tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48969983382693394732024-02-19T03:51:04.515+00:00Life and LayoutsGenevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-29273908212893977832011-01-09T23:29:00.001+00:002011-01-09T23:30:09.544+00:00A bokeh experiment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_2645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_2645.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"> Last year, I came across this <a href="http://www.kevinandamanda.com/whatsnew/tutorials/photography-tutorials/must-get-christmas-pictures-before-the-tree-comes-down.html">amazing bokeh tutorial</a> by Amanda of <a href="http://kevinandamanda.com/">kevinandamanda.com</a>. I'd always wondered how photographers created this incredible effect...but at the time, I didn't have 1) a <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-EF-50-1-8-Lens/dp/B00005K47X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294570055&sr=8-1">50mm f/1.8 lens</a> 2) a DSLR camera. This year, I'm lucky enough to have both, so I decided to have a go at creating my own custom bokeh before my Christmas tree came down. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_2601-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_2601-1.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I almost exactly followed Amanda's instructions to create this effect. I would, however, recommend using the 'manual focus' setting on your lens if you have one...focusing on a particular object and then moving it at the last minute was pretty challenging (and I had <i>a lot</i> of botched photos). If you do alter the setting, just make sure that you very gently push your custom hood over the lens <i>after</i> you have manually adjusted the focus...I found that even the lightest touch could reset it and lose the overall effect. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_2611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_2611.jpg" width="289" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of the four punches I used, I think the stars were my favourite. I'm looking forward to trying this again next year with some different punches (maybe some more Martha Stewart ones?) and perhaps even my Slice (although that might be a bit ambitious). I loved how pretty the multi-coloured fairy lights looked, but I'm excited to try it with white lights next year...I think they look so very <i>romantic</i>. And a little less '80s disco. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_2618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_2618.jpg" width="317" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Amanda also suggested using a tripod or resting your camera on a flat surface for this kind of photography, but I snapped away by hand without too much camera shake. And the best part of this tutorial? As a scrapbooker, you can pretty much use everything that you already have in your supplies! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Let me know if you're a bokeh fan, too... </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Have a wonderful start to the week :)</div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-18565439831553354252011-01-06T23:33:00.001+00:002011-01-06T23:55:06.457+00:00Dusting off the cobwebs...<div style="text-align: justify;">...and popping in to say hello :) More importantly, a very happy New Year to you! So much has happened since I last checked in that I'm not entirely sure where to start, so I thought that today I would share my New Year's resolutions with you (my One Little Word will follow in the next couple of days). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last year, I put <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/genevieve_b/4353733972/in/set-72157623301378629/">this layout</a> together to record what I hoped to achieve in 2010. I've never really been a fan of making 'resolutions' as such, but I do like to have some goals that I can work towards as the year progresses. I didn't do too badly in 2010, but you'll see below that I carried forward several resolutions into 2011...here's hoping that I <i>finally</i> get round to taking my driving test this year (and, of course, passing it!). </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0001-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0001-5.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Click on the picture to enlarge</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Made using Studio Calico's <a href="http://www.studiocalico.com/kits/past">Metropolitan kit</a> (December)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">More than anything, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a happy, healthy 2011. I started 2010 with high hopes and equally high expectations...but for the most part, it was a very hard year, as I think it was for many people. 2011 brings with it many changes and a new beginning of sorts, and I'm excited to share the journey with you as it unfolds over the coming months. I suppose, like so many others this year, I'm hoping that <i>the best is yet to come</i>. </div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-83340878675128787762010-12-25T23:01:00.000+00:002010-12-25T23:01:16.090+00:00Just to say...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Merry_Christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="366" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Merry_Christmas.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-81570411535768077982010-12-19T00:07:00.000+00:002010-12-19T00:07:23.309+00:00December Daily/JYC Day 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1978.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Sooooo....after worrying that I would be marooned in Scotland by the imminent adverse weather, I made it back to London without any problems <i>at all</i>. And then today, it snowed. Big time. London had about 3 inches, which might not sound much...but trust me, that's a lot of snow for London. It meant that we left work early this afternoon, so I had a welcome couple of hours this evening to work on my December Daily (although the 'daily' part is probably a bit redundant now. Oh well). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">For day 5, I wrote about how - for me at least - the annual Coca-Cola Christmas commercial marks the start of the Christmas countdown (using Shimelle's prompt as a starting point). </div><br />
Here's a close-up of the envelope on the left:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1979.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I'm excited about how this album is coming together - I think I'm finally starting to find my groove. And hopefully I'll be able to catch up over Christmas itself...is it really only a week away?! I'm slowly chipping away at my to-do list, but I honestly can't wait to have a few days to 'pause' and enjoy the festivities as they reach a crescendo next weekend. How are your Christmas preparations coming along? </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Happy Sunday!</div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-80506586923243592882010-12-11T18:05:00.000+00:002010-12-11T18:05:45.420+00:00Off on an adventure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/photo2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/photo2-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> I'm currently sitting on a train, hurtling towards Edinburgh. Loving the pearlescent skies and snow-covered English countryside. Also loving the opportunity to wind down after another hectic week...right now I'm sipping a cup of tea and watching Pride & Prejudice (the original BBC version). As a side note, <i>I have a bit of a crush on Mr Darcy.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm spending the next few days in Scotland and <i>I can't wait</i>. I should still be able to check in from time to time, so expect an update soon :) And here's hoping I can get back down to London - with another dip in the temperatures predicted for next week, I have a feeling that Edinburgh will get more than its fair share of snow and ice for the second time this month. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">*And yes, after professing my undying love for the Hipstamatic app just a few days ago, I am celebrating a new love affair with <a href="http://www.nevercenter.com/infinicam/">Infinicam</a>. <a href="http://sharyncarlson.typepad.com/living_artfully/2010/12/infinicam.html">Sharyn</a>, I place the blame squarely at your feet :) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Have a fantastic weekend everyone...and thank you so much for your wonderful comments on my last post. I know I've said it before, but you guys <i>rock</i>. </div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-23886714184398335002010-12-09T23:44:00.001+00:002010-12-09T23:45:17.928+00:00December Daily/ JYC Days 3 & 4<div style="text-align: justify;">Before I started putting my foundation pages together last month, I spent a few happy hours researching Christmas albums from years past. Needless to say, I came across some fantastic and equally inspiring albums, but the ones that stayed with me the most were those that incorporated photos + journaling + memorabilia (like <a href="http://mollyirwin.typepad.com/mollyirwin/december-daily-2009/">Molly Irwin's beautiful December Daily</a> from last year). This year, I decided that I would try to use this formula to tell a more rounded and more complete story of Christmas 2010. And, since I've shared scans of my first two pages with you, I thought that I would do a post about the 'bits in between,' which will hopefully give a more complete picture of where I'm going with my album.... </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>Day 2: </b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1696.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1696.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1697.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1698.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">You've already seen the page on the left, but I also included some photos that I took on my iPod Touch (Hipstamatic and IncrediBooth apps) in the snow. The 'Baby it's cold outside' stamp is from the AC Dear Lizzy Christmas collection - love it! </div><br />
<i><b>Day 3:</b></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1699.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1699.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1701.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1702.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>And the before:</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1380.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Day 3 is about the Spirit of Christmas Fair at Olympia (back in November). I collected a lot of business cards that day, so I put a few of my favourites inside the envelope. Attached to the back is my journaling and a metal 'season's greetings' tag, which I purchased from one of the stalls. I also included the Spirit of Christmas pamphlet...I've got a lot of bits and pieces like this to go inside my album (I'm just hoping I'll have enough space). I included just one photo of the fair itself, but I might put a couple more inside a divided page protector if I have the room. </div><br />
<i><b>Day 4:</b></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1703.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1704.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Images from Victoria magazine.</i></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>And the before:</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1381-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1381-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Day 4 followed Shimelle's prompt about 'perfection' (click on the image to read the journaling). The twill ribbon is from a local art shop. If you look closely at the last image on the left (taken from a magazine), the name on the table setting is Genevieve :) I thought that the list on the right (a hand drawn brush by Ali Edwards) would finish off this page nicely...it pretty much epitomises everything 'perfect' about this time of year. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And that's my album so far. There have been a couple of hiccups along the way and the 'daily' dimension lasted for all of 24 hours, but that was to be expected! Otherwise I'm happy with how it's coming along. I have a feeling it's going to be a slow process, but <a href="http://fromhighinthesky.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-club-3-one-i-made-earlier.html">this fabulous post by Sian</a> reminded me why it's so important to persevere. How's your album coming along? </div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-16757676905703244712010-12-04T23:01:00.001+00:002010-12-04T23:05:32.716+00:00December Daily/JYC Day 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/JYCDay2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/JYCDay2.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Webster's Pages and American Crafts papers, Bazzill cardstock, Fiskars punch, number tag from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/everyjotandtittle?ref=seller_info">every jot and little</a></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">On Thursday morning I peered groggily through the gap in my curtains....<i>and there before me was a</i> <i>winter wonderland</i>. I spent most of the morning snapping pictures before my parents and I risked a walk to the station to investigate the train situation (I had a presentation in London on Friday that I couldn't miss). As we plodded down the lane towards the centre of town, we were overtaken by a small group of kids chattering away whilst hauling their sledges along behind them. For me, that almost timeless moment pretty much epitomised everything that I love about this time of year...and just for a minute, I wished that I was 8 again. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I wanted my page for day 2 to capture that sense of nostalgia, so I used what turned out to be the perfect piece of scrap paper from the Dear Lizzy Christmas collection alongside my photo of the retreating backs of the kiddos and their sledges (edited with the Pioneer Woman's PSE actions - it looks a lot more sepia in real life!). It also helped to tone down the busy pattern on the foundation page, which I felt detracted a little from the photo. Also for that reason, I decided to let my journaling stand alone on the adjacent page:</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0001-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0001-4.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I also included a divided page protector to accompany this prompt. I'm going to do a bulk order of 4x6 prints from <a href="http://www.photobox.co.uk/">Photobox</a> once Christmas is over...but in the meantime, here are two of the pictures from Thursday that I will include:</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1556.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1591-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1591-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And on the other side (from Friday):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMAG0525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMAG0525.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMAG0526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMAG0526.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMAG0531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMAG0531.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Even London had to get to grips with snow and ice! I took a detour through Trafalgar Square on the way to my seminar on Friday afternoon and snapped these photos on my phone. It was <i>freezing</i>....</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
And here's a look at the original:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1380.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Thank you so much for looking! I'll be back soon with day 3. And I hope you're having a fabulous weekend...perhaps you've been working on your December Daily too? </div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-17531855504776442872010-12-01T07:58:00.003+00:002010-12-04T23:01:34.013+00:00December Daily/JYC Day 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/JYCDay1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/JYCDay1.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Echo Park and October Afternoon papers, Bazzill cardstock, October Afternoon cardstock stickers, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">number tag from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/everyjotandtittle?ref=seller_info">every jot and little</a>, Ali Edwards 25 Days of December Overlay.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Happy December everyone! Can you believe it's only 24 days until Christmas?!!! I know the next few weeks are going to fly by, so last night I thought that I'd make a head start on the prompts for <a href="http://www.shimelle.com/classes/841/an-online-scrapbooking-class-for-the-holidays-journal-your-christmas/">Journal your Christmas</a>. In fact, that's what I love about doing JYC in conjunction with a December Daily album...you can mix things up, do the prompts out of order if you want/need to (especially if you're having your photos printed in one bulk order)...and you have something to inspire you on those December days when you've tried to catch up on laundry. Perfect.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>A couple of quick words on my system:</b></i> I'm doing an internship, a part-time job and a Masters at the moment...so I know that I won't be able to stay ahead of the prompts for long. On some days I will post multiple pages...but there will likely be long gaps in between. But that's ok, because as I keep reminding myself, <i>live first and document second</i>. A combination of the big freeze, winter weather and a basement flat mean that daylight is scarce in my neck of the woods, so I won't photograph the actual album in its entirety until it's pretty much finished (or at least half way through). I think I'll try and post a picture of the foundation page as well, because a little 'before and after' action is always fun: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1379-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1379-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And last but not least, <i>thank you</i> for your wonderful comments and words of encouragement - they never fail to make my day :) </div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-6062844182765199392010-11-30T00:26:00.000+00:002010-11-30T00:26:03.899+00:00It's a relationship thing...<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG-1.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">{<i>Click to enlarge</i>} </span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I often get asked what it's like to live in London. Usually I come up with a fairly generic response...something along the lines of <i>"it's amazing."</i> Short and to the point, etc. etc. You'll find that most Londoners will say something similar...or they'll simply start complaining about tube strikes, which is <i>fair enough</i>. But after <a href="http://www.keshetstarr.com/">Keshet</a> asked me this very question <a href="http://lifeandlayouts.blogspot.com/2010/09/five-years-and-two-layouts.html">a couple of months ago</a>, I started thinking....and a layout was born (thank you, Keshet!). I have a feeling that you might think my answer is a little unconventional, but that's ok :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">By the way, iPhone/iPod Touch 4 users, have you tried out the new <a href="http://dali.hipstamatic.com/">Dali Museum Goodpak</a> for the Hipstamatic app? I love how surreal and unexpected each photo is: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Londoncollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Londoncollage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Piccadilly Circus, the BT Tower, Big Ben</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> {click to enlarge}</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The film has a canvas-like texture and looks awesome printed on cardstock. I'm starting to wonder how I ever lived without Hipstamatic...is anyone else a convert?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Only 24 hours until the start of JYC! Already there are some seriously inspiring projects appearing in the forum...I can't wait :) <i> </i></div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-72128249719924787952010-11-29T00:48:00.000+00:002010-11-29T00:48:31.005+00:00December Daily/JYC foundation pages<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/1523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/1523.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> The blogosphere has been buzzing with anticipation over the past couple of days...December 1st is just three sleeps away, which means that <a href="http://www.shimelle.com/classes/841/an-online-scrapbooking-class-for-the-holidays-journal-your-christmas/">Journal your Christmas</a> is very nearly upon us! I've seen some amazing albums (both past + present) on various blogs and I'm so excited to see how they come together over the next month - it amazes me how people can interpret one prompt in so many different, unique ways. So cool. I put my own album together a couple of weeks ago. Since then I've been waiting for the right light to photograph the foundation pages, but the weather has been conspiring against me, so apologies for the not-so-great contrast on the pictures. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm using an <a href="http://www.paperchase.co.uk/kraft/kraft-a5-ring-binder/invt/00458655/">A5 kraft ring binder</a> from Paperchase this year, along with a mixture of papers from last December...and (of course) some new releases, too. Any excuse to shop ;) I thought about pre-embellishing the pages, but I tend to use the photograph as a starting point, so I'll add bits and pieces as I go along. I'm also using <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/62479795/red-number-tags">these number tags</a> from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/everyjotandtittle?ref=pr_shop_more">every jot and little</a> (you might recognise them from <a href="http://aliedwards.com/2009/12/december-daily-compilation.html">Ali Edwards' December Daily albums</a> from years past)....they arrived a few days ago and <i>I. love. them.</i> Anyway, without further ado, let's get started!</div><br />
<i>*Be warned, this is photo heavy!</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1379-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1379-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Paper from Echo Park. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1380.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Paper from Webster's Pages + Echo Park. Envelope from Paperchase.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1381-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1381-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Paper from Making Memories + October Afternoon. Envelope from Paperchase.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1383-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1383-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Paper from Crate Paper + October Afternoon. Scalloped notebook paper from Making Memories.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1384-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1384-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Paper from Crate Paper + Echo Park. Envelope from Paperchase.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1385.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cardstock from Bazzill. Transparency and paper from Making Memories. Bingo card from Jenni Bowlin.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1387-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1387-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Paper from Cosmo Cricket and American Crafts. Postcard by <a href="http://www.belleandboo.com/">Belle & Boo</a> (available from Paperchase).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1389-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1389-1.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Paper from Echo Park + Crate Paper.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1390.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Paper from Echo Park. Envelope from Paperchase.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1391-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1391-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Paper from Making Memories + October Afternoon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1393-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1393-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Paper from Echo Park.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1394-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1394-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Paper from Echo Park. Transparency from Making Memories. Envelope from Paperchase.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1396-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1396-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Paper from Crate Paper + October Afternoon (just seen). Envelope from Paperchase.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1398-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1398-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Paper from Echo Park. Bingo card from Jenni Bowlin.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">If you made it this far, thanks for sticking with me! I'm still not sure how I want to document the days between Boxing Day and New Year's, but there is a little bit of room left in the album if I need it. Throughout the album you can probably see some divided page protectors peeking through as well...these are also from Paperchase and give a little bit more flexibility in terms of how many photographs I can use. December is already looking hectic and it hasn't even started yet, so I'm relieved to have finished the foundation pages in advance (the major lesson that I took away from JYC last year). Now I'm just looking forward to getting started!</div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-35658397453628687672010-11-19T23:25:00.000+00:002010-11-19T23:25:23.796+00:00Celebrate the season: autumn banner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1193.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">With Thanksgiving less than a week away, autumn feels as though it is rapidly giving way to winter. I wish this season didn't feel so <i>short</i>. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Anyway, a few months ago I bookmarked <a href="http://katiebeecreative.com/?p=809">this project</a> with the intention of making something similar...only to discover that the Maya Road Pumpkin Coaster album is <i>very</i> hard to come by in the UK. After tracking it down a few weeks ago at <a href="http://www.bubblyfunk.co.uk/maya-road-chipboard-pumpkin-coaster-p-3874.html">Bubbly Funk</a> (they have an amazing selection of Maya Road products)...I set an evening aside earlier this week to make my own 'Fall Banner <style>
@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }
</style> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Ã </span> la Katie Watson.' </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1198.jpg" width="400" /></a> <a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="345" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1191.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">In the end, I switched things up quite a bit. After experimenting with several different painting techniques, nothing looked quite right...in fact, it was a mess (maybe the quality of paint? I'm not sure). Instead, I traced around the pumpkins onto AC cardstock and simply adhered it to the chipboard - much easier, no drying time...and no getting stressed out. Perfect. I used a combination of Bazzill ribbons and ribbons from a local craft shop to embellish each pumpkin, along with some of those felt leaves you can see in the pictures above (20p each from an arts and crafts shop in Scotland!). Some miniature leaves from Paperchase, a selection of buttons and a black outline to give each pumpkin some definition completed the project. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1177_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1177_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Owing to the problematic lack of a fireplace/mantle, I decided that my parents could offer the banner a much better home. It is currently strung across their fireplace, with a log fire and some pheasants for company :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Have a wonderful weekend!</div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-64796455117835932032010-11-09T23:25:00.001+00:002010-11-09T23:26:04.701+00:00They're here!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Picnikcollage-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="397" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Picnikcollage-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Yup, it's that time of year again! I had my first Eggnog Latte of the year on a fittingly freezing day (while listening to the Pogues, no less). The Christmas countdown has officially begun! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have lots to share with you over the next few days, but I've got some sorting and editing to do first...so, in the meantime, I thought I'd do a quick post about the beginnings of my 2010 December Daily/JYC album... </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1139-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1139-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As you can probably tell from the mess, I spent most of this evening putting the album together. It was an uncomfortable few hours on the floor, but it was definitely worth the time and effort! After doing Shimelle's <a href="http://www.shimelle.com/classes/841/an-online-scrapbooking-class-for-the-holidays-journal-your-christmas/">Journal your Christmas</a> class last year, I knew that the only way I'd be able to stay on top of the prompts was if I prepared the album well in advance. I'm using a Paperchase kraft album with a combination of current and past papers from October Afternoon, Echo Park, Crate Paper, Cosmo Cricket, Making Memories and American Crafts (among others). I just have a little bit more to do it, but I'll hopefully be able to do a post about the foundation pages some time next week. Here are a couple more photos...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1142-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1142-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
My big box of Christmas embellishments (which is currently expanding by the day)...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1144-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1144-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
...and a sneak peek of the pages I've put together so far. It feels good to be organised (for once!). <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">How's your Christmas album coming along?</div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-38509538583670194592010-11-03T02:19:00.000+00:002010-11-03T02:19:45.761+00:00Fright night festivities - part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0307.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">So, here we are again. It's November, which pretty much means that the countdown to Christmas has begun. I've started to pull papers for my December Daily/JYC album and daydream about Christmas decorations (I <i>can't wait</i> to put the tree up this year). That said, right now I'm munching on the remaining few pieces of candy corn while the scents from my Halloween-themed Yankee Candle samplers waft through the flat, so indulge me one last time as I share some 'fright night' photos with you! And then I'm done. I promise.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0828-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0828-1.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1054.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Jamie and I managed to squeeze in some pumpkin carving before leaving for the San Francisco 49ers V Denver Broncos NFL game at Wembley on Sunday morning. I grumbled my way through the design/carving stage, but loved the result (mine is on the left, Jamie's is on the right). Always a classic, we watched Hocus Pocus at the same time...it's still one of my favourite films. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0296.jpg" width="110" /></a></div>Some more pumpkin shots, iPod Touch style (using the Photobooth app).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1074.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Some Halloween decor - I tried and failed to successfully photograph the whole display, but it grows each year. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1076.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br />
More Halloween decor.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0816-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0816-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_1085.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Two staples - Halloween isn't quite the same without large quantities of candy corn and the Martha Stewart Living Halloween issue. By the way, if you're in the UK and enjoy the unrivalled Halloween treat that is candy corn, try <a href="http://www.americansoda.co.uk/">American Soda</a> - their customer service was fantastic and the shipping is pretty reasonably priced. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0818-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0818-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div> Krispy Kreme donuts. The pumpkin-esque donut on the left was delicious...it had green ooze inside! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0977-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0977-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jamie and I didn't have a chance to wear costumes this year...instead, we spent the evening at Wembley watching the 49ers beat the Broncos. The atmosphere was <i>amazing</i>, and we had a wonderful time with Jamie's family (who came down from Scotland especially for the occasion). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>And that was Halloween, 2010. I love this holiday, but nothing beats the next month and a half. <i>I can't wait for Christmas. </i> Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-49186583279904606552010-10-29T19:41:00.000+01:002010-10-29T19:41:51.158+01:00Fright night festivities - part 1<div style="text-align: justify;">Oh dear. I barrelled into October with the best of blogging intentions, but failed (miserably). With the start of the new academic year and the rhythm of a new routine, there hasn't been much time for 'me.' October's Studio Calico kit is sitting enticingly on the kitchen table, unopened and unused...and I have 1000+ unread items in my Google Reader (gulp). So, bear with me as I drink copious cups of tea and settle down to catch up on what I've missed...and be prepared for a barrage of comments over the next few days! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">One autumn tradition that I couldn't bring myself to forgo this month is a trip to Secretts Farm Shop. In the run-up to Halloween, the Farm Shop is full of fresh, festive produce, all beautifully and thoughtfully displayed. It is one of my very favourite places to visit...and it has become something of a tradition for my mum and I at this time of year. In fact, I love it so much that I had a *little* bit of trouble narrowing down the photos to post...so apologies in advance :) Here we go....</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0736.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">...on the way there, we spotted an almost perfect toadstool by the side of the road! </div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">This was just the start of the pumpkins....I love that they keep so much of the stalk in tact. </div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Oh my goodness...for a Londoner whose local supermarket is a teeny tiny Tesco Express, this was almost too much to bear. </div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Not the best photo in the world, but this little cart was too cute not to share :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0757.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We both loved this floral display...that's some pretty impressive pumpkin carving!</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0767.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">More pumpkins in pretty much every shape and size imaginable. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0763.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> I bought a couple of munchkins....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0765-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0765-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">....and tried very hard to resist buying some of the more weird and wonderful squash.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0790.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I also had a lot of trouble resisting one of those blue squash, but in the end the £8 price tag and the 4kg weight made the decision for me...there was no way I could take it back up to London on the train :(</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0775.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0787.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Enormous quantities of Halloween candy.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0784-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0784-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This is impossibly hard to buy in the UK, but the Farm Shop had cans and cans of it! I'm looking forward to making some more <a href="http://www.shimelle.com/cupcakes/">pumpkin cupcakes</a> soon...yum. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you made it this far, thank you for sticking with me! I'll be back with part 2 over the next couple of days, but in the meantime, have a wonderful weekend! </div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-89123611500108472432010-10-02T11:00:00.003+01:002010-10-02T11:00:04.731+01:00Drawing inspiration from fall fashion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/FallFashionLove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/FallFashionLove.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now that Autumn is officially (and finally) here, it's time to start thinking about my Autumn/Winter wardrobe! To be honest, there's only so much that you can achieve when you're a student on a very tight budget, but it's nice to dream...and I have had <i>lots </i>of eye candy drop through my letterbox recently, which only enables me further :) Two of my favourite catalogues so far are from <a href="http://www.toast.co.uk/index.aspx">Toast</a>, which is beautifully photographed and full of autumnal goodness...and <a href="http://www.jackwills.com/">Jack Wills</a>, featured in the layout above. I knew I wanted to create some sort of autumnal mood board after flicking through my ever-increasing pile of catalogues, but when I read this week's <span id="goog_1192245168"></span><a href="http://studiocalico.blogspot.com/2010/09/challenge-fashion-inspired.html">challenge</a> <span id="goog_1192245169"></span>on the Studio Calico blog, I thought it would be fun to do a layout, too! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/FashionInspired.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/FashionInspired.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.dorothyperkins.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33053&storeId=12552&productId=1876182&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=208654&parent_categoryId=208600&sort_field=Relevance&pageSize=100&beginIndex=101">Cardigan</a> & <a href="http://www.monsoon.co.uk/slippers/pom-pom-heart-fairisle-cuff-slipper-boots/invt/79523499/">Slippers</a></span> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The challenge this week is to create a layout or project inspired by fall fashion. I already knew what I wanted the layout to be about, so I drew inspiration from two of my most recent purchases for the layout itself. The stripes in the cardigan really appealed to me, so I decided to go for a linear design. And when I saw these slippers in <a href="http://www.monsoon.co.uk/page/acchome">Accessorize</a>, it was the chain of hearts that swayed me...so I recreated the same effect using my heart punch and the B side of one of the Sassafrass papers from Studio Calico's September kit (love those little hearts!). This was my first Back 40 layout and I'm loving the kit so far...it was definitely worth the wait! To finish off the layout, I chose my five favourite outfits from a duplicate Jack Wills catalogue that I had lying around. Those boots? They are at the very top of my wish list. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Anthropologiewishlist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="326" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Anthropologiewishlist.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.anthropologie.eu/page/home"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source </span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Also on my wish list...the <a href="http://www.anthropologie.eu/aprons/Sewing-Basket-Apron/invt/7532455550063">Sewing Basket Apron</a> from Anthropologie (you can also buy a matching pot holder) and the <a href="http://www.anthropologie.eu/leather/Continental-Hello-Wallet/invt/7151601039850">Continental Hello Wallet</a>, also from Anthro. This is actually a <a href="http://www.hobobags.com/Lauren__Vintage_/pd/np/-1/p/1002.html">Hobo International Lauren Clutch</a>...they were so popular when I was in high school and I've been trying to track them down in the UK ever since so that I can replace my very worn out original. I practically blew out Jamie's ear drum when I saw them in the store last week! They're a little pricey, but I'm wondering whether I should splurge anyway...or maybe I should sleep on it. *Ahem* </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">What's on your wish list at the moment? </div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-72908622080749671522010-10-01T22:40:00.000+01:002010-10-01T22:40:07.351+01:00And just like that...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMAG0347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMAG0347.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">...It's October. Mother Nature clearly got the memo - it's been <i>pouring </i>with rain since early this afternoon, with plenty of wind thrown in for good measure. I joined the ranks of disgruntled and disillusioned Londoners battling with their umbrellas as I my made way to the gym, but I made a quick stop to take this picture because blustery conditions aside...<i>I love October</i>. This is my absolute favourite month of the year (although April and December are close contenders)...the leaves are turning, the air is crisper...and then, of course, there's Halloween. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But there's also a lot to look forward to this month: I'm starting the final year of my Masters (insert a resounding <i>hallelujah</i> here), the annual Topshop student lock-in takes place, there are plenty of Halloween decorations to be bought and made...and we're lucky enough to have tickets for the NFL at Wembley, too. I have a good feeling about this month...here's hoping it lasts :)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Have a wonderful weekend! </div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-79818861545974263322010-09-25T19:42:00.001+01:002010-09-25T19:49:49.000+01:00Studio Calico Sunday Sketch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/day_out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/day_out.jpg" width="310" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">I hope everyone's having a fabulous weekend so far! Just a very quick post today to share my take on Studio Calico's <a href="http://studiocalico.blogspot.com/2010/09/sunday-sketch_18.html">Sunday Sketch</a> (19/09). To be honest, I'm not entirely happy with how this layout turned out, but I am trying <i>very </i>hard not to let my perfectionism get in the way of my productivity at the moment (if that makes sense). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I tried to make the overall tone quite subdued because of the subject matter (a trip to the Imperial War Museum a couple of months ago). The patterned papers are from August's Studio Calico kit...I wasn't immediately drawn to those BasicGrey papers, but they definitely grew on me as time wore on. Almost everything else on the page is either from Partly Sunny or Continental. The photos were taken on my Retro Camera app for my HTC Desire...it's not quite the same as the Hipstamatic app for the iPhone, but it does the job :)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyhoo, I'm off to watch the X Factor and play around with <a href="http://www.apple.com/uk/ipodtouch/">this</a>. I have a bit of a thing for gadgets at the moment. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Thanks for stopping by! </div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-35340442776030660632010-09-23T16:21:00.000+01:002010-09-23T16:21:14.092+01:00Some Tumblr favourites...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFn1R8x9e5heKr8RSTM8bAjXe_0HxBrEHarpiQagRoeN5PKBoAht0kAtiKNruGAyKBjR7MyUJrpwsdwnxxKahdc3HkMRdIcX9vNeA1la6jwx0LbwVx6ZkXwM1g5rXl4FKSe1trS9ZCBII/s1600/tumblr_l8ou21ejwQ1qc2cueo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFn1R8x9e5heKr8RSTM8bAjXe_0HxBrEHarpiQagRoeN5PKBoAht0kAtiKNruGAyKBjR7MyUJrpwsdwnxxKahdc3HkMRdIcX9vNeA1la6jwx0LbwVx6ZkXwM1g5rXl4FKSe1trS9ZCBII/s320/tumblr_l8ou21ejwQ1qc2cueo1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">By <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/Raceytay?ref=seller_info">Raceytay</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiStBWm3rsSSnqLTOW9LzUaNgzd4SozQWmhBw0AJ-4dFvDJgBTBHpENhx8ITG7vq4Sm0zd5XDUM4fIu5Uvm_IE8kVlDaDviE0lDaLLeU9L8o3J107pCDMBFO_nl89fhJp4SErstD_uFByk/s1600/tumblr_l8qjbddf3z1qc2cueo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiStBWm3rsSSnqLTOW9LzUaNgzd4SozQWmhBw0AJ-4dFvDJgBTBHpENhx8ITG7vq4Sm0zd5XDUM4fIu5Uvm_IE8kVlDaDviE0lDaLLeU9L8o3J107pCDMBFO_nl89fhJp4SErstD_uFByk/s400/tumblr_l8qjbddf3z1qc2cueo1_500.jpg" width="333" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">By <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/lauraamiss?ref=seller_info">lauraamiss</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4YW5CtCyftSsb-XnX-NXj2sodigQdx8M85fj49f-xQ1dTqR-ioQ7R95vtPRBFR_OxA-5q8UFslIqvznfS15Bp58mbIEVs_v2yC6PypEcjTJYHjZN0yDAOmHogtN9Suky2-kEMLw5CU8/s1600/tumblr_l8qjgfS2II1qc2cueo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4YW5CtCyftSsb-XnX-NXj2sodigQdx8M85fj49f-xQ1dTqR-ioQ7R95vtPRBFR_OxA-5q8UFslIqvznfS15Bp58mbIEVs_v2yC6PypEcjTJYHjZN0yDAOmHogtN9Suky2-kEMLw5CU8/s400/tumblr_l8qjgfS2II1qc2cueo1_500.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> By <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/dearcolleen?ref=seller_info">dearcolleen</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXxAquurlS7GiQrTgIcr0YR1qkuv7mqyXtZimKaw_lB-7d8aHvpxqHlfCBl1BMhGMxycvzXo6bJSJPtq-BbKKNwloDy6KF-M5GYOaUBb8fOeYPDeXKjngaNwEUq6HBSJ4peBZN61zURSs/s1600/tumblr_l8rfmzCtym1qc2cueo1_r1_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXxAquurlS7GiQrTgIcr0YR1qkuv7mqyXtZimKaw_lB-7d8aHvpxqHlfCBl1BMhGMxycvzXo6bJSJPtq-BbKKNwloDy6KF-M5GYOaUBb8fOeYPDeXKjngaNwEUq6HBSJ4peBZN61zURSs/s400/tumblr_l8rfmzCtym1qc2cueo1_r1_400.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> By <a href="http://www.toast.co.uk/">Toast</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Right now I'm loving:</i> 1) simplicity 2) autumn weather (if you're anywhere near London today, you know what I'm talking about) 3) wise words 4) this outfit...and those colours. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">You can take a peek at some of my other Tumblr finds <a href="http://genevievebateman.tumblr.com/">here</a>.</div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-71914276943150442082010-09-22T23:53:00.001+01:002010-09-22T23:53:58.598+01:00Revisiting my 'roots'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0472-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="397" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0472-1-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you look through my albums c. 2004/2005, you will see lots...and lots...of 12 x 12 layouts. Not only are they 12 x 12, they are also <i>two-pagers </i>(mostly). Oh, how things have changed! Since the start of 2010, every single layout that I have worked on has been of the 8.5 x 11 variety. I'm not entirely sure why I made this leap...I suppose in some ways the smaller size seemed much more manageable after a 4 year scrapbooking hiatus. But at the same time, I sort of missed creating 12 x 12 layouts...so a few days ago I decided to revisit my 'roots.' It was a lot less stressful/daunting than expected. In fact, it was pretty fun :) And that MME paper from Studio Calico's August kit? <i>Love it</i>. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Thank you for looking!</div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-49569260902316295742010-09-19T23:47:00.000+01:002010-09-19T23:47:20.526+01:00Lately I've been...<div style="text-align: justify;">Making <a href="http://www.shimelle.com/">Shimelle's</a> amazing <a href="http://www.shimelle.com/cupcakes/612/sunday-sweets-pumpkin-cupcakes/">pumpkin cupcakes</a>...and devouring cupcakes from <a href="http://www.lolas-kitchen.co.uk/index.htmlhttp://www.lolas-kitchen.co.uk/index.html">Lola's</a> (shown below are the scrummy red velvet and peanut butter cupcakes. I may have accidentally consumed the other two before I remembered to take a picture). </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0394.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0398.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ordering a LOT of <a href="http://www.yankee.co.uk/index.aspx">Yankee Candle</a> samplers. My current favourites are Farmer's Market, Apple Cider, Autumn Fruit, Cinnamon Stick, Moonlight Harvest, Macintosh Spice and Cinnamon & Sugar. I also ordered Witches' Brew and Candy Corn for Halloween. <i>I think I might have a new obsession. </i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0424.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Finishing Amy Krouse Rosenthal's <a href="http://www.encyclopediaofanordinarylife.com/">Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life</a> for <a href="http://www.bigpicturescrapbooking.com/meatoz.php">Me: The Abridged Version</a>. I cannot recommend this book enough...it's both original and unusual. I loved it. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/wwwrandomhousecom.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/wwwrandomhousecom.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.randomhouse.com/images/dyn/cover/%3Fsource%3D9781400080465%26height%3D300%26maxwidth%3D170&imgrefurl=http://books4breakfast.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html&usg=__Zl05D4UeFsebGCu5nthyRYONG1o=&h=260&w=170&sz=16&hl=en&start=47&zoom=1&tbnid=LRXIxeCJNMIwmM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=88&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dencyclopedia%2Bof%2Ban%2Bordinary%2Blife%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D578%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C669&um=1&itbs=1&ei=Ao2WTJGUB8OOjAfNpa3UBQ&iact=rc&dur=136&oei=wIyWTLeJFMOQ4gbS0qTuAw&esq=6&page=3&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:47&tx=40&ty=77&biw=1280&bih=578"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Source</span></a></div><br />
Playing with this sweet little guy. Winston has been a member of our household for approximately a month and a half. He's a long-haired Syrian hamster...and he's <i>very</i> cute. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0452.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Listening to <i>Songs from Dawson's Creek</i> and Lady Antebellum - a rediscovery and a new discovery. Both of them are comforting and cozy ('Feels Like Home' is one of my all-time favourite songs)...perfect for the season ahead. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Listening_to.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Listening_to.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And wearing my new favourite jacket. The weather has been much cooler over the past couple of weeks, but today it was <i>cold</i>. I love Autumn.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0440-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0440-2.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">What have you been up to lately?</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-17134922497335470902010-09-17T23:05:00.001+01:002010-09-17T23:06:23.382+01:00Five years (and two layouts)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This year, I'm celebrating <i>two</i> anniversaries. Both take place at the end of September. The first is slightly less conventional than the second, but in many ways it means just as much:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0002-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0002-7.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I honestly can't believe that I've been living in London for <i>five years</i>. It feels like yesterday that I moved here.<span style="font-size: small;">..I had </span>just turned nineteen at the time and I was so. very. NERVOUS!! I still remember exactly how I felt on that late September evening, so I decided to record these feelings in my journaling (click on the layout to make it bigger). </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #999999; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">This layout turned out very differently to the one that I had envisaged beforehand. I was really inspired by <a href="http://studiocalico.blogspot.com/2010/09/monday-challenge-monochramtic-layout-w.html">Vee's challenge</a> on the Studio Calico blog - to create a monochromatic or semi-monochromatic layout using neutrals - but as I started to put everything together I realised that I had a sheet of OA patterned paper that would be perfect for the overall theme! I particularly love it because if you look very closely, you can see both where I live at the moment and where I lived three years ago. So, instead of going for complimentary creams, I settled on kraft for the title, journaling and bottom half of the layout and added a splash of colour with the B side of the OA paper.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>And for my 'second' anniversary:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0001-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0001-3.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Yup, Jamie and I are celebrating our five year anniversary this month :) This is another one of those 'it feels like yesterday' moments...probably because within a week of moving to London, I accidentally bumped into Jamie (I'm pretty sure it was on a Thursday evening) during Freshers' Week. I was lost...he was with a couple of people that I recognised from my course...and because we were all going to the same place, I tagged along. We've been together ever since. It really goes to show that you can find love in the most unexpected places...</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">This is another layout inspired by Studio Calico - this time using this week's <a href="http://studiocalico.blogspot.com/2010/09/sunday-sketch_12.html">Sunday Sketch</a> (based on Jen Jockisch's lovely layout). I wanted this layout to feel warm and homely, so I picked out some corresponding papers from SC's August kit and some embellishments from Partly Sunny and Continental. The Maya Road envelope will eventually contain some journaling, and I stamped the title using <a href="http://www.studiocalico.com/store/stamps/storytime-alphabet">these stamps</a> and then embossed the letters with gold embossing powder. I can't decide whether to do some stitching on the layout, or leave it as it is...any thoughts?</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">TFL and have a wonderful weekend! </div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-20248910782786103462010-09-08T14:23:00.000+01:002010-09-08T14:23:51.086+01:00LSNED: days 1 & 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0206-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" ox="true" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0206-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I am so very glad that I signed up for <a href="http://www.shimelle.com/paper/818/an-online-scrapbooking-class-for-september-learn-something-new/">Learn Something New Every Day</a>. I haven't been able to commit to anything crafty for over two months...and I didn't realise just how much I missed the catharsis of cutting and sticking (etc.) until I sat down and pretty much emptied the entire contents of my stash onto the kitchen table. It felt <em>good</em>. </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Pictured above is my first page for my LSNED album. I had some difficulty deciding what I wanted to document from that particular day, so I chose the three things that stood out most in my mind. A word to the wise - Indian tapas really is amazing. </div></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0220-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" ox="true" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0220-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" ox="true" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0218.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And my page for day 2 (the saga of the massive phone bill):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0208-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0208-3.jpg" width="327" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Those AC Thickers have been sitting in my stash for a while, but I absolutely love them. And I'm still obsessed with <a href="http://www.octoberafternoon.com/line.php?line=TS">Thrift Shop</a>...it's another one of those paper collections that I'm hoarding by the sheet. Speaking of which, I'm so excited for <a href="http://www.octoberafternoon.com/line.php?line=SS">Seaside</a> to make it across the pond! It's one of my favourite releases from CHA so far... </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" ox="true" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0211.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" ox="true" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0216.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When I've made a bit more progress with the overall album, I'll start sizing and printing photographs as well. The album itself is fairly haphazard, with no specific theme or colour combination. Instead, I'm just choosing bits and pieces that I love. Sometimes I think I work better with restrictions, but this time I just wanted to try something different. In any case, this is one album that I'm determined to finish! How's your LSNED album coming along? Post a link in the comments section...I'd love to see it! </div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-85559370404535963642010-09-02T19:25:00.000+01:002010-09-02T19:25:55.683+01:00Coming up for air!<div style="text-align: justify;">Is it really September?! 2010 has <i>flown by</i>....and so has this summer. For the past month I've been consumed by lesson plans, teaching practices, multiple assignments and the intricacies of English grammar, but I have since emerged from my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CELTA">CELTA course</a> as a fully qualified English language teacher! Sadly there hasn't been much time for blogging or any other creative outlet (even my Project 365 has been badly neglected), but September brings with it a welcome change of pace and some exciting new changes (more on those later!). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">September also marks the start of two new classes: Shimelle's <a href="http://www.shimelle.com/paper/818/an-online-scrapbooking-class-for-september-learn-something-new/">Learn Something New Everyday</a> and Cathy Zielske's <a href="http://www.bigpicturescrapbooking.com/meatoz.php">Me: The Abridged Version</a> (which doesn't start until the 16th, so there's still plenty of time to sign up if you want to play along!). </div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/1402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/1402.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I love the premise of Shimelle's class...with the weather taking a decidedly autumnal turn and the start of a new school year, it is so appropriate to kick-start our creativity with a class focused on acknowledging and learning from life's daily lessons. Yesterday I made a start on constructing my album...I decided on a 4x6 size with some book rings, so that I can add photos and mementos as I go along. Here's a close-up:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0053-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0053-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And here's a look at the front cover in its entirety (click on it to make it larger):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0059-1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0059-1-1.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I'm so excited to get started on yesterday's page! And if you haven't signed up yet, I'm sure it's not too late...just head on over to <a href="http://shimelle.com/">shimelle.com</a><span id="goog_1031048819"></span><span id="goog_1031048820"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a> or sign up <a href="http://www.shimelle.com/paper/818/an-online-scrapbooking-class-for-september-learn-something-new/">here</a>. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Thank you for looking! </div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-4935960878408977592010-07-21T22:18:00.000+01:002010-07-21T22:18:38.947+01:00Nothing beats....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/IMG_0493.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">....A gentle nudge from the nose of a <a href="http://lifeandlayouts.blogspot.com/2010/04/one-manufacturer-per-month-update.html">familiar furry friend</a>.</div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4896998338269339473.post-4404781338784833222010-07-19T16:10:00.000+01:002010-07-19T16:10:15.113+01:00Love at first sight!<div style="text-align: justify;">CHA Summer 2010 sneaks have been coming thick and fast over the past couple of weeks! There are so many new lines that I have fallen in love with, but several new releases have particularly caught my eye (and have duly been added to my already extensive wish list!). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/6a01053717ab71970b0134856dc9fc970c-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/6a01053717ab71970b0134856dc9fc970c-.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Cosmo_Cricket_Togetherness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Cosmo_Cricket_Togetherness.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Cosmo_Cricket_Togetherness_Stamps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Cosmo_Cricket_Togetherness_Stamps.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://cosmocricket.typepad.com/cosmo_cricket/2010/07/sneak-peek-3-togetherness-tiny-types-alphas.html">Togetherness</a> is by far my favourite new release from Cosmo Cricket. <i>Love</i> those patterned papers! And I'm so excited about their <a href="http://cosmocricket.typepad.com/cosmo_cricket/2010/07/brand-new-cosmo-cricket-stamps-from-unity.html">new line of stamps</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/6a01053717ab71970b0133f2417eb2970b-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="103" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/6a01053717ab71970b0133f2417eb2970b-.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/6a01053717ab71970b0133f2417f08970b-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/6a01053717ab71970b0133f2417f08970b-.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">There were fewer sneaks of Cosmo Cricket's <a href="http://cosmocricket.typepad.com/cosmo_cricket/2010/07/sneak-peek-2-matilda-wanted-mitten-weather.html">Wanted</a> collection, but I thought these chipboard stickers were awesome when I first saw them...with their rugged theme, I think they would be perfect for card making (masculine cards are so much harder to create and embellish!). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/6a00e39827d9ad88330133f22a369f970b-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/6a00e39827d9ad88330133f22a369f970b-.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/6a00e39827d9ad8833013485500773970c-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/6a00e39827d9ad8833013485500773970c-.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/6a00e39827d9ad88330133f24a837297-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/6a00e39827d9ad88330133f24a837297-2.jpg" width="154" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've developed a bit of an obsession with Tim Holtz products lately. It started with his Distress Ink Pads and cemented itself with the Tim Holtz Alterations embossing folders (which are currently on sale at <a href="http://www.craftobsessions.co.uk/timholtz_2574.php">Craft Obsessions</a> if you're a fan!). It looks as though my obsession is only set to continue with the arrival of his <a href="http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/07/chasummer-2010-sneak-peek-3-ideaology.html">seasonal paper collection</a> and those amazing <a href="http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/07/chasummer-2010-sneak-peek-4-ideaology.html">license plate salvage stickers</a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Logo_Seaside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="76" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Logo_Seaside.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/OA_SS_PP530_iA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/OA_SS_PP530_iA.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">October Afternoon is one of my favourite manufacturers at the moment. Although <a href="http://www.octoberafternoon.com/line.php?line=SS">Seaside</a> is a themed collection, it looks as though it has a lot of practical applications as well. It reminds me (just a little bit) of <a href="http://thegirlspaperie.com/onholiday.html">On Holiday</a> by the <a href="http://thegirlspaperie.com/index.html">Girls' Paperie</a>, which I am currently hoarding in great quantities!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Dear_Lizzy_Enchanted_Elements.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Dear_Lizzy_Enchanted_Elements.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/AC_Dear_Lizzy_Xmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/AC_Dear_Lizzy_Xmas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">These printed tags for the <a href="http://americancrafts.typepad.com/studio/2010/07/cha-reveal-dear-lizzy-enchanted.html">Dear Lizzy Enchanted</a> and <a href="http://americancrafts.typepad.com/studio/2010/07/cha-reveal-dear-lizzy-christmas.html">Dear Lizzy Christmas</a> collections caught my eye immediately...so very pretty and perfect for gifts! I also LOVE those stamps and the plastic rose brads.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Studio_Calico_Elementary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss339/genevieve_b/Studio_Calico_Elementary.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I'm so excited about Studio Calico's <a href="http://studiocalico.blogspot.com/2010/07/let-elementary-preview-begin.html">Elementary</a> collection. Each new release from SC is incredible (I can't wait to pick up <a href="http://www.studiocalico.com/store/documentary-retail">Documentary</a> during this month's reveal!). Also, I bought July's <a href="http://www.studiocalico.com/kits/add_ons/248">Magellan</a> add-on because I couldn't resist the label stamps that co-ordinate with the <a href="http://www.studiocalico.com/store/punches/photo-labels">Photo Labels punch</a> from EK Success....so I can't wait for the new <a href="http://studiocalico.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-cha-stamps-rub-ons.html">Label Stamp set </a>to be released!<br />
<br />
Before I head off, I just wanted to thank you so very much for your kind comments on my previous post...they did so much to lift my spirits. There are some difficult months ahead, but I am doing my very best to remain optimistic. In the meantime, I am so thankful that I have this outlet...I'm looking forward to getting back to blogging over the coming weeks :)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"> Have a wonderful week!</div></div>Genevievehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03920802706770792162noreply@blogger.com6