You know when you commit to things and they all start off fine....then as time passes by they become a bit of a chore? Well I was feeling a bit like this about a Newbie CJ I signed up for on UKScrappers. The first few months were fine and inspiration flowed but this CJ was really becoming rather tough as it is so very "scrapbooky" as opposed to the arty style of the UKStampers CJ I finished earlier this year. I have struggled to come up with pages as I really don't want to send out too much personal "stuff" but I think that this month I am finally happy with my entry! And this has re-awakened my enthusiasm for the CJ! So apologies to all my fellow CJers if you are less than happy with my efforts; it has been a challenge to do at times.
On the other hand I am still REALLY enthusiastic about Shimelle's "Scrap Your Year". This is October's entry and for once all the colours worked together. They are always such busy pages with all the photoes crammed in so at times they don't really "gel" but this month I managed (accidentally!) to get colour co-ordinated photoes!
Now I have treated myself and signed up for another CJ.....another stamp one on UKStampers again so watch this space.....

This is my entry for this weeks Weekly Challenge on UK Stampers. Our challenge was to create a 6x6 page using fabric and stamps for Halloween! I have done a Halloween ATC using this fabric and making a spider from buttons before, so I decided to scale it up and go a bit wilder!
For the base I used a very thin piece of wadding on my cardstock before free-hand machining the cobweb onto the fabric. That is a square cut from a charity shop skirt that cost me £1....just 'cos the fabric was so lovely. Mrs Spider is felt, hand embroidered and then stitched on and lightly stuffed and her legs are beaded. I then remembered the "and stamped" bit of the challenge and as luck would have it this gorgeous corner stamp (I think it's Fancy Pants but I bought it from a friend so I'm not really sure!) fitted perfectly. I very carefully embossed the edges and managd to melt the fabric slightly...I call that "distressing" ... and then just added a touch of glitter to the web as it didn't show up!
It probably isn't very PC to say but I am rather chuffed with this one!!

As you know, yesterday was the 25th again so I was at large with the camera! I wanted to share my fave two pictures. This little robin was singing his socks off in my one and only tree! I spent ages fiddling about, swapping lenses etc but I am really chuffed with the end result, especially the blurry bits!! The tree was one I spotted on the way to taking Eliza to ballet and I took the shot looking up at the sky through the leaves. Our task this montth was to bring some "space" into the photoes so I think this has shown that well. And last but not least is my doll! Eliza wanted to sew this half term and she wanted to make a doll. Good ol' Google came up with this and so this is MY version! You could call it a trial run as I realised I have sewed her legs one back to front! Never mind, she just looks pigeon-toed!

So I have FINALLY bitten the bullet and made a start on my Christmas cards! Yesterday I went to The Glitterpot (FAB shop, always spend far too much there!) to buy ONE stamp for my cards this year. Well I decided to get a cuttlebug embossing folder instead....and then there was this lovely card there with the die cut snowflake on it......and the polar bear stamps are for the children to use but I had to test them! I have to confess that the 2 cards with the lettered "let it snow" on are not my design but inspired by a design I saw on display in the shop. I loved the effect of the sanded off core-dinations card but I have to say it hasn't really photographed terribly well!

So now I have a few designs to work with I shall put them away and no doubt remember that I haven't made anywhere NEAR enough about 2 days before the final posting day!

Ok so now I'm REALLY rockin'! Last night I DID manage to get my crafty bits out and did 9 "Autumn" Inchies for UK Stampers. I also managed to complete their weekly challenge too, for the first time! The challenge was to use a building or architectural stamp to create a 6x6 page. I bought this stamp from a forum friend and have never used it, even tho I love it. I guess the main reason is that I don't have a block big enough for it. So I improvised and used the lid of a box instead. All simple stuff; I seem to be going back to using pastels for b/grounds as I did when I first started out on the papercraft lark! I can't ever seem to get inks to mingle as well!

Oh my goodness! Twice in 2 days! I think that must be a first! Well I am home from work early so I quickly thought I would add my latest ATCs. These are for a swap on UK Stampers with the challenge to use your newest stamps. I HAD been very good and not bought any for ages. These gorgeous birds were a gift for my birthday so I used them. I have got some other ones more recently but as I have lost my cheque book and not yet paid for them I thought I better not use those ones! And for once I have my October swaps in before the last day of the month!
I seem to be getting back into ATCs again. We are just re-starting the monthly swaps over on Tandastamps too and I am the new host! Why not pop across and join us for November!

Now I AM still here! But since I last blogged I have been on my holidays (to Corfu....amaaaazing!) and then the new term has started at school and Guides AND the dreaded Weight Watchers! Which means that I have done hardly ANY crafting and no blogging. In fact I haven't had a Sunday"off" for ages. I did manage to squeeze in this.....taken from this months Craft Stamper and an idea by Gail Milburn. It is my entry for the UK Art Raffle and this months theme is "Dark"
Talking of Craft Stamper.....our CJ group was asked to write a piece for inclusion in the November issue. Sarah did a great write-up of the whole event and several pages were printed. I was lucky enough to have one of mine included! I was so excited, I have never submitted anything for publication so it suddely feels rather grown-up to see something I did in print!
Well....I now have another CJ to catch up on!

At long last I have finally managed to load the pics of my LO for "Scrap Your Day"! I actually did the LO on about 26th July ....but I was obviously too tired to do it right, cos I stuck it all down on the NEXT page! What an idiot! So being a typical Virgo, ie; a perfectionist, I had to peel ALL the pics off and re-do it. By then I was soooo fed up that I couldn't be bothered to add the few embellies and the date. SO I put it aside until I felt less like chucking it across the room! Now I am quite pleased with it! I love the B&W photoes, especially the one of Minnie (the dog) as she was lying under my chair and Treacle (the cat) eating her brekkie! Next 25th I shall be on my holidays....in Corfu!!! We go on Friday and I am getting so excited as it will be our first holiday abroad.
Tonight I have made my son a holiday book to fill and with the leftover bits from his, I made one for myself too! Well it would be rude not to really wouldn't it? Ohhhh I do LURVE my BIA! Best thing I ever bought!

This is my little bit of "Summer Sun". I made this for the UK Art Raffle . I had great fun doing this. It was a piece of mountboard covered with gesso that I kept swirling a cocktail stick through. Then I sponged it with acrylic paint in a mixture of blue, white and silver before embossing the edges silver and then random bits of blue and pearly embossing over the central bit. My hot air gun melted at this point so I had to revert to the trusty old grill once more! Then sun was an old stencil that I did twice and again sponged with acrylic paints. Only this time red, yellow, bronze and gold and also on the brad. I knew exactly how I wanted the words to go but I just didn't know how to do it. So after a cry for help on UK Scrappers someone led me to a site that will do them in spirals, waves and hearts. So there you have it, all assembled with a few sponge pads and silver wire and eyelets! I hope whoever is the lucky winner enjoys it!

Finally I shall try to catch up with my blogging! This is a CJ entry for a UK Scrappers Newbie CJ. This book is entitled "Back in the Day". I found it really hard to think of a figure that I really admired...however I always used to have a huge teenage "thang" for James Dean so I decided to do him! I have to say that I found some fab information about him...some good and some not so good. However....I have to say he is still rather lush.....

I have been rather naughty and not blogged for a while. No excuse really...I AM
on holiday so I should have had more time. But I have spent it making things!

This diamond fold card was a challenge from a friend.....I loved it sooooo much I made three! I think my favourite one is the lavendar....the strawberry should really have been painted with H2Os but I don't have a red. Still my sister seemed to like it!
I now need to photograph my "Scrap Your Day" as the last pics I took were rubbish!

This is something I have never done before; make a charm bracelet. In August Craft Stamper there was a free stamp of this rather cute strawberry and one of the things they had done with it was a charm bracelet using shrink plastic. Well I made a few strawberries and scrabbled about for a few beads that "went" and tried to make a start. But it wasn't going well and I got a bit disheartened. About a week ago I took a trip over to The Glitterpot and noticed that a bead shop has opened up there called Giraffe Gems. Wow, it was like being in a sweetie shop! I bought some headed pins and a few more beads and this length of chain that can be cut to the right length. Now this was great, as despite the rest of me being rather large, my wrists are small and bracelets always slide off! So on Friday night this was what I made. I have added 2 more strawberries on the empty links but I wasn't about to do them then as by the time I had finished it was nearly 1am! Friday was also the 25th so it made for some interesting photos for my "Scrap your Year" book. Pics of July's LO for that will follow shortly, but I am off on ANOTHER Brownie Pack Holiday tomorrow so it may be a day or two!

This is one of the other books that I have finally finished. Remember I said that our Guide Leader was getting married...well my wedding present to her was a small album of photoes that I had taken at the wedding. She was delighted with it and I just hope her hubby was too! (I have only shown a few of the pages!)

Yes it's that time of year...when we have to get together presents for the teachers! Now I KNOW we don't have to but this year I decided that I would make a little book for my twins class teacher. She has had them for years 3 and 4 and been fantastic so I put in a few pics of things they have done whilst in her class! I decided to do it blue and yellow as that is the colour the school was painted when the new building was done! I have to still do the last page as my son is to be awarded a cup for Art tomorrow and he doesn't yet know, so I can pop a pic in tomorrow night ready for last day on Wednesday!
I have also finished LOTS of projects over the last few days so I shall try to add them over the next few days.