HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA...

This is the card I made for Emma's birthday...copied from this months Simply Handmade...I covered the front of the card with a sheet from MME Wild Asparagus collection and then took a piece of cream card and spritzed it with Butterscotch Alcohol Ink (mixed with water) and then Gold Perfect Pearls (mixed with water) then stamped the flourishes using SU Old Olive - I had originally done this the other way round, stamped then spritzed but the flourishes blurred-oops!!! I stitched this piece onto the card using a zig-zag stitch and proceeded to snap one of the needles and then the thread kept breaking but I don't think the stitching was that bad considering (Emma just don't look too closely at the back). I made a couple of popsicle flowers and attached these using brads, added some green ribbon with a little tag attached, dotted some diamontes around for a bit of sparkle and voila...there you have it!!! I hope she liked it....

This is one I made a while ago (again inspired from a Simply book)... I think the patterned paper is K&Co, I made the heart using the Cricut and then embossed with the Sizzix...used an SU punch on the edge of the notepaper(for my friend), the flower is one I got from Au Natural and the rub-on I bought last year from Dyan's shop at Scrap Attack...I really like these and didn't realise til I rubbed it on that it was a 'fuzzy' rub-on... (sorry can't remember who makes them as I keep losing the packet). I sent this one to my friend Di, just because... x

STAY YOUNG MY FRIEND...

We all need to read this one over and over until it becomes part of who we are!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Try everything twice.

On one woman's tombstone she said she wanted this epitaph: "Tried everything twice.loved it both times!"

2. Keep only cheerful friends.

The grouches pull you down. (Keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches!)

3. Keep learning:

Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever...
Never let the brain get idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.'
And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud.

Laugh until you gasp for breath.
And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with HIM/HER.

6. The tears happen:

Endure, grieve, and move on.
The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves.
LIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love:

Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever....
Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health:

If it is good, preserve it.
If it is unstable, improve it.
If it is beyond what you can improve, get help...

9. Don't take guilt trips.

Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is....

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

I love you, my special friend.

11. Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second chance...

And if you don't send this to at least 4 people - who cares?

But do share this with someone.

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

WHERE TO START...

It's been another busy weekend which started on Friday with this gorgeous bouquet of flowers arriving at lunchtime..... They were so big I had to put Niamh in the photo so you can see the size of them. Sorry, it's not often I get flowers so it sends me a bit doolally when I do...lm(ws)ao

Not so good at arranging, so they were duly plonked into the beautiful jug that Susan gave me for my birthday last year and they look stunning.... They were actually an early Mother's Day present from Allan and the kids (he is away at the mo)....

Next up is Niamh who insisted on having her photo taken at the same time.... I just love this outfit that she got from Santa...she looks adorable in it...

On to Saturday... up at the crack of dawn (well earlier than usual for a Saturday), drop Ellie at her friend Chloe's for the day and then me, Morgan, Libby and Niamh set of for Elgin for a judo competition... only just passed Pitcaple and Morgan said 'Do you have my book?'(he needs to produce his judo licence to be able to compete on the day)....Drat, no I didn't so it was about turn and we flew back to Inverurie for it... Made the weigh-in with about 15 minutes to spare... He did brilliantly well...won 3 out of 4 fights earning him another bronze medal...Well done...

After that we had to wait for nearly 3 hours for the medals to be presented.... I was supposed to be popping in past Mayne House to see Sharon, Erica, Fiona, Emma, etc who were staying there for a weekend of crafting but I had to get back to pick up Ellie... Niamh also missed the birthday party she was supposed to be going to...

Sunday and Mother's Day - some really lovely handmade cards from the kids - much better than shop bought ones, schoolmade truffles and a lovely owl necklace that Libby got her friend's mum to buy when we were in town shopping last week (forgot to take a picture of it)

Also this lovely poem that Ellie has written at school... I was dead chuffed with it...

Today we have been to football over at Kemnay in the pouring rain, luckily I was able to get a space next to the pitch so we didn't get wet watching...lol... back to Inverurie where I popped into Tesco for some veg for tea and came back to the car where Niamh had been sick - she has spent most of the rest of the day in bed fast asleep, bless...

I decided to try to finish my March pages which I started last weekend... I had already prepped a page using the green Adirondack paint dabbers to I did another and then painted spots on using green and orange, when they were dry I went over some of them with a faint wash of white then added some dots in opposite corners using the sequin waste that Sonja brought me over last week... I added some stamped Blonde Moments flowers in Spiced Marmalade distress ink.....

Only thing is once it was all dry I wasn't really that happy with it, so I did a thin coat of gesso over the top with the intention of starting again but I found that I actually quite liked it so I added a few Spiced Marmalade dots using the SU Daubers and then tried (but didn't succeed very well) to scribble white circles on top using the Inkssentials white pen and the Uniball Signo one... still, I liked the effect as it was more subtle like the background now...

I had cut out some flower shapes using the Cricut for my days and I was pondering how to do the March 2010 when I seen my Art Journal cover which has bunting on the top so I made some out of a dictionary page painted with gesso and stamped up... It was quite tricky adding it to the page but I do like it....

This is how it looked before I added the days...

WOW...

Well here we are at the Rusty Pickle classes over at Simply Create, Alford....and what a blast they were... the first one started of quite sedate although there was good lot of giggling from us girls on the naughty table, Erika, Emma, Jayne, Kara and me....

This was the first class.... 'My Life Album'

Lorraine and Emma

Mr Pickle in action....

Don't you just love Jacqui's chandelier in the shop - its gorgeous.....

Second book 'Pocket Pop'

This one was a way faster pace but I think most of us managed to keep up although Emma was losing the will to live at one point... The main focus of this book is the pop-up shape that is hidden inside the back cover....

Judy and me with Lance...

And last but not least the gorgeous and lush star prize that I won which is the 'This is Us' kit - loads of stash in it.....thank you...

RUSTY PICKLE...

Can't wait for this afternoon when I am of to Simply Create in Alford to do the Rusty Pickle classes... that's if the flipping snow stops - I am really sick of it now and want it to STOP - woke up this morning to find it is dinging on again but hopefully it is just a passing shower and won't lie.....PLEEEEEASE!!!!! Will post you an update tomorrow about how I get on.... so exciting...

Oh yes and Sonja emailed me this yesterday and has posted about it on her blog....Oh My God - how lush are those colours... xoxo