Are you joining us?

I feel oh so privileged to have been asked to contribute to Shimelle's inspiration party this weekend, as part of the pre-class fun. She's asked many, many talented scrappers and crafters to join the fun, and now we'd like you to join us too, for a weekend of "challenges with a chance to win a prize, free downloads for both digital and paper scrapbookers, new projects, tutorials, bargains and some surprises along the way." Read all about it HERE!

New class ahoy!

My favourite time of year - a new online class at Shimelle.com! Shimelle's classes are always highly enjoyable, and this one looks like no exception. It's all about taking the stress out of scrapbooking, and this definitely rings true for me. Go take a look at her blog, if you haven't been there already (though I'm guessing most of my readers probably know me from that site anyway, so I'm preaching to the converted as it were!).

Still, worth a pop, and at about £15 (depending on exchange rate) well worth it in comparison to some of the more expensive classes around at the mo. Maybe see you in there?

And this one....

...was on page 70 of this month's Scrapbook Inspirations, in the Readers' Gallery section. This is my second layout that's been published in that section (I think!). The other was this:

which was in the June issue. Two very different styles, I'm sure you'll agree! I don't think I've settled on a style as yet, I am still definitely in the experimental stage. How about you? Do you have a style that you seem to scrapbook in? Do tell ;)

I'm famous(ish)!!

Go see - My layout featured on the Scrapbook Inspirations blog here. I recently completed their Ready Steady Scrap challenge, and they've featured my layout on their blog. How chuffed am I?
Really quite :)


I guess since they've published it on the web, I'm ok to publish it here. The bit I particularly liked making for this layout? It's a toss-up between the hand-cut picket fence and the owl peeking out of the layered hole in the tree! No journaling as such, but I think the title says it all.

Challenges galore!

Under extreme duress from Janice, I am posting again this month! Personally I think that she is desperate for me to reach my 100th blog post, so that I'll have another giveaway.

Anyhoo. Back to the challenges. Shimelle has just posted a photography challenge involving water on her blog here. I had a go, and pulled a rather fetching little snippet (snappet?) out of the vaults. So, strictly speaking, it's an old photo, but it fulfills the brief quite nicely I feel. I pumped up the contrast to really highlight the flowing white water.


Not only that, but Julie Kirk and Kirsty Neale have set a delightful challenge on their joint blog Copy and Paste. It involves secrets. Now, I am AMAZING at keeping secrets. The feeling when you realise that someone trusts you enough to tell you what weighs heavy on their mind -my mind boggles with the honour. Consequently, I don't much like gossip, which is surely a good thing for a secret-keeper? Despite that, I'll happily share one in the name of creativity.

Font by me, photo mask by Rhonna Farrer.

It's probably a very common feeling for many women, we probably don't give ourselves enough credit for the things we do in our home life and work life. I desperately tried to think of a lovely juicy giggly secret to share with you all, and perhaps this one will open the floodgates to a whole host of them. Watch this space!

So go on, tell me a secret. I promise I won't tell a soul. x

Blog candy link

Blog candy! Not mine for a change. Go here for a chance to win the above goodies!

Look what I found on my macro setting!

That title isn't strictly true. I'd found them before I got the camera out, but it gave me a chance to play around with the macro setting, which I have only just discovered after owning the camera for well over a year. Manual? Me? Pah. I laugh in the face of such sensibilities.
Though perhaps I should read it, 'cause I'm fairly sure I managed accidentally to get a picture with actual BOKEH on it:

and if I'd realised that was possible with my cheapish digicamera, I might have planned the snap better. Still, I'll include a prettier one of the DD, just in the vain hope of prompting some "aw, she's cute after all" type comments.

SO back to the caterpillars. They're apparently Gooseberry Sawfly, and I seem to remember it happening last year, with me just thinking it was slugs/snails. It also explains why I've had no fruit this year - apparently it knackers my chances of getting fruit next year. There were loads of the little blighters, and if I'd have realised what they were, I'd have squished them, instead of putting them gently in the grass a long way off, thinking "Ah, don't kill the potential butterflies". At least now I know what to look for, so roll on 2011, I might actually get some gooseberries.