woolly kitten

second challenge...

2010-07-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

...and this is the picture for my second challenge. We were asked to take a picture there and then so I just grabbed my iPhone and snapped this picture of myself.

I know it's not flattering at all but it really does show how tired and pale I am at the moment!

I'd just got in from work and things are SO hectic at the moment (hence why, I've just returned from an evening dance class, it's now 10.30 pm and i'm up in the loft attempting to write reports (or blog about Shimelle's class actually!)) and i'm a little worn out but also feeling quite happy about it all - not long until the summer hollibobs!

The above photo is a hipstamatic pic and i'm hoping to write more about my love affair with this fabulous app at a later date.

Off to check if the first full prompt has arrived from Shimelle.....!

Shimelle's new class and the first challenge...

2010-07-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

It has started!!! Love Your Pictures, Love Your Pages by Shimelle is finally underway. I just love Shimelle's classes and think that this one will be fabulous!!

We began today with two challenges - the first one was to choose a picture we'd already taken - the criteria was that it had to make us smile!

I knew straightaway that I wanted to use this picture as I took it yesterday and keep going back to look at it as it makes me smile so much! The little guy and I went to our local National Trust property and they have a new dressing up room. He loves it so much. He was particularly attached to this mask and I thought we may have to take it with us but luckily it went back in the box at the promise of our picnic!

I took a ton of pics but just love the cheeky little expression caught in the mirror on this one!

I haven't attempted the second challenge yet but will let you know when I do...

Thursdays are special days (at least from 4-7!)

2010-06-27T12:57:00.000-07:00

Every Thursday, I pick up the little guy from nursery as soon as I've finished work. Thursday evenings are OUR time - Daddy plays golf every thursday so the boy and I do something fun together. We sometimes go out for pizza at one of our favourite restaurants or cafes, stop off for delicious icecream or just play in our garden.

The past couple of weeks, our thursdays have involved taking the dog for a walk, playing football and taking lots of photos. I have tonnes of photos from our thursdays and want to share many of them (and will do at some point!).

But - I have taken up Shimelle's Invitation to choose just ONE picture and do something with it. The photo above was taken this thursday when the little guy had a short-lived grump over my football technique - I'm still not entirely sure what the issue was but it was enough to make him throw himself to the grass and adopt this crosspatch pose with his football.

I'm so pleased Shimelle set this little challenge as it was all the inspiration I needed to create this little post today. Thanks Shimelle!

I love this photo and I LOVE my boy. He is truly special - even if he does criticise my sports skills!

Creativity Boot Camp - Day 1 (catch up!)

2010-06-09T08:51:00.000-07:00

If you don't know what the Creativity Boot Camp is all about then you must go and check it out RIGHT NOW! (but then come back please!)

For those of you that know all about it or maybe even came here because you're a fellow bootcamper, you'll know that I am on a major catch up as today is actually Day 4 and here I am just starting Day 1. Bear with me - I have ideas, creative ones even and i'm so looking forward to sharing them!

I was a little unsure as to which medium to work in as I am a Scrapbooker, Art Journaller and I LOVE to take photos (but still don't feel comfortable calling myself a photographer - maybe that's something to be addressed over the next couple of weeks!?)

Also I am very short on time in these next few weeks (other teachers in Summer term craziness will undoubtedly appreciate this too!) and needed something that would work in terms of time and also with regards to enhancing my creativity.

And then I realised that I had the answer right here at WoollyKitten! So, I've decided that photos and words on this blog will be my way of participating in BootCamp. I'm so excited!!

So, Day one...

Ivory

I created this layout as part of the UKS CyberCrop a couple of months ago. The class was Pall Mall and this was my interpretation. I've used it for my 'Ivory' prompt as this word always reminds me of my dress.

We got married in St Lucia, almost 5 years ago and it was the most fabulous, magical day. I had such a lovely time creating the layout as the photo reminded me that we hadn't planned to have a 'first dance' but were gently pushed onto the terrace just as the saxophonist began to play 'Truly' by Lionel Richie. Happy thoughts...

Tell your Story - Lots of pages...

2010-06-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

My little guy was doing some painting and it was such a lovely moment, just watching him concentrating and enjoying being creative. He had this fantastic technique - using both hands at once and sticking his tongue out a little as he drew swirls and scribbles. I used one of the gorgeous pictures he'd created as the background for this page where I journalled about how fabulous it had been to just take time to sit and watch my boy be creative.

I used a magazine page as a background for this page which is very simply about my love of baking. I love this meringue topped image and was determined to make use of it somewhere. This seemed like the perfect topic to journal about - Baking is one of my favourite things of all time.

I really enjoyed creating this page which is just a list of everything I did on a particular day. I hadn't realised quite how much i'd done on this day until I managed to fill the page...

I'm having a lot of fun creating these Art Journal Pages and following what my classmates at Tell Your Story are up to via the Red Velvet Flickr Group.

Questions and Answers

2010-05-30T02:19:00.000-07:00

The very lovely Melissa over at Sunlight and Simplicity has tagged me and I have a whole set of questions to answer (belatedly, I must admit!).

It's the first time I've been tagged by someone in this way and i'm honoured that it's been by this lovely lady at her rather fabulous blog!

So, here goes....

1. If you had to choose your last meal, what would it be?
This is really tough - I love so many foods! If I HAD to narrow it down it'd probably be a really good pizza prosciutto e funghi and pistachio icecream for dessert.

2. What tv program do you love? (too many!)
Greys Anatomy, Cougar Town, FlashForward, The Mentalist, True Blood, Brothers and Sisters and Smallville (I REALLY love Smallville!). And I nearly forgot GLEE!

3. Favourite thing about a rainy day?
Having a lovely cosy house to hide out in until it stops. Oh, and the lovely clean, fresh smell too.

4. What is the nicest thing someone has done for you lately?
Listened and been a good friend!

5. What is the nicest thing you have done for something else?
I've bought tickets to see Eels in Glasgow for my husband (ssshh, it's a secret!)

6. Name three things you do on a daily basis.
Feed the pets, have creative thoughts (even if I don't always act on them!), hug my boys and tell them I love them.

7. What was your favourite book as a child?
I had so many!! I loved Boy and Going Solo by Roald Dahl. Anything by Enid Blyton and I had (and still have!) huge amounts of ladybird classics.

8. What gift would you give to someone you love if money was not a consideration?
For my lovely husband, a trip to the Masters at Augusta, stopping off at St Lucia where we were married. Bliss!

9. What is your favorite thing about summer?
Sunshine! And 6 weeks holiday...

10. What do you like best about yourself?
My ideas!

That was fun! Thanks Melissa. xx

More pages - Today felt....

2010-05-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

When I first saw the title for this prompt I thought "Hooray - I love felt and have loads of pretty colours stashed away!". Even after reading the prompt twice I didn't get where the felt part came in and was a little confused...

It was only when I came back to the prompt later that day that I FINALLY realised that the prompt was trying to get us to think about how our day had felt.

As in feelings.

Silly me!!

So I created a double page about how that day had gone for me all about 'Emily Day'. Emily is working as a volunteer in my class at the moment. She is the best volunteer ever.

Oh, and she's also my sister!!!

I used different blues tissue paper,mod podged to the page in layers. Black journalling pen and some rub ons plus a paperchase sticker (oh how I ADORE that store!!) then a daft Emily photo atop a Boden catalogue body. I never buy anything from Boden, finding it obscenely pricey but their catalogues are rather lovely indeed!

Tell your Story - Art Journal Class

2010-05-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

I have been doing the 'Tell Your Story' Online Art Journalling class for a few weeks now but have only just got around to actually taking pictures of some pages.

These first pages were for the 'New Season' prompt.

I am having so much fun doing this class even if I am WAY behind with all the prompts.

I hadn't given much thought to anything more than my own participation when I signed up for the class (which, by the way was a total bargain!) yet I am thoroughly enjoying seeing all my classmates work in the Flickr group and being led to a lot of very wonderful blogs too!

I have more pages to share but will be back tomorrow to do that...

Apple Blossom Happy Sunday

2010-05-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

I LOVE blossom!

Any kind of blossom does it for me but this particular kind is so fleeting, so delicate and so BEAUTIFUL!!

This photo was taken a couple of hours ago in my new back garden. We have an apple tree at the bottom and it's covered in these gorgeous blooms!

Today i feel so...

LUCKY

BLESSED

INSPIRED

and...

HAPPY!!

This photo kind of sums that up.

UK Scrappers Monopoly Cyber Crop

2010-05-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

The UK Scrappers Cyber Crop was FABULOUS!! It was my first CC and I had so much fun taking part in various classes and challenges. The picture above was my take on the Angel Islington class by ~angie~. The frames were hand cut and I was surprised at how it turned out!

The photo is of Jenny Lake in Wyoming. It was such a truly beautiful spot that I discovered whilst travelling across the USA on a converted school bus called the Green Tortoise. Next year it'll have been 10 years since I took this trip. A huge amount has happened in my life since then and yet it still feels like it could have been yesterday. I'd like to do the trip again someday....

I'll pop some more Cyber Crop pictures on today. I'd love to hear if you took part or if you have done any of the classes since then!

The boy in glasses

2010-05-01T06:56:00.000-07:00

Here he is again! I am enjoying this little series of shots as the little guy hasn't been wearing glasses for very long so it's still fun to see how he looks in them.

He's taken to wearing them SO well for a not-even-three year old though. He never complains and only takes them off for swimming, soft play and bedtime. They have to be washed every night as they get so dirty but that's ok! We're very proud of our little boy in glasses.

One more pic tomorrow then I may actually get around to sharing something from a recent class or cybercrop...

It could be glasses week!

2010-04-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

As the last pic of the little guy proved so popular - I thought i'd share another.

It could even turn out to be glasses week - a new pic every day (all of my own gorgeous boy in his specs!)

Who knows, he may even be smiling in the next one!

"Mummy, I am afraid and would like to get down now"

2010-04-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

This was said by my little guy after bravely climbing up a rope ladder at the playground. Once he got to the top, he decided it was a bit too high and that he needed to get down. I took a quick pic of his sad little face before going to the rescue! No harm done - he immediately zoomed off to try out the giant slide!

A new craft space

2010-04-23T04:12:00.000-07:00

A while ago, I found this picture in a magazine (and I can't remember which one!) and loved it immediately. I adored the idea of having a dedicated space to get crafty in and although I loved our house (see pictures in previous posts if you've not already!), there just wasn't the option of having that kind of space to myself.

It's been a while since I last posted though and I have to tell you that

WE HAVE MOVED!!!!

Our new house is fabulous and there is a whole extra floor upstairs. My rather lovely husband has very generously agreed that this can be my space so my 'crafty loft' is in progress. I'm so excited!!

I have had a huge sort out of all my stash and now I actually know where almost all my supplies are - that's a first! My task now is to organise available furniture and put all those lovely supplies away in some sort of orderly fashion...easier said than done!

I'll leave you with some pics of the loft as it is currently. Very plain,very uninspiring. All comments and suggestions hugely welcome!!

You'll notice in the next pic that the head room is fairly limited so I decided to make use of all the fairly low furniture we already had and use big cushions to sit on when crafting. I'm still not convinced by this idea though - it's not as comfy as i'd envisaged!

I should be back soon as i'm taking part in the UK Scrappers Cyber Crop this weekend so hope to have some lovely creations to share from some of the classes. I'm really excited about it and can't wait to see what the classes involve....

my exciting news

2009-11-25T13:01:00.000-08:00

Well, it's exciting news for me anyway!! Having shown you all little glimpses of my home, I have to tell you that I am moving house! We put our house up for sale and within 10 days had two fantastic offers one of which we accepted immediately. As much as I love this house, it is definitely time to move...and probably quickly as our buyers would like to be in by Christmas - Eeeek! So forgive my recent absence but it's been so crazy around here.

We've found a fabulous house which i'm already planning lots of lovely decorating projects for. I'm really excited about sharing our before and after pics with you and maybe getting some help and suggestions along the way!

I'm sorry - Here I am!!

2009-11-24T13:30:00.000-08:00

I have missed my blog!! I have just been so busy busy this past week or so.

The irony is that I've done so much and have tonnes to write about but just haven't had any time at all to get it written down. The awful nasty coughing bug has reappeared too so i'm feeling a bit poorly again and so very tired. However... Exciting things are happening which I will tell you about tomorrow..... Please come back to hear about the loveliness!! (Another pic of gorgeous Hector to help atone a little for my absence recently...)

Oooooh - How exciting!! Daily Decorator news.....

2009-11-15T12:33:00.000-08:00

Do you see the photo in my banner above? Well I sent it to Daily Decorator and they've used it for their Sweet Sunday feature!! I am ridiculously excited - this time last week I was only just getting going with my blog and now i'm having so much fun and finding so many lovely new sites and great people to share things with! Go and have a look at the site - it's so inspiring!

Journal your Christmas - I have found the perfect Digi Kit!!

2009-11-15T04:52:00.000-08:00

...and this is it!! It is SO perfect and i'm really pleased to have found it. I was going to make a paper journal for JYC but then, after getting a little more confident with Photoshop and Digi scrapping, I decided to go for hybrid but now i'm tempted to try total digi which i'll then print out (does that then make it hybrid I wonder?).

This kit is by Julie Bullock at Shabby Pickle Designs and is only $4.54! (that's about £2.79)

It's exactly the right style for me, has tonnes of great papers and loads of fabulous elements AND comes with a free set of Quick Pages. I'm so excited to be doing JYC for the first time and think this kit will make a beautiful album. The Shabby Pickle site has some other really great Christmas kits too - Check them out and let me know what you think!

The bigger picture!

2009-11-14T03:15:00.001-08:00

Snow Angels and Memories

2009-11-13T12:01:00.000-08:00

So I'm feeling a little better today - thank you to all those who wished me well!
I had another play with some more lovely masks - again from TwoPeas. I wanted to try out a Christmassy mask but I am sadly lacking in Christmas photos so had to make do with this scanned one from Christmas Eve 2000. Although the quality is terrible, I really love this photo of my friend making snow angels.
It was when we lived in Canada and we were on our way back from midnight mass. The snow was gently falling as we walked home and we had so much fun making those angels. It's not something I've had a chance to do since returning to the UK as we don't have that kind of snowfall but it almost makes the memories even more special!
So, ignoring photo quality and pushing aside sentimentality, I actually really like this. I have emailed it to my friend as i thought he might like to use it himself as a Christmas greeting.

What do you think of it? I've only just started using masks (as you'll know from Thursday's post!) but i'm having fun and would love to hear your thoughts (even if they aren't so good!!)

The Word Art is Jing a Ling by Sausan @ Cat Scrap . I LOVE this site - some really great digi kits. Let me know which is your favourite if you get a chance to take a look!

Masks, themes and just a little bit of pride!!

2009-11-12T03:04:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that i'm not feeling my best today - I have a bug that I can't seem to shake off. I was determined to be back at work today but, after a dreadful night of coughing and other awfulness I am back in bed trying to cheer myself up!

So I thought i'd have another go at using a photo mask - I've never quite got the hang of it but...a little bit of help from this wonderful lady http://www.jessicasprague.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=25%3Ageneral-photoshop-tips&id=691%3Atutorial-digital-templates&Itemid=92 and I think I got it!!

So that's the masks and the pride covered...do you spot the theme?

One thing I have (quite obviously!) not got the hang of is how to do a pretty link within a post without the giant, ugly URL across the page. Any suggestions gratefully received as the link button doesn't appear to have any other options!

The mask I used was from Rhona Farrer at TwoPeas. Here comes that ugly URL again...

http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/shop/rhonna-farrer/59169-digikit-grunged-photo-edges-kit/

Another favourite spot in my house...

2009-11-09T14:09:00.000-08:00

In my kitchen - practising taking photos!

2009-11-08T14:17:00.000-08:00

A sunny day with Hector and Hubby

2009-11-08T02:41:00.000-08:00

Hector the scaredy dog.

2009-11-07T13:25:00.000-08:00

I know he looks cute and lovely here but this dog is driving me crazy at the moment!!
He has never been bothered by fireworks before - in fact he's been more like our cats who hop onto the windowsill to see where the noise is coming from but this year has been RIDICULOUS.

Shaking, whimpering, whining, salivating - this little doggie is terrified of all the loud bangs and is currently hiding out in his bed feeling very sorry for himself. Poor Hector - I think we'll all be very glad when the firework season is done and dusted!

Who ate my porridge?

2009-11-07T12:48:00.000-08:00

So, I think Christmas may be on its way! I've only really started to notice Christmassy things in the past couple of days and can't believe it is only 7 weeks away. I have a bit of a love affair with this time of year and suspect there will be many Christmas-related posts to come in the near future!

Do you like my photo? I used to live in Canada and this is one of my favourite pics (subject-wise, not quality obviously!!) from the ice sculpture competition in Québec City. I have many happy memories of my time spent in Canada and suspect there will also be some reminiscing about this to follow....

Day One of Blogging - EEEK!!!

2009-11-01T09:38:00.000-08:00

So this is my first post on my brand-spanking new blog. I'm excited to be starting this but a little nervous too. I have no idea what i'm doing but i'm hoping to learn as I go along and with the help of a class i'm taking: http://www.shimelle.com/classes/618/a-new-online-scrapbooking-class-blogging-for-scrapbookers/

So, if you've ventured over here, stop and say Hello and hopefully there'll be a lot more to read and look at soon!