My Mojo is well & truly back...

I'm still keeping up with Shimelles blogging class - although I haven't looked at Todays prompt yet (Sorry Shimelle) However its only lunch time, I'm actually still marvelling at how much I have to share, I said I was going to try & do a layout a day this month... well this is what I have done since I last blogged (which was Tuesday) Tuesday's prompt was all about things we share on t'interweb (as its called Ooop north) So I wanted to share this with you a layout of one of my favourite places - Corfe Castle in Dorset (I think its in Dorset but geography was never a strong subject of mine) I haven't been there for years but the view really is lovely. I did something I don't usually do on this layout, I used my computer (shock horror) I love this particular font although I can't quite recall the name right now (I will share the fact I have a terrible memory) so I printed it onto transparency (printed in reverse) then attached it to my page. Also I've wanted to use the blue flower for 2 years - they were on offer & I'd thought I'd use them... its taken long enough. Yesterdays prompt was for your 5 fave things, So I made a layout about one of them... anyone who sat near me at the GoGo Getaway will testify to just how bad my addiction is to these pieces of stash. BTW the blue flower on the above LO came in a pack of 2 so thats the whole packet used now!!

My other favourite things are : a good cup of tea, chocolate, autumn & labradors.

This final LO was something I put together this morning, most pictures of me are posed ones, because if we're out & about I'm the one with the camera photographing everything & everyone else. I have to ask someone to take my photo & then I end up posing. This one was takendown the side of my house by my scrappy friend Kira

I've used up quite a bit of stash over the last few days but still not enough to justify buying more (& my new Scrapagogo kit is due soon too!) So feel free to join me on this "Use your Stash Scrapathon" that I seem to be having this month.

I'll be back soon & thanks to everyone who has taken the time to stop by & leave so many comments I really was amazed at the reaction my little blog gets,so fromthe bottom of my creative little heart - Thank you very much each & every one of you.

Claire

xx

Shimelles new class... I'm behind already

In all honesty I'm always a day behind when I take Shimelle's Classes & its all the fault of work. i.e I have to. Anyhow, I'm doing this class to be a better blogger with more interesting ways of telling my stories & showing what I've been up to & hopefully blogging more than once a week. So I will do my best I'm even trying to scrap a LO a day during the course (well, you know how I like to make things easier for myself). This was just a quickie LO to say why I blog, I Blog to tell my story. There you have it. I've actually scrapped a LO a day so far this month (actually 3 LO's in 2 days... shock!!) This one was made with another Scrapagogo kit, The journaling reads: I take my eyes off of you 2 for 5 mniutes & when I turned around you were driving Grampa's tractor & loving every minute.

Here is another GoGo LO from the august kit (see I'm trying to use up some stash) this was my DD with Chicken Pox a few weeks ago, the journaling reads: Whenever you are poorly you snuggle up on the sofa with Snuffy Bear under my fluffy pink dressing gown & watch a couple of DVD's.

well thats all for now, I'll be back on Thursday (hopefully with some more Layouts) I'd better go & catch up for todays class or I'll be in detention.

Thanks for stopping by

Claire

xx

Mwwahhahaha....

Happy Halloween... I'm looking forward to going out tonight in my costume with DD,we're trick or treating at my Mums & DH's Mum's (we dont go around the streets as I think its a little bit dangerous) Most of you know I like to grow my own pumpkins so I was gutted when mine didn't grow this year & just got blossom end rot, however Dad bought me one & put it in my pumpkin patch (which is cheating Dad BTW) anyway last night I carved this little fella, I was thrilled with him. I find my patterns for carving pumpkins on a site called pumpkin lady she has some very cool designs. Also check out Linda's pumpkin here - how cool is this, I wanted to do this but I think I'd need a bigger pumpkin as my carving skills (particularly knife accuracy) are something to be desired.

Scrapbook Inspirations is no more after the next issue & I have to say I'm gutted, In my opinion it was the best Scrapping mag in the UK but Future Publications had other plans. I've been fortunate enough to have quite a few layouts published in Readers Gallery by the lovely Cheryl Johnson (one seriously cool chick) including this one of Me & my best friend Carolyn below. I also have one in the final issue (hopefully). I feel so sorry for the new DT that they had just set up as the girls never really got much of a chance to strut their stuff (so to speak) & the girls in the office who are now looking for new jobs, however as they're all so very talented I have no doubt that we'll see them all again soon working on other projects.

My mojo has kind of "mooched off" of late & scrapping has not really been coming easy to me (I'm hoping to do something about that today) so here are a couple of layouts that I've been woking on. This first one was a bit tricky I wanted the layout to look a bit like the frame that my runner beans have been growing on all summer so I cut a 12x12 piece of Bazzill Kraft paper into 3 4x12 pieces then stitched them back together using garden string, which mae the LO very floppy until I stuck the photos down... it took ages but I'm very pleased with the result

This LO was made out of bits & bobs of various ScrapaGoGo kits & a few oddments of my own stash (which I'm desperately trying to make a dent in). The photos were taken at my Nana's house in 2008, DD made my mum go up & down those garden steps for hours (hilarious from my point of view... not so much from mums)

You may have noticed I've signed up for Shimelle's Blogging for Scrapbookers class starting on Monday. I think my blogging skills need improving (& my mojo needs a boost) so I solemnly swear that I will do my best to be a better blogger & blog more frequently.

Also its almost time for Shimelle's JYC Class, I already have the Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses papers (I won them in a Scrapagogo Birthday competition) but here's the shocker... I have bought my cardstock, album & Thickers too (How organised am I??? it won't last) & I'm not buying anything else for it because there must be enough embellishments & ribbon in this little craft room to decorate several Christmas trees!!!

Also don't forget to see what us Creative Girlies have been up to over on Its A Creative World, we post something new everyday so come & check us out.

Right, I'm going to find my mojo, wherever he may be hiding, I find Hot Chocolate sometimes encourages him to wander back from wherever he is, so wish me luck & I'll be back in week with some more stuff to share (hopefully)

See you soon & thanks for stopping by

Claire

xx

GoGo Academy - October

Hiya, I'm just getting around to blogging as things are still hectic here, my grampa is out of hospital but still very poorly, hopefully today we will find out more as he's with the consultant at this moment, thanks to everyone who sent love & kind thoughts, it is very much appreciated.

Well its October which means a new Scrapagogo kit (Hurray!!!) & some new GoGo Academy classes set by SJ, the classes are supposed to last the whole month but I usually get carried away & do them all pretty quickly (for the first time in my life I'm a swot!) Anyhow here is my week 1 all about your pet peeves... things that really wind me up, these are Lack of sleep, Rude people - there's just no excuse, Bad Customer Service - I work in customer service & would get shot if I was rude or unhelpful to customers, I also pride myself on the fact that everyone I work with does the best we can with what we have for our customers. Running behind schedule - wether its me or someone else. Huge piles of dirty dishes that I didn't create - where do they come from? I can be out all day & return to find the sink full to the brim of washing up, maybe the tap mechanism is too complicated for DH to work LOL! This next Academy LO is all about who your hero is, in my case it's my Grampa, I wanted it to look really worn & old, the journaling is something I have always wanted to say to my Grampa but never have as it would cause him too much upset, so this is my way of saying what I want to whilst I still can, I hope the journaling doesn't upset anyone, it makes me weepy whenever I read it & I couldn't stop crying whilst I was writing it, it reads... Grampa you were so young when this photograph was taken at an army base camp in 1939. You were just 18 years old when you were sent to fight for Queen & Country in World War II. Young men like you fought for future generations like mine so that we can live our lives the way we do today. Our family was lucky - you made it home. I want you to know that I'm proud of you, I love you & you are my hero. My grampa is the one on the left of the photo

This is my 3rd Academy layout , I actually found very difficult because its all about your top ten favourite songs & when I started thinking about it there are just so many songs & bands that I love, I did manage to narrow it down (after a heated debate with DH as to why there is no Oasis songs mentioned). Here is my top 10: 1, friday I'm in love - The Cure. 2, Always where I need to be - The Kooks. 3, Ain't no romance - The Arctic Monkeys. 4, Excuse Me Mr - No Doubt. 5, I Drove all night - Roy Orbison. 6,Dead Ringer for love - Meatloaf. 7, In these arms - Bon Jovi.

8, Sweet Child of mine - Guns N Roses. 9, If it makes you happy - Sheryl Crow. 10, You don't own me - The Blowmonkeys.

I decided to list them all on a blank CD & stick that to my page.

& the fourth week of the Academy is 5 things you cannot survive with out if you were stranded on a desert island. (you wouldn't believe how many times I made a mess of cutting the leaves for that palm tree - I used most of a 6x12 piece!!!) My five things (maybe I cheated slightly) are... 1, Chocolate (& a way too keep it cool). 2, Aussie leave in hair conditioner spray (I look like a poodle without it... very very frizzy). 3, A good book or 2 ( I read at least one a week). 4, Tea bags (& a solar powered kettle) I cannot function without tea, its my form of petrol. 5 My family- as everyone needs someone to laugh with & to love (although I'm not sure how we'd all fare if we were stranded on a desert island together)

And finally, another rare picture of grampa, in true grampa style he complained the whole way through having his photo taken here. This was taken in the wedding car on my wedding day (6 years ago next month - where did the time go??) Its a really simple LO but I love it.

Well thats all for now, thanks for stopping by & leaving your much loved comments. I going to have a cup of tea (number 8 so far today I think) make DD some toast & then go for a good blop.

Have fun, & take care

see you soon

Claire

xx

Use it up & Halloween

Yay! I've managed to blog... its been a manic week here, unfortunately my Grampa has been taken ill & is currently in hospital so Mum & Dad have gone to see him & my Nana this weekend & my car has been written off after my next door neighbours dad ran in to it whilst it was parked outside my house last Saturday... So now I have no car... not happy & as its such an ancient car there won't be much insurance money to buy another one, so I'm keeping an eye out for a little KA & may be attatching a skateboard to the dog for a means of transport in the time being. Anyway on to the crafty stuff... Here is a layout made with October 2008 Scrapagogo Kit for the Use it Up challenge run by Nic on the DT. The journaling reads... Hermione & Nana wrapped up warm, watching daddy set off fireworks on a freezing cold November night.
About 10 minutes after this photo was taken I had a near death experience... for some reason all the fireworks went up & exploded except the biggest, baddest firework in the box which instead of shooting up into the sky, went across & exploded 2ft above my head where I was lying taking photos of the fireworks, happily I wasn't injured (I'm already not a fan of fireworks as I was hit by a rocket which set my jeans on fire when I was 7) I even managed to keep my finger on the camera shutter button geting some cool photos. This year I'm staying indoors! This next little project was an idea from Shimelle, it was a bonus prompt for LSNED ... repurposing an old hardback book. Shimelle used it to bind her LSNED pages but I put a slightly different twist on it. I made a little Halloween mini book ready for this year's spooky goings on.

The book was covered in Cored'inations & the Pentagram was made by pressing a piece of Jewellery into Fimo modelling clay which I then baked in the oven & painted silver & black. I also made something to close the book with by using 2 pieces of ribbon & tying a metal key & padlock to each piece to make the ties interesting. The pages from the book were removed using a craft knife & I riveted a ring binder mehanism to the inside of the spine to hold my pages.

The pages are made from Cored'inations as the distressing looks really cool (all are green, purple & orange). I used a Sizzix Die to cut the pages (Sizzix Super Scallop Tag Die), tied ribbon through the top & then made & embellished 7 little envelopes to hold the tags in the book.

I can't wait for some spooky photos this year.

BTW : Have you seen this here, what a fab bit of blog candy!!!

Thats all for now (short & sweet this week) but I'll be back soon with more crafty stuff.

Thanks for stopping by & your wonderful comments are always appreciated.

Take care

Claireliz

xx