Friday, November 28, 2008

It's official...Christmas has begun!

We are all set to snuggle up on the couch together to watch The LATE LATE TOY SHOW. The kids have been excited - more like wired really since this morning. Lucy got into her PJ's at 5pm and keeps asking me 'how many more minutes mum'.

So to get the festive mood started I'm going to post up a class for the Craft Supplies Christmas party which is being organised by Tigger. I taught this interactive DLO class at Craftzone last September and it can be adapted to any theme particularly Christmas...so get those precious uncut papers out and start snipping ladies! Post a comment with a link to your take on my class and I will pick a winner next Friday 5th Dec. The prize is one of my handmade necklaces ;-)


Free Online Scrapbooking Class

Class: ‘Holiday Memories/Magical’

Designed by Elaine Watters




Description: Holiday Memories (Magical)
This is a fun and interactive double layout using colourful papers (Chatterbox range) to showcase your holiday photos. In this layout I will show you how to display lots of photos in hidden places so all of your holiday memories are kept together. You will need 1 large photo 5x7 (portrait format) and a 5x7 (landscape format)-which you are prepared to trim!). Other photos can be added in later.

Kit:
-2 sheets black cardstock /bazzil
-1 sheet of pink cardstock/bazzil
-1 sheet of double sided orange dotty paper (Scrapbook Walls Tangerine Dots)
-1 sheet of double sided pink dotty paper (Chatterbox-Rosey Villa Dots)
-1 sheet of pink/orange striped paper (Chatterbox big Villa stripe)
-1 sheet of orange swirls/orange dotty of reverse (Chatterbox -Villa Swirls)
-1 packet of Basic Grey alphabets ( Wilma)
-1 packet of orange swirly rub-ons ( Hambly )

Tools Required:
You will also need;
- 12 ''trimmer
- 9 inch plate to draw the template
- 1'' circular punch and a 2'' and 3’’ circular punch (or a glass will do!)
- Sharp fine scissors , double sided tape or tacky tape
- White acrylic paint to distress the photo on the lift up piece (optional)
- Pink acrylic paint to colour chipboard alphabets– I used Anita’s metallic pink
- Inks to distress edges of patterned paper
- Black Dymo tape for journaling (optional)


Layout A (Left Hand Side LHS)


Layout B (Right Hand Side RHS)






Instructions: Layout A (LHS)

Step 1- Lets start by cutting the papers up - these will be for both Layouts so create a pile (A and B)
• Using the black cardstock as a base sheet, trim the following sheets of patterned paper;
o Pink dots 2’’x10’’ (A)
o Orange dots 12’’x10’’(A)
o Orange swirls 12’’x6’’ (B)
o Pink and orange candy stripes 9’’x10’’ (A)
o Adhere the paper as shown in Diag A1


Diag A1



Step 2-
o Add a photo (5x7) as in Diag A2 – ONLY use double sided tape on 3 sides (top, left and bottom). Journal tag will slide in under right side of photo.

Diag A2


o Trim a piece of pink bazzill (4’’x6’’) and punch out a 2’’ circle of orange swirls with leftover swirl piece and adhere behind the pink bazzil. This is ready to decorate with rub-ons and journaling as a pull out tag behind the photo (diag 3).

Diag A3



Instructions: Layout B (RHS)
Step 1 –
• Using the orange swirly paper ( Villa swirls) take the half sheet you have cut for the above layout and using a 9’’plate, trace a little over a half circle on the LHS of the sheet. (diagram B1). My widest part of the semi circle was 5.5’’.


Diag B1





• Add a 5x7 landscape photo and adhere to paper exactly in the centre of the semi circle and then trim to follow the lines (tip: turn over and trim for neater edge).




• Optional distressing –if you have white acrylic paint and a sponge drag an edge of white paint around the photo border (diag B4)

Step 2 –
• Using the pink bazzil sheet, trim it 12’’x5’’ and adhere down on the black cardstock exactly in the centre of the sheet.



• Using a 2’’ circle punch (or a small glass/cup) create 3 circles using your patterned paper scraps. These small circles will be the hinges for your lift up semi circle so you are not using double sided paper, you may need to add these to chipboard or bazzill circles for strength.


• Bend them in half and adhere both sides underneath with tape and use as hinges to stick the semi circle to the black cardstock. Line up the lift up panel so the photo and the pink cardstock are layered exactly on top of each other.




How to make the hidden swirl






Punch out 2 circles of patterned paper and (all approx 3’’ circles – tip use a cup or glass if punch not available;-) ). Stick both circles back to back with DS tape- with design showing on the outside. With a fine scissors start by cutting into the circle and continuing round until you create a spiral – leave enough at the end (approx 1cm) to put double sided /tacky tape behind it. To stick down the spiral put tacky tape on only the centre piece (underneath) and the start point (on top side). Tip is to stick down to the base first and then close the flap to find the right placement. Then apply photos and embellish.

That's it - hope you had fun! Leave a link to your gallery or blog so we can see what you came up with. Thanks for taking part.

Lainey
XX

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Capture Portraits


I recently 'won' a competition for a 'free' sitting at Capture Portraits studio. I was pleasantly surprised and I have to say we had the best fun there - our photographer Ania was so much fun. She really let the girls 'play' while she followed them around with the camera. They performed cartwheels and splits for her and laughed their way through the session. When we went to view the photos I couldn't resist so these are the best of them...I'm thrilled with my little collection - afterall kids don't stay small forever ;-)

TFL
XX

Monday, November 24, 2008

The Mom Song

This made me smile today. Have been singing the tune since!

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Crazy day...

My poor mum has had a rotten flu on her for 2 weeks which developed into bronchitis. Then she pulled a muscle coughing and had to go on steroids. She was still showing no improvement this last week and then on Wed/Thurs she started to get a bad pain in her leg. Long story short she ended up in hospital with a suspected DVT. Last night was awful as we had to just wait and see. Her scan came back clear but her bloods were up and the pain was still persisting. She was given a shot of heparin as a precaution and spent the night in a chair with all the others in A&E.

I went in this morning to see her and the nurse told us it was likely that she had a DVT and would need warfarin for 6 months. Then an hour later she got discharged and they said it was muscular. We're still none the wiser so she has to go back on Tuesday for a follow up. Hopefully there will be some answers soon. She gave us all such a fright as she's superwoman - always running and never sick. Anyway thanks for all the good wishes today at the crop in Le Cheile. Hopefully she'll be on the mend soon.

XX

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Unfinished Symphonies...


I've spent a few days this week finishing off projects that were started a month, maybe even a year ago and it was great to clear the decks! So Warning - Craft OVERLOAD coming up... If you feel like doing the same - come and join us at Le Cheile next Sat 22nd Nov 10am-3pm for a crop - finish your own projects or make your Christmas cards. Plenty of chat and tea promised!!!











Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Remembrance Day

Today is Armistice day and the 90th Anniversary of the end of the First World War. Normally remembrance day, Nov 11th is special for me as it is the birthday of my first born and it is obviously a day I never forget. This year it means more to me then before as just around 6 weeks ago while watching the RTE programme 'Who do you think you are?' Joe Duffy was investigating his past and discovered he had lost an relative in WW1. He googled a British army site (CGWC)to find out more details and while watching the programme, I googled the same site as my DH had always talked about his grandfather's brother, John Herbert Watters who had the same fate.

The wonders of technology, a tap of a button and there he was in the CWGC records...our family relative listed name, age, family address, parents name. He was 24 when he died in the fields of France. He left a young widow behind - who knows maybe a family...We found out he is buried in Belgium. Maybe we will one day make a trip to pay respects to his grave...May he rest in peace....



So onto lighter things...today my baby turned eight - I can hardly believe it. Where are the years going? She was so excited to be a big 8 year old. We made rice krispie buns for school last night and after school we made the most delicious chocolate cake covered in hot melted chocolate and malteasers. Yum! Happy Birthday Eva
XX



Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Baracka Obama bin Laden!



Wow what an historic day today- I was delighted to wake up to the news that Barack Obama has swept the board. In these days of recession we could all use some new young fresh thinking and he certainly seems to be the man with the plan. His speech was really inspiring and you can understand the emotion it generated...

Today I overheard a funny conversation between a Moore St fruit trader and an Eastern European road sweeper. It went like this...

Street Trader lady 'hey - did you hear that Barackaaaaa O'Bama won the American election??? (insert authentic Dublin accent here!)
Road sweeper guy 'Who?'
Street Trader lady 'You know yer man - Barackaaaaa O'Bama?
Road Sweeper guy (jokingly) ' Do you mean Osama Bin Laden?'
Street trader lady 'Yeh sumptin like dah'

ROTFL!

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Halloween Megascrap

We have just had the best day at the Halloween Megascrap! What a day we had -it was so much fun! We're not long home - it's past midnight and I'm just too wired to sleep! Will be back soon with photos....