The Doors of Friendship

Well as you know I have joined Shimelle's "No Place Like Home" class and one of the prompts was a mini book about Doors. At first I wasn't quite sure what to do - I just couldn't think of enough doors that I could actually get to photograph to make the book worthwhile for me. I mulled over the prompt at work for quite a while - then checking my email I saw I had just got the last ever set of classes from The Design Collective. I was feeling quite sad at tha thought of not getting any more classes from them - then started thinking about the friendships I had made as result of being a part of the forum - and eureka !! (as Archimedes said) I would ask if any of the ladies I consider my online friends - who I welcome to my home each time I chat with them online - would be kind enough to email me a picture of THEIR doors. And bingo - they so kindly did. Here is the album I have made to put the photos in. Since for me taking classes is all about USING my stash I am delighted to say that I have used a whole paper collection on this project! and a few other bits and bob too! YAY!!
I have used Daisy Bucket Maribella, Angel Kisses & prima paper flowers,Big brads, mini brads, Heidi Swapp sticky paper ribbons and my Bind it All!!TFL

Sunny Thursday

Been on the "When I Grow Up" boards today and Tree had posted about wanting a middle name - which triggered a memory I didn't know I still had - when I was about 5 my parents moved us to a new house and living on the avenue already was a lady with a daughter with the same name as me - Jennifer - for some reason best known to herself she seemed to think my name was Jennifer-Mary - and that is what she called me. I do remember asking mummy why Mrs G called me Jennifer Mary? So I got an unwanted middle name. I can't remember when she stopped adding the Mary - when her daughter became Jenny and I stayed Jennifer I suppose - its still a mystery to me though!
There were children on the beach today as it was such a lovely spring day, playing with buckets and spades and paddling in the sea, mum sitting on a towel and they seemed to have a picnic with them, swimsuits drying on the deck chair - at least that is what it looked like from my vantage point - which triggered another memory - those swimming costumes that were rouched cotton - very popular in the fifties I think - do you remember them - I remember it making me feel itchy when I was wearing it and wanting to take it off and put my clothes back on! LOL at the thought - wonder what I am thinking here? Wish I could ask my younger self - I know I used to love being at the seaside and still do - which is why I am where I am now I expect.
The sea was shimmery silver in the bay this afternoon and I suspect the ice cream parlour has opened for the season. The daffodils are all open on the cliff and were bobbing golden heads in the breeze. All the sheltered corners of the headland and the beach were taken by the sun worshippers, and the Brews were full of the youngsters from school with their radio controlled cars, so there was a real holiday feel to the village today, specially as there are several vehicles from "across" parked on the promenade.

Nostalgia Genes

Shimelle's new class has just started and it included an audio message which talked of a "nostalgia gene" - I guess I must have one - in fact I know I do, I am the most dreadful squirrel for bits and bobs of memorabilia - doesn't everyone collect theatre tickets, programmmes, cards (special ones) - ribbon from chocolate boxes long since emptied, keep letters, and dried and pressed flowers from special bouquets? LOL since I know they don't!! I have the menu card still from my sister's Wedding Breakfast - but would be completely surprised to find she still has a copy of it!! I don't have anything like that from my own Wedding Day - since our wedding was a very informal affair - and I have nothing "formal" at all in that line. Just a head full of memories that ALWAYS bring a smile to my face. However I digress - I am supposed to be thinking of childhood memories LOL :):)! as the class is called When I grow Up. It was thinking of a nostalgia gene that distracted me totally.
It's got me thinking anyway - I am blessed with nothing but happy memories of my childhood - my parents gave me and my sister the most precious gift of all - their time. There wasn't much money around - but we had all we ever needed and when I look back my childhood is lit with gold. However to Shimelle's prompt
Just a selection of random memories have surfaced - - What did I want to be when I grew up?
1) at 3 I was going to grow up to be Cinderella and marry Prince Charming
2) at 9 I was definitely going the find the Far-Away Tree, own the Wishing Chair and be a Prima Ballerina
3) at 11 I was going to go to boarding school - The Chalet School, or Mallory Towers either would have done!!
4) at 15 I wanted to be a novelist and a teacher - I was going to stay on at school, get my O-Levels and go on to teacher training college - I did stay on til I was 16, I got the O-Levels - but not enough of them - and I was too lazy to go back to resit those I needed. Instead I drifted into the world of office work in the Civil Service and I never have written that novel - I will do - when I grow up!!!!

My MoJo got inspired!

Such an excitement in the air today - the first classes got emailed from the Design Collective - and if this is what we are in for boy am I glad I signed up. 3 classes in the first mailing - how cool is that? Truly inspirational stuff, and I have been beavering away all afternoon with them. I am a notoriously slow scrapper so though I have finished my one of my interpretations of the classes the light has gone now so I'll have to photograph & upload pictures tomorrow. I am pleased with what I have done so far though, so I foresee an extended subscription coming on! LOL :) :)
I have also joined Shimelle's new class and got my first inspiration from that as well, so I am going to be a very busy bee!!! Karen is also doing Shimelle's class - so very nice to be doing a class with her again, - like meeting a friend for coffee! I love how the internet creates such fun "communities" especially in the crafting world.Such talented people in the classes as well -- from all over the world.




Here is another Exploding Box as well as my first Design Collective Class.
Edited to add the photos.
TFL