Busy Bee!

That's what I have been the last two days during this typical BH weather weekend.

I'm only glad it's been yukky so that I could stay indoors and finally do some scrapping without yearning to loaf on the patio instead!

And scrap I have...........four layouts and two sets of pages for circle journals - I am feeling very pleased with myself, but will save the pages and drip feed them to you for my next scrapping drought!!

Nothing much else to report, been a quiet weekend apart from today when some neighbours from hell have interupted my tranquil spot of London by playing VERY loud music at a squillion decibels. Several of my close neighbours joined me in reporting them to the noise police and they stopped for a while this afternoon but they have been going again with a vengeance for about an hour now, along with a shouty swearing mc and I have had enough!

Excuse me while I go and use the phone again..........grrrrr!!

BH madness on Wisteria Lane

In true British style the weather today has gone to pot!
No baking hot sun like last weekend - when I was working I might add!!

So what do most British people do on a bank holiday weekend?

Go to a garden centre if course!

Well, Homebase to be precise as they were having a sale.
I don't live on wisteria lane but with this nice white picket fence I could do, except that it is only about 10 inches high, and I am hoping that it will work as a harry enclosure??

I also bought some kindling wood and coals as I am finally going to fire up my chiminea and need to season it first, my only problem is that I need some sand to go in the bottom and didnt want to buy a huge bag of it - will have to head off to a pet shop too I think?

I have managed to set up my new printer and it seems to be working ok, so I will be off into the Zone shortly to conjur up some creativity, will share tomorrow.
Enjoy your Saturday evening
Xxx

- Posted from my iPhone!!!

A day in the life of a loon!

I can't believe its the weekend again already!!

Already????

Where did last week go?

I promised you all so much and I have done absolutely no scrapping and to be honest I haven't even had time to get my new printer out of the box!!

I did find these lovelies in Paperchase though!

:)

I have a long weekend which started yesterday evening with a float to de stress. By the end of this week I was physically and mentally exhausted and barely able to say my name??

My float session completely revived me so much so infact that I actually got up before lunch today and wandered up into Clapham, mooched round the Farmers Market and Sainsburys and then came home to attack my housework with gusto!!

Well......, nearly?

I managed about 3 loads of washing which are now billowing on the washing line -(what is it about hanging out washing that is just so theraputic??)

Did the dishes from the last four days (yuk! yes I know - one of the joys of living alone and working silly hours), hoovered and changed all the bedding (which is also now out on the line)

I dusted off the garden furniture and BBQ, rescued the snails that had moved in underneath it and sat down for a delicious al fresco lunch. By rescue I mean sweep them off with a brush and then feel sorry for them as they bake whilst crawling across the lawn, so have to go and move them individually (about 6 of them) into some damp sheltered flowerbed!!

Of course sitting in the sun is not condusive to any more housework and there endeth my effort for today!

Half of me wants to stay sat here - (hey the wonders of WIFI internet), but the squinting at the laptop screen is getting painful and I half hope that the weather cools off so that I am forced to go back indoors and will inevitably end up in the Zone - yaayy!!

I need to venture up to Homebase or somewhere at some point, Harry's epic adventures have forced me to think about buying some little fence type somethings to keep him from where he shouldn't be and my furniture and sanity in tact!!

He has discovered the glass beads in my plant pot and thinks they are treasure for stealing, eaten through the fairy lights on my bookcase and tried his paws at gardening by attempting to prune my plants and then running round the floor with leaves trailing from his mouth!!!

I have threatened him with a ferret harness tied to string but he just winked at me and shrugged and then ran off towards the bathroom?!!

All this has left me quite thirsty!!

Am off for a mojito.

See you soon xxx

Busy bee!

Hello peeps!

Sorry have been a rubbish blogger again, but I have the same old excuse that sadly work has been really busy again and I have worked some silly hours - so no scrapping!!

My new printer arrived yesterday, so once this horrid working weekend is out of the way, I intend to rectify that sharpish!

How typical that it's the loveliest, hottest weekend we have had so far - and where am I?

In the office!

:(

We did have a quiet day today though so we managed to pop out for a nice cafe lunch outside which was delicious, and luckily I got to go home not long after that!!

Nothing much to report, as I say a dull week, but I have bought a few nice things and some new trainers which I will endeavour to photograph and share with you. Retail therapy rocks!

This layout is one that hung around unfinished for a while - it was a victim of my failing printer and although you can't really see it in this pic there is some serious fading of the colours on the photo of Grannywen. I decided on some serious handcutting and floral remedies (ones that Grannywen and I had attempted to make from SJ's tutorial) and tried to hide the rubbish part. Not sure I like it and will probably re-scrap the photo at some stage.

Off now to do some serious blog catching up whilst I check out what you have all been up to.

Have a lovely SUNday!!!

xxx

Printergate??

Uneventful day today, didnt get any scrapping done even though my fab new Scrapagogo kit arrived and I was actually here to receive it for once!!

My printer has been misbehaving for some time and I also needed to visit the pet shop so I decided to battle the Purley Way and kill two birds with one stone this afternoon. After much faffing at the printer shop and treat buying at the pet shop, I returned home for some strawberries n cream .

As per usual, at the sniff of food, Harry's womble like sniffy nose appeared out of his tent and he had to help me eat them??

A few phonecalls later and I have a new printer being delivered later this week!! Hoorah!

Posted using from my iPhone!!!

Action packed!!

I can't believe it's Sunday tea time already???

Where did the week go??

After a fairly uneventful week at court (for me anyway) Friday night saw a visit to the Comedy Store and some much needed laughter medicine!

It was fantastic! Just what I needed and was very very funny!

Hadn't been there in eons and I'm so glad I was invited - we all had a really good time and the cocktails flowed which were very yummy too!!

Yesterday saw a trip to Batemans, home of Rudyard Kipling. It took a little longer than planned to get there, so that by the time I did the sun had gone away and the weather turned quite dull - but it was a fab day nonetheless!

We had a tour round the house and then mooched in the garden exploring. I still had my arty farty photo mode in operation and took some interesting shots - some of which came out better than others!

I loved the study, twin aspect windows for lots of light, walls full of books and I was very pleased to see a rubbish bin under the desk that looked remarkably like my scrapping bin - ie overflowing!!

The garden was full of interesting creatures of all shapes and sizes.

And the lush meadows and flowing streams were very restful and calming after a week in the city.

Food for the soul!!

We were amazed at the perfectly straight hedges - spot on!

After a lush cream tea, we explored the local area for a few hours and then headed off to the pub for a delicious meal.

We chatted and laughed and I shared tales from my Venice trip along with the photos.

Then it was time to come home to London for a quick play with the ratties before bed!

This morning I was up early - for me anyway on a Sunday, and I was put through my paces on the common by my fitness instructor! I can tell you now that I am already feeling it, so dread how stiff I will be tomorrow?

Tonight I am off to Windsor for dinner with chums - the nice meal we didn't have time for on Friday night??

I am really looking forward to it as we are going to Thai Square and I already know what I'm going to eat!
Yummy!

And the best part...........?

I am off tomorrow as well!!

Yippee!

No Sunday evening blues for me,

I get to recover and play in the Zone.

I have done all my chores today so I am going to make a start on my travel journal I think. I have purchased this set of two 8 x 8 albums with their own case, so I intend to re - cover them and embellish them as I think that two albums should be sufficient for all the postcards tickets and pics that I have from Venice.

I wish I had time to start it now, my mojo is begining to flow.................will show you my progress along the way.

catch you soon

xxx

Whoopee Wednesday!

I had two, yes two parcels today!

How exciting is that?

As they were both full of stash and free ....very!!!

The first one was some gorgeous blog candy that I won from Helen just before I went away - it's divine - even yummier in real life! And I have NEVER won blog candy before so it was even more precious!

The second parcel contained my prize for winning A True Friend challenge - again, not something I usually enter as I can't keep up with them all and just scrap for me - but this time a LO I had just made fit the bill perfectly and I couldn't help myself but had to add a link! I'm so pleased - look at all this lovely Cosmo! Perfect for more little ratty boy pages!

The LO that I'm sharing today was one of the ones I made at the weekend using my Scrapagogo kit. It was called Fabrication and was chock full of sewing type goodies. Not something I do, ever, and being a scrapper who embellies with the photo theme I had to think outside the pizza box a little and decided to scrap this photo from Venice.

I'm not sure there is anywhere else in the world where laundry is photographed quite so much! An American couple and I were laughing about it whilst visiting Burano too. Rightly or wrongly though it did make interesting photos with both colours and shapes. My favourite had to be this one though - the childrens toys hanging out to dry looked so cute! (Sorry bad Blogger won't let me add the photo at the end so it's all out of order again!!?) This photo is going in my travel journal!!

Hope you are all well - nearly the weekend!

xxx

A different view

Although I managed to scrap at the weekend I have still not managed to start on my Venice mini book/travel log because I can't decide how to display it.

I think it is because I have chosen nearly 100 of my photos that sum up my trip or make me go oooooh about it, so a mini book just isn't going to do it justice - after all it was an awesome trip for me for many reasons!! It is looking like it may turn into an 8 x 8 ...........something, but still not sure what!!

I also want to include these...........

some of the arty postcards I bought and a picture of my lovely Murano glass bracelet - lovely isn't it?

so I need lots of pages and space!!

I did manage this page.

I started off using some paper from the April Scrapagogo kit and a few of the embellies but I kept it light as the background and photo were enough on their own I felt!

It represents my view of Venice, not the usual touristy one but through my own artistic representation and viewpoint!

On a final note - I have just watched the most fabulous rendition of 'Let's get physical' sung by Olivia Newton John herself and the evil Sue Sylvester - it was fabby - made me laugh out loud!

If you are not a fan of Glee - you really should be!

xxx

Chillin' in The Zone!

And I do mean chilling!

What's happened to the weather??

Bearing in mind I was in Venice in about 80 degrees this time last week, I can't believe how cold the weather here has turned? Bring back that warm yellow thing that floats in the sky please?

Venice by the way seems to be very popular this month!! Jamie Oliver was there in the week and even the Doctor travelled there this evening too??

I have been in the Zone today, and have made a mini book about H and W and also a Venice LO using the April Scrapagogo kit. Can't share yet co's it is too dark and dismal now to take a pic so am cheating by using an old fave LO of mine. You can't really see it in the photo but there is loads of decoupage and layering and multitudes of mini embellies in this one. I wanted to create the feel of looking into an aquarium and it does work in real life IYKWIM???

Anyway, am really pleased with the prints that came back from Photobox the other day, now just need to find the right medium/mini book design to start on my little Venice travel journal. I have loads of ideas just need to work out how to produce them in scrapping style!! I may just have to make a few 12 x 12's in the meantime?

Having not finished work til 1.00am this morning my mojo is struggling today! I have ideas just can't seem to get them out on paper at the mo - it's very frustrating!! I have at least 5 half finished LO's and that's unheard of for me, but I seem to be struggling with each one?

The boys are fighting on the sofa behind me so gotta go.....................just want to say a quick "hi!" to some new followers who have joined us recently. Thanks very much, you don't know how much it thrills me to see people interested in my work and waffle, but please don't be shy, say hullo and leave a comment?

xxx

Pretty!!

Sorry , haven't had a chance to scrap yet - am saving the weekend for that!!

Just wanted to share this lovelyness that came in the post today, along with my photobox order for aforementioned scrapping!!

They are made by the very multi talented Rachel at Rewarding Memories, and she now has her own little shop on Folksy for these lovelies - go check her out!! Xx

The wanderer returns!

I make no apologies for this photo heavy post!!!

I have had such an awesome adventure, in a Bridget Jones style solo mini break sort of way.

I have ALWAYS wanted to go here, and as previously posted, it was a very spur of the moment decision to go on Weds tea time. And I got up very very early on Thursday to go.

Venezzia!

Venice!

It was everything that I had dreamed it would be and I absolutely loved it!

If it hadn't been for Harry n Wills waiting patiently at home I think I would have stayed forever.

I certainly wouldn't have come home to this rainy Blighty bank holiday weekend!!

The weather was gloriously sunny and ridiculously hot ( and not quite what I had packed for) and it was just paradise.

Perfect!

Who wouldn't love a city surrounded by water and boats (especially for a water sign like me).

Where everyone has a dog, and they ride on boats, in arms and were dressed in all manner of fancy collars and coats!! There were dogs on every corner - so cute!

Where every turn delivered a delightful photo opportunity of colour and shape and inspiration!

I even managed to stumble into a rubber stamp shop where the shop keeper and I had a very amusing conversation in pigeon Italian/English.

I stayed away from anything really touristy and just wandered the streets and canals, camera in hand, stopping often for a cafe latte or a bierre and watching the world go by.

I ate gelatto by the lagoon and only just remembered to eat some Tiramisu on the last day!

I didn't pay the 80 euros to ride in a gondola through the canals, but did pay 1 euro to ride in one across the Grande Canal briefly - just to say I'd done it!!

I took the vaporetto (water taxis) a few times and worked out the route to travel to the nearby island of Burano with its beautiful colourfully painted houses.

I bought some beautiful Murano glass, some marbled paper and some gorgeous arty postcards to go in my travel journal. In fact most of my purchases were sort of on the flat side to be added to my soon to be started mini book!

But mainly I just walked, enjoying the atmosphere, rejeuvenating my soul and mojo and grinning from ear to ear the entire three days!

I will be going back there, sometime very soon!

It is my new and ultimate favourite place in the whole world!

And no Brenda, no Italian for me - I was too busy enjoying myself!

(although my heart did skip a beat quite a few times at some of the gorgeous men)

Maybe next time though...................:)

Ciao xxx

Meanwhile back in the UK, I am thrilled to say that I won a challenge on A True Friend Blog, it's not the kind if thing I enter very often but who could resist a blog devoted entirely to scrapping your pets - certainly not a Doolittle like me!! So well done to Harry too for managing to pose for me so that I could scrap the Bribery layout!

And..........a HUGE thank you to SJ for helping me, not only by designing my fabby 'little musing', but also creating the new blog header as I am such a techno nerd!

She's amazing!!

xxx