Celebrate the season: autumn banner

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 short.  

Anyway, a few months ago I bookmarked this project with the intention of making something similar...only to discover that the Maya Road Pumpkin Coaster album is very hard to come by in the UK.  After tracking it down a few weeks ago at Bubbly Funk (they have an amazing selection of Maya Road products)...I set an evening aside earlier this week to make my own 'Fall Banner à la Katie Watson.' 

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. 

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 :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Fright night festivities - part 2

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 can't wait 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.

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.  

Some more pumpkin shots, iPod Touch style (using the Photobooth app).

Some Halloween decor - I tried and failed to successfully photograph the whole display, but it grows each year. 

More Halloween decor.

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 American Soda - their customer service was fantastic and the shipping is pretty reasonably priced. 

 Krispy Kreme donuts.  The pumpkin-esque donut on the left was delicious...it had green ooze inside! 

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 amazing, and we had a wonderful time with Jamie's family (who came down from Scotland especially for the occasion).    

And that was Halloween, 2010.  I love this holiday, but nothing beats the next month and a half.  I can't wait for Christmas.   

Drawing inspiration from fall fashion

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 lots of eye candy drop through my letterbox recently, which only enables me further :) Two of my favourite catalogues so far are from Toast, which is beautifully photographed and full of autumnal goodness...and Jack Wills, 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 challenge on the Studio Calico blog, I thought it would be fun to do a layout, too!   

Cardigan & Slippers

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 Accessorize, 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.  

Source

Also on my wish list...the Sewing Basket Apron from Anthropologie (you can also buy a matching pot holder) and the Continental Hello Wallet, also from Anthro.  This is actually a Hobo International  Lauren Clutch...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* 

What's on your wish list at the moment?    

And just like that...

...It's October.  Mother Nature clearly got the memo - it's been pouring 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 love October.  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.  

But there's also a lot to look forward to this month: I'm starting the final year of my Masters (insert a resounding hallelujah 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 :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Lately I've been...

Making Shimelle's amazing pumpkin cupcakes...and devouring cupcakes from Lola's (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).  

Ordering a LOT of Yankee Candle 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 think I might have a new obsession. 

Finishing Amy Krouse Rosenthal's Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life for Me: The Abridged Version.  I cannot recommend this book enough...it's both original and unusual.  I loved it.

Source

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 very cute. 

Listening to Songs from Dawson's Creek 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.        

And wearing my new favourite jacket.  The weather has been much cooler over the past couple of weeks, but today it was cold.  I love Autumn.

What have you been up to lately?

Bits and bobs (and a sad farewell)

It has been such a busy few days, with Jamie's brother staying over the weekend for the NFL game at Wembley between the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday (which was incredible!). In the meantime, I have been tracking down books and doing LOTS of preparation for my lectures/seminars this week. So, not much time for scrapbooking or finishing my neglected Halloween projects...Just hoping that I get them finished by Saturday!

Anyway, I thought I would share with you some pictures from the football game on Sunday. I can pretty much say with conviction that I won't have a career in sports phototgraphy, but I can't help but love the colours and the drama of American football! I do not partake in sports (which is a good thing) and I generally do not watch sports (I tend to irritate my boyfriend) but I make an exception for football and baseball. I love the atmosphere and the 'performance,' and, most importantly of all, the food. Funnel cake is quite possibly the yummiest thing in the world!

I heard that about 80,000 people watched the game at Wembley, and there were people everywhere! They even had policemen doing crowd management at the tube station (which in hindsight was a good idea). Also, the weather was beautiful - such a contrast to the year before.


This was the only good photo of Wembley Stadium that I managed to take - a combination of the crowd and the position of the sun made it very difficult to photograph!

These floating helmets were amazing! Before the game started they were just suspended in mid-air, floating around the stadium....such an awesome idea!

During the 'Star-Spangled Banner' (sung by Toni Braxton), one section of the stadium held up the colours of the Stars and Stripes....

And, during 'God Save the Queen' (sung by Katherine Jenkins) another section of the stadium held up the colours of the Union Jack, which were both such impressive sights!

The Buccaneers were the home team, and we were sitting right behind them! Sadly they lost (7-35), which means that they have lost every game so far this season (!). I was really hoping to get a picture of Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady, but my zoom just wasn't co-operating.

On a crafty note, I thought I would include a photo of my 'procrastination project' from last week. I was setting up our Halloween display and thought that the photo collage from a couple of posts ago would add a festive touch to the whole thing. I also had a spare frame, so I printed off the collage in A4 and slipped it inside. It looked horrible! The frame wasn't especially nice and the photo paper that I have been using has an odd sheen which made it look 100% tacky. So, to further postpone my reading, I searched on Google for some autumnal digital elements. The maple leaf (or at least I think it's a maple leaf) was free from an article on about.com and you can find it here. The other elements are all from Shimelle's lovely 'Autumn Apples Embellishments' DigiKit over at Two Peas, which you can download for a very reasonable $4! The whole thing isn't very sophisticated - I just printed off the elements onto white cardstock and cut them out whilst watching Running in Heels re-runs. I attached them using a glue gun, and then used some co-ordinating buttons from my stash to fill in the gaps! This was actually my first foray into the world of digital scrapbooking and I was so excited by how easy it was. I don't have PhotoShop Elements or a similar program ordinarily used by digital/hybrid scrapbookers and I was a little nervous that I wouldn't be able to use the elements on my laptop. As it happens, I downloaded them, opened them up in Windows Explorer and then pasted them into Word! So easy.

* I should also apologise for the poor quality of these photos - there is either too much or too little light in this flat and it is impossible to take good photos. A definite problem!

And finally, I just wanted to say how completely gutted I was to find out that Scrapbook Inspirations magazine will cease publication after the December issue. I only discovered Scrapbook Inspirations earlier this year, and it is largely due to this magazine that I returned to scrapbooking over the summer. I was so thrilled to find something on our shores which in many ways 'legitimised' scrapbooking in the UK - by featuring new products and techniques, by advertising retailers and by showcasing readers' submissions in a very unpretentious way. It is a misunderstood hobby in Britain, where I have found that people are generally apathetic - even derisive - about the idea of celebrating and preserving memories. Sadly scrapbooking is either a 'waste of time', a 'waste of money', or people just think that you're completely insane. I am so sad for the staff and the wonderful design team, which had recently expanded to include some hugely talented people - I can only imagine their disappointment. I am so going to miss the thrill of excitement each month when the latest issue falls through the letter box. You can read about the news here, here and here. So sad to hear that “Scrapbook Inspirations catered to a very specialist market which has unfortunately declined significantly during the last year." Scrapbooking in the UK is already such a nascent hobby - I truly hope that this is just a minor setback.

Hints of Autumn....

October is my absolute favourite month of the year, so it is appropriate that my first ever blog post is dedicated to all things autumnal! 'Life and Layouts' is sort of an experiment for me. After a four year hiatus, I finally have a bit more time to devote to scrapbooking and general crafts, and as I slowly resurrected my hobby over the summer of this year, I literally could not believe how scrapbooking has evolved since I started back in 2004. I wanted to become a small part of the scrapping community that has developed over the past few years - both in the UK and worldwide - and it seemed that the obvious way to become involved was to showcase some of my creations online. So, this blog is primarily for all things crafty, but, since scrapbooking is all about preserving memories, I am pretty sure that elements of my own life will gradually filter through as well.

At the moment I am trying to figure out how everything on Blogger works (I'm not quite a technophobe, but I do get easily confused...) so for today's post I have uploaded an autumnal collage that I created on Picasa. I am ordinarily based in London, but last weekend I popped home for a family birthday, which provided the ideal opportunity to capture some seasonal magic! All but the middle picture were taken in my parents' garden, whilst the shot of the pumpkins was taken at Secretts Farm Shop (which is a fantastic find if you live in Surrey). I edited the photos using my new latest online obsession, Picnik, and then uploaded the photos to Picasa. I have since used the collage to create a 'colourful' Autumn-themed decoration for the living room, so check back soon for the result!