All Mine Layout

I recently bought the most amazing kit The Complete Scrapbook Kit from Handmade Hannah's shop.  I had been lusting ove the new Crate Paper Emma line of papers and this was in the kit.  Recently, I cancelled my Scraproom Double Shot kit, and another small kit that I was getting, so I decided that I fancied a bit more of an a-la-Carte approach to my purchases, and more control too!

Anyway I was blown away by the kit, found it packed with interesting items, and I scrapped with abandon, and have made 3 LO's and 1 card already from it.  Here is the first LO that I made.

This LO is probably one of my favourites, and takes pride of place at the moment.

I have not scrapped in ages - My office is even tidy, no bits on the floor, or tripping over stuff.  I had planned on an evening of crafting but I realised that my Laptop is nearly out of memory so had to start culling the photos back.  In excess of 10,000 raw files, huge chunk of memory!  The main reason I had to neglect my crafting was that I was getting ready to photograph a wedding - I helped with the labels for the sweet table and my head was really in a different place.  Now when I feel like crafting, I am in the process of editing and preparing the 1200 photos that I took and my friend Anna probably took about 300 more!  So more crafting to come when I finish the job!

Back soon!

I'm so bad at this competition stuff!

I'm so sorry - life really just got in the way this week, I spent Friday getting ready for the Wedding, had a horrible last minute problem with child minding (long story!) and Saturday shooting the Wedding, Sunday baking cupcakes and working at the school fair and by the time Sunday night came I just fell into my bed.  Last night I started to edit the photos from the wedding and suddenly I look around and the evening was gone.  So today I asked the girls to pick a winner from the comments that you gave me.

The Winner is......

So Scrappy Sarah - Please contact me (I left a comment on your blog!) and let me know what your details are and I will arrange for your voucher from Hannah's Handmade Shop and a little something from me too!

Thanks all - I will come good again when I can see the wood from the trees, just a lot of editing and getting these photos ready for the bride.

A one for the Book of Me!

It's rare to find a photo of me, I am behind the camera not in front and I HATE HATE HATE having my photo taken.  Recently I found this photo of me that was taken just after starting school.  Like most kids, I have memories of growing up and this photo speaks volumes to me of how life was at that time.

So as Scrapbooking is all about preserving memories, I forced myself to scrapbook this photo, the original one and I scanned it before so I can keep in forever.

A simple LO - but jazzed up with some of the kids blow markers, that I found when trying to find something else and then hid them again as I could not deal with the mess that the kids get into when playing with them - they suck the wrong end and it gets way too silly for me.  (Bad mom!!)

On Thursday the 28th April - I am giving an Easter Cupcake icing demonstration at Annamarie's Crop.  As I wanted to get some new supplies for the class and will be placing an order with the supplier, I am also going to have a small kit ready for anyone who books one with me.  It will have an icing nozzle, some piping bags and maybe a few little bits to get you started. If anyone is interested, the cost will be around 6.00euro (I think)

Please stop by my 100th Blog Post giveway - I will pick the winner on Friday.  So come on over and post a comment.

She looked right into the Camera!!!!

It is so hard to get a good photo of Shannon, you will rarely find a photo of her with her eyes open and wide, and if you do, she is not looking at the camera.  I try and try and the have 1000's of photos of her but none good enough to scrapbook or print.  It's not Shannon's fault, she has problems with her eyes, but I was sooo happy to find this photo in my camera.

The photo is special in a few ways.  We took the bus to town with the two small girls, in early March and had a long walk up to Grafton Street, and found a nice place to have lunch on St. Stephens Green.  We sat by the window to watch the world go by, and the light was lovely.  Shannon has a very limited diet (her choice!) and asked if she could have Hot Chocolate and Chocolate cake - so that's what she got!  She really enjoyed her treat and I snapped a few photos of her with chocolate on her face and enjoying her day out.  

I used some lovely tulle and sewed a line of tack stitch into it, and pulled it into a ruched frill and then stuck down with some Glossy Accents.  I think the papers are from Cosmo Cricket (will change if I am wrong).  Some bobble trim from my stash and seam binding from The Ribbon Girl (swoon I just am madly in love with this stuff).  

Lot's more LO's to share with you - and please please please pay a visit to my 100th Blog Post Giveaway and add your name to the list! PLEASE!!!

Wed night crops

Kirsty Wiseman has an online crop on a Wednesday night, there was a bit of a break from her online crop, but it was back to cropping last week.  I was working on another LO and had not finished it, was not sure about starting a new one, but took out my new kit from Handmade Hannah Craft Shop and got dug in.

The photo of my daughter Caoimhe is about 7 years old, we went to Glasgow for the weekend and she wanted to visit a shop in the Buchannan Shopping Centre that was a little girls makeup and dress up shop.  When they have you ready they take a photo of you on the throne and she was so happy.  The photo was on a shelf in her playhouse for about 2 years and was damaged from getting damp and marked but just about good enough to be scrapped.

All whole LO comes from the kit from Hannah and OMG it is stunning.  I have another LO to share, much more detailed, but holding it for my Fiskarette posting.  I was featured today - Yah!

I have a week left on my Anniversary blog post giveaway - drop over and leave a comment!

Happy Mother's Day...

Yesterday was the sort of day that you realise that you are blessed.  Blessed in so many ways, that I have a lovely home, both of us are employed, our bills are up to date.  Those blessings are material, and although comforting are not the real reason we are so blessed.  We are so very lucky to have been given the gift of two little girls, who, due to circumstances, cannot be cared for by their own parents.  My husband and I have always believed that they are our girls, we treat them as our girls and always will.  Along with my precious daughter, these two small girls make me a mom!

Life is not easy in our home, both girls have "issues" that need more than the normal level of everyday care, but I live in the hope that this is just a passing phase and that an easier path will be found, and life will trundle on with a new sense of normal.  No matter what, thinking positive makes it easier.

We have a great support structure around us, and without the help of my mum, I think we would not have made it this far.  My mum is my pillar of support - she tells it as it is, she pulls no punches but she is also there to help, support and soothe the way.  Without her I would be lost and she is everything to me! Love you mum!!!

Design Team News!

Yah Yah Yah - I got selected as a new Design Team, so call apart from being a mum, nurse, chef, taxi driver, home maker, cleaner and marketing specialist,  I am now a Fiskarette too....  Delighted to be part of the team and can't wait to start posting for them.

Life got a tad mad here for the last few days, I was a little pushed to my limits but I am having a quieter day today and might even have time to finish off a few little crafty stuff that I have sitting on my desk.

Lea is doing really well, she is a little sore but I just wanted to share photo taken on the day after she got out of hospital - her little face can finally be seen with the tube gone from her nose.

Another bit of good news for me this week was that I had a few photos in a competition in our camera club, The Peggy Hanna competition has 2 sections, floral and nature and I won the floral section and another of my photos was on the shortlist too.

So there you are, even when you are having a horrible week, two good things come out of it.

Ta M