Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge.

Hi there,

There is a new challenge over at Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge. Here is the sketch...



And here is what I made as the Guest designer of the month, yes, me !!!

Go and check what the other designers did and play along with us, there is a very cool prize to win !!

See you later.

Anne

Remembrance Sunday and crafty weekend.

On Friday I was lucky to go to London with a friend to visit the Country Living Christmas Show. It was a really good day out that gave me a lot of inspiration. Most of the stuff for sale was very expensive but gave e millions of ideas for Christmas decorations. I didn't buy much but I came across this little store with extremely cute badges. The store holdm, Siobhan Jordan is a very talented artist, you can check her blog on siobhanjordan.blogspot.com and I really like her style. I have used one of her badges on a page already, you can see it in the  middle of this lay out that I made for Sketchy Thursdays.

This was the original sketch...

I have done a page similar a few weeks ago and liked it a lot so decided to copy myself !!

I also managed to make another lay out for Sketch in Thymes. I had to flip the sketch to fit my horizontal pictures but I like the simplicity or the end result.The colours are really bright but then again, these little Moshi Monsters are really bright too.

 and this was the original sketch if you fancy having a go.

Sunday was remembrance Sunday here. It is always emotional and I always struggle to keep my emotions in check but this weekend we went to our local memorial and the ceremony was lovely. Lots of local Brownies and Cubs and Rainbows were there and it was uplifting to see all the children paying their respect and behaving so well. It is tradition to wear poppies and Amelie got the idea to put them in her hair. I am not sure it is the thing to do really but they did look cute !!

I hope you have a good week. I have received lots of goodies this weekend so I hope I will be able to spend some crafty time. Although, very exciting, the new Twilight Film is coming out and I am going to see it on Thursday at midnight so should try to get some good night sleep beforehand !!

Anne XXX

Maths day.

Today was Maths Day at school !! And the children had to dress up as something mathematical. They had the option of wearing something spotty or with a number or lines, but, no, my children decided they wanted to dress up !! Put your thinking hat on, mum, and design two costumes in one night !! tadddaddaa, proudly presenting, Mrs Calculator and Mr Pencil !!

I love this picture of Harry, he made me laugh !!

And I have finished my advent calendar I was making. Well, I have finished it, but all I need to do now is buy and wrap another 23 presents ( time 2 ) !! but here is was it looks like so far...

Shopping evening at school tonight and day out shopping in London tomorrow. Followed by scrap book workshop with Lisa in Goldaming on Saturday, life is sweet !!

Take care

Anne

Lovely weekend.

I have just had a very nice weekend.
Saturday I went to our local crop with a bunch of my anonymous friends. ( We all know who they are !! ) We had a really nice time. Lots of cups of tea as usual and delicious cakes made by Claire ( One of the anonymous ones !! ). This time, we had the privilege to have Lisa, teaching us how to use paint and mist to create a vintage look. As you can imagine, this is completely out of my comfort zone ! We had to cut without scissors and without measuring, spray without knowing what it would look like and generally paint and glue the whole lot. I love the result, I think it is so clever. And it kind of looks like the sketch on Sketchy Thursdays ! So here is the sketch...



And here is my page...

In the afternoon of the crop, we had the lovely Suzanne teaching us how to do a novelty box. I haven't finished mine but I will show it to you soon. I will probably use it for a Christmas present for a teacher.
The day went really quick and I had the impression I would do a lot more but I think may be we chatted too much ! Still, it was really lovely.

On Sunday, I did lots of gardening, ( raking the leaves could be a daily chore if I could be bothered !! ), some crafty Christmas preparations and played battle Ship as a family game, and.... the girls won !! Go Girls !!.
I am getting so excited about Christmas. I have quite a few projects on the go. I am making an advent calendar, a Christmas banner and a mini book, where hopefully, come December the 1st, all I will have to do is take pictures and stick them in !! Well that's the plan anyway !

Don't forget the challenge on Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge. I really enjoyed it and I am sure you will too.

take care and have a good week.

Anne XXX

Sketchy Thursdays.

Hi there,

There is a new sketch on sketchy Thursdays. Since it is already Wednesday, it feels a bit like last minute panic !! Here is the sketch...



And here is my take...

I love this picture. It was taken at the airport in Malaga, Spain. We were delayed so ended up being the only one in a very empty airport rather late in the night.
The page is about our travels this year. We were so lucky to be able to fly business class ( courtesy of my old job at BA ) to many places. Unfortunately my concessions stop this year so I am not sure there will ever be a next time !!

Thanks for looking.

Anne

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