Happy Halloween !!

Hi everyone!

Happy Halloween from us here !!

We had a great time Trick or Treating. Although, every year, I feel there is something not quite right in encouraging the children to "beg" for sweets, we always have a lovely evening and the neighbours are always happy to see the little monsters.

We had a lovely half term, it went so quick. We spent the end of the week in Prague and celebrated Harry's birthday with our friends in Czech Republic. Our friends are the nicest people you could ever meet and we spent four days eating and drinking until we couldn't possibly eat any more !! The kids had a memorable time and Harry has already booked to go back next year !!.

Not much scrapping done recently, I am on a cleaning and decluttering mission. (that is after spending four days at my friend's house!! her house is immaculate and tidy, how does she do it?). The bin is already full of stuff, (mostly Andrew's but shuuussh !! ) and it already looks better !!.

Have a good week everyone and don't forget to check Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge for their new challenge, you will see what I have designed for you !!


Anne

Very super duper quick.

Here is a page I made last night. I will enter it for three challenges. Get Picky, the Paper Variety and Sketches in Thyme. You see, busy but clever !!

Happy Halloween everyone !

AnneXXX

Sketchy Thursdays

Quick one today to show you what I have done for Sketchy Thursdays. Here is the sketch...



And here is my page ...

I started with the three pictures and layers of paper. I knew I wanted to write the words that Harry had to learn as I think the whole family will remember them forever !! I like the page I made although, admittedly it doesn't look much like the sketch in the end. Still, it is meant to be an inspiration, isn't it? !!.
If you like the effect on the pictures, I used an app on my phone that is pretty cool. This is called Grunge look !!.

Enjoy the rest of the week.

Anne

The secret is out !!

No I am not pregnant !! But I have been chosen to be a designer at Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge !!

Yes, little me !! How very exciting and you can go and check it out if you don't believe me !! Go on ! You will meet Anne Pennington and her team and you can see a picture of me ! And you can join in the next few challenges, I had a go at them so I know they are fun !

I would like to thank Anne for her trust in me. She has always been very complimentary of my work and you know how nice it feels when someone likes what you do. So a warm thank you.

In the mean time, Halloween is coming so busy preparing banners and carving pumpkins. I will take pictures when it is all finished and looking Freaky enough !!

Take care

Anne xxx

A few crafty projects.

Today was the Autumn festival at school so my friend Claire and I had an evening baking last night and came up with these pretty little biscuits.

We first made the owls biscuits and then we were left with half Oreo biscuits. ( And there were far too many for me to eat !! ) so we decided to search the net for "crushed Oreo biscuits recipes"! and believe it or not there were quite a few, including these chocolate cookies. A little tag and a ribbon and that was our work done !

And since I was making tags and it is Harry's birthday party tomorrow, I made some more thank you goody bags.Luckily, he has only invited 5 friends so that was nice and quick !

My baby is back today, so I shall finish this post and go and enjoy my cuddles !

Have a lovely weekend.

May the best team win the rugby on Sunday. So long as they are French !!

Anne XXX

Sketchy Thursdays

This week my little girl has gone for a 4 day residential stay with school. The house is very quiet and I am not sure I like being the only girl in the house. ( and no, I don't want to watch yet another programme of Top Gear ! ). I wanted to make a page to let her know how I felt about her going. I found the sketch on Sketchy Thursday this week was perfect as it gave me a lot of space for journaling. I have had a look at the work some of the ladies have already done and there are some truly amazing pages, so I don't think I stand a chance of winning but I like the page anyway and it will be nice for Amelie to read it when she gets home !!

As you can see I am rather addicted to masking tapes at the moment and Crate papers !! And I bought some more today so you will see loads more soon !!

Take care and thank you all for your nice comments.

Anne

Box of pretty things !

I have been shopping and look what I have found !

A box of very pretty little things ! And look at these little envelopes, not sure what I am going to do with them, but they are so cute ! They are only about two centimeters long.

I found this box in TK Max. They had stopped doing crafty stuff but I think with Christmas round the corner they have started again, I just might have to go and check it once a week !

Have a good week.

Anne XXX

Sketch in Thyme.

There is a new sketch at Sketch in Thyme...



So I had to have a go since they liked me last time ! I really enjoyed the sketch and I love the result. Again, I used paint, you see, I am trying to do something different ! Tell me what you think...

I wanted to enter this page for another challenged where you had to use "leaves " but I can't remember which challenge site that was !! Anybody knows?

Have a lovely weekend, enjoy the rugby, I know I will. But no comment if we loose, I will have warned you !!

Take care

Anne

Happy Birthday to my baby girl !

Amelie is 9 today, time goes so fast, scary ! Although it seems that this birthday has been going on for a few weeks !! Tonight we are going to the restaurant so that Amelie and her friends can make their own food, sounds messy !! Rather their kitchen than mine !! Party bags and treats are ready, balloons, checked, cake, ordered, it is all under control. Here are the little treats me made for the guests, with a little tag, saying Thank you for coming ! This way, we don't have to write Thank You cards !! hey, you see, I am organised !!

Also I had time to play with Sketchy Thursday this week !! Double organised !! call me super woman !

This was the sketch...

And this is my interpretation..

I tried loads of new things on this page. Lots of doodling, misting, glitter and a new App on my phone. I like the result, although I wish you could see the misting more, but it is kind of hidden behind the pictures. I used a old letter board and some spray paint for the background.

Anyway, off to school,  busy busy,

Anne

Another Freaking scrapbook challenge.

Just a quick one! Really busy with my daughter's birthday that seems to last forever !! Last weekend I treated her to a surprise trip to London to see Wicked and this weekend is her birthday sleepover. She has one every year with a couple of friends and they usualy behave pretty well. For some strange and rather stupid reasons I have decided to give her room a make over. Excuses like, you know she is growing up now and needs a proper desk and grown up curtains... and suddenly it is the whole room that needs changing. I was busy today making new curtains, yes, MAKING !! with a sewing machine, proud or what !! They look good but I wonder if they are a bit long, anyway, back to scrapping !!

I managed to make a page for Another Freaking Scrapping Challenge. I have meant to enter their challenges for a long time and support Anne in her venture but I have never had the time, so this month, I made it my mission !!
So here was the brief:
scrap your school days – your own school days incorporating three of: a photo of you back in the day, or a momento from those years , perhaps: a song title, lyrics or album cover from that era, your favourite school subject, or a page from one of your texts, diaries or notebooks , a scan or your yearbook – whatever is representative of your school days. Maybe you could include a memory of those days in your blog posting. We'd prefer if you scrap your own school days - as we like to encourage our followers to scrap about themselves to leave a legacy for their family - but you can scrap your children's school days if you prefer.

I also saw another challenge on Scrap Fit that I thought I could use where this week, you have to write your journalling around something.

And because I might as well try to fit in as many challenges as I can when I am busy, I thought I could try Scrapbookers Anonymous where this month, the lovely Lea and her friends encourage you to use die cuts !

And this is what I came up with:

The journalling is about ten Things I remember from my school years, ranging from the name of my favorite teachers to the games I liked to play. This photo really makes me smile as it looks very much like a picture of my little boy and both my children looked puzzled when they saw my page. Why would Harry be in that classroom ?!! The little people are cut from old sewing books of the 1970 and the dominoes are there because I used to love playing this game with my grandad, again and again.

I hope that you have a nice weekend. Think about me when the girls are still giggling and chatting at 2 in the morning !!

Take care

Anne

PS. Thank you to the very lovely ladies at Sketch in Thyme who chose me as their favourite this month, I will definitely play again soon.

What a lovely weekend !

The weather was glorious and the children had a very long weekend due to two inset days.
On Saturday I went to London with Amelie and a friend and her daughter to see Wicked at the theatre. We had such a fab time. This trip was a birthday surprise for the girls and they had the time of their lives with enough time to have lunch at the restaurant and go shopping.

I thought I would use the cutest picture I took on Saturday on the new Sketchy Thursday sketch

.

I also I came across the Bird is The Word challenge where you have to use the words You and Me.

So here is what I came up with..

I hope you had a nice weekend too.
Anne

Still time to vote !

At Once Upon a Sketch this week you can vote for the winner !! So.. you can vote for me !! Well, not many people have so I will have to blow my own trumpets !! Go and check their web site quickly and look out for the page with Gnomeo and Juliette ! And then vote, for your favourite really, not just mine !

Have a fab sunny weekend

Anne

Sketchy Thursdays

This is the sketch on Sketchy Thursdays this week:



As soon as I saw it, I knew I liked it and what paper and pictures I would use. I love the result, probably one of my favorite page ever !! I love this paper, it is from a French brand and I will look up for the name if you are interested. So, here is my page...

I hope that you all have a nice weekend. If you are going to Alexandra Palace, I am very jealous and I can't wait to see what you bought !!

Anne

Quickie

Just a quick one to show you a little card I made for someone who asked me for a recipe. I was wondering why on earth didn't I simply write it on a piece of paper instead of wasting my time, well, it is because I love wasting my time on crafty things and hopefully I will make someone feel very special !! Hope you like it too, and by the way, the recipe isn't mine but it makes the most delicious cookies, ever.Give it a go if you get a chance !!

Take care

Anne

It started with a sketch !!

My new project started with a sketch from Sketches in Thyme. Here it is...



but it ended up like this...

First I thought I would turn the sketch upside down. I knew which pictures I was going to use, I just couldn't edit them the way I wanted ! I wanted three small pictures under the Olives sign but I just couldn't figure out how to do it ! I used Picassa so if anybody has got any tips on how to create your own collage, then please help me !!.
The rest, well, apart from a few extra layers and the little pictures on the top left is quite similar to the sketch,  hmm, if you look quickly !
Does this ever happen to you, you start with an idea and it ends up completely different to what you had originally planed? I still like it, it just doesn't look one bit like what I had in my head !

Busy making little presents for Amelie's party at the moment, butterflies and glitter, lots of glitter !!

Have a good week,

Anne

Once Uppon a Sketch.

There is a new sketch over at Once Upon A Sketch. I like this challenge site as it encourages to write down your thought and ideas. Yesterday afternoon Amelie asked me a question that I had to write down for future memories and laughs ! So I poped over to Once upon a Sketch and used their sketch. This time the requirement is that you write a couple of sentences on the picture so I gave it a try .
Here is the sketch...




And here is my take...

Now, if you look closely, there is resemblance between Gnomeo and the Smurfs, you know, they both wear funny little hats, so I know where her thoughts came from, but I did laugh at loud !

Yesterday I also had time to make a little present for a friend of Amelie.

 This little gift was an idea I got when I went to a Stampin'up party presented by Suzanne.( You have to go and check out her new blog, she is new to blogging !). The party was great, we had far too much wine and I can still remember eating loads of chocolate but not achieving anything crafty ! Still, loads of gossiping and really a great night ! So thank you Jemma for hosting it and sorry we left so many empty bottles of wine behind !
Anyway, the little gift was real a try out for new ideas for our School Christmas fair. Every year, a few crafty mums get together and try to make little crafty things to sell for the school. So we thought, these little bags of goodies might work. A few reindeers and snow flakes instead of the Japanese dolls and there you go !.What do you think?

Enjoy the rest of the weekend,

Anne

Get Picky and a donkey !

The inspiration board at Get picky this month is as followed:




Pretty hey !! I decided to use the pictures I took of the kids on their first day back at school. The pictures aren't great as the kids didn't really like yet another picture for the scrapbook !! But they are colourful and I thought they would look good with the yellow. Now, as for the Donkey, well, I am not sure I put it there other than it does look cute and it is wearing high heels and there are high heels on the pictures !! Hope you like it too, it makes me laugh !!

Speak to you soon

Anne

First crumble

First blackberry crumble of the season and it smells good!! I love picking blackberries but this year it hasn't stopped raining so I haven't had a chance. But I walked home from a friend's yesterday and I noticed a few bushes along the road, I had to stop !! Combined with my neighbour's apples, it was the perfect combination !!

There is a new sketch at Creative Scrappers...



so here is my take on it..

I am pleased with so I hope you like it too.

I am meant to be sorting out stuff for a car boot sale on Sunday but I have just had a look at the weather forecast but guess what, it is meant to be heavy rain for a change, so I don't think I will bother !!

Enjoy the rest of the week.

Anne

Sketchy Thursdays.

Here is the new sketch from Sketchy Thursdays..



Nice and simple and this is the way I intended my page to look like but somehow it ended up being a bit messy and busy. Still I like it and I hope you do to.!

  We have had a lovely weekend with friends coming over for Sunday lunch. They have the cutest little girl ever !
Time to get ready for school now. I feel very sad for the children. They have had such a wonderful holiday and I am dreading sending them to school again. I will miss them loads.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend and good luck to everybody going back to school tomorrow !

Anne