Road to nowhere

Well - not exactly as this is the road (actually a cul de sac) that leads down to our house.

Finally after 15 1/2 months of living here we have some tarmac on our road. It did mean that I was blocked on my drive for ten minutes when I tried to do the school run as I had to wait for assorted machinery to be moved. And later in the day all cars had to be abandoned at the top of the estate as there was no way we could get down.




But the tarmac won't be staying black for long as we have been informed by the developer that we are getting red tarmac - according to them it is more "executive" whatever that may mean - although the boys think it is going to be cool!

But I think I might miss all those raised manhole covers when they are gone - will I actually be able to drive in a straight line up the road instead of weaving in and out like a F1 warm up lap????

And look at the difference in the sky from this mornings Skywatch post. Today was beautiful blue skies wth fluffy white clouds.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Wishing you a lovely weekend!





Me thinks he looks just a bit too happy to be covered in mud!














More rugby this weekend - only this time it is to watch how it should be done by the professionals at Murrayfield Magic down in Edinburgh. 3 Super League games back to back - but I do have other things planned for the long weekend - large ships, seabirds, walking and Ikea!!!

See more {this moment} photos here.

Skywatch Friday

I love watching the clouds - but the other day it was big black rain clouds I watched heading their way up the valley.






You can see more Skywatch Friday photos here.

WOYWW - or What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday

And the short answer is not a lot.

My desk got sort of tidied after the UKS cybercrop on Sunday and there has been nothing crafty going on since - even though I still had some of the Create 10 projects to finish.

But on my desk are a couple of recent purchases waiting to be put away.

After a mooch this afternoon in my local charity bookshop I came home with the new Lisa Jewell paperback. It must be quite a recent release this year as my library doesn't have a copy yet - and this one is in mint condition so I didn't mind parting with 2 quid. I really enjoyed The Truth About Melody Brown so I hope this one is just as good. (Just found out that this book was only published this month so even more pleased to have found a cheap second hand copy.)





















Some 6x4 photo paper from Asda - a billy bargain at 2 quid a throw. Might pop back and see if they have anymore left as my printer seems to like it - and it can be quite fussy at times!





















Next is some bakers twine. I had never heard of it before I read Faye's post on her blog - and it came up a couple of times in the Create 10 projects. Good old Ebay came yup trumps and I got brown, green, black and red twine for about 70p each which isn't too bad as I think a little will go a long way.















Finally I have my only recent purchase from a scrapping shop. Polka Dot Crafts were offering free post and packaging over the weekend so I ordered 2 sheets of Doodlebug Hopscotch alphabet stickers in Bon Bon brown. The order came to less than three pounds but when it arrived yesterday it was beautifully wrapped in brown tissue paper with a handwritten card thanking me for my order and even a free gift of a pack of paper and felt blooms. What lovely customer service - I would highly recommend them.






















And my last bit of news is that I won a giveaway competition over on the ATDML blog - all you had to do was leave a comment about the last LO you had made. Not sure what I have won yet but it will be a scrapping parcel not worth less than £25.00.





They say things come in threes - first my glasses and now this - I must go and buy a lottery ticket this week!!!!

Mud, mud, glorious mud

Mud, mud, glorious mud
Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood


Or in the case of 9 year old boys - perfect for clarting themselves from head to toe in!!!!

Sunday was the Moray Rugby Tournament held in Elgin and I drew the short straw to take Callum along (leaving Andy to dig the vegetable patch!) The boys started off in the dry and relatively clean as you can see:



Cal saw lots of action - scoring a few tries and tackling anything (or anyone) who moved! But then the rain started in earnest and I soon retreated to the confines of my car along with a good book and my flask of hot chocolate!






Even dogs like watching rugby it seems!!















And this was the sight that greeted me on my return to the pitch:





















I think it is safe to say by the smiles on their faces that this lot enjoyed their day - mud included! But isn't that what boys should be doing at a weekend - taking part in team sports and having fun?
















































Not so good was having to try and clean his kit afterwards!!!!

New specs

I managed to chose a new pair of glasses in about 20 minutes on Saturday - I was imagining spending hours trying on pair after pair. Even better when you can go and order them and not have to pay the £125 as they were my prize from a recent competition in my local paper.



They should be ready by the end of the week - along with my spare pair of glasses which are having the lenses tinted so I will have a pair of prescription sunglasses too. I thought it was a bit excessive to have 3 pairs of glasses when I can only wear one pair at a time (I'm not Elton John you know!!!!)



They look brown in these pictures but they arms and inside the frames are actually green - and look different depending on how the light is hitting them.

Team Kaizen

Did it again!!

Members of the Elite team headed down to Glasgow for the full contact world championship qualifiers - for Sam this was his first experience of full contact fighting in a ring. In one way I was quite glad I didn't go as I am sure I wouldn't have liked to have witnessed his fights. On the other hand I would have loved to have seen his face when he won second place.





Everyone qualified which was just fantastic - and it means that Sam has now qualified to fight at the world championships in October in three categories - light, semi and full contact. It is now just a waiting game to see who gets the places.

So a huge congratulations to everyone - all that hard work and training is paying off.

Final cybercrop class.

I only managed three classes in total this weekend as I had other things on - although there are a couple more I fancy doing at a later date.

This class was called The Strand and was designed by Sarah Youde.




I don't normally do pages with more than one photo so this was something different for me. I love the punched borders on the middle photo and think this is something I would use again. The class called for hand sewing which was fine (I cheated a bit and used a Bazzill In Stitchz template) but I didn't have any raffia so I left that bit out. I used Crate Paper Little Sprout papers.




I apologise for scrapping the same photo twice in one weekend but I am limited to what photos I can chose from as all the old ones are on the hard drive which was removed from the computer before it went to be repaired - I really need to get them transferred (or take more photos!!)

More cybercropping.

Almost unheard of for me to do more than one scrapbook page in a day - but after looking at some of the classes I felt inspired.

This is my take on The Angel, Islington class designed by Angie Woolfall. It involved hand cutting the frames which wasn't too bad - it took me longer to chose the papers to use. In the end I went for Rough and Tough by Fancy Pants and the photo is the one I used for this weeks {one moment)




Callum had been tasked with taking a photo of me having my hair cut on Wednesday (supposedly for the Week in the Life class being run by Ali Edwards - I subsequently ran out of steam on Thursday as I couldn't quite see the point of it all and knew fine well that I would never make the album to put the photos in!!!) but as all self respecting 9 year olds have to do - they have to start taking photos of themselves!!!! But this photo really does show Callum in his true colours!!





Loved this class - as it made me try something a wee bit different.

Cyber cropping

I have managed to do the first class which went up at 7pm on Friday night. On the Monopoly theme it was called Bow Street and was designed by Sarah Palmer (Gertie)

The class called for paint to make the title - but I don't do paint so I stamped it instead using Pink Paislee Vintage Pop alpha stamps.




Loved this class as it mean using up more scraps and other bits and pieces. The papers are October Afternoon, the bingo card is a Maya Road stamp (which I have had for ages and never used!) The chipboard circle is Scenic Route and the other stamps used were Making Memories (for the memories word surprisingly enough!) Bo Bunny for the butterfly and Scrapagogo for the number in a circle.










































The second class looks good too and calls for some hand cutting - so I maybe some time!

UKS Cyber Crop

The UKS Cyber Crop is underway this weekend. The first class went up at 7pm and it was a stunner by Gertie. I love her work so really enjoyed this class - a picture to follow tomorrow.

The theme this year is Monopoly - and I am a Top Hat!!

Create 10 - Project 5

Journalling the Day

This has to be the most fun class I have done - no worries about matching up patterned papers to photos and picking out coordinating embellishments.





The aim of this project as to fill the page with our own personality and not to worry about photos or style so that when we look back on them they should instantly transport us back to that day - no matter how seemingly uneventful it was.

I used scraps of different October Afternoon and Cosmo Cricket paper (I knew there was a reason I keep even the tiniest squares!) and then came the fun bit of added the embellishments. Random alphas were picked - a perfect way of using up those odd letters and other odds and ends I had been keeping for some reason. The bling angel wings I got out of a kit and would never have used them normally and I just love the little camera charm I picked up in my local craft shop.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Wishing you a lovely weekend!




See more moments over on SouleMama.

PS - This is what happens when you give a 9 year old boy a camera!!!

Skywatch Friday

Spotted these little chaps flying overhead while in the garden hanging out the washing the other morning. If they have any sense they are heading somewhere warmer - especially after it actually snowing here this week!!!!




See more Skywatch Friday photos here - and maybe play along too.

Create 10 - Project # 4

I know I have missed out project #3 (which was a fabby noticeboard) but I am still trying to source some supplies - namely a cheap pin board to alter.

This project was called Easy Embellishing and it was a way of using up some of those scraps we all have lurking.




We had a variation of the bunting theme (T shirts for boy photos and cute little sundresses for girlie pics) and the flower was supposed to be made out of scraps of fabric. Here I had to start improvising as I don't do sewing so don't have any scraps. I used coordinating punched circles of paper and some quick origami to produce a flower.




The papers I have used are October Afternoon Hometown, with Banana Frog Pharmacy stamps for the title and the scalloped stamp is by Hero Arts. The photo is of Callum planting his sunflower seeds the other weekend.

I am so pleased to have signed up for this class - shame it finishes so soon. Roll on the next one.

WOYWW - What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday

Had a few comments last week about my desk looking too tidy. I think it is a bit messier this week - but not much.

In the middle of another Create 10 project - it's is almost finished and I should be able to share a picture or two later.

Best book of the year

Quite simply this is the best book I have read this year - not my usual read but I was drawn in right from the beginning. The only thing that let the book down was that I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I haven't read The Time Traveler's Wife and in a way I am quite glad about that as I had no preconceptions when I picked this one off the library shelf. I would recommend this book to everyone.

Julia and Valentina Poole are normal American teenagers - normal, at least, for identical 'mirror' twins who have no interest in college or jobs or possibly anything outside their cozy suburban home. But everything changes when they receive notice that an aunt whom they didn't know existed has died and left them her flat in an apartment block overlooking Highgate Cemetery in London. They feel that at last their own lives can begin ...but have no idea that they've been summoned into a tangle of fraying lives, from the obsessive-compulsive crossword setter who lives above them to their aunt's mysterious and elusive lover who lives below them, and even to their aunt herself, who never got over her estrangement from the twins' mother - and who can't even seem to quite leave her flat. With Highgate Cemetery itself a character and echoes of Henry James and Charles Dickens, "Her Fearful Symmetry" is a delicious and deadly twenty-first-century ghost story about Niffenegger's familiar themes of love, loss and identity. It is certain to cement her standing as one of the most singular and remarkable novelists of our time.

Blog Candy

Of the very best kind.

Pop over to Tracie's blog as she is giving away the Pencil Lines new sketch book and some Cosmo Cricket goodies.

Create 10 - Project #2

Today's project was called Scrapa Doodle Do and took me right out of my comfort zone.

I don't do doodling - I like nice straight lines (that makes me sound like I am slightly deranged or have OCD!) I wasn't too bad with the doodle template but the actual colouring in was hard as I kept thinking it all looked too messy. But the overall effect worked in the end.




The ribbon hearts were fun to make and not something I would have done before this class. And Sam thinks it looks cool which is a bonus.

I used Pink Paislee Spring Fling scraps of paper and assorted blooms, buttons and brads.





























































The photo is of Sam taken at Stokesay Castle over Easter.

I was supposed to be taking part in Ali Edwards Week In The Life class this week - I have taken some photos for today but don't feel particularly inspired - so maybe I will just playing along with Creat 10.