Anticipation

whilst I am not eager to be back at school, me and the boys, I am really looking forward to the first of September and the start of Shim’s LSNED. I have been a silent, unproductive lurker for many years during this class but not this year !!

After having a great time doing the JYC album a few years ago, although I NEVER completed an album, I took a different tact last year and not only did I thoroughly enjoy the process I actually completed the entire album,
My first mini book/album ever.

I am always quite proficient at the research and preparation stage but not great at the follow through and completion, but now I have done it once I have no excuses.

As mentioned in previous posts I have the album and have selected some of the papers I hope to use, I have designed the date tags, need to print and trim them. Last night I started making a selection of journaling cards to give me some different options.

I designed these simple cards specifically for my album, size 6 x 12 and its colour scheme. But I am happy to share these if anyone else thinks that they can use them on their projects.

Each card measures 20 cm by 6.5 cm (approx 8×2.5 inches) and you get four onto an A4 landscape sheet
Enjoy – download them here

Preparing and a FREEBIE

I have taken my first steps to doing Shim’s LSNED class

I ordered the 6 x 12 Pink Paislee album that I was coveting in my last post – YAY

I have now selected a range of papers and card from my stash and cut them all down to 6 x 12, the papers don’t all co-ordinated but I like the mix I have chosen. I haven’t hole punched them yet I am waiting for the album to arrive first – obviously.

Here they all are including my repurposed Starbucks bag

I have also designed some date tags, I made these especially for this project and they are all my own design.
I have turned them into a PDF so if you want to print them and use them too – that’s cool. (I would appreciate being credited should you use them on your projects – Please)

Although I have printed them onto tags, I just used cream card and cut them out, then punched a hole centrally so that they looked like they were on the top end of a luggage tag. I think that they would work just as well punched out with a circular punch or printed onto stickers.

You can download them HERE

edited to add – I have added an extra PDF with the 31st on it plus some spare st, nd, rd, th so that you can make any number you choose into a date. Adding the 31st means that they can be used for Shim’s JYC class or Ali’s December Daily class.

Committing

Maybe the title of this post should read committed – as in I ought to be !

I have decided to get ready and do Shims LSNED (learn something new every day) online class

BEFORE anyone (Mom) pipes up and says “you always start these things and never finish them” I KNOW, actually I am ashamed to say last year I never got passed saying I was going to do it !

But since then I have managed to start and finish the December Daily project – and I loved it, doing a little bit of creating at the end each day. I think the other reason this appeals is that my layout production has remained at a steady ZERO over the past couple of years, so doing these projects keeps the “saving my families memories – creatively” ticking over.

So I have spent some time this morning looking for an album and going through my very limited stash, choosing paper and card to use. At this point I get my “graphic” knickers in a twist, I know its too early in the game to be having a hissy fit but I always want my album to be co-ordinated and have some unity throughout, and when I don’t have the “right” papers and card I start loosing enthusiasm, silly right ? Anyhoo I have gone with a whole bunch of neutrals to begin with, kraft, white, black and brown, polka dots and stars, not a bad start, but I seriously need to replenish my patterned papers, the sum total is now into SINGLE figures.

My vast “stuff collected” box is being sifted through too, clothing tags, cards, tickets etc in case there are any useful decorative bits that I may want to use.

A Starbucks bag has just been cut down to size and glued flat so that I can use it as a page – I have always liked their brand identity and their coffee

SO a good start I think, off to cruise the online scrapbook stores to see if I can score some new papers and letter stickers in the sales.

wanting to use this album

I don’t want to think about it !

September, the end of the summer and going back to school

normally by this stage of the school holidays I am SO ready for the return to routine, but not this year for no real reason, maybe its the weather, not feeling like we have had a “proper summer” who knows.

Hoping for a beautiful warm bank holiday weekend at the end of this week though.

ANYWAY – unlike me, Shimelle is looking forward to September with her Learn Something New Every Day online class that she runs every September, if you are interested in joining or getting the kit go here

Celebrate – take a photo

Today is world photography day, celebrate your world and take photos today.

Photo from http://www.LEGO.COM

I am taking my camera with me today, even though I am not planning on being anywhere that I would normally consider worthy of photographing and I am going to just take photos all day and see what I capture.

If you want to upload and share you can here you can upload your photos until the 26th.

Second installment of this post later today once I have some photographic evidence of it to show !

I have to say I was very very lazy with the camera and the photos I did take were no better than “snaps”

SO I picked a really mundane photo that I took whilst I was hanging out the washing and ran a few of Pioneer Womans photo actions on it just for the hell of it. I am not sure it elevates pegs to an art print but I actually quite like it !

Dank and Dreary !

Not words I thought I would be using to describe a summers day in the middle of August !

The weather this summer in the UK has been a disappointing mixed bag, one day its shorts and vest weather the next its jeans and long sleeved T’s for all.

As yesterday started out with the promise of beautiful dry weather, The boys and I hit the coast. I hauled along my camera and I got a few shots I liked BUT . . .
I have to say I am not overly impressed with the photos I have been taking recently, I know what I am hoping to capture and sometimes I even think I have got what I hoped for but then I look at them when I get home and they are lacking in both clarity and content. It really is putting me off taking my camera out with me.

Anyway here are a couple that I am relatively happy with, although these are straight out of the camera and I can see I have managed to get the lens filter splashed on the last two !!

Scrap-aganza weekend ?

If anyone fancies an entire weekend of scrapbooking Shimelle is hosting a weekend online crop over on her blog. There are going to be challenges, mini lessons and giveaways all done at your own pace and its a great way to use up your stash !

Ten on the 10th

I am really liking this feature, thanks Shim whilst my list is just that, a list – I am not expanding I think it would be a useful journaling tool, to go back and print them all off and do a LO for each list or even a book !

My TEN on the 10th this month is –

TEN things I love about going on Holiday in the UK

1. No language issues (apart from regional accents !)
2. Eating fresh caught fish and chips
3. Locally produced ice cream
4. Everything about the Sea, rain or Shine
5. Walking on the beach with the dog
6. Beach Huts
7. Hot power showers after a “Beach Day”
8. Limited household chores
9. Relaxing
10. Coming Home !

Drum Roll Please . . .

. . . and the give away goes too

Unlucky for some but not for

JWebb
July 29, 2011 at 13:29 (Edit)
This looks awesome! I love everything about it and would love to win it!

send me your address and the package will be on its way to you !!

for those of you that expressed and interest in purchasing, check out your in boxes xx

Thanks again for taking part