Circle Journals

I have photographed the start of my Circle Journal before it sets of on its travels around the UK and gets pages added from Cyprus and Canada. I am not sure I have done too much really - but as Sharon on Design Collective said - It is MY journal - so I have done what I wanted anyway!!
Here are a few pictures of it so far anyway.
Hope to be back later to add a few more pics. TFL

A few more ATCs -

- -these are so addictive - or I have an addictive personality!! LOL - probably have!! :)
I have made a few more ATCs as well as working on my Circle Journal - because I have had an IDEA! More of that anon. Here's a picture of the ATCs .
TFL

Research

I was hoping to make a start today and find out about my fantasy character - but it has just been so busy today at work. Usually I get a bit of time at lunchtime to myself - but not today! So I didn't get much research done! Perhaps it was meant that way - as I am off to my friend Suzy's Candle party so wouldn't be able to do anything with it. Need to go and get changed now so I will have to go.

Circle Journals

I have been working on my CJ for the Design Collective and have done some work on my sign in pages. I have done planned my idea and thankfully it has worked - after a couple of faulty efforts from me anyway! I am quite pleased with my pages now. Now I need to research my own entry - I think I know what I am going to do - but don't want to give too much away yet. I need to get my thinking cap on to decide how I am going to do my page.

Sunny Saturday - and shopping calls

I am going to Douglas shopping and Ben has decided he will come with me. He needs to get some clothes for work - and though now a young man - I think he might be a bit more focussed if mum is with him!! LOL. It truly is a beautiful day - the sun is shining , the skies are blue - the island looks glorious with the sea sparkling like diamonds in the distance.

A very successful shopping trip as Ben got everything he needed, as did I plus a few bits of scrapping stuff! Not that there is much on the high street here.
I have finished my Tryptych ATCs for the UKS swap, so here a re a few pics. Sorry I haven't got them focussed too well - was rushing as I wanted to bag them up ready for posting. TFL

UKS Madness - -

All this week there's been so much chat on the boards at UKS about the theme for the next UKS CyberCrop - - lots of winding up and speculation LOL:) :D - it been lots of fun for me lurking whilst I was in work - anyway it has finally been announced - the theme is a Birthday Party!!! I should have guessed I suppose - UKS is FIVE years old this year! Of course I have signed up - how could I not - the classes are such fun and the kits are amazing, though I do try to use my own stash. The fun has started already with swaps and challenges going up, and this CC is slightly different it starts the weekend of 5th Oct and continues over the following 3 weekends - so it maybe won't be quite so manic as usual.
I have also offered to be a CCMummy - hope I can cope! I'll do my best anyway. Have just finished my latest ATC swap - will coat them tomorrow to protect them and will add a picture later.

Shimelle's Class

I have got way behind with my Learn Something New Every Day class I am doing with Shimelle - (though my book this September is Be Grateful for something every day)probably because I have had to put some of my stuff away, and also because I am working on my Circle Journal that I am doing with the Design Collective at the same time! I should really be able to have both go along together hand in hand - as I know from past experience that Shimelle's methods work really well for me! Still onwards and upwards as they say. I have at least managed another page so here it is. Today I have learned - must do better!
TFL

Prize Night - -

- - tonight at school. I really ought to be going to clap like mad when my girl collects her 11 GCSE Certificates - well at least the empty envelope, as up to yesterday the certificates proper had not arrived!!!! However she has informed me very forcefully that she doesn't want us there!!!! " No reason for you to have to spend a boring evening too mum!!" Her words not mine - but since her dad agrees wholeheartedly with her it looks as if we might not go. She told me "It would be different if I was getting a REAL prize mum,like Sammy is getting for her music - a proper award, so don't come - I don't want you to!"
No pictures til later - as I didn't do any scrappy things last night - it was WI Meeting so went to that instead as I haven't seen my friends there since July. It was a little different than I expected as we thought we were having a talk from a jeweller and finished up MAKING our own pairs of earrings - Quite good fun really as it gave us an opportunity to chat!
Here is a picture of those I made.I'm quite pleased with them really but don't know how much I will wear them.The colours are much clearer and fresher than the scan shows and the beads are all glass so feel nice as well as looking pretty.
TFL

Grey Skies and a Wet Wednesday

Such a surprise this morning when I got into work - discovered I can edit my posts on here again. It has been blocked for a while - however it looks like the powers that be have given us some freedom again! Shhhhh - don't tell anyone - they might whizz it off again!!
Very grey skies this morning coming in to work - a really heavy sky with no light - and I woke to the sound of heavy rain on the skylight.A flash downpour I hope - there is enough wind here to blow away the black clouds so here's hoping!!
No scrapping to show - I am at work after all!! LOL :)
Just a couple of shots - a grey day on my island!

My Cover - -

- - for my Circle Journal. I had lots of fun playing with this on Sunday afternoon. I covered a 7 Gypsies album with Basic Grey Periphery Collection to create the front and back covers of my journal. I even played with glitter - wonderful - it was just like stepping back to my childhood!! I never use glitter on my scrapbook albums but I felt that this time I could - as to me it just suits my theme. I hope I have managed to create a kind of ethereal/magical feel to it - that was what I hoped to do anyway. I might even add a bit MORE glitter - LOL :). It hasn't scanned as well as I hoped but you can maybe get the idea of my intentions. TFL

Hey Ho - -

- - it's the weekend again - soooo glad!!!
Hope to get quite a lot of crafty things done this weekend. Have another swap to complete for UKS, do a bit more for my CJ for the DC and finish a few more pages in my learn something new every day class, and in my second 1000 words album too. Will have to see how I go.

Circle Journals

and such like scary things. I have signed up for my first one of these Circle Journal thingys on the Design Collective and am now scared witless - have I bitten off more than I can chew???? They are such a lovely group of ladies on the forum of the Design Collective so it will be like getting to know my friends better - least that is what I think CJ's are about? I think that I am understanding them right - I hope so anyway. We have a great selection of subjects - all so different but I think they will turn out to be fun to do. So though still a bit scared - am also looking forward to it!
I joined in with the ATC swap in Design Collective and got 5 beautiful cards back - it was like getting a present from my friends so to all the ladies who took part THANK YOU!! And especially to Jane Dean - who taught us some techniques in a DC Class, and also hosted the swap , in spite of a family trauma in the middle of it!
Here are my set anyway - so lush!

Chilled Out Sunday

Have had a lovely day - been playing all day with various crafty projects. Have completed my swap for UKS - worked on my Gratitude Journal, and started thinking about my first Circle Journal. Will post pictures in a later post.Hopefully!!
We (Doug & I ) went to the Villa Marina last night to watch a professional dance demonstration - the British No 2 Couple. They were very good - a pleasure to watch and they danced to some lovely melodies, so I had to go on iTunes to find them LOL - they are now on my iPod so I can listen when ever I want . It really was great, even though there was no general dancing - I need to include it in my gratitude journal - watching someone dance so beautifully is like a gift - and inspires me to want to dance better myself - a small pleasure maybe, but one that makes me feel good.

It's Friday that's as good as it gets - -

- - a very hectic start to term. The works dept handed over the computer classrooms at 1pm Wednesday - the school re opened to students Thursday 9am. So we have worked like slaves to get the classrooms something like useable - managed but boy am I wacked!!! WE fled to our local as fast as we could when the bell rang tonight!!

- - and school starts

in its usual inimitable fashion - with the fire alarm going off just as the busses were pulling in full of the pupils for the start of the new term! Needless to say it was a little like organised chaos particularly for our new Year 7s and Year 12s - neither of these two groups knew their form tutors so were "milling around" like lost souls. The year 7s had the best of it as there were lots of staff around to help them - but the year 12s were left to own devices - good job they are a sensible bunch!!!!
Had a lovely evening at our crop on Tuesday - so nice to see all my friends and chat - didn't get much scrapping done though - LOL - but then I never do - too busy gossiping with everyone. I did manage a page in my Be Grateful book though so thought I'd share the last two I have completed. Hope to get another done later as today's entry - but was very late getting in from work - our office still looks like a bomb has dropped!!! Sorry about the pictures - the light is not too good for taking photos.Thanks for looking.

Crop night tonight - Yay!

It is our monthly crop night this evening and I am so looking forward to it. We didn't meet in August so it seems so long since I saw my friends and fellow scrapbooker's!! I have missed the pleasure of their company and seeing their pages and what they are working on.
It is another glorious day here - though I think I can feel Autumn in the air - I love the changing seasons - it is one of the joys of living in this region of the world.However I really ought to do some work so I'll sign off for now!

Land of Shining Water

Shimelle's class has got me back to trying to post on here daily. I do seem to have got out of the habit of MAKING a few minutes to post!!! LOL. Here is today's page - and a few reflections -
Well - had to get my nose to the grindstone again today as I went back to work - school doesn't re open for the kids until Thursday, bit it was business as usual for we support staff!! We have had major refurbishment going on in the IT Dept. (where I work as Network manager & Pupil/Staff support) and today I was hoping to get the computers back into the classrooms - only to find myself shot down in flames by the works dept.They wouldn't let us put the kit on the benches!!!! Do they think I can get 60+ computers connected and operational in 2 minutes!! .I am sure they think that we can just put 30 chairs in each room and "bingo!!!!" it's ready.Tant over - I'll see what tomorrow brings.
It has been a beautiful day here - I just wish I could have spent more time outside enjoying the sunshine. Coming home from work this afternoon the bay was beautiful - there is a book about the Island called " Land of Shining Water" and today I knew exactly where that title came from - the whole bay was shimmering with silver light - refracting, sparkling like diamonds lit by candle light making me glad to have eyes to see such beauty and feel blessed indeed to be living here.Went for a brief walk this evening to enjoy the beautiful sunset and was surprised to find that there was coolish wind springing up - yet the bay was still glimmering silver in the golden sunlight of the setting sun. There were several photographers out as well, as Ireland was silhouetted against the sun very clearly - but I hadn't taken my camera!!! Never mind eh?

Learning Something New - -

- - again with Shimelle as she starts her 2007 class of Learn Something New Every Day and I am feeling very posh to called an Alumni of this years class!!!


This September, I'm going back to school. In my own little world. I've got a book and a pen and I'm going to record what I learn from life. I believe I really can learn something new every day. I'll share what I'm learning in the form of pages from my book, posted right here on my blog.

I'm not alone: lots of crafty ladies are learning and recording right along with me. See their work here and here. Learn more about our project here.

I so enjoyed this class last year and have tried to apply the concept of doing a little something crafty wise every day throughout the year - not always very successfully I might add!!! It also makes me actually USE some of the endless supplies I seem to have accumulated instead of just stroking and sorting them! Anyhow I have joined in again with a group of friends old and new to see what I can make this month!
As I completed my album last year I am going to use this year's prompts to create a Gratitude Album making it a slightly different a project to last year.I just hope it will work and not be TOO "slushy" as we reserved Brits would think. My intention is to make a hole in that stash of endless supplies!!!! Do you think I will manage it? Hope so any way.
Here is the title page and the first entry. I have used assorted co-ordinating Bazzill CS and Chatterbox papers - my very favourite flowers (as always - LOL - I must be the Prima queen - but I have to use them and I am beginning to think they will have to be my trademark!!) I have also joined the Flickr group and uploaded to there as well. Anyway here are my first pages.
TFL

Had a wee break - -

- from blogging as we had to get a bit of holiday in, organise Sixth Form stuff for my youngest DD, catch up on the gardening etc etc. You know the real life stuff that has to be fitted in somehow!! . Anyway Doug and I have been to Co Antrim in Northern Ireland and we had a great short break.We drove along the Causeway Coastal Route - absolutely beautiful - and have gazed in stunned awe at the Giant's Causeway, gaped at the castles, ruins, cliffs and caves an d even pretty villages, to be found along this truly beautiful part of the world. The weather was kind as well - no rain - though we were prepared for it as we took cags with us LOL!
I have made a mini book with some of my many photographs and here are a couple of the pages.It isn't quite finished - I still need to add the final bits of journalling and finish the cover. The design is based on a class I did with Shimelle - I just love mini books and she has so many ideas for them!
I have also taken advantage of Shimelle's offer of a place on her Learn Something New Every Day Class - which I did last year and she has invited former students to join in this years class too. If you haven't done one if Shimelle's classes do see her blog - this one is a great place to start - I am looking forward to joining in again as I found that using her methods I do get more done in the scrapping line, and I have tried to keep the system going with my Design Collective stuff too - it helps me anyway as I am a slow scrapper at the best of times - spend far too much time finding my stuff!!!!!