OK anyone who is at the Odiham crop on Saturday, here is the sneaky peek of the class. It is a double layout (at no extra cost!) that will get your new year kick started.
Ultra simple but with plenty of scope for you to put your own mark on it. You can choose your own colour scheme. I'm bringing the usual card stock, patterned paper, selection of embellishments, paint and stamps. If you have patterned paper scraps please bring them so we can pool them (this layout looks better with a different selection) Also alphabet stamps are good.

If you want to do the title ahead (if you are lucky enough to own a craft robo or cricut) the title "January" needs to be about 5cm high.

This layout was inspired by Ali Edwards article in January 2007 Creating Keepsakes "Daily, Weekly, Monthly". Article is not online but these two links will give plenty of other inspiration.

See you there. For those who aren't going I will try to get some photos of the results and post them on sat.

Things that make me happy...

Lucia's shoes from granny and grandad in thailand...my little tools bag (red of course)...gorgeous silk and velvet scarf...one of my paintings...walking home from school in sunshine instead of rain...jamie's drawing of a house for me.... thomas the tank engine dvd (Ewans favourite)....my car because it means freedom to get out!!...invitation today from ross and jules to ross's birthday party at the coolest place in town-pennyhill park (thanks so looking forward to that) .....listening to the radio...spending time with phoebe jewelry making at her girls club, such a funny photo notice the horns on our head we stood in just the wrong(or right) place!!! haha...dolls house (phoebes fav)....i love you book (jamies fav)...lucia in her reindeer antlers, her fav thing today was apricots because she kept raiding the fridge for them....fianally our "family" carving because it reminds me that I have five children even though one (elisha) is in heaven..it is sad too but reminds me of her happy nature and constant energy which always makes me smile...what things make you happy?

Just Playing...

...I had an inspiring conversation with my friend Penny (a cool artist) ...we were saying how important it was to play with materials experiment with them and not always to have to produce!! wow...isn't that liberating?

Then I was looking at Ali Edwards blog and she had set a challenge to choose one word which would be your word for the year?...I think mine is going to be PLAY...I feel like my scrapbooking has got in a rut and I want to try different things...

ooh! silence Lucia is asleep and all the others are out I think I need to go now...will try to post some pictures later. Now what can I do with paint......

what do you do with...lined paper, squared paper, masking tape, paint and stamps.....

Tear a shape put of the masking tape and brush paint over without adding water. Leave to dry and then peel away masking tape. I addes some pen and a lighter shade of paint. Go on have a play.

A word from the children:

The Dreadful Duo of Ewan and Lucia were up to mischief again today! They had found a bowl of chocolate sauce...taken it up to their bedroom and shared it aww how sweet!! I wiped the evidence away before I realised what had happened!!

Jamie came home with Daisy the class mascot and he and Phoebe played a loveley game of "dog races" which Daisy won first prize. Jamie was supposed to write in Daisy's Diary but after a few laboured lines he gave up!! The game was much more fun.

Mmmm can't wait...

...finally I have heard that something I have ordered (in November!!) is finally on its way...can't wait as I have been looking forward to this for ages...will let you know when it comes!

Evidence of Lucia.....

is all around! After she has gone for her nap or gone to bed I find it...no not just the usual toys (which she leaves plenty of) No, I am talking about the more bizzare bits of evidence like.....bitten and chewed parsnips, onions, and leeks...or the trail of garlic cloves across the kitchen floor.... a toy carefully placed among the jars in the fridge...the ar posted in the video (ok thats pretty standard!).....balls placed in my shoes....forks in the washing machine....the list could go on.

I have come to the conclusion that Lucia shares the same sense of purpose and unique personality as her big sister Elisha did...watch ou world shes coming and shes got purpose, determination and style!!!

Hysterical moment! I was helping Ewan get ready for his bath and I heard a small splash. Turned around to see Lucia in the bath fully clothed. She had got the bath toy box and pushed it over to the edge of the bath and sort of climbed and rolled in!

See what I mean ingenious!!!

Inspired Move...

You know those times when you just hit on a good idea and it works really well? Today I had one of those ideas. The children do not go back to school until Thursday and Colin had gone back to work. After initially waking up in a good mood, they started becoming cranky. Not good.

So I decided to take them to Runabouts, an indoor play area nearby. It was a bit of a gamble because during holiday times they can be heaving...but today we were lucky. It was virtually empty, which means unlimited play!!!!

They all (even Lucia) ran off and played beautifully which meant all I had to do was grab a coffee (nice coffee there) and a comfy sofa and chill out. WHAT BLISS!!!

As always I had come prepared with February Creating Keepsakes, LO sketch book and pencil.
Had time to finally read my CK and there are some great ideas in there...which really got me in the mood. On one of my many trips round to make sure the kids were ok or to have a go on the slide (got to do it!!) I noticed some fashion magazines....always a good source of inspiration!!!

Well ....I wasn't wrong! So watch this space because I got loads of ideas from just two magazines. There are some seriously gorgeous fabric prints and designs.

As we were packing up to go I was counting the cost of out little trip...it adds up when there are four of them! I was musing over this and was reminded of the Barclaycard advert....it lists the costs and then adds the line but.. (something) priceless......I could feel a scrapbook page coming on...
Cost of entrance...
Cost of drinks...

Mum's sanity ...priceless!!!! (ha ha)

Happy New Year

I love thinking back over this last year and thinking of all the things I have done and been through. I am always truely amazed at how much I have been challenged and hopefully changed as a result!! I am so thankful to God for this last year and also for all the friends I have.

Last year I went free-lance with my scrapbooking classes once a week and was able to run all but two classes. I have to thank Ruth for believing in me and being there to help me set up and with general support during the classes. You are an absolute star!!! Sarah and Roey you win the prize for my most frequent class members!! (dont tell your husbands!!!!)

Julie, Liz, Jules, Verity, Lisa, Gillian and Trish in my bible study group....what an awsome, inspiring group you are. I love meeting up with you every week....and havent we gone far this past year!!! I have learnt more of how deeply God love each individual, more about appreciating differing points of view and most of all God wants the best for each of us and he will try every way he can to get through to us!!!

Verity, Lisa Becky, Terri, Tracey, Hayley and Carolyn without you there would be no toddler group!!! I have found your support invaluable. You are such fun to work with and let me get away with far too much!!!!! Tea ladies...what can I say you serve fabulous coffee and cakes always with a smile!! You are truely awsome!

Thank you for all the people who "treated" me to meals out, concerts, spa day, weekend away....you know who you are. I pray that God will really bless you this year.

Finally my family...mad, loud, funny, exasperating, inspiring..... I love the times we have spent together....remember the Green Day when we did everything that was green for a day?...... Do you remember camping with the Williams and the motor boat breaking down and getting towed back?....a week with Granny and grandad Griffiths at Studland Bay?.....blackberry and apple picking when mummy got stuck up the apple tree?.....mad time at Granny and Grandad Saunders house with no less than 8 children and 6 adults staying!!!!....unexpectedly seeing Uncle Mike and Aunty Jo.......watching Uncle Paul perform in his band Amsterdam at the Liverpool Festival....what a great year! That was the condensed version!!!

Here's to more chilling and having fun in 2007 I know there will be lessons to learn and ups and downs but most of all there will be fun times.

"We have roses in the summer times so that we can have perfume in the winter time" (Author unknown)
"God has given us all we need to live the life He wants us to" The Bible