Animals and chipboard ?

I am thrilled , honoured, excited and soooo happy to see that I have been published, not only once, but twice in this months Readers Gallery in Scrapbook Inspirations! 

This is such a great thrill to me that it almost makes me speechless to see my layouts in print in a real magazine!

I love the fact that a few lovely people follow my little blog and comment on my pics and pieces - and get even more of a thrill when they actually leave me a comment - it really makes my day!

 So thank you dear readers, know that your messages leave behind a HUGE smile and a big  impression on me!

Enjoy xxx

Time flies.....

Where did the weekend go?

I went into the zone and all of a sudden it was Monday morning!

What happened?

I managed a few little pages which I will share with you this week, photographed rather hurriedly before the light disappeared. I meant to post this last night but forgot when it got to bed time and I had to be surgically removed from the craft table? Oh the joys and delights of being back on the chair in my zone...................ooooh!

Whatever you are doing this week, have fun!

xx

Module 4 - People!

These were my efforts for Module 4 - I was really chuffed with them and had a great hour or so on the Southbank last weekend taking them and watching the performers. CJ has now announced her faves though and once again I didn't make it into the final four. I am a little disappointed as I thought I had taken some good pics. Not that the ones that were chosen aren't fabulous - they really were. I guess mine just didn't fit what she was looking for in the brief?

Another crazy week has flown by at work. It hasn't been this busy for months, and with all the bad press we have had this week I wonder what difference it will make over the coming few weeks?

I finally managed to go for a float on Thursday - can't believe its the first one this year, but I think it has made a bit of difference to my stress levels. I have even managed to scrap today. I will show you the results tomorrow. Take care, night night! xx

Deadlines!

Just a quickie post today, life is full of deadlines at the moment, stress, pressure - you know the drill. Sometimes you just want to scream out loud and tell everyone to go away! And then hide in a ball under your duvet - you will find me there in about half an hour!!!

Have managed to keep up to the deadlines for the photography course and even managed to squeeze this layout out about module 2. I have kept it quite simple as I wanted to emphasise the photos, but thought the background paper was great to represent the Painting with Light title of the workshop!

Take care xx

Friday I'm in love!

Yes I know its Sunday now, but after being awake for nearly 30 hours on Thursday into Friday and then sleeping for most of Saturday I kinda lost a day somewhere??

Don't tell Big Monkey but another boy has stolen my heart! 

He's blonde and athletic with gorgeous big brown eyes that implore me to embrace him. Sadly it's not Rupert Penry-Jones but another equally delish chap called Oscar. He lives with my mums cousin Amanda who very kindly supplied refreshments after the service on Friday. I loves him! He would like living in Clapham too I'm sure!

It's been another glorious day today. I spent the morning catching up on chores and enjoying not having to go anywhere or do anything. I managed to avoid going to Olympia for the craft show this weekend because I know it would be an expensive visit so instead this afternoon I walked along the Southbank and took photos of the street entertainers. This weeks module for Pwl is people - the one weekend where I don't have any about!! The monkeys are off either working or at Nanny's. Will share some of my pics after I have chosen the ones for my module.

Enjoy the rest of Mothers Day. Love to mine xx

Spring

I hope you are all still enjoying the lovely weather we seem to be having. With still more night shifts to go I have missed it unless it lasts til the weekend?

Spring is all about birth but sadly life is also about things coming to an end. 

I have a funeral to go to tomorrow morning, so no sleep for me for a while. A much loved and well remembered Aunty of ours passed away at the weekend. I have many fond memories of visiting her and her dog Scampi when I was a child.

This one is for you Aunty P.

Much love

xxx

Midnight ramblings

 I took these pics on a day trip to Brighton at the beginning of Feb, playing with my new super zoom lens. 

That evening when we got home, small monkey turned all Van Gogh on us and produced a series of fantastic drawings  - all of which will be scrapped in due course. (I especially liked the Craft shop one)

Nothing to report from Monkey World,  am half way through night shifts, bored and looking forward to the weekend. Have some long awaited me time coming and am planning a scrapping frenzy - might even go for a float as I haven't been for a few months and feel like I need the boost of energy and creativity that it gives me.

I am aware that I am missing this weeks lovely spring weather but what can a gal do? Have fun xx

Here I go again on my own!

I don't know where the time goes?

Here we are and its night duty time again for me!

Hurrah I used to think - free scrapping time - but no, not anymore thanks to my new boss!! (Who is a tool and not of the useful embossing kind either!!)

So card making for me - important dates not to be forgotten at the weekend!

Yesterday we made the most of the lovely weather and our new NT membership and went to Sheffield Park Garden. I tried several shots for my Painting with Light homework but I have to say my faves were not ones taken for the module.

 Here are a few for you to enjoy. I think scenery must be my thing co's all the people shots I took came out very blurry - my models were definitely NOT willing to assist by standing still at any point during the day!!!

Two in one day?

We did it!

We joined the National Trust.... (despite our lack of grey hair, well the monkeys anyway, I have a few scary ones!!)

...... and today we visited Bodium and Scotney Castles. They were both fantastic in their own way, and I think I took some good pics. Here are a couple of my faves. More scrapping to be done if/when I ever get a chance??

Funny faces!

Hurrah!

It's the weekend - finally!

Still no time to scrap but I did manage to squeeze this little one out this morning before I met up with my monkeys.

Haven't done much today which was lovely, but have a trip to Bodium Castle planned for tomorrow. We have just joined the National Trust so are planning lots of little pockets excitement this year - oooh can't wait to put my newly learned photography skills into action.

Have just heard that my stepbruv is getting married in a few months  too - huge Congrats! Hopefully I will be able to go and take some people shots of the lovely day - not one of my usual subjects, but am filled with knowledge and enthusiasm. Must be the year of weddings for me as there are 3 at work before we even reach summer. Hen do's a plenty time???

Just another little bit of good news. Last month I was disappointed not to be in Scrapbook Inspirations, but much to my delight the layout was featured this month instead. Look for the underwater one in the readers gallery - that's me!!

xx

Roar!

Work makes me want to do this!!!

I have worked every day for nearly two weeks now and I am so tired its not funny. All the petty gripes get on my nerves and I just want to do my job!!! We even have a meeting today about some of them and I am sure I will roar even louder afterwards!!!

One more day, then I am off for the weekend. Hurrah!

Busy weekend though - no peace for the wicked as its small monkeys 6th Birthday tomorrow so lots of fun filled things for us to find to do.

No craft shows or demo days for me this weekend.............am beginning to forget how to scrap, certainly have no time at the mo and am getting very stressed at the lack of meeeeee time. Does anyone know where I can buy some please???

Move closer!

Hurrah! 

I've finally managed to start scrapping some of my holiday pics - the only good thing about working early shift at the weekends is that it means I get some time in the evening!

Of course I had to start with my fav from the whole trip!

I've also included some of my spare pictures from the photography workshop. Some interesting macro shots, which I had a lot of fun taking. It made me look at things at home in a whole new light!!

Breathless!

Here we are at the end of another week and it seems to have been non-stop!

No lazy weekend lie-ins for me, I am working all weekend and have to be up at 05.30 each day!! 

Today I have driven to Birmingham and back in 6 hours collecting stuff for work - it was nice to be out of the office, and a lovely sunny day too. I took my camera with me thinking I might stop off somewhere on the way home and take some pics, but to be honest, the sun/driving gave me a headache (which I still have), and in the end I just wanted to get back because I had stuff to do with the stuff I collected on my return to the office and didn't want to finish late!

I feel like I wasted a photo opportunity somewhere? I did detour thru Leamington Spa which looked lovely, but time was ticking away and I didn't stop.

This layout is from my birthday - it emerged yesterday evening although the pics have been on my desk in the zone for over a week. The colours don't show properly here, there wasn't much daylight left today to photograph it in, but it was a happy memory!

Off to bed now xxx

Day at the farm

All is well in the house of Monkey if you can call being at work anything resembling well???

No dramas so far this week, the photography workshop has my efforts for this week uploaded onto it and I can breathe a sigh of relief until Thursday when the next module is posted.

We had a great time at the weekend, ending up at Godstone Farm  for my homework - took some interesting pics but got carried away and forgot what I was supposed to be doing.  I had to wipe lots of nose and tongue sloshes off my lens co's I got in real close with these guys and Little Monkey and I had a good stroke of most of the animals, something I was frustratingly unable to do last week!!

My layout for today was the reason for starting my blog, and even after I got published it has taken me until now to actually scrap the event - too many photos and layouts to do = not enough time! 

I was disappointed last month to be missed in the editors cut, but I have received an email this week saying that I will still be published in the next one - they kept a couple of layouts when they ran out of space! Woohoo!

xx

Last day of fun!

Haven't posted any layouts for a few days so thought I had better share another - sorry - am still overwhelmed by my day at the Big Cat park!

It took several weeks but our snowman finally melted, all thats left on the lawn now is the sad looking little carrot! I haven't picked it up yet  because I keep thinking that some of the garden wildlife might fancy a snack on it?

Last day of my lovely halfterm/birthday holiday today and I sooo don't want to go back to work tomorrow. It has been lovely not having to worry about all the office politics and backstabbing for two weeks!

I have had a lovely time and have learnt loads of new stuff about my dreaded Mac and my lovely Canon. The photography workshop is off and running and I have been frantically trying to complete this module before I spend the next two weeks working flat out without a day off! We spent yesterday afternoon washing cars and driving round the Surrey countryside looking for interesting things to photograph. Am off to do the same now so will catch up with you later! 

Toodlepip! xx