MY MONTH IN NUMBERS

So today I had a comment from Julie Kirk from Notes on Paper about her Months in Numbers challenge that I had looked at earlier so I thought I would start joining in as of this month...so if anyone else fancies joining me you can find all the details over here...

Kirsti xxx

A LAYOUT FROM ME....

After seeing all Sonja's LOs lately she has put me to shame as I wouldn't actually like to say when the last time was that I completed a LO...we have also made a stash busting/finish online classes and UFOs pact so hopefully this will be the first of many and if I write it down for all to see it will have to be won't it...lol...

This is a LO out using the last Simply Create Design Team Kit which is sadly the last one...I have enjoyed my time on the DT and keeping the blog up to date so thank you Jacqui...

This is a pic that was in a post a couple of weeks ago when we went geocaching for the first time...

I started of with the plain cardstock which I sprayed with various inks..some places better than others...and oops I have just remembered that I used a sketch that Sonja had used earlier in the week which can be found below...

I cut out one of the big daisy like flowers from the pattern papers(Glitz Afternoon Muse Floral) and cut down into the petals and inked with Vintage Photo distress ink then added some glossy accents to the centre and filled with seed beads...

Family Fun is done with some chipboard letters painted with hazelnut paint dabber and coated with crackle accent and fun (from the Lost & Found Union Square Perfect stamps) is stamped in Timber Brown stazon...

Before inking I laid out the ribbon creating a mask and then used the 2 ribbons to tie the buttons and cut out a couple of leaves from the floral paper.

Found this giant tag in my stash box(along with 4 more) so I decided to do a little hidden journaling and finished it of with the last of the ribbons...

TFL

Kirsti xx

Well here is my very late offering for this month's design team kit from Simply Create...sorry it took so long and all that....

I started with a blank canvasboard and added some dressmaking pattern using ModPodge(don't worry about the creases and crinkles too much, it just adds to the texture of the background) and then coloured it in green and blue paint....

I was going to cut the bunting flags(Glitz-Afternoon Muse Banner) from the 12x12 out individually until I realised that if I cut out just that bit of it fitted perfectly onto the canvas and I love the way the paper blends in with the painted background..I did cut round the bottom row and crumpled them a bit tho for a bit more of a layered look....

I used various stamps from the DT set of Lost and Found(Union Square 'Perfect') and a couple of Stampin Up rollers which I like as you don't get the whole image just bits of it to add interest to the background....I also splattered some Stampin Up All Purpose Ink in Frost White using a paintbrush...

I made various flowers which were duly crumpled and inked using cardstock and added buttons and ribbon and pearls for the centres and hand drew the stalks and leaves...I almost forgot I did the very bottom of the canvas with Ranger Distress Crackle Paint in Antique Linen and then added some more lovely shimmery ink from Stampin Up for some added shine..

I cut out the word SUMMER using Tim Holtz Vintage Market Die and added a few little drops of shimmer ink to that to...

Thanks for looking and have a great summer everyone...I have enjoyed my roll on the Design Team very much - it has definitely given me a little more confidence in myself....

Kirsti xxxx

PINTEREST....

Just a quickie to let you know about this site called Pinterest that Sonja pointed me in the direction of a couple of months ago but I couldn't quite get to grips with...well I have now and it's fab...great for storing all those things you see online and don't want to forget about!!! Go check it out...I am sure you will become as addicted as me, Sonja and quite possible even Julie...lol....


Kirsti xxx

TAKE THAT AND A SPOT OF GEOCACHING....

Hello again...well I just thot I would show you a 'few' photos of what I have been up to the last week or two...On Wednesday 8th June I went to see Take That in Manchester with my very good friend Liz and her mum Gill and her sister Jane...

We had a fabulous time despite the fact that it practically rained non-stop from when we got of the plane til we got up on the Thursday morning for our shopping day...

The boys and all the pitch fans must have been soaked to the skin cos I know we were by the time we walked back to our apartment...

Ooooh Howard....mmmmmh...

No this is Lizzie...hehee...that's Howard above!!!

We had a ball shopping the next day at the Arndale centre which was just a few minutes away from the City Warehouse Apartments where we were staying...lovely apartments and we even got upgraded to the penthouse...lol... I would definitely recommend them...very cheap too...

This is us being very silly trying on the headwear in Primark...not laughed so much like that for ages...there is something magical about laughing at silly things with friends...thank you girls for a lovely few days away from home...was fab...

GEOCACHING!!!

Today we decided we would try our first geocache...I have seen quite a few people I know talking about it on Facebook and had been thinking about giving it a go but to be honest the kids behaviour lately has meant that I haven't wanted to be around them very often but today since Ellie and Libby had 'finally' tidied their rooms we decided to give it a go....

We picked a Bennachie trail and got a wee bit lost and in the end we didn't find the cache but no worries the kids weren't too disappointed and they seemed to enjoy the lovely long walk around Bennachie with no-one grumbling that they were tired or had a stitch...lol...better luck next time...

Unfortunately we had a little mishap on the way home and ended up with a puncture and I would like to thank the two guys who were in front of us and obviously saw what happened and reversed back to help...took quite a while to get the spare tyre out of it's hiding place under the car and I don't think I could have managed that myself so THANK YOU VERY MUCH from all of us...

So that's another weekend over...judo done, tea scoffed and now away to get the kids in of the trampoline for bed...'just wait for the 'another 10 minutes pleeeeease'....

Oh I almost forgot the other good news this weekend is that Strathburn P7s won the Insch Football Tournament yesterday....well done boys!!!

WELL HELLO THERE....

Sorry I know I said I would be a better Blogger this month and I have failed miserably....the reason being is that I have been busy doing a few fairs and trying to keep up with all the kids activities....

Anyhoos...Allan and I managed to get a weekend away together and decided to go to Edinburgh...I love Edinburgh..it feels like my 'spiritual home' as Allan put it...must be something to do with being born there...it's my favourite city ever...

We stayed at Malmaison in Leith courtesy of Allan's work(20 year service award...I also got a gorgeous silver Links of London bracelet as he didn't want anything out of the corporate brochure!)

Enjoying dinner in the Brasserie...lovely it was too....


Being silly with the camera...Allan's atmospheric shot of the crane....



I like like this one a little better...heehee...

The castle....

The Walter Scott Monument...It's a long time since I have been to the top...I think the last time would have been with my good friend Mandy when she came to visit...eeek...THAT was a LONG time ago....I think that's the last time I was at the top of Bennachie as well...ooops...going to remedy that this summer!!!

SPORTS DAY TODAY....

My proud little Niamh with her 1st - 2nd and 3rd badges....you should have seen her do the monkey crawl...won by a mile...lol...no photos of the bigger kids yet but should have some next week once Pete emails them to me(he has a MUCH better camera than me)....

Well that's the news for now...if you want to see any crafty photos you can look here on my Facebook page...I think this is why I haven't been doing blogging lately as I seem to just be uploading to there....

Will catch up next week...am of to Manchester tomorrow to see Take That...excited.com....will be back sometime on Friday and then of to Glasgow on Saturday to watch Morgan play Celtic...so next week I should be a little quieter and will be catching up with my Father's Day orders, etc...

Have a great week everyone....xx

I KNOW....

Sorry guys...I know I need to update my VERY neglected blog but sometimes the truth is I can't muster up the enthusiasm to do it....I promise I will try very hard over the next week to do it....xxx

BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY....

If you fancy some of this.....get yourself over to The Artful Splodger.....she is having a shop opening giveaway and if you don't win you could always have a wee look in her new shop...

RANDOMS....FROM SARAH'S BLOG....I LIKE IT

Was just having a browse on Sarah's blog a wee minute ago and thought this was a fun one to join in with...why not give it a go yourself!!!!

LISTENING TO Take That...can't wait to see them..10 weeks tomorrow(not that I am counting or anything..lol)

EATING nothing at the moment - not had any tea yet and wondering what there is to eat

DRINKING Schweppes Russian Tonic with lime...yumm

WEARING jeans, grey t-shirt, grey boyfriend cardigan with my big thick gray cardigan over the top(just been to pick the girls up from dancing) and a pink scarf

FEELING overwhelmed by life sometimes just now (4 kids does that to you sometimes!)

WEATHER was so so today but is now raining

WANTING a holiday in the sun

NEEDING a holiday in the sun!!!

THINKING this time last year we were in Tenerife!!

ENJOYING my kids being happy doing their football, dancing, etc

WONDERING if Allan REALLY will be home tomorrow(only been home for 12 days in the last 8 weeks!)

READING The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stiegg Larsson and thoroughly enjoying it - can't wait to start the 3rd one in the trilogy

PHOTO THAT MAKES ME SMILE

So there we have it...the last two I added in.....The whole thing made me smile...Thanks Sarah...x

SHE ART WORKSHOP...

Not only have I been a very bad blogger these last few weeks I have also failed miserably with She Art....and only managed one canvas so far despite the fact that I have done six backgrounds...rubbish I know....I am hoping to rectify that this next week or so....

Lots of lovely random stamping and rub-ons...

Adding lace and ribbon for the touchy feely effect...love it!!!

Now has pride of place in the archway into the kitchen....hopefully get caught up soon....

Kirsti xx

THE BUNTING...

Got the photos just before the rain came tipping down...OMG it's bucketing now...hope it doesn't turn to SNOW!!!!

This is some more of my blanks...covered 3 with Cath Kidston notepaper and two are painted red and some lovely antique white dots added....not much else to say really as it speaks for it's self...it's now in the shop...am considering doing personalised bunting...any thoughts greatly appreciated!!!

NEW THINGS IN THE SHOP

Some new things in the shop this week....

These two little owl cards I found in an old copy of the CARDS magazine and I thought it was cute so I did one each way...The patterned paper is a border cut using the Cricut and stretched...

Trying to use up older blanks I have in my storage boxes....these are so wee and dinky...

More using up stash....and some machine stitching...I am definitely getting better at that...

This came from an idea from RedLead(love their style)...I used the Cricut to cut the house shape from a piece of mountboard...not easy as it doesn't cut right through even with the deepcut blade(I think mine is broken tho as it kept going veering of so I changed back to the normal blade and just used a scalpel to cut through...) I had to cheat with the E as I didn't have any left so it's actually an F with the 'dot' (which is a square) from an exclamation mark and taped it on and then covered with patterned paper...There is also some more machine stitching on this one - zig-zag this time...getting braver...lol and the flower is a left over from another project...lots of upcycled pieces in here...

That's it today...Got some bunting that I need to string together and photograph but it's a little windy outside for pics so might not get that done today...I heard there is snow forecast for tomorrow so maybe not then either:0(