Meraki Moments

Hello again, So my second challenge to solve as a CSI special investigator is case file 232 . This challenge with its outdoorsy theme lent itself well to the photo of my two girls on our first visit to Guernsey.  In 2007, we were given the opportunity to relocate to the little island of Guernsey....a place I never knew existed. During the school holidays,   we took the kids on a week long visit  before we made the final decision to move.  Coming from the city life of London it was refreshing to be able to walk in nature and take in the sights of sea, sand and cliffs.  We all loved it and it was such an amazing sight to see the girls wander over the rocks.... Our decision was made...and we lived there for the next 5 years. And the two girls in the photo still live today...adventure turned life changer for them. The Evidence: I normally don't use wooden backgrounds in my scrapbooking, but this time I thought I'd push beyond my comfort...

Hello again, Well, this month is very special for me.... Firstly, I was selected as a guest designer or 'special investigator' for CSI...so I'm very excited about that....yay! Secondly, the major case file this month is all about everyday super heroes which is perfect since my super hero celebrates her 79th birthday today (11 June)... So when I read the testimony prompt to consider my super power....I immediately thought about my mum. She is the real super hero in my story. It's because  of her love, sacrifice, tough discipline and spiritual guidance that I am who I am today. She  has given me everything I needed to bring me to this point. And when I think of all the efforts she has made for every one of her children and grandchildren, she is more than a wonder mamma to me...she's the queen of my heart and all time hero! She is the strongest woman I know, both emotionally and spiritually. She will give of her last in order to assist others, she...

Hi, Every April and September, Alexandra Palace is buzzing with creative beings coming to get our fill of inspiration and crafty goodness.  Now, I have been attending these craft shows since about 2002...and I always try to make sure that I am free to go...but over the last few years I have been finding it difficult to get there....just because of timing and other things going on... But also because it's changed over the years...it's not as great as it used to be... #sadscrapbooker This April I attended after a long while...and I'm glad I did!  I met some lovely ladies, chatted to like-minded individuals, got so much stuff....not like I need it...of course I do...but most importantly was the inspiration and new techniques I had picked up...amazing! One of the things I've learnt was how to make flowers of a material called foamiran.... I have never heard of foamiran before...but it sure does make beautiful flowers.... As I was browsin...

Sometimes people come into our lives and just make it sweeter. As a  mother, my scrapbooking is mostly almost about my kids...and very rarely have I created a page about my husband (except, of course, when he was included in the kids' scrapbook pages)... So w hen  I saw one of the testimony prompts for  CSI Case 228   was to 'journal about your husband'...it made me realise how I rarely scrapbook about him. Our journey began almost 28 years ago when two  independent beings with strong personalities collided. So it isn't any wonder that there are times when we drive each other insane....I think me more than him...but who's counting? Although we have our moments, we are actually great together. He is my best friend and the one person in the world that knows me better than anyone else. He always jokes about saying how he knows me more than my mother does....and he's not wrong! And so today through Case file 228, I celebrate him for the wonderful pe...

Hello friends, Now who doesn't like receiving happy mail...especially when you've just returned from holiday.... Happy mail sure does have a way of making us go a little bit crazy and beaming with excitement...or is it just me?  Well, this lovely parcel greeted me when I got home and boy was I excited to get that paper ripping so I could see what was inside?! So this altered shoe swap was hosted by the lovely Jessica at MSR (MyScrapRoom.ning.com) and she was also my swap partner.  She altered this shoe so beautifully and I love how she 'blinded' it up... Have a look to see what she sent me... Love me some happy mail....any day! Thanks for stopping by and checking this out... Take care and craft on... Penny 

Hello again, Every month I tell myself that it's the last swap I will be participating in so I can do some of my other projects...and every time, the hostesses at MyScrapRoom.ning.com (MSR) add these really awesome challenges that just call to me...and then how can I say no?  So yet again....I signed up for one of the challenges at MSR hosted by the lovely Jessica... She  had the Altered category and set us the challenge to alter a shoe using bling, flowers and lace... My swap partner, Samantha, gave me some her likes...she wanted something edgy, black, red, skulls, etc. I must admit, this did take me way out of my comfort zone some...but I thoroughly enjoyed making the pencil holder for her from a shoe I had bought from a Charity shop.  I first painted the entire shoe with black gesso before I covered t he bottom and inner soles of the shoe with red rose floral paper. I trimmed down kitchen towel inners to form the holders for the pencils or whatever else she w...

Hello friends, Over the last few months, I have been busy with a personal project that I want to share with you. So I started scrapbooking in 2002..well, it wasn't really scrapbooking but it was some sort of memory keeping...because I didn't really understand what I was doing...and didn't have a clue about the products or process required for scrapbooking... But these humble beginnings set me off on a journey of discovery that I've found both rewarding and challenging...and in which a forever kind of love and passion were born... When my nephew was 16 years old, he lost both of his parents, so we adopted him.... In 2005 for his 21st burthday I presented him with my first ever "real" scrapbook album...filled with memories of his life and time with his parents... A gift that touched his heart and brought a tear to both of our eyes....  This was the start of a new tradition for my family...because my children also wanted one when they turned 21 and is something ...

Hello again, Everyone is born with a natural talent, right?  For a long time, I have always wondered what my 'gift' was...and for a long time I hadn't realised that I was born to shop...I mean, I know how to shop for those special deals... It has to be a gift! Anyway...I can spend a lot of time searching through stuff until I find exactly what I'm looking for...and I have to tell you...ge tting my parcels through the post really excites me...it's like getting presents...even though I already know what I had bought... Is it just me or does anyone else identify with this odd behaviour? So for the past few weeks I have been a bit 'naughty' and bought all sorts of scrapping goodies...but I used my 'gift' to find  some amazing deals... Have a look at some of what I have managed to source....so exciting! Thanks for stopping by and sharing in my crazy shopping ways... Take care... Penny

Hello again, So it's been a while since I shared some of my creative spirit with you....but that doesn't mean that I haven't been creating... On the contrary, I've been doing all sorts of stuff...and learning new things in the process.... Today I share my take on CSI Case Challenge 222 ... The challenge was to create a scrapbook layout using the following image and prompts as inspiration... The Scheme: Used all 5 colours for the scheme...  Evidence: The  proof  is in the pudding... My evidence to solve this case includes: Floral patterns - I used the Tim Holtz poinsettias stencil and frantaged with shabby blue embossing enamel  Flowers Fabric Ribbon Snowflakes Jewels/pearls Testimony: For my journalling, I decided to use the writing format clue of the haiku idea....not only because I love poetry but also because it is a poetic form I've never been exposed to before....so it was a bit of a challenge for me... So haiku is Jap...

Hi, It has been a while.....I know... ...but that doesn't mean that I've not been busy... In fact, I've been very busy... I've moved house,  changed jobs,  started mini album classes,  took part in my first swap ever and have become addicted to pocket letters....it's consuming my life.....I'm hooked but I love it...  This month is the first time that I will be taking part in the calendar challenge hosted by The Craft Barn ....I've been meaning to start but never got around to it....so here's my first... The theme for the month of July is Turquoise and Beach huts and I decided to go with my latest addiction of creating a pocket letter.... I first mixed Mayas Gold paint and water to tone down the intensity of the colour and painted the one half of an ATC size white card stock with the  turquoise  colour and the other  half with gold to create a beach scene.... I then cut various papers to create the the beach huts.....

Thanks for playing along... Thanks to all those who hopped along with me on The Robin's Nest Christmas blog hop. The winner from my blog is Lisa Moen .... Congratulations Lisa, hopefully you will find the dew drops enjoyable as much as I have! Go to The Robin's Nest blog to see the winners from each blog...  Enjoy Penny....

Hi All, So, I'm normally behind on the case challenges from the CSI: Colour Stories Inspiration blog... I found case file 146 to be real challenging but one that I thoroughly enjoyed... Here's the clues... For every case file, you have to make use of all colours in the scheme, you must have at least two items of evidence and one testimony. My evidence contains circle punch, polka dots and something transparent.... The page layout contains photos of me with my kids and nephew and my testimony is a list of things that I love about them individually and collectively... What fun! Thanks for stopping by....

Hi, Penny here today sharing some winter warmth... .... Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes Silver white winters that melt into springs These are a few of my favorite things.... I do love me some snow.... it makes the world perfect....even if only for a little while.... I  decided to use a snowflake theme  to send warm wishes with cards and tags created using  The Robin's Nest Winter Collection ... For my first card, I used the Sky Blue Glitter cardstock as the background and added a white ribbon around the card.  I then cut a piece of the Winter Snowflakes cardstock and matted it with White Glitter cardstock  and fussy cut one of the large snowflake images, gave it some sparkle with stickles, layered it over the larger snowflake image and added a sentiment. The matching tag was created by cutting out a scalloped circle tag from the  Sky Blue Glitter cardstock  a...