Long day

Today has been a very long and tiring day. :( Without going into too much detail my Mum was having a rough day then I got crappy news too. Caitlin then scared the life out of me as when I picked her up from choir she was covered in a red rash!
Quick, frantic trip to dr and turns out its a reaction to the sun cream we put on her. Its the same type we always use so not sure if they've changed their formula or Caitlins just developed an allergy to it but some Piriton calmed it right down so thats good :)
Thank goodness Tuesday is Pilates night, needed a bit of relaxing lol. Hopefully tomorrow will be calmer!
So last layout for now :) I took this photo before Caitlins dance exam a while ago. My Granddad had not long passed and my Mum still kept the book from his funeral by some flowers. I wasn't sure what to call this layout until I showed it to Mark and he suggested 'Granddads girl' Obviously that's not what I went for but it made me think about Granddads nickname for Caitlin, Katy-lynn. He was the only one ever allowed to call her that so it was a special thing between them.

Love this range, particualy the metal broach like embellishments :)

Well tomorrow I've got a long to do list, including hama bead models for my nieces party bags. Hopefully will have them done and ready to share tomorrow night. Wish me luck!

Unexpected, lol

Never a quiet day here lol. Caitlin woke up feeling poorly so took her Drs. She said she had a slight throat and ear infection so lots of calpol, ice cream and cuddles and shes perked right up :)
Then tonight I was walking Scamp when I heard a screech of a car breaking and this little cutie ran out from under the tyres. I managed to pick her up and looked about for an owner but no luck. No collar or anything so brought her home and put her pic on Facebook. Took only a few moments for a friend to tag me in another girls frantic 'Lost dog' posts and the very grateful owner came to pick her up.
Was lucky really as Willow (the doggy) was such a friendly little thing I think she'd have gone with anybody! The kids were certainly smitten in the short time she was here and poor Scamp was gutted when she left. Not sure I'm ready for another dog yet though ;)

As I was stuck in with a poorly baby girl today I finish off a couple of Layouts which have been sitting on my desk for about a week now. This one is for the sketch over at Sketchy scrappers. This was this months sketch.

And this was my take on it. I love these pictures of Caitlin at the May fair a couple of years ago, she looks so happy :)

I wanted to put some twisted ribbon on to go with the theme and loved the pink and blue organza ones together.

Must admit I wasn't fond of this sketch at first but love the result :)

Last one

Well I really need to scrap tomorrow now! lol. This is the last layout I have to share and still have no mojo. This weekend sees to have gone by on fast forward!
Saturday we went shopping for a few last minute bits for Mollies birthday party this weekend, her birthday isn't until the end of July but it was the only time her friends were all free. Tesco was having a big Minions event so the girls sat eating sweets and colouring in while I shopped. They got Minions painted on their arms too :)

Bits all bought we went home. I think I was in the door for about 15 minutes before Mum rung me asking if I fancied a BBQ :) I shoved some burgers and bottles of wine into a bag and off we went. :) Was a brilliant night, playing at the park with the kids and badmington in the garden. Mollie made me laugh too, she was at the park with Caitlin and I was watching from the front garden (the parks right in front of Mums house) Caitlin came running over saying she had to go toilet and Mollie was crying so I went to see her:
Me - Whats wrong?
Mollie - I don't want to be on my own at the park, what if someone tries to take me?
Me - Nobody will I'm watching you, besides what do you think Caitlins going to do? She'll just run away.
Mollie - Yeah but I can run faster than her, they'll take her not me.
Charming!! lol.
Today was cleaning and playing with the kids, sadly no scrapping, my mojo seems to have done a serious runner atm. Need to get it back soon as this is the last one I've done and not shared yet!
How cute is this photo of Scamp though :)

He loves to sleep in bed with us like a person lol, with his head on the pillow and all tucked up under the covers. :)

Don't think Mark is a huge fan of it tbh but oh well ;) My last layout using the Like forever kit. I still have lots left but packed it away now for later use, hoping a different kit might inspire me a bit!

Better late than never.

Ok I know I promised a link post yesterday but I was feeling a bit off so had an early night. Think it was a bit too much sun as it was Caitlins sports day so sat out in the sun for 4 hours helping out and watching her lol.

She did really well and came 2nd in one race and 3rd in another. She then managed to spill most of her ice pole all down her blouse lol.

My Mum had gone all around town that morning trying to find a rossette which said 'good work' or something else, all had happy birthday or something on however. Being my Mum she didnt give in though and bought some 'good work' stickers and stuck them on the top instead lol. Can see where I get my creativity from :)

So onto links! I love blogs, I'm the nosey sort so love reading about other peoples lives and getting inspiration from other crafters. So grab a coffee and have a read, these are a few of my faves :)

Snaps and snippets - Susanne is a fellow Challenge yourself team member and I'm a new follower to her blog but love it so far :) Shes a very creative scrapbooker and also posts about her daily life :) Love her current post about building your own kit!

Jesstar's ramblings - Another CY team member but Jess and I have known each other years now. :) We met on a group in UK scrappers and turned out we only lived a little while away from each other! Her blog is another scrapbooking based one but full of challenges and inspiration :)

Staring at the sea - Bit of a change, Fiona doesn't do many scrapbook layouts but does do beautiful cards and is amazing at sewing! Shes taking a break from blogging at the moment but she'll be back soon :)

Scraps of life and pieces of paper - Julia isn't a daily blogger but when she does its worth reading :) Amazing at scrapbooking, sewing and other crafts and keeps my nosey side happy by blogging about her life events too. ;)

So there's a few for you to read :) Think I might finish the crafting jobs on my table then sit with a coffee tonight and do a bit of blog hopping myself. :)

Love a bargain :)

I'm dreadful for falling for sales and good deals, but I can't help it! I was supposed to be saving as much money as possible this month but I slipped a little when I saw this lot at my local Home bargains.

I love those stars and heart stickers. I saw some on Ebay a while ago but they were almost £2 each, these were 59p :)
Worth a look if you're near a store!
Off shopping I've noticed a few people seem to be making their way to my blog from others, :) I hope you like what you read and stick about but of course its only fair I return the favour and show you a few blogs I love to read, so tomorrow I'll be posting links, feel free to come back and have a hop :)

Crafting with the girls :)

Ok I admit, I'm dreadful for getting overexcited and letting things spiral out of control lol. Poor Mark is used to it by now. Like before the kids were born and we were flying to Greece at 6am, the night before I got it into my head we should redecorate the hall when we got back. By 5am I had ripped up the carpet, stripped the walls and had painted the first coat. Or when we agreed to a weekend in Butlins for the kids birthday a few years back, and it turned into a week in Disneyland :p
That said, when I suggested Caitlin having a sleepover with her friends I think he expected it to be harmless enough. Then we found Caitlin can earn a 'Hostess badge' at Brownies if she made some invitations and decorations for the sleepover, which sounds to me like a party! Parties need games, and themes and favours etc. :) Ah well, he knew I was crazy when he married me :p
So what does every sleepover party need? Spoons with bling! lol. I love making favours and things for the kids parties so these are the start.

Turns out my niece Mollie is having a sleepover for her birthday the night after Caits, so I thought it would be fun to have a invitation making session with the girls :)

I cut out shapes which looked like eye masks and let them decorate them before adding ribbon and flowers.
Catilin loved hers so happy Mummy :)

Next, game planning and room decorating! :)

Piggy school

Well its been an up and down kind of day. A busy, hectic, trying to get lots of things done in a small space of time kind of day and I am so ready for bed now lol. But I will make the effort and share another layout. :)
I've really lost my mojo over the past week but still have a couple with last months Like for ever kit to share. Really need to hurry up and finish it off before this months comes out!
Here I used a realllllly old photo of the kids when we went to Peppa pig world. Was a brilliant day out but a heck of a drive so only went the once.
I loved all the papers in this kit so wanted to show as many bits of it as possible by punching circles and using embellishments to frame the edge of the photo.

Used up some more random bits that would otherwise get ignored too.

Simple enough layout but I'm pleased with it, and another old photo scrapped :) Having Mollie stay over tomorrow night and we're making invitations for her birthday sleepover. I love being the crafty one in the family :)

Challenge YOUrself design team :)

Well I can finally share the news :) I've been picked to be a part of the challenge YOUrself design team!!!!
In case you haven't heard of it, its a brilliant blog which gives challenges each month with the twist that you have to use a photo of yourself. It's a great way to encourage those of us (like me) who spend more time behind the camera than in front of it. Feel free to take a look here and join in!
This was the layout I did for this months challenge, 'anything goes' can't get easier than that can you :)
This photo was taken last December. We asked the kids to each pick something fun to do that month in the run up to Christmas and Cameron picked breakfast at a nearby resturant. Turned out to be a brilliant morning out as a lot of parents seemed to have the same idea and there were loads of children from their class there too. Then a surprise Santa showed up and gave them all a gift!

Was a great start to the morning too before the usual madness of shopping, wrapping etc that December is always full of. :)

Soooooo excited to be on the design team, hope to see lots of you joining in! :)

Creepy but cool

Been a busy day today and about to settle down and watch the new Orange is the new black so quick post :)
Over the news on the past few days I've seen about a set of trees nearby which have been overtaken by caterpillars. It looked cool so we took Cam up after Cubs.
Seriously how creepy is this! There were thousands and thousands of them and the silk was everywhere. It was amazing to see.

There were huge bunches of them all over the place.

Sadly they're apprently not pretty butterflies, but moths. Oh well.

Is it not the Summer holidays yet?

I know the kids have only just gone back but I'm so ready for the summer holidays now. The kids always go to bed at 8 on a school night and I feel so guilty putting them to bed when the sun is still streaming through the curtains. I love it in the summer when they can stay up late playing in the garden :) The fact I get to lie in in the morning doesn't hurt either ;)
It's been beautiful weather today so I made the most of it doing washing and tidying the garage a bit. It amazes me how quickly it manages to fill with rubbish each time I sort it.
Still sharing layouts from the never ending 'Like for ever' kit. This one is a photo of Mark and Caitlin when Caitlin was poorly a while ago. When any of the kids are ill Mark tends to cuddle up and relax with them, while I run about getting drinks, giving meds etc. Not sure how that started but there you go! lol

Im not usually a fan of mists on yellow paper as the colours always look muddy I think. This shimmer one for example is actually white but looks more grey here. Looks like rain though so goes quite well.

I'm not sure about this layout. I think it's too busy. But can't love them all! This is a photo of my birthday 'cookie' from last year. I'm not a big cake fan so Marks friend got me a cookie instead. I was even less a fan of turning 30 so he made sure that wasn't mentioned on the decoration ;)

Loving these little buttons :)

Weather tomorrow is supposed to be a lot cloudier so indoor jobs I'm predicting. Caitlins sleeping at my Mums again so just me and the boys. Time to finish some crafting projects I think :)

Counterfeit kit and number 17

The kit given over at Counterfeit kit this month was a little different. Rather than a full on kit we were asked to pick from Basic Greys new collections and base a kit on that. I chose Aurora.

I loved all the colours and patterns so found it quite easy to match all the papers to ones I already had.

Embellishments were a little more difficuilt. As the kit focused on stars I added a lot of bling and found different embellishments I felt would match the colours on the papers. Throw in some die cuts and some rub ons that realllllly need used and I was done :)

Sadly I don't think this kit will be used for a while however as I'm still working on my 'Like for ever' kit and have another half kit used under my desk. I need another scrapping weekend I think ;)
Another photo taken on the scavenger hunt today too. As soon as I read number 17 I knew what I wanted to do.

17. At least two people wearing matching outfits or uniforms

Look at Caitlin all proud in her new Brownies uniform :) Mollie is loving having her in the group and they're already planning the badges they want to earn over the Summer holiday. So glad they enjoy it so much as I think its a great thing for a kit to do. Regret dropping out when I was a kid but live and learn I guess. :)

Pen licence

Today Caitlin got her pen licence at school :) Apprently this is a big deal and given only when a child can do their work almost without fault.
Needless to say Cait was very pleased with herself. :)

After school we had to drive to the next town in order to buy Caitlins new Brownies uniform. Rather than rush a dinner down the kids necks we treated them to a Mcdonalds on the way, and I treated myself to a chocolate chip frappe. Yummy!!!

Today also marked the first photo I took on the Summer scavenger hunt. I think I cheated a little but I think this just about counts as:

2. An ornate door knocker

Ok so its on a gate, but when I drove past this I just had to stop and take a picture. How random and colourful! Postmand would have no trouble finding this house lol.

Feeling good :)

I love days like today. :) It started early, 5am, to get up and get going to a car boot with my Mum.
Didn't make a huge amount really, £60 but then spent £20 on a few games for the kids and a few bits for me!

Very rarely see craft stuff at car boot sales but there was a lady whos mum had passed and she was selling all her stash on. Mainly card making things but few bits I could use.
Also found this pretty bargain for Caitlin :) She doesn't know it yet but I've booked a couple of days in Disneyland for us later in the year and thought this would be good to take.
If she doesn't want it I'll happily wear it lol.

So back from car boot I did some cleaning and took Scamp on a long walk as he'd been stuck in all morning. Then sat in the front garden digging up weeds. I'm now sore and completely exhausted :) Whenever I'm worried about things I always feel better when I keep busy and today did that. Tomorrow off to get Caitlin her new Brownies uniform so she's all excited too!

Ugh

So no blogging yesterday. TBH it was a really rubbish day with bad news all round :(
I had been trying this whole h20 10 days only drinking water thing but day 4 yesterday I snapped and broke out the wine.
Back on it today though :) New day new start and all that! This morning was a trip to get Caitlins hair trimmed. She LOVES her hair, and its taken me weeks of convincing her to go and get a slight trim to get all the whispy, split bits at the bottom of her hair cut. This morning we were just about to leave for the appointment and she suddenly says

'I don't know if I want to just get a trim or get it cut short'

Seriously?! Luckily I'd made an appointment with my usual hairdresser who is so lovely and has kids of her own so knows how to deal with them lol. We went down and Caitlin shyly told her she wasn't sure what she wanted. Hayley promised she would trim a little bit at a time until Caitlin was happy. :) She took about 5 inches off the bottom then layered it around her face to give it some interest.
She was thrilled with it and looks so grown up! I'm not a big fan of that part but she does look beautiful lol.
I tried to get a nice photo but this is what she gave me lol.

Ignore the blue tongue she's just had a slush puppy lol.

Ask your children.....

I don't usually pay attention to the fads the circle round on Facebook, but when I saw the 'Ask you children' post it seemed a sweet idea to me :) Basically theres a list of questions, which you ask your child and then make a note of their (unprompted) answers.
Must admit I was really touched by some of their answers :)

1. What is something that your mum always says to you?
Cam - love you
Cait - Yeah that!

2. What makes you happy?
Cam - You and daddy and Caitlin
Caitlin - You daddy, cam and scamp

3. How does your mum make you laugh?
Cait - You tell us jokes
Cam - You be silly

4. What makes mum sad?
Cam - When we're naughty
Caitlin - When we're mean to you

5. What was mum like as a child?
Caitlin - Us!
Cam - Naughty sometimes but good sometimes

6. How old is mum?
Cam 30
Cait - 30

7. How tall is mum?
Cam - 5 meters, thats an estimate though!
Cait - I dont know, I agree with cameron

8. What is mums favourite thing to do?
Cam - be with us!
Cait - Yeah

9. What does your mum do when you're not around?
Cam - crafting, thinking about us
Caitlin - yoga and ironing

10. What is your mum really good at?
Caitlin - crafting
Cam - hugs!

11. What is your mum not very good at?
Cam - being mean
Cait - making us sad

12. What does your mum do for a job?
Cam - you help people
Cait - PTA

13. What is your mums favourite food?
Cam - onions or mushrooms
Cait - pizza

14. What makes you proud of your mum?
Cam - when you make nice stuff and put it on facebook
Caitlin - when you do yoga

15. What do you and your mum do together?
Cam - play, hug, lots of stuff
Cait - Park, parties, lots of stuff!

16. How are you and your mum the same?
Cam - We're a big huge family!

17. How are you and your mum different?
Cam - We have different personalities and likes
Cait - our hair colour and eye colour

18. How do you know your mum loves you?
Cait - You say it lots and act like it
Cam - you buy us lots and are nice to us

19. Where is your mums favourite place to go?
Cam - any holidays with us
Cait - disneyland!

20. How old was mum when you were born?
Cam - 23
Cait - 28

Need to scrap this in the future I think :)
Speaking of scrapping my mojo has gone walkies, but I still have layouts I haven't shared yet :) One being this one I did for a challenge on facebook. I had to use at least 6 of the tear off strips from the bottom of the papers which I can confidently say I managed :)

Love all the little embellishments. Hopefully my mojo will be back soon and I can finish off last months kit before I get this one lol.

Sketchy scrappers

Bit behind sharing this one as this is Mays but there you go lol. This was the sketch set and I loved this one as soon as I saw it and knew exactly what I wanted to do.

For once it actually turned out how I pictured it! I was lucky enough to be star letter in Scrapbook magazine and part of the prize was a 'Stampin up' starburst mask. I've not been a big fan of masks as whenever I've used mists with them it never looks right but decided to give it a go with a small ink pad and I love it! Can see me using this technique more in the future. Not as messy as mists, and still a good result ;)

Well we are now officially in June which to me and lots of my friends means one main thing....The start of the Summer scavenger hunt!!
This was a brilliant idea thought up by Maria over at Gallo Organico. Basically she puts a list of things to photograph in between now and the autumn equinox on Tuesday, September 22, 2015, and you share it on your blog or photo sharing site.
It's always loads of fun and last year my whole family got involved pointing out things on my list to me. :)
Here is the list if you want to take part and link to the blog is above.
1. A bouquet of flowers
2. An ornate door knocker
3. A person walking a dog (or other animal)
4. People playing a board game or card game
5. Architectural columns
6. A metal bridge
7. A turtle
8. Someone "plugged in" to social media
9. A tent
10. A college or university
11. A cellular tower or television satellite dish
12. A public restroom, bathroom, or toilet
13. A merry-go-round or carousel
14. A traffic signal
15. A flag pole with at least three flags on it
16. A panoramic view, taken while standing someplace high in the air
17. At least two people wearing matching outfits or uniforms
18. An overloaded truck, car, bicycle or other vehicle
19. A ticket booth
20. A natural body of water
21. A photograph of you with a sign reading "2015 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt". Note: you may not use a substitute for this item.
If you find something on the list too difficult, you may substitute one of the following items for any one item on the list, except for Item #21:
Alternative A: People eating outside
Alternative B: Someone holding an umbrella
Alternative C: A rocking chair

Mini beasts

Caitlin has recently been doing Mini beasts as a topic at school. Before half term I was walking through the class with the rest of the PTA and I made an offhand comment about the kids not having a project to do for a while. They all stopped and stared at me and said they had one due in 3 days! A quick chat with Caits teacher found that the letter had not been handed out as a substitute was in charge that day. Obviously 3 days wasn't long enough so the kids were 'kindly' given half term to do it.
Luckily Caitlin loves doing this kind of thing anyway lol. We had planned to make a giant butterfly but at the Wicksteed park fun day she made a dragonfly from beads and pipe cleaners so she decided to make a 3d pond instead :)
Pizza boxes are so great arnt they lol, they can contain pizza, scrapbooking stash then recycled for homework!

This is a frog with a long tongue I'm told.

Cute little caterpillar :)

So proud of my clever little girl, def takes after her Mum with her love of crafting :)
Speaking of crafting I've still got so much of my 'Like for ever' kit left! Managed 9 layouts so far with only really cardstock added in. Loving these kits :)
This photo was taken when we went to Disney on ice last year. I've always been an anxious driver and hated driving anywhere far or busy. It really limits where we can go a lot of the time as I'm the only driver in the family. Then Caitlin saw an advert for Disney on ice in Birmingham, somewhere I had never driven, and seemed a perfect incentive. The journaling reads 'I'm really not a big fan of driving but in 2014 I vowed to get past it. So I booked tickets to Disney on ice, knowing I wouldn't let you down'

One of the packs of embellishments in the kit were these buttons with enamel stickers. Beautiful as they are but then a clever member of the facebook group suggested taking the stickers off and using them and the buttons seperatly.

Two lots of embellishments in one!

Well caitlin starts Brownies tonight. My baby girl is getting too big too quick! She seems a little nervous about it but her best friend is starting tonight with her too so sure that will help. Another uniform to shell out for then lol.

Boys rule challenge

Well the kids are back at school, washing on, dishes done, time for a coffee before continuing I think :)
While looking for inspiration yesterday I found a new challenge blog Boys rule scrapbook kits which gave this sketch to follow.

and this was my take. I've still got lots of Disneyland photos to be used up so picked this one of the kids in front of the castle.

I don't stamp much so to make the circles I just drew around a roll of dst and a couple of jar lids. Quite like this effect though wish I had used pens with thicker tips so it would show more, something to remember for next time I guess :)