Blogging For Scrapbookers

Prompt 2

How much to share.
I think when I consider what to share on my blog, common sense is my guide. I think it is a very difficult thing to balance wanting to be open & honest and talk from the heart and remembering to type in code. I have to confess to being absolutely hopeless at consistency! I just, simply, forget.
We have a system at work that involves red crosses, yellow dots, purple lines, Oh I do try, honest I do but I fail every time.
I try to make my pictures all look the same, size or shape or overlay… hopeless!
Headings, now there’s a thing that drives my husband mad! if I have heading one in one post and bold in another, I can hear the intake of breath! Still at least I know when he has read the blog.
In my work I am very circumspect about what I tell people about myself. I think that it is a survival thing with me, I can’t support people through difficult times If I can’t be completely detached from them.
When I talk with people I can be more measured in what I talk about but when I write/type, everything in my mind just pours onto the page! I would never make a crime or mystery writer, I would give the plot away in the first paragraph.

Journalling reads
Just another “Why?”
I remember teaching my son the names of the birds as we walked the dog along our local beach.
It was in the spring when the black headed gulls still had their winter markings, a black spot over their eyes.
We were watching the herring gulls gliding on the wind, the black headed gulls were standing in the surf.
“Do you see these gulls with the black spot over their eyes? They are the black headed gulls.
“Why are they called black headed when they aren’t?”
“Just now they still have their winter markings, in a few months they will all have a beautiful black head” I said.
“ How do they know when to change their outfits?” said my lad who was, and still is, clothes mad!

I thought about Shimelle’s prompt and made this page, then I went back and took out the names of the people and the place.
Definitely something for me to learn here.
The page is not finished because I just can’t work out how to do what I want to do. I’ll get back to it.

Blogging For Scrapbookers

Prompt 1

Shimelle’s new class started on Monday this week. As usual I am days behind!
Blogging and Scrapbooking, Well I eventually got the blog up and running but the scrapbooking fell by the way side. I am hopeless at keeping up with the forum, as you can see, its the 24th, class started on 21st! Hey Ho, that’s me.
I don’t have my stash available to me just now so I decided to learn photoshop and try digital scrapbooking. Something else I said I would never do! Does that happen to you?
“today we’ll start simply with a blog post and perhaps a scrapbook page with our intentions for this project…”

I have had this template long before I knew how to use them, I was going to ‘lift’ it as a LO for another one of my lists but never got ’round to it. Today I have put my new skills to use and made a LO using photoshop with my shopping list of what I hope this class will help me achieve! If I get to the forum as well I may give myself a badge!!

LO 2P’s Queen of Quirk

Project 365

Week 11

The visit to Westonbirt Arboritum came about because I seemed to be in a fog that I couldn’t see beyond, I was restless, I hadn’t slept well for days so needed to ‘get away from the house’ fortunately the weather was lovely on Saturday.
I knew you could take the dog into the Arboritum, Paul wasn’t keen on going but I think he saw the desperation in my face!
Westonbirt Arboritum is was such a lovely place to spend time in. It is quiet, you can walk anywhere, no barriers of fences or notices that begin with ‘Don’t…’ or ‘No…”
I love trees, their shape and their strength which I knew we would see as they are just waking from their winter. I am not so good at their names but every tree there has an identification label on!
I didn’t know that Westonbirt has the national collection of Japanese Acers which Paul loves. I bought him a gorgeous red one for our last wedding anniversary.
The dog loved it of course, it was doggy heaven! We met lovely friendly people that made me feel alive again. As a bonus Paul loved it too and we have planned another day there to see the magnolias and the bluebells.
When I work in Nailsea, which is not very often, I love to go to the craft shop there. Today I was shocked to see that it has closed. I knew the lovely lady that owned it. She worked so hard: she was so much more than just ‘the lady that owned the craft shop’. I wish her well for her future.
Another anniversary this week, and a funeral as well.
It is 9 years since dad passed away, I thought about that day today, and the years that went before and the years that have passed since.
Love them and talk with them while you can x
I had a lovely St. Patrick’s Day, I missed the shamrock which Ellen used to send to Mum. We have had cards and plants, leaves and pins and all sorts over the years!
Today I saw some beautiful shamrock earrings on my friend Mary. I definitely need some of those!
I was working of course but my group were lovely, and funny and pleased with what we did and in good voice and humor. I am so fortunate.
Tomorrow will come and go, I will be with my family, we will get through and come home and I will hug my child so close to me and thank God for him as I do every day.
A belated ‘Happy St. Patricks Day’ to you!
I am hoping that my glass of Patricks Parsley will make you smile xx

It's just parsley. I don't have any Shamrock this year, this idea made me smile!

Thank you for the LO Alexa.

Project 365

Week 9

The weekend on the island with the family resulted in lots of lovely photo’s for me to play with.
I am hoping to have taken some that will become textures. I signed up for another class with Kim Klassen, I love her texture projects.
We spent Saturday at Freshwater and along the coast watching the waves and looking for dinosaur casts and Sunday recovering from the great night out on Saturday evening. We drove home on Sunday in the worst weather we had ever driven in! It was hard to get up for work on Monday but my singing group called to me.
I have decided to follow along with Project 64; A weekly photographic prompt about colour; this week is White and Words to shoot by; a monthly prompt about words. This time the word is sweet.
I want to incorporate them into this project.
We had another viewing this week, which is always stressful but memories of a wonderful family weekend kept me going. Tulips are Paul’s favourite flower.

Thank you Alexa, the LO is based on one of your Dec Days templates. I can’t find the direct link to them on your blog sorry!

Dinosaur Casts

Compton Bay is one of the best fossil beaches on the Isle of Wight

…Long ago…
Approximately 3000 miles south east of the island there was a drying river bed. Dinosaurs walked along the river bed leaving their foot prints.
Over time the huge footprints began to fill up with debris, which turns solid and is formed into stone.
Meanwhile, the whole area is gradually spiraling clockwise and northward. The area moves up and down as the earths crust is settling.
Over a period of approx 10 million years the river bed is now along the south of the Isle of Wight, completely covered with earth and clay.
As the cliffs along the Jurassic coastline erode, the solid Dinosaur casts are exposed.

I took these photos at Compton Bay over the weekend 24th February 2011.

Ooops, I forgot to illustrate the size of them! take my word for it they were huge!
The last one has lost his toe!
Thank you G&V for taking us there x

Learning Photoshop

And then I thought I would try a digital page Lo by Katie Pertiet.

My first attempt at one of these. I learnt loads!