Shimelle's Starting Point

This weeks starting point was pretty basic and I wasn't sure where to go with it or which photo to use. 

Looking through my "To scrap" photos I found the one of the Bayeux Tapestry that shows King Harold getting shot in the eye at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
While we were in Bayeux, in the summer, there was no way I was going home without seeing the famous tapestry.  For a crafter with a love of sewing it was an amazing piece of craft work, talent and history.  For a teenage boy and a 46 year old man it was.......................OK!!
I had no idea that it was actually made in England in approx 1070 and that it is 70 metres long!! 

Obviously my picture is a scan of a postcard as no photos allowed.

I used more scraps (with no names) along with some lovely yellow Crate Paper and stickers.  The tag, clock and flower are all from previous Scrapagogo kits





Happy 16th Anniversary

Another year gone.  I honestly can't believe that it's 16 years since we got married.

29 September 1995

What are you reading?

Before I begin I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who told me to stick with The Distant Hours by Kate Morton.  It was a fabulous read (well the second half was anyway) and as per usual the detective in me got it completely wrong!! 


So now I'm reading Heartstone.  The latest installment from C J Sansom.   If this is as good as the last four books I'll have it finished in no time!!!

Summer, 1545. England is at war. Henry VIII's invasion of France has gone badly wrong, and a massive French fleet is preparing to sail across the Channel. As the English fleet gathers at Portsmouth, the country raises the largest militia army it has ever seen. The King has debased the currency to pay for the war, and England is in the grip of soaring inflation and economic crisis. Meanwhile Matthew Shardlake is given an intriguing legal case by an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr. Asked to investigate claims of "monstrous wrongs" committed against a young ward of the court, which have already involved one mysterious death, Shardlake and his assistant Barak journey to Portsmouth. Once arrived, Shardlake and Barak find themselves in a city preparing to become a war zone; and Shardlake takes the opportunity to also investigate the mysterious past of Ellen Fettipace, a young woman incarcerated in the Bedlam. The emerging mysteries around the young ward, and the events that destroyed Ellen's family nineteen years before, involve Shardlake in reunions both with an old friend and an old enemy close to the throne. Events will converge on board one of the King’s great warships, primed for battle in Portsmouth harbour . . .

Another layout

Another layout for the France album.  Again using up scraps and one of my handmade embellishments from last week.
I liked the LO when I was sticking it down but now don't like the green strip so much.  Never mind.  Lesson learned.....if in doubt walk away and come back and look at it later!!

Shimelle's sketch of the week

I used up my Sassafrasslass papers and alphas for this layout as I thought they were quite bright and perfect for a fun day out at the theme park.

What was he thinking?

OK so I'm not really sure what Moss was up to while waiting for his dinner tonight!!  He always 'dances' around while his dinner is being made but tonight he ran into the porch turned round on the spot and sat down with the curtain on his head!!  He then stayed like that long enough for me to take his picture while Samuel got his dinner.

He's definitely a weird dog....but then he fits into this family very well indeed :0)

Hand made embellishments

I came across a lovely blog this weekend, Curiouser and Curiouser where Kirsty was having a Blog Hop with embellishments she'd made and sent out to the hoppers.  I thought they were great and so I spent a very nice afternoon yesterday making some of my own.

I really like them and don't know why I didn't do them before!!

Shimelle's Starting Point

This weeks starting point was this - in all it's stripy glory.  Unfortunately for me it was just a little bit on the fussy side (I do like a plain background if I can) so in keeping with the rest of my album and with Shimelle's tutorial on continuity I used white cardstock.

I'm still using up my scraps as a lot of the sketches recently have needed different lengths of paper rather than a whole sheet.  I've finally finished my Serendipity papers from a few years back and I used a cork embellishment for the first time.  I was sent them in my Scrapagogo kit one year on my birthday. 

It's back

Yes Downton Abbey is back on our screens tonight at 9pm and this time STV are showing it at the same time as all the other ITV channels.  Do you think they got it wrong last time when they showed Taggart instead?

As we return to Downton, Lady Mary receives some shocking news and there's a surprise visitor for someone below stairs...

Shimelle's sketch of the week

It wasn't until I looked at this weeks sketch that I realised I hadn't done last weeks!!  Today that problem was solved.  Seeing as I can't do too much ironing or housework due to a "sore arm" I thought I'd do some scrapping instead.

Here's what I came up with.  This weeks sketch....................

My layout.  The papers are My Minds Eye, Sassafrasslass and a few left overs, alphas are American Crafts, Thickers and the leaves are from a Woodware punch.  I think the journalling tag is October Afternoon but don't quote me on that one :0)

Last weeks sketch...............

and my layout. I have no idea what most of the papers are except the orange background which is Creative Memories.  The tag, key and orange alphas all came out of Scrapagogo kits a few years ago.  The butterflies are made with a Creative Memories punch.

Now I need to get cracking on Shimelle's Saturday Starting Point which I'll do later while the X-Factor is on!!!

Tennis Elbow

It seems, after months of moaning that I can't use my right arm properly as it hurts to lift things, I have Tennis Elbow (to which Samuel said "But you don't play tennis!!").
A trip to the doc, plus a trip to the chemist for boxes of Ibuprofen and a tennis elbow brace was then followed by a Physio appointment at the local hospital where I saw a very nice Physiotherapist called Angie.  I answered lots of questions, got poked and prodded, had a few minutes of ultrasound and left with an exercise and massage routine and a suggestion to buy a packet of frozen peas!!
What more could a girl want on a Friday afternoon?

Shimelle's Starting Point

This week the starting point was four squares of patterned paper and one strip.

This is what I made.  Samuel on the "Electro Spin" at Parc du Bocasse, France.

Scenic route papers and I think it's Sassafrasslass alphas and paper embellishments. The 'Smile' is a plastic piece I've had for years and always thought was yellow until I took it out of the packet and realised it's clear and you can put whatever colour in it you want!!!!  Duh!!!

What are you reading?

I'm about a third of the way through The Distant Hours by Kate Morton and I'm still waiting for the story to get going.   Miss Morton likes to pad out her books with 100 words when 10 would do.  My sister said to keep reading so read I will but I sure hope something is going to happen soon.

Edie Burchill and her mother have never been close, but when a long lost letter arrives with the return address of Milderhurst Castle, Kent, printed on its envelope, Edie begins to suspect that her mother's emotional distance masks an old secret. Evacuated from London as a thirteen year old girl, Edie's mother is chosen by the mysterious Juniper Blythe, and taken to live at Millderhurst Castle with the Blythe family. Fifty years later, Edie too is drawn to Milderhurst and the eccentric Sisters Blythe. Old ladies now, the three still live together, the twins nursing Juniper, whose abandonment by her fiance in 1941 plunged her into madness. Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother's past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst Castle, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected. The truth of what happened in the distant hours has been waiting a long time for someone to find it...

The Trout Pout

I guess John must have had a good days fishing as he sent me this picture.

It made me laugh :0)                     Botox anyone?

ETA - This fella was catch and release so was put back in the water to live and pout another day :0)

Another felt bird

My sister Ruth is off to a crop sometime in the next month or two and needs a name badge for the occasion.  As I'm her "Favourite Sister" she asked if I would make one like the yellow one I made for Scrapagogo a few years ago.
Who am I to say no?

Here's what I came up with.  Ruth if you're reading look away now as your bird will be winging its way to you tomorrow :0)

This is my bird....

and here is the newest addition to the birdie badge family....

Very patriotic don't you think?

Ten Things - September

I completely missed August's Ten Things as I hadn't long been back from holiday so this month I thought I'd share a little of my trip with you.

::  Bayeux Cathedral

 ::  Bayeux War Cemetery - all these boys died on D Day - 6 June 1944

::  Monet's Lily pond - Giverny

::  Downtown Vernon

::  Strawberry tart from my favourite shop in Vernon.  Patisserie Rose.

::  Evreux Cathedral

::  Memorial on Omaha beach, Normandy

::  My boy outside Notre Dame, Paris

::  The above mentioned Notre Dame

:: and finally my favourite.....The locals of Vernon all sat facing away from the river Seine!!

For more Ten Things on the Tenth visit Shimelle's blog at Pretty paper, True Stories

Shimelle's Starting Point

Over at Pretty Paper, True Stories Shimelle has started another challenge.  This time it's out on a Saturday and we get given the basics of a layout and are then left to complete it however we wish.

Here's what I came up with this week (so far).

This is the starting point..........

and this is my layout.....

HOW?

Did the last 4 1/2 years go by so quickly?

Today was my nephews first day at school and I have to say he has the pose down to fine art already :0)

Shimelle's sketch of the week

I quite liked this sketch as there wasn't too much fuss about it.

Here's my version.  Another France photo from the summer but that's a good thing as it means I've now got three LOs in my France album!!  It was all made with leftover paper and embellishments gathered over the last few years.  As usual I have no idea what make anything is!!

Book Signing

Today instead of going to a local crop I took Samuel to Waterstones to see his hero Chris Ryan.....SAS hero, actor and author of too many books to mention.  He was there to sign copies of his new book Killing for the Company.  We had pre-ordered the book a few weeks back after my sister had seen the advert in the shop window.
Samuel loves the teenage books he writes and can't wait for the next Agent 21 book to come out.  For those of you who know Samuel, you will know that he isn't the best reader in town but will read into the wee samll hours if something takes his fancy.
In true teenage fashion though, Samuel didn't say a lot to the guy and left me to do most of the talking!!  It's a shame you don't get longer to chat but when there's a queue you can't take up too much of his time.  He did however say it was no trouble for Samuel to have his photo taken with him.

He comes across as a really nice guy with a soft North East accent.  Hard to believe he would have been in a sniper unit while he was in the Army and may have had to shoot someone!!!  This is the second time he's popped into Elgin on his way from Inverness to somewhere else and if he comes again we'll definitely be going back.

Well done Auntie Ruth for spotting the sign.  You have turned your nephew into a reader and made him think it was his idea!!!  :0)

A furry tail

Storytelling Sunday  - brought to you by Sian at High in the Sky


When I was a child I longed for, of all things a ‘Fox Fur’.  I thought they were the most wonderful things ever and loved to see the ladies of the 40s and 50s on the TV with furs draped around their necks.  They all looked so sophisticated.  My Nana listened to me talking about how much I longed for one and one Sunday when she came for dinner she brought me one.  I don’t know where she got it from but when she saw it she must have thought of me.  There at last in our house, in all it's furry glory was a Fox fur.

Now you would think that I would have been over the moon to finally have one of my very own but no.  I disliked it the minute she gave it to me.  I had to pretend it was wonderful and thanked her for getting it for me but I wouldn’t try it on and it lay over the headboard of my bed for a while and then disappeared. I have no idea where it went, it just wasn’t there anymore.

Skip forward 35 years (or more) to Ste Marie du Mont in Normandy, July 2011 where we found an old antique shop that sold items from WWII.  While Samuel and John were checking out the guns etc I was looking at all the old clothing from the period.  While mooching in a small back room I found a fur.  Not a Fox fur but a Stoaty/Weazly type, with two heads.  I had to try it and now all those years later there is a picture of me wearing a fur.  I have to admit to only wearing it for the photo and then it went straight back on the shelf.  I still don’t like them but it brought back very fond memories of Nana.

Find more stories over at High in the Sky.