WOYWW Scrapping Memories

Weather was pretty dreadful over the past week - but we struck lucky on Saturday for our trip to Cardiff and we got to wander round the Bay in the sunshine before a Latino lunch at one of our favourites - Las Iguanas - and the matinee of the Jersey Boys which we enjoyed too !
We are always amazed that so many of the cast are so talented but aren't at all well known, fate & luck who makes it to be a household name I suppose !

Sunday it tipped it down & has kept this up for most of the week !
So it was a day of house chores & scrapping !

I have found that if I don't get my derrière in gear and scrap things promptly after they happen, then they tend never to make it into my album ! We had created some lovely memories when my family came to stay so I pushed on to get as many of these down in layouts as I could !

Here are my efforts - some are still pretty much just the photos added so far but I can go back and add details as I go !

 We had a fun couple of hours Beach-combing on
 Llansteffan beach at low tide ...















And really enjoyed Dyffryn Gardens and Dinefwr House - the Red Kite feeding was a bit of a non-event though !

And a stroll in the Mumbles is always fun ! Especially with wine & pizza involved !

So on my desk - and spilling out onto my "extra room" table - tonight are some partly scrapped items patiently waiting their turn to feature on a layout !

 Just showing off my new comfy chair which I had to splash out on as the back had gone on the old one !

Lynda & I have completed the July tag challenge - this month was "Chalkboard & Die Cuts" - a bit of a daunting combination but we both gave it a good go !

Lynda went with celebrating her end of term and summer holiday - just rubbing it in for those of us still chained to the office !!

And I used my JOFY stamps !

 So our Tag Collection is getting quite big as we approach Month 8 - "Glitter & Glam and Mica Powders" for us this August !










And when the rain did stop for half an hour I did take a few photos to show what it would be like if we ever got out into it !! Everything lush & verdant !

Have a great crafty week - hope it stays dry for you !!
Love Ali xx

WOYWW - Summer Photo Scavenger Hunt 2015

Well with the family here all over the weekend & us out and about - enjoying the sunny weather ! - there was no crafting occurring ! We had a lovely weekend and it was so nice to spend time with them all.

Happily all our trips gave me lots of opportunities to search around for photos to fit the bill on this year's Summer Photo Scavenger Hunt !

So here are my scavenger finds so far !!

 No 1 - Bouquet of Flowers

My Lovely Dad bought me these flowers when he was staying with me

No 2 - An Ornate Door Locker

Not as ornate as I would have liked but the best I can do so far !
On the door of Newton House in Dinefwr Park, Llandeilo

No 3 - A Person Walking An Animal

I was at the Royal Welsh Show for work today - who could resist people taking these pigs for a walk around the show ground !

No 4 - People Eating Outside

This was us about to have pizza at Verdis on the promenade down on The Mumbles last Saturday

No 5 - Architectural Columns

These columns were swathed in roses and grape vines - very elegant !

No 6 - A Metal Bridge

 

I couldn't decide which of these 2 metal bridges I liked the best - so here they are the both of them - above is the toll bridge on the outskirts of Waterford in Ireland - and below the bridge to the old Lifeboat House on Mumbles Pier

No 7 - A Turtle

No real turtles wild here in the UK - so this as close as I am likely to get !
A set of handles for bathroom cabinets !

No 8 - Someone plugged in to social media
Nothing yet ...

No 9 - A Tent

 This rather smart tent was in the Gardens at Dyffryn House near Cardiff

 No 10 - A University

Part of one of the Universities in Cardiff

No 11 - A Cell Tower
Nothing yet ...

No 12 - A Public Toilet

The public loos on the beach at Llansteffan

No 13 - A Carousel

The large carousel down on Cardiff Bay

No 14 - A Traffic Signal
Nothing yet ...

No 15 - A Flag Pole with 3 flags On It

Three flags flying outside the Grey Friars Tower in Carmarthen

No 16 - A Panoramic View Taken From A High Position

Views out over the Black Mountains from the high point - stunning !

No 17 - At Least 2 People Wearing Uniforms

A Military band at the Royal Welsh Show

No 18 - An Overloaded Vehicle

Poor Much Beloved on his disabled person's scooter laden down with all our coats & bags at the Gardener's Question Time Summer Garden Party at the National Botanic Gardens of Wales where we went to watch them recording the programme for Radio 4

No 19 - A Ticket Booth

The ticket booth at Dinefwr Park



 No 20 - A Natural Body Of Water
















A large rock pool on Llansteffan Beach

No 21 - Me With A Sign Saying 2015 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt
Need to do this one !

Nearly there - just a few left to find !

Have a great week ! Ali xx

WOYWW - Owls That !

Well we have had some shockingly wet weather for days now - low looming clouds, mist filled mornings and hours of rain. Summer - what Summer ?
As they say, it is an ill wind that blows no crafter any good as it meant that I had to ignore the weeds I could virtually hear growing in the warm wet conditions in the garden and take to my craft desk !

I had a couple of deadlines to meet with cards I needed to get made.
Much Beloved's youngest Nephew passed his driving test last week - I can so clearly recall my Sister In Law bringing him home from the maternity hospital what seems like just a couple of years ago - how did he get all grown up & having a driving licence ? Where did that 18 years go ?
Anyway a card was in order !
I used a Stamposaurus vintage car stamp, some papers that came as a freebie in a magazine last year - and even found the suitable sentiment stamp on a sheet collection that I get with a magazine every couple of months. It seems to turn out suitably bright & happy for the occasion !

Next in the card queue was my Sister.
I got to use my new JOFY stamps - along with some I already had in my collection - and I added an Owl stamp I found in a bargain bucket for £1 in The Range a few weeks ago !
My Sister loves Owls !
I love my JOFY stamps too - but I did find the detailed cutting out of the trailing vines pretty slow going !!








Then a few days after my Sister's birthday is my Sister In Law's - I always think "glamorous bling" when I think of her - hence the sparkly purples on her card !

I love this Lavinia butterfly stamp which I embossed with sparkly mauve embossing powder.


I thought you might like to see how my Owl Money-box turned out - started a few weeks ago but now also ready to be given to my Sister for her birthday !

I also finished the Journal page I started last week - spritzed on some Glimmer Mists for a bit of shine, mounted the "drop" (acquired from the bathroom of the Radison Blu Hotel in Düsseldorf - it was just calling to me to be altered & made into art !!) .

I added a thought as journaling and put the whole thing on a suitably blue & green background in my Dylusions Journal.
These colours really appeal to me !

 
For once my desk is reasonably tidy after all that crafty work - just work in progress for the monthly Tag Challenge Lynda & I have going this year - July's random techniques out of the hat were "Chalkboard" and "Die Cuts" - hhmm - bit of challenge to combine those two but having fun playing with ideas !

I wanted to share with you what I saw on the back of a car as we were driving into the City on Saturday evening - it caught my eye & made me laugh - I think a version of this little critter might find it's way onto a Journal page in the near future !









Well I am very excited tonight as my Parents & Auntie are arriving tomorrow for a week's stay & I have Thursday & Friday off work to head out & about with them.
I am praying that the weather improves or it could wash out our plans !!
I only get to see them 2 or 3 times a year as we live 5 hours apart - so whatever the weather it will be lovely to see them again !

Having a house full might mean I don't get to visit many desks this week - so apologies in advance if I don't make it to see you this week !
Love Ali xx

WOYWW - Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow !

Sometimes you just have to accept that all good things come to an end - and I have finally had to face the inevitable parting with the first ever Cuttlebug B plate I bought when I first bought my Bug !
I had been struggling to cut out the flowers using my new Chloe die - and knew Lynda was fine with hers. I was a bit slow witted but it finally dawned on my fuddled little brain that trying to die cut with this bowed & slashed poor excuse of a base plate was the problem !
So here is a final farewell photo en route to the bin !


We had a great time at the Fleetwood Mac concert on Saturday night - enjoyed the music and the sets too !

On my desk tonight I have a mixture of finished & just started projects - plus a couple of new additions to my stash ! Oh and some freebies from a magazine and a new book of mixed media project paper.

I asked last week for feedback about the card I had made for my Mum's birthday as I thought it looked a bit too busy - everyone was very sweet and tactfully didn't comment about it !
But the lack of comments kind of spoke volumes - so I ripped it up and used the back as an embossed layer on this new card !
I still struggled to get this to come together - so I thought - its a Chloe die set so what approach would she take ?
So I headed for the Sparkilicious and went with the whole bling thing !
I feel a bit better about this attempt !





Next month my Auntie has her 80th birthday - so I thought I would make her a mixed media version of her initial - M - so bought this this evening to make a start..

There's a Journal page I have started on a blues & greens theme - one of the colour combos from the Summer of Colour challenge - I am not keeping up with the weekly challenges but hope to do them in my own sweet time !

And I saw these funky new colouring pencils from Derwent - different colours at each end of the pencil - they made me smile - and it seemed a good way to have a lot of colours in a small space !
I am going to have a play with them in my colouring book at craft club tomorrow !

Enjoy your week & happy crafting ! Ali xx