Blogging For Scrapbookers Prompt # 6

In this prompt Shimelle asks us to blog about our goals that we are working towards.

I have done this before when I blogged all about buying our house and watching it being built - from the digging of the foundations right up to moving in day and beyond.

I have a couple of reading goals which are quite apparent on my blog and mainly involve books and reading. I have set myself a personal goal to read 70 books in 2011 - a slight increase from the 68 I read in 2010. Not doing too badly at the moment as I am up to number 24! I am also taking part in the Chick Lit Reading challenge for 2011 which involves reading 12 books from this genre but it must include 2 by debut authors. I am also taking part in the Mystery and Suspense reading challenge which is very similar but I'm not doing so well with that one - only 1 book out of 12 read so far.

Two other reading challenges that I haven't even started yet are the Stephen King one (also run by Book Chick City where I am trying to read 6 of his books and relive my youth) And finally there is the Wish I Had Read That Challenge over on My Love Affair With Books which I have joined at the curious level - to read 3 books which I wish I had read.

Here are my three choices:

The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards.

You can find link s for all these reading challenges over on the right in my side bar.

I will also be blogging our exploits as I did last year as a novice gardener - so far our biggest success is the rhubarb - a gift from Nanny all the way from her garden in Wales - which is being forced under an over sized plant pot. Hopefully we will be sampling it soon - might even post a photo of that too!!!

WOYWW 30 March

I think I went MIA last week with nothing crafty happening on my desk - too many other things going on.

So this week it is Mother's Day cards and as usual I have left things till the last minute - always the coos tail! But they are now all finished and ready to go in the postbox on my way to work this morning.

Doesn't my desk look amazingly tidy - but that is due to the lack of crafting I fear.







These little beauties have just arrived from the Banana Frog sale - can't wait to have a play.







Pop over and see Julia and find out what everyone else is up to today.

A new author

The other week I entered a competition over on Facebook to win a copy of the new book by Clodagh Murphy. She wasn't an author I had ever heard of before but the description of the book sounded good - - especially when it said fans of Sophie Kinsella and Marain Keyes would love it.

Jenny Hannigan might be a good-time party girl, but all she secretly craves is a life of domestic bliss and solid respectability - worlds away from her troubled upbringing back in Ireland. So when she crashes into the arms of Richard Allam -- the young, handsome, recently separated politician hotly tipped to lead his party to victory in the upcoming election -- she thinks she's found her perfect match.

Richard's spin doctor, charismatic publicist Dev Tennant, thinks otherwise. Charged with putting a positive spin on the relationship, Dev soon discovers that Jenny has more than one skeleton in her closet - and as the election gathers momentum, he is working overtime trying to keep them there.
And as Jenny's life starts to spiral out of control, suddenly she isn't sure what she wants anymore ...

The book arrived in today's post along with a lovely postcard from the author herself - looking forward to reading it.

Blogging For Scrapbookers Prompt # 5

I can see clearly now...............

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

This week I managed to finish The Friendship Test by Elizabeth Noble, The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham and Bloody Valentine by James Patterson (a Quick Reads title.)

I am currently reading Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy. I have only ever tried to read one of hers before (it was a collection of short stories) but it didn't do anything for me and I gave up on it. Minding Frankie is a lot better:















Baby Frankie is born into an unusual family. Her mother is desperate to find someone to take care of her child and she doesn't have much time. Noel doesn't seem to be the most promising of fathers but despite everything, he could well be Frankie's best hope. As for Lisa, she is prepared to give up everything for the man she loves; surely he's going to love her back? And Moira is having none of it. She knows what's right, and has the power to change the course of Frankie's life ...but Moira is hiding secrets of her own. MINDING FRANKIE is a story about unconventional families, relationships which aren't quite what they seem, and the child at the heart of everyone's lives ...


Still waiting to be read this week is A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French and Love Always by Harriet Evans (which I can't renew at the library as there is a reservation against it.)



























Pop over to The Book Journey and see what everyone else has on their to be read pile this week.

Mystery and Suspense Challenge 2011 # 1

I signed up for this reading challenge over at Book Chick City some time ago but for some reason I have read only one book from this genre this year - I seem to be reading lighter chick lit style books that I can pick up and put down easily.

The one I have read is Blind Fury by Lynda La Plante I have read a few of her books before and found then to be real page turners.



A motorway service station on the M1: dimly lit, run down, poorly supervised, flickering lights, dark corners; a favourite stopover for long-distance lorry drivers on their way up north from London. Behind it, a body is found in a ditch, that of a girl barely out of her teens. She appears to have no family, no friends, no connections anywhere. Other girls have gone missing in the vicinity and no one has stepped forward to claim them. Anna Travis is assigned to the case. Her blood runs cold when she receives a letter from a lifer -- someone she was responsible for arresting in the past -- who writes to her from prison, asking her to visit him urgently. For he claims he knows who the killer is...

This is the 6th outing for Anna Travis and while I like the character I think the recent TV dramatisations have spoilt her slightly - now when I read I only see Kelly Reilly as Anna and Ciaran Hinds as Langton. Overall I prefer the Prime Suspect novels - bring back Jane Tennison all is forgiven.

Saying that there were some good twists and turns in the plot - I just with Travis wasn't such a Miss Goody Two Shoes!!

Less Is More # 8

This weeks challenge uses a sketch. Now I am well used to sketches for scrapbook pages but not for card making.



















This card changed several times before it was finally finished. Originally I stamped a heart image from the same kraft cardstock as the base but decided something just didn't look right. Then I spotted my rather under used Martha Stewart vintage dove punch and punched one bird in kraft and one in black. I then used an X Cut border punch (concha) for the strip of black card under the doves. The sentiment is by Kaisercraft.

Not my usual style but I am pleased with how it has turned out.
























You can see wveryone elses interpretation of the sketch here.

52 Weeks In B&W # 13

Early morning ice on the car last week.

Blogging For Scrapbookers Prompt # 4

For this prompt we were asked to blog about the mundane - and that I can most definitely do!!

You can't get more mundane than a shopping bag - but this is no ordinary bag - it is a reusable bag designed by Orla Keily. And it cost the princely sum of £4.00!! Apparently it is called "Scribble Pear" and is the first in a new range which are being sold in Tesco Extra stores. Money from the sale of each bag is being divided between 2 charities - CLIC Sargent which is the Tesco charity of the year for 2010 and the Royal College of Art which is Orla's personal charity which funds bursaries for textile students.

But no grocery shopping will be going into this bag as it is far too nice (and I have a multitude of more boring hessian bags for that purpose) This one will be used to transport my library book to and from the library - so a special bag indeed.

You can read more about these bags here.

Skywatch Friday

Series 4, episode 37.

In the words of John Denver "I'm leaving on a jet plane..........."

Well I will be in 3 months time - to visit family and I can't wait.

Blogging For Scrapbookers Prompt # 3

In this prompt Shimelle asked us think about some of our favourite things. I had to think about this one as I have lots of favourites - books, songs TV programmes, blogs..............

But I decided on my favourite authors of the moment. Now this list changes and I am sure some of my favourite authors 12 months ago wouldn't make my top 10 today.

Diane Chamberlain: Have read a few of her books now and each one has been unputdownable! She seems to be compared with Jodi Picoult and I think her writing is just as good.

Jodi Picoult: Like so many other people I picked up My Sister's Keeper after it was included in the Richard and Judy book club going back a few years. And I was hooked. Andy picked me up copies of her earlier books in the States as at that time you couldn't get them here. Only one book Songs of the Humpback Whale has been a disappointment. Looking forward to her new book Sing You Home out in April.

Elizabeth Noble My current favourite author. I really loved Things I Want My Daughters To Know - I cried sitting on a plane down to London reading that one! Her current book The Way We Were was very good too.

Jane Green: I still have some of her earlier books to read but The Beach House has to be my favourite.

Dorothy Koomson: I read The Ice Cream Girls whilst on a camping holiday to the Isle of Lewis and fell in love with this author. I have her previous books sitting on the shelf waiting to be read and am waiting for her current one to come into the library.

Katie Fforde: I love all Katie Ffordes books - you can escape into the pages which such like able characters - she never lets me down!

I am a huge fan of Goodreads and have found so many recommendations for good books and new authors that I don't think I could ever run short of reading material.

I know my reading choices aren't highbrow and I suppose many book snobs (and there are plenty out there beleive me) would look down their noses at my choices but I don't care. I love a good book - to curl up on the sofa or in bed with a hot drink and a good book - perfect.

The photo at the top of this post is a couple of recent additions to my book pile. When we moved into this house I reluctantly got rid of quite a few boxes of books and I have been very good in using my local library more and more (thankfully my local library is very popular with usage on the increase so hopefully no danger of it being closed)But when I passed my local charity bookshop the other afternoon and saw they had a closing down sale on (I will miss this place) I had to go and have a look didn't I?????

Blogging For Scrapboookers Prompt # 2

In this prompt Shimelle asked us to think about privacy issues in relation to our blogs. I freely admit it isn't something I really think about when it comes to blogging as to me it is just plain old common sense (looking back on my prompt 2 post from 2009 my views haven't changed.) If you divulge too much personal information then you are asking for trouble - so no mention of the actual schools the boys attend, my address or car registration numbers (although the current number plate may soon be winging it's way to the crusher along with the car it is attached too!! That maybe a story for another day though!)

I read lots of blogs (and that number may increase due to this class) as don't think I have seen anything that made me think that I wouldn't have posted such information. I think people divulge far more on Facebook with regards to photographs etc (but I have to confess in loving FB and probably spending too much time on there than is good for me!)

Sadly I no longer post so many photos of my boys - they are both becoming more and more camera shy which I think is such a shame - I have to try and catch them unawares!!

Blogging For Scrapbookers - Prompt # 1

Shimelle is re running her Blogging For Scrapbookers class again this year - it was originally run in 2009 and in true style I don't think I got very far with it at all (tell me something new!!) It's not that Shimelles classes aren't inspiring - it is just that my good intentions at the start of each new class soon fall by the wayside.

Shimelle has given us 3 different options with this class - little or no time, a bit more time and time to play. And I am pretty certain I fall into the first category. Time seems to be of the essence around here just at the moment and I will go down the quick and easy route.

I have been blogging now for quite some time but was amazed that my little blog goes back to September 2007. I originally started it when I signed up for Cheryl's Painting With Light Course and we needed somewhere to share our photographs. This was one of my first:



From these small beginnings I caught the blogging bug and now blog about anything and everything. I have taken part in a few photography challenges (Project 365, 52 Walks With My Camera and currently and A-Z challenge) and along the way I have met some lovely people who share my love of photography. Currently I am playing along with 2 different card making blogs and having a lot of fun with that - so much so that scrapbooking has taken even more of a back seat. Reading features quite heavily on my blog too - posting reviews for a couple of different challenge blogs.

Part of the reason I blog I think is because all my family live at the other end of the country (not by choice originally as being a forces wife I had little or no say over which part of the country we were moved to) but we have now decided to settle in the North East of Scotland and 2 years ago bought our first house (and yes I blogged that from the foundations being laid to moving in day and beyond!) My blog lets family member read and see what we have been up to as a family - although with the boys getting older photographs of them are a bit like hen's teeth!

I am looking forward to visiting other peoples blogs during this class and hopefully making some new cyber friends along the way.

You can read more about this class here.

World Book Night 2011

I would like to say a big thank you to Mel over at I Speak Melsh for my World Book Day 2011 giveaway which arrived in deepest darkest Scotland yesterday. The book is Case Histories by Kate Atkinson - I haven't read any of her books before so shall look forward to it - once I have ploughed through the ever growing mountain of library books I have beside my bed (I really must stop going into Waterstones/WHSmiths/Tesco/Asda etc and seeing books I would like to read - and then requesting them from the library. The chap in my local library did describe me as one of their more prolific "requesters" - not sure if that is a good or bad thing - but if you don't use our libraries then we might lose a very valuable resource.

Thank you again Mel.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

I have picked up another book by Elizabeth Noble who is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. It is called The Friendship Test (although I think it was previously published with the title The Tenko Club.)

I am old enough to have watched Tenko and even though I was a child I can remember loving the programme. Each of the friends in the book can relate to different characters in the show - one is the camp commandant, one would sleep with the guard to get food to share with her friends, one would sleep with the guards to get food for herself etc.

So far I am loving each of the characters and the story is really pulling me in - I think it will be one of those books you don't want to end. Sadly when I have finished it it means I only have one of her books left to read - Alphabet Weekends - until her new one When You Were Mine comes out.























Next in my to be read pile is Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham (aka Sophie Kinsella) - really enjoy these books and A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French.






















Pop over to The Book Journey to see what everyone else is reading this week.

Weekly Challenge

I haven't done a weekly challenge over on UKS for quite some time and it just so happened that one of the half finished pages on my desk was perfect - and it gave me the kick up the bum required to actually get it done.

The challenge was as follows:

White space – 10 points
1 or 2 photographs – 10 points
Bling – 10 points


Now white space I can do - I find it very difficult to fill a page so this was easy. I only used the one photo - there shouldn't be any surprise there! And I added 3 yellow gems at the end which fitted in nicely.

Another goofy face from Callum - it looks as though the photo was taken in Roseisle but I can't for the life of me remember when. I have had a quick trawl back through my photo files on the PC with no luck in finding it - I hate not being able to put a date on a page as even if I don't do any journalling them in years to come when I look back on my pages I will at least know when the photo was taken.

The paper are Origins by Basic Grey, the flowers were mad using my retro flower punches and the journalling stamp s from an old Scrapapgogo kit.

Less Is More # 7

This week over on the Less Is More blog were were given a theme - one that put the fear of god into me - masculine!!

I don't have any male themed stamps sets - I can see plenty of people using gardening, cars and bikes on their cards so had to go for a rummage through my stamps.

In the end I saw this idea over on the Banana Frog blog and decided to adapt it (you should pop on over tot heir shop as they have a brilliant sale on at the moment) I used 2 sets of Banana Frog stamps - Fireworks for the back ground stamped in silver and charcoal Versamark inks. The sentiment is from the Sentimental Style set. I did one using the same sizes circular firework stamp and the other using 2 sizes. I think they both work and would both be suitable for the men in my life.

52 Weeks In B&W # 12

This was taken in the Burrell Collection in Glasgow but for the life of me I cannot remember who the sculpture is by - it was in the same section as The Thinker by Rodin.

Skywatch Friday

Series 4, Episode 36.

I wonder if this is the same oil rig out in the distance that I photographed the other weekend? Then I was walking along Findhorn beach and this time I was on Roseisle Beach which is just along the coast.

In the foreground are the old WW11 2 sea defences which were used by the Americans and Canadians during training exercises for the D Day landings.
























I have been over to the Skywatch Friday blog to have a look at the other photos and my breath was taken away by this photo over on Wick Daily Photo - I would so love to see the Northern Lights - which is possible from here - but I just haven't been lucky enough. My friend Brenda was lucky enough to see them in Fraserburgh recently and you can see her photo here.

A Little Box

Back last month I showed you a little bag of bits and pieces that Erika gave us in order to make something for the Christmas Hopeman crop (which was subsequently cancelled due to lots and lots of lovely snow!)

In amongst my stash I found a little cardboard box which was perfect for decorating. The papers are Tis The Season by Bo Bunny and from the kit I used the spotty red ribbon, the large white bloom, the red button and a couple of the pins.

I am pleased with how it turned out as it is the first time I have done anything like this. But what to do with it now - apart from sitting on the shelf gathering dust. It was filled with small Lindor choccies - but they didn't last long!!

WOYWW 16th March

Not much creating going on around here I'm afraid - it is a case of having the gear - but no idea!!

My yummy kit arrived from Gottacraft - containing For The Record papers by Echo Park. Need to find out some photos but I think they are perfect for LOs of the boys. I have Echo Park papers near the top of my wish list when I go to the States in a couple of months time - not that I am counting or anything!!




I found a fab tutorial to make paper rosettes using these punches on the tinterweb the other day so will be giving them a go - these are Christmas papers by Bo Bunny - but I won't be making a Christmas card.
























And I have been having a play with my lovely (preowned) punch - can see me using it lots.





Please pop over and see what everyone else is busy making over at the Stamping Ground.

Chick Lit Reading Challenge # 9

This week I have read The Birthday Party by Veronica Henry - I have read some of her earlier books such as The Honeycote Series (Honeycote, Making Hay and Just A Family Affair.)

Delilah Rafferty has lived out her tempestuous marriage to hell-raiser Raf in the full glare of the media spotlight. Now, from the luxurious comfort of her beautiful kitchen, Delilah is planning her birthday party, a night that will see a star-studded gathering of friends and family celebrate in traditional Rafferty style. But she has more on her mind than just invitations...Raf has been offered a part in a movie he can't refuse. But will that mean he'll succumb to the temptations he's struggled so hard to resist for the last ten years - beautiful women and too much wine? And Delilah's three daughters, Coco, Violet and Tyger, are building careers of their own, only too aware that the press are waiting for them to slip up. For although the Rafferty girls might look like angels, they are only human. As with all families, there are secrets and rivalries bubbling away, and on one gloriously starry night, it's all going to come spilling out This is your invitation to a birthday party of the year...





















This was a fun read which I managed to get through quite quickly - it was a bit racy in parts which is different to some of her earlier books. Lots of different characters in the Rafferty family to keep up with but I would describe it as the perfect holiday read.

52 Card Challenge # 10

A proper challenge for me last week over on the Paper and Ribbons blog - it was vintage (such a scary word) layer and decorative pins.

I struggle with anything vintage as I never quite know quite what to include. In the end I finally broke into my Scrapagogo Attic Treasures kit which I bought in their sale back in January. The papers are Restoration by Crate Paper as I thought they had a vintage feel to them. On top of the main strip of paper I added some lace and then another thinner layer of paper. The flower was inked (along with everything else I think!) and added on top of a Maya Road Kraft Doilie. I finished it off with an antique brass brad from Making Memories.

But it was only when I went back to look at the original challenge that I realised I had forgotten the decorative pins - too late now!!