently. Plus a scrapbook page. The page is of Kevin. and in the heart I used up lots to pieces of paper left over from other things. I added  a word on lots of the pieces. I asked granddaughter Chloe to give me some words that sum up her Granddad to her. She said there's too many! But gave me a few of her favourite ones. Things like kind, loving, giving, thoughtful.. a friend said Kevin was forthright and plain speaking.I had to add soul mate among  others. There are spaces left for anyone else who wants to add a word. The card was a free pattern from Anne Quinn.

other bits

this is Leo after a  trip to the groomers. He is already dirty due to a game of ball in the garden! The other picture is of a huge wall sticker that is above my bed. It reminds me on the low days that Kevin may not be  here in person but in heart memory and thoughts he is always here. 

prize

I told you I would show you what I won from the Blue Brads prize draw on UKS. Your house has to be part of Blue Brads and you have to complete a scrapbooking page of the weekly challenge or house challenge to enter. Its a random draw. Here's what I won.

3D

Good Morning. Another lovely day here in Cumbria. I thought I would show you that parchment isn't just for cards! these are 3D pieces I made a while ago, I have made all-sorts  of things this way including Christmas trees which you may see in the back ground of one photo. This craft is lovely and versatile. I may be back later with a photo of Leo after a trip to the groomers. He hates the bath and having his nails cut so no doubt I shall have a very sulky dog later this morning but he will forgive me once my peace offering of a doggie sausage is brought to his attention!

more cards

More cards made ready for Christmas.  Nothing like being prepared!

that time of year

It's the time of year when has a crafter I start Christmas card making... Parchment is not a quick craft and some cards take longer then others.. here are a few already made. Noel is a pattern by Linda Williams, the robin is a pattern by Mary Kerr and the choir boys by Judith Maslen. I have a little camcorder, one of those mini things.. and I have ordered a table top tripod for it. Hopefully I will be able to make a video or two showing how I emboss and colour and then some of Leo playing , he can be quite funny. Feel free to add a comment if you wish  let me know you visited and theres is at least one or two people interested in my little blog LOL :)
    Well its a lovely Autumn day, the sun is shining and Leo and me, well we are off for our walk.

Paul

Good morning its a soggy Cumbria this morning, Got dripping wet walking the dog oh the joys of owning a dog! but needs must and I love him dearly...
I am a member of glitterbugs team on UKS and part of our point collecting team. Its just a bit of fun no prizes but it does get us scrapping.Well, I say no prizes, Blue Brad house has a monthly prize draw and I won July's and when it arrives I will show you what I won... So, there is a weekly challenge where someone sets the criteria. This time it was to use double sided paper, washi tape and alter a piece of chipboard.this is my effort.. its youngest son Paul. A photo taken on his recent holiday with his lovely wife Tina . So, now I am off to chase dust bunnies and then I think play with parchment and start dressing another doll...

FLUTTERBY BUTTERFLY

Flutterby...

 my mother used to say blow a kiss to a butterfly and they will take it up to the heavens and place it on your loved ones lips

this is an example how I join the two crafts together . The photo is of Kevin my hubby and the other photo is a close up of a rose that I took while playing with the macro setting on my camera. That's another thing I like doing taking photo's. Kevin loved yellow roses. This was done has a tribute on his second birthday away from home. The parchment design is from a book by Kanny another talented parcher and designer.Later I will upload the photos of the butterfly that was playing in my garden.. but for now it's coffee time!

This is my little dog Leo, he is my companion and gets me out of bed in the morning even when its cold and wet. He really is a cutie but he refuses to come back when called and when we play ball in the garden we need two balls  because I have to retrieve  the ball myself. He chases the ball I throw and then waits for me to throw the next one! I guess you can say he has me well trained!

the doll

I have been playing dolls, going back to my childhood I guess... I have found the parchment work was easy its  putting the clothes on the doll that's the tricky bit, the clothes were designed by Adele Griffins who is a very talented lady.. There are more models to make and I hope to do them all.

Hello, My name is Lynn, I live in Cumbria with my little dog Leo.
I am a widow and have a wonderful family who live in the south.. I am a mother and grandmother and great grandmother! we moved north quite a few years ago now, we are happy here and even called the house "Contentalot".
I enjoy crafting but mainly scrapbooking and parchment craft.
I thought I would start a blog, see how many people call in to say hello and to share my crafting
foul ups and the things that seem to work out just right. I want to share bits of life with Leo too.
Crafting is important to me has it has helped me a great deal with the reactive depression since Kevin my wonderful hubby died in 2012... Kevin was my life's anchor, and still is, I miss him very much and I have so many happy memories. Its been hard for us all being without him..
I will turn 62 years old on Sept.21st this year getting old now! LOL
I am a member of UKScrappers  a scrapbooking site and found many like  minded friends on there.
friends are so important don't you think? they are the family you pick for yourself! I am in a team  called glitterbugs lovely people and we share life's ups and downs and support each other through thick and thin!
So I hope you will enjoy looking at my blog... drop in say hello and comment ask questions about the crafting...
hugs Lynn