Special delivery...

I LOVE getting things in the post. I get particularly excited about magazine subscriptions and catalogues, but even bills have been known to get my heart racing (mostly because they make me feel like a grown up). Today was such a day. This morning, our poor postman toiled through the slush and snow to deliver this:

Image credit

Wow. Let me say first that I love Elizabeth Kartchner. I love her blog. I love her layouts. I practically fell off my swivel seat when I found out that she was collaborating with American Crafts to create her own line of patterned paper and embellishments. And, I love this book. Yes, it is visually stunning...and yes, it is full of fresh, inspiring and innovative ideas. But, more than anything, it just makes me unashamedly and deliriously happy.

And then, round about midday, the doorbell rang. This materialised:

Image credit

Until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond). Another wow. I am totally, completely and utterly in awe of her achievements. This woman makes me marvel...how does she find time to be married to a rancher, raise four children, homeschool said children, plan and publish a cookbook (which made it to the no. 1 spot on the New York Times Best Seller list), maintain a blog and pursue her interest in photography??? I haven't even included the delectable Charlie in this list, who deserves specific mention, mostly because I am very taken with his droopy ears and Eeyore-esque demeanour. I have a newfound love for Basset Hounds. Like her blog, The Pioneer Woman Cooks is accessible, endearing and tantalisingly mouthwatering. She posts recipes on her blog almost daily, so head on over and take a little peek if you haven't already done so. While you're there, be sure to check out From Black Heels to Tractor Wheels. I can pretty much guarantee that you'll be there for days.

Before I head off, I have couple of links to share: the first I found via Kevin and Amanda (always a favourite) - www.kuler.adobe.com. This is a scrapbooker's dream...it allows you to experiment with different colourways and themes. It even allows you to upload pictures from your computer or Flickr (and picks out the corresponding colours for you). Very cool. Also, with CHA Winter 2010 fast approaching, I am loving the sneaks and reveals that are cropping up all over the blogosphere at the moment. I think that this line by Cosmo Cricket might be one of my favourites of all time (seriously):

Image credit

It reminds me just a little bit of Studio Calico's Home Front. I L-O-V-E it.

Thank you so much for your comments on the post below! If you have any hints or tips about how you go about accumulating your stash in an inexpensive/cost effective way, be sure to let me know!

Snowed in = scrap happy

So, after this post about the snow that we had just before Christmas, it started to snow again...with a vengeance. To date, we've had about 15 inches of snow...and we've been snowed in for the past week (as I might have mentioned, we just can't handle snow in our neck of the woods). And, like most self-respecting scrappers with too much time on their hands, I've been getting busy with my glue stick.

* Once my laptop is fixed I'll scan these layouts and upload them to Flickr - despite my best efforts, Picasa and Photobucket keep removing my edits. I hate technology sometimes...

Cardstock in Rouge and Vanilla, American Crafts; Kraft, Bazzill Basics Paper; patterned papers, all Jenni Bowlin Studio; Subway Thickers, American Crafts; Tiny Circle Alphas, Jenni Bowlin Studio; scalloped circles cut using Spellbinders Nestabilities (Classic Scalloped Circles Small) using a Cuttlebug; font, American Typewriter.

'{2010}': Inspired by a layout featured in the December issue of Creating Keepsakes (I left the magazine in London, so my apologies for not providing specific credit!). My resolutions are organised by theme in each of the scalloped circles, e.g. scrapping, cooking, budgeting etc. - I wanted the layout to be simple and to the point.

For my 2010 album, I've challenged myself to use just one core manufacturer a month. I think this idea might require some explanation, so bear with me...(!) I originally started scrapping in 2004, but took a four year hiatus while I completed my BA. After graduating last year, I resurrected my passion for scrapbooking, only to find that a lot had understandably changed! And so...my experimental phase began. I wanted to try everything...every product...every technique...I was (*shudder*) out of control. More importantly, my endless enthusiasm was costing me a small fortune. But, by using one manufacturer a month, I still get to play with new products and pretty paper lines...my spending is just that little bit more sustainable.

Cardstock in Rouge, Vanilla and Coffee, American Crafts; Apron Lace punch, Fiskars; square punch, Woodware; patterned papers, all Jenni Bowlin Studio; Cardstock Alpha Stickers (Red Bookprint), Jenni Bowlin Studio; tiny Alphabet Stickers, My Little Shoebox.

'Believe': My One Little Word layout - I couldn't find the quite right words for my journaling, so I used some inspirational quotes instead.

I should probably mention that this isn't supposed to be restrictive - it's supposed to be cost effective. There are some products that I know I couldn't live without...including:

• The obligatory Thickers.
• Punches. I. LOVE. THEM.
• Any kind of alphabet stickers. My current favourites are Tiny Alphas (Making Memories), Tiny Circle Alphas (JBS) and Alphabet Stickers (My Little Shoebox).
  
• Bling. I have a sneaky suspicion that I was a magpie in a former life.

I've already included all of these on my 2010 layouts so far (I have a couple more to post later on in the week). I can also pretty much guarantee that this list will get a whole lot bigger as the year progresses, because I'm learning what I love to use (and what suits me best). And, if you're anything like me (a chronic perfectionist), having just a few papers to hand - as well as a limited colourway - makes life a lot easier. I also love the consistency of the layouts...which I'm hoping will work well for Project 12 @ Scrapbook & Cards Today.

Cardstock in Stone and Rouge, American Crafts; Dotted Swiss cardstock, Bazzill; butterfly punch, Martha Stewart; patterned paper, Jenni Bowlin Studio; Tiny Alpha stickers, Making Memories; Effervescence punch, Fiskars; adhesive pearls, from stash.

'2009 Facebook statuses': I originally got this idea from Molly Irwin's blog. I was amazed by how my facebook statuses so accurately depict my 2009 - panicking about my dissertation, booking my first driving lesson, taking my last ever French exam, graduating...the sad passing of both my hamster and my dog (I'd had him since I was five years old!). If you haven't done it yet, you can find it here.

I'm curious - how do you go about accumulating your stash? Do you buy impulsively or do you plan ahead? Do you have a favourite manufacturer? I'd love to get some different perspectives!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

On the twelfth day of Christmas (sort of)

On Christmas Eve:

We finished decorating the tree...

...and we finished decorating the rest of the house.

We spent a little while admiring our handiwork.

We had mulled wine after Church.

I wrapped stocking presents...

...and big presents.

On Christmas Day:

We opened our stockings.

We had some of this.

We opened these.

We had some more mulled wine.

And then we rolled off to bed.

The end. (I promise).

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

Snow is a rare and wonderful thing in my neck of the woods (London/South East England). If it snows at all, it usually does so in February or early March...and we are woefully ill-equipped to handle it. So, imagine our collective surprise when the first flurries of snow appeared in the week before Christmas. Not only did it settle (which is pretty exciting in itself)...it just kept on snowing. And then imagine the disruption and mass hysteria that followed. People found themselves snowed in with 5cm (2") of snow. The roads and pavements were treacherous. Waitrose - the local supermarket - could not receive deliveries. Those people who weren't snowed in were advised to stay indoors. The media was busily making inflammatory and accusatory comments about the sorry state of the local infrastructure. Weathermen (and women) pretty much predicted that the apocalypse was coming.

And I was giddy excitement, because only the day before it had started to snow, I had put together my 'Wintertime' layout for my JYC album, which bemoaned the lack of snow in December.


Luckily, just as the snow started to descend from the heavens, I returned to my country mouse roots. Don't get me wrong...I love London in the snow (it's almost as though someone has pushed the mute button it becomes so deathly silent), but there is something so totally magical about the countryside when it is blanketed with snow. Pretty much the first thing that I did when I got home was 'borrow' one of my mother's winter coats which sort of resembled a snuggly quilted duvet (because I'm far too impractical to own such things) and traipse around outside with my camera in hand.



I love how snow tells a story. More often than not, we have absolutely no idea what goes on in our garden (with the exception of the occasional sightings of foxes, rabbits and deer). But the footprints left by wayward furry visitors painted an exciting picture of the Disney-esque happenings when our backs are turned. The orchard looked as though it had survived a stampede in the morning, while cold little birds congregated outside our kitchen window, grateful for the bird seed and bread that had been laid out for them.


I also love how even the most mundane, seemingly uninteresting and unremarkable elements of our everyday lives become beautiful in their own right when it snows. Our brown and bedraggled hydrangeas were transformed by the glistening snow, as was this pile of tree trunks.


Sadly, the snow had almost completely melted by Christmas day. But, the cold weather has continued into 2010 and it is supposed to snow again tonight...and intermittently over the next few days. It is very, very chilly indeed. Bring on the mass hysteria (part 2).

Blog love

Photo Credit

Yesterday evening I gave my blog some much needed TLC. If you're reading this post in Google Reader, hop on over to Life & Layouts to check out the amazing blogs that I have added to my blog roll!

Since taking Shimelle's Blogging for Scrapbookers class, my list of subscriptions in Google Reader has increased to ten times the size that it was three months ago. Madness. The blogs to your right are those that provide me with endless hours of entertainment and inspiration. Some are on my wavelength, some make me think outside of the box...all of them inspire me to become a better scrapbooker, cook, photographer and person. Thanks to the Pioneer Woman, I would also quite like to live on a ranch. I know that the list will grow in 2010, and I seriously need to think up some imaginative titles for each section (any suggestions will be gratefully received).

So, thank you ladies, for broadening my horizons and for setting the standard to which I aspire. And yet another THANK YOU to my readers, followers...those of you that take the time to comment and to those of you that simply stop by from time to time. You rock. But I'm going to stop there, because this isn't the Oscars.

Anyhoo, my proudest achievement to date is adding a divider to my blog! I even fiddled with the HTML. The needle and thread is from I Love My Blog Makeover, which also has a very handy tutorial on how to install it. And then I got thinking. I have come across some really fantastic and informative tutorials on how to edit and improve the design of your blog in recent months. Most of the time I forget where I originally found them, so I end up spending hours trawling through my Firefox history hoping that something will remind me...I could, of course, bookmark them like a normal person, but that's just not my modus operandi. Organisational issues aside, they might be helpful for those of you like me, who are just starting out and want to run and hide from their blog's HTML code, or who simply want to give their blog a makeover in the New Year. So, here we go:

Useful resources:

1. The Cutest Blog on the Block - (TCBOTB) loads of pretty backgrounds and headers/banners.
2. Shabby Blogs - gorgeous backgrounds, buttons and blinkies, dividers, headers, etc. Be sure to check out the Shabby Blog, too.
3. I Love My Blog Makeover - more lovely backgrounds and blog accessories.
4. Aqua Poppy Designs - lots and lots of backgrounds.
5. Just Something I Made - check out Cathe's Free Blog Buttons, Gadgets and Goodies section!
6. April Showers - April's tutorials are very helpful for beginners.
   
7. Kevin and Amanda - Amanda's famous Fonts for Peas and Scrapbook Fonts are 100% unmissable (and very useful for signature tutorials).
8. Webs - Amanda, from kevinandamanda.com (see above) uses this website in a few of her tutorials, which I've linked below. I'm not entirely sure what it is or how it works, but I know that it's important.
9. Photobucket - most people already have a Photobucket or Flickr account for their blogs, but, since most of the tutorials referenced below use Photobucket, I thought I'd mention it here.
   
10. My Live Signature - create your own signature for your blog, for free!

Although a couple of these websites do custom blog design, the majority of the backgrounds and blog accessories are FREE!

How to get a 3 column Minima template in Blogger:
How to get a 3 column template @ TCBOTB
Make your blog three columns @ April Showers

Adding a Favicon to your blog:
Tip of the week: How to add a favicon to your blog @ April Showers

Making that pesky Blogger nav bar disappear:
Disappearing nav bar tutorial @ Shabby Blogs
Tip of the week: How to delete the nav bar @April Showers

Using custom fonts for titles/blog posts:
How to use a cute font for your Blogger post titles @ Kevin and Amanda
How to use a custom font for your entire Blogger/blogspot posts @ Kevin and Amanda

Adding a signature to your blog:
Add a signature to every blog post on your Blogger/Blogspot blog @ Kevin and Amanda
Tutorial on how to add a custom signature to your blog @ I Love My Blog Makeover
Tutorial: How to add a custom signature to your Blogger posts @ Shabby Blogs
Tip of the Week: How to make and post a signature @ April Showers

Adding a divider to your blog:
Tutorial: How to add post dividers to your Blogger blog @ Shabby Blogs
Tutorial on how to add post dividers to your blog @ I Love My Blog Makeover
How to apply our post divider images @ TCBOTB

Adding buttons:
Blog buttons! @Kevin and Amanda (scroll down)

I've got some more photos from the past few weeks to upload in the next couple of days, as well as a few layouts to share! Progress is being made...

Have a fantastic start to the week!

Christmas in London, December 2009

For as long as we have our Christmas decorations up (until 6th January), I am in Christmas mode. So, before the whole world returns to normal after the excesses and excitements of the festive season, I thought I better upload my Christmas photos...my JYC album, however, might be a bit more problematic (due to my laptop's aforementioned nervous breakdown on New Year's Eve, which is conveniently set up for my scanner).

Anyhoo, to start with, I put together a (rather massive) collage of my favourite Christmas lights/decorations that adorned the many streets of London at the end of 2009. I LOVE London at this time of year...it takes on a different kind of energy...and the lights seem to soften the city somehow. I suppose it becomes just a little magical (apologies for the many clichés in the coming few days! I get very sentimental at this time of year).

I was going to write a list explaining what each photo involves (some aren't entirely clear) and where each one was taken, but it became so long that I was 99.9% sure you would very understandably lose interest. Lists do that to people. So, here's the short version instead: these were mostly taken in the West End, including Oxford Street, Regent Street, Covent Garden, the Strand, Piccadilly Circus and Knightsbridge. The reindeer with the white background was a poster by Transport for London, taken at Knightsbridge tube station. It was love at first sight:


The green store front is actually Harrods - this year the Christmas theme was the Wizard of Oz, which also explains the red shoes. Each window borrowed an element from the Wizard of Oz story:

I have to admit...I sort of loved it.

Today I was in country mouse mode - we went for a pub lunch (cottage pie and sticky toffee pudding) and a brisk walk through the countryside. It was very cold. But, the lighting was beautiful. We've also had a very small sprinkling of snow, with more expected over the next few days. Yey!

Before I head off, here is a link for my Project 365 gallery over at Flickr. And here is a very cold leaf:

Happy weekend!!

And a very happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Wow. I honestly cannot believe that it is 2010 already. I've spent the last few days thinking about resolutions, aims, intentions and goals, as well as my 'one little word' (I love this idea). In between the cogitating and the list-making, I've realised just how much I am looking forward to the New Year. It is a blank canvas and a fresh start...and it is so easy to be optimistic and hopeful as the clock strikes 12 and 2010 commences with an explosion of excitement and enthusiasm. Or, in our case, rockets and sparklers.

New Year's Eve was a family affair this year. We ate, we talked, we celebrated...it was wonderfully relaxing. And, although I have loved watching the fireworks that illuminate the London sky from the Victoria Embankment in previous years, I definitely did not miss the freezing temperatures and the L-O-N-G walk through Central London (due to the congested public transport) at one in the morning. This year, I very much appreciated the warmth of the log fire and the delicious kick of an Irish coffee....my stamina, it seems, is depressingly waning with each year.

As usual, I have lots to catch up on. I need to finish Blogging for Scrapbookers. I am still working (and massively behind on) on my JYC album. I have decided to do a 365 project this year, which was a snap decision yesterday evening and which I seriously have not thought through. I'm very excited about it though...especially because I got Photoshop Elements for Christmas. Luckily I was also given Photoshop Elements 8 for Windows: The Missing Manual, because PSE is totally, completely and utterly baffling to me. Every breakthrough - big and small - has been a momentous occasion, which is somewhat diminished when I realise I have no idea how I got from A to B. Rubbish.


Some progress is being made though (thankfully!). Do you remember my scrapping resolutions from yesteryear? Well, before Christmas I ordered my supplies...and they have been patiently sitting in boxes ever since. Today I made a start on my 2010 album - I am doing a few 'year in review' layouts, as well as a couple on my hopes and resolutions for the coming year. I have challenged myself in 2010 to use one manufacturer a month for the album...sort of like an inexpensive kit. January is Jenni Bowlin. I will let you know how it works out! Watch this space for the layouts over the next few days.

I have a few blog posts that I have been meaning to complete as well (Christmas lights in London, pre-Christmas snow and our Christmas festivities) but my laptop helpfully decided to expire on New Year's Eve. Ominously, when I rebooted it after trying to rouse the cantankerous bit of plastic (putting it mildly) from its slumber, the screen remained black and it emitted three, piercing beeps. Apparently, this means that there is a major problem with the motherboard or the graphics card. HELP. I'm terrified that I'm going to lose everything. I determinedly did not allow it to ruin the end of 2009 or the start of 2010 though ...despite the horrific customer support from HP. Grrrr. But that is a story for another day.

Rant aside, I hope that you had a wonderful start to 2010! It is amazing how you can be buoyed by other peoples' enthusiasm - over the past few days, I have been browsing through my Google Reader and feeling so enthused by the excitement and anticipation that everyone has had for the New Year. So, THANK YOU!!! I can't wait to see what 2010 brings...