That's entertainment!

Do you ever find yourself getting bored at a wedding? Sometimes it can seem like such a long day and you often have to wait ages to get any food - a big breakfast is definately a must! One thing I decided when plannig my wedding was that I wanted our guests to have fun between pictures, food courses and the speeches so we came up with some ideas to entertain them and this is what this layout is all about.
We entertained guests with:

• nibbles and some very embarrassing home videos of my sisters and I singing Spice Girls ( I did not okay this - it was my dad being a pain)
•  A Mr and Mrs Quiz on each table with questions about both of us
• Little quiz boxes on each table
• A pinata full of sweets and prizes for the kids - although my The Belgian got first pop at it and almost took me out - a great start to marital bliss!

Here are some close-up shots of the layout...

It was a great layout to use up scraps - even the purple heart ribbon that we used for invites and favours. I think I used a Shimelle sketch of the week for inspiration on the composition - but I can't find it now! I also used up cute little scraps cut from 12 by 12 sheets and also plently of washi tape.I swoon over my blue star washi tape - don't you love it?
Purple and turquoise were out wedding colours and so I took a slight departure from this using purple with browns and oranges - not a colour combo I had ever used before but it just seemed to work really well.

Do you ever find that weddings can drag? What ideas for entertainment have you seen at weddings?

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For more of our wedding layouts see here, here and here

Layout love linky!

I found Soaphouse mama's blog through Shimelle on twitter and I love her crazy, messy and eclectic style. I also love that at the end of the month she does a linky to share pages you haven't blogged about yet cos this month with all the school holidays time I have scrapped a lot and not blogged a lot of it - as I prefer the scrapping part! Plus I've had a lot of great programmes to catch up on like 2 Broke Girls and New Girl!

So here are some layouts I've created this month:

1. A layout about the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz. Have any of you ever been there? It's a very random tourist spot and I couldn't tell if it was a con or not. I used the 'free' bumper sticker for the title and also heat embossed the top part.

2) A layout about the huge portions in a restaurant in Orange County. Can you believe the size of this tower of nachos?

3) A layout about the after party at the wedding we attended.

4) A layout about the delicious meal we ate at Zuni in San Francisco. I used my trustee fiskars to create this border along the bottom.

They are all layouts from last summer's road trip around California and are all 12 by 12 which may shock my followers due to my new aversion to a smaller scrapping size.

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Linking up to Soaphouse mama

You might need somebody too...

Above is the proof that I still do scrap 12 by 12. My California 2011 album and my wedding album are still in 12 by 12 and so when I want a challenge (as I now find it!) I pull out one of the pics I haven't scrapped yet and give it a go.
I used a Shimelle sketch as her sketches really fit with my way of scrapping - lots of clashing prints and lots of little bits and bobs and border stickers and washi tape.
I called this layout 'Adopted Parents' as this couple from church were like our Leeds parents when we first got together and they mean a lot to us as couple.
I liked that the layout had lots of space for journalling as I wanted to explain the connection:

A close-up of the title work and the picture.

I was really pleased with this layout and it was great to use up lots of little bits and pieces and try out some of new washi tapes too.
I have a few more 12 by 12 layouts to share with you soon - so look out for them!
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Inspired by Shimelle's July Glitter Girl video and sketch

Step-by-step tutorial for making a canvas...

Have you seen those cute canvas' on pinterest with quotations to put up in your hallway?
I was forever pinning them and eyeballing them in shops - but they always seemed too pricey for what they were.
My solution?
Make some myself and here they are...

If you want to see my step-by-step tutorial - check it out here. I am doing another guest post over at Sumo's sweet stuff blog....yep now I have time in the summer I am sharing the love - or 'pimping myself out' as i have heard it referred too. Ohh err!

More photobooth fun...

Some photobooth pages from a wedding earlier in the year. I  just used scraps and lots of washi tape leftover from other scrapping.

These were taken on my phone and may need to be clicked on to see the detail more clearly.
I also love what Kathryn has done with photobooth pics over at Lily Bee Sketches.
Photo booths at weddings really appeal to the scrappers out there and it's great to have a little momento of your day.

Photostrip fun with wedding pics...

So you may have noticed from my cheeseburger pie baking (which has gone viral on pinterest!), creating a new restaurant reviewing blog 'Yummy Yorkshire' (which needs some more followers please!) and tales of Jubilee celebrations that I have been in a creative funk.
How do you get out of this funk? I find a sketch I like and I scraplift it - just to remind myself I can still scrap. So i used Shimelle's photostrip layout idea - she even gives step-by-step instructions so it could not have been easier. Really.
I remembered about some mini wedding pics from the wedding last summer in California that I needed to scrap and so I arranged them into a photostrip. I also went fro more muted colours and this gorgeous bird cardstock, which I had been saving for a special occassion, for once the misting didn't go wrong and ruin my layout. I felt that using doilies and punching delicate white borders added to the wedding feel of the layout. I had the usual struggle with thickers of not having an 'e' and so used another scrappers advice and went for the 3 backwards - thanks Louise! I am not entirely convinced and may change it when I invest in some more thickers. 

Shimelle's original and instructions to be found here

So now I am back in the zone I may not leave it so long before sharing some more pages with you all!

Wedding dress layout...

This layout has been a long time coming, even since I saw this gorgeous layout I have wanted to get my hands on the hambly overlay. It took me a year, a trip across the Atlantic and I chanced upon it in a cute stationary boutiqe in Santa Monica. Then Shimelle decided it was wedding week and so I couldn't resist.

Here it is...

I love it. It's every bit as lovely as I envisaged. It captures a really special moment perfectly. The final dress fitting. I wanted to stitch the tissue paper on as Sharmaine did as it fits well with the dress making theme but the sewing machine was playing up. I think I need lessons.

Two year anniversary...

His present to me? A photoshoot with very scrappable pics! I even planned props too. We tried out our new tripod that we got at a car boot sale. A great find.

Dinner and a movie too. A relaxing and fun day.

Wedding layout...

Hey!!! Here is a little (wonky) page I completed earlier this week. Lots of butterflies, a sprinkling of bling. I think I used a sketch but (as usual) I can't find it now! Looking at in now I think I should have edged the thickers so that they stand out more. I cut off the journalling spot and used some embellishments I found in an old kit which I never used - a good find! I am still trying to come to terms with using my slr. Somehow the person in the foreground was in focus but the people in the background were blurred. I have been wanting to do that for ages - but can never manage it. Any ideas how I could do it again?! Lol! xxx

It was a nice day for a white wedding...

Doesn't the bride look stunning? Below are the teaching trio! Do you like my new dress? Above are some snaps of the gorgeous wedding I attended yesterday. The weather was so perfect for them and it was just a fab day with loads of cute little touches. I will post more pics later. Many more exciting posts to follow, especially since I found some retro scrapbooks whilst clearing out my parents attic. They helped to remind me why I do all this, as I experienced such genuine joy and pleasure at looking through them and remembering the events recorded and reading how I felt and what I was like at 14. Plan to do some scrapping tomorrow too as the weather is turning and I won't feel so guilty about being holed up inside. Hope all my English readers had a fab bank holiday. Thanks for your support and comments.

The one with the snickerdoodles...

So I finally found a bit of time to post some of the things I have been doing lately. Here are two pages I have been working on over the last few weeks. The first is pics of my sister and I in our gym gear. She is a complete gym buddy, but I am a bit lazier and was only in shape here as it is just before the wedding. I wish I was still this shape!! I plan to add some journalling to it later.

This second layout was inspired by Laura's title on her page. I had this pic of our rings and hasn't scrapped it - so felt it was time to do so. It came together well and I like the colour combo and use of paint and little letter stickers - cute!

So I was in need of a sugar rush as I am SERIOUSLY lacking energy this week. I can defo tell half term is just round the corner - this has been an intense half term with lots of difficult classes and heaps of marking and report writing to tip you over the edge.

I found this really easy recipe for snickerdoodle muffins packed with sugary, cinamony (sp??) goodness!! Don't you just love the cute little cases. My mom got them for me at Morrissons. I took a batch of these home with me at the weekend and they didn't last long.

We also saw Annie the musical on the Friday night and it was soooo amazing - I had to resist singing along to every song. It's such a fab story! The acting was top notch too, especially Sue Pollard as Miss Hannigan!

I am excited as we have just booked a little mini break to Glagow next week. Yay!

What are you guys excited about?

Scraption time!!

So I was on a roll last weekend and have been v.busy all week and not managed to actually photograph them. My best scrap time is now Saturday night whilst MOTD is on. This page is a scraplift from this fab lady's blog...I picked an old photo as the style of the page is quite vintagey. I clashed more than I normally would, but as I was scraplifting I just went for it. The journalling reads: They dropped me on my head, slobbered on me and hugged me. Sisters! I completed this layout of one of our holiday pics of Malta using the challenge on Mission to Create. You had to include these concepts:- Deborah: Sheet Music - I put a strip in Jocie: Decorative Scissors or Edge Punch - my Martha Stewart butterfly punch Nicole: Shiny Things - glitter glue and a button Vanessa: Rub On Alpha's - the Lazy days title Leeann: At least 3 funky bright Cardstocks - the photo doesn't show it well, but I used orange, yellow, green and turquoise

Lastly, my fav of the three layouts, the lads at our wedding. I have had this page in various stages throughout the month and then ran out of glue and had to wait for the glimmer mist to dry. I wanted to include lots of layers and embellies. I did an acrylic paint edged border which makes it pop. I gutted the cardstock so that I could use it to border the picture. I even used a peg to attach some of the embellies to the layout. The mates title was stamped in acrylic paint too.

Well it is tipping it down with rain and we are off to Pizza Express in Leeds on a works night out - it should be fun but I am feeling quite shattered so hope I will be good company. Our work nights out are usually a really good laugh with lots of gossip shared and funny stories.

What are your plans...?

Thanks for stopping by. x

Bank holiday blues...

SO I still haven't really "rested" in my summer hols and this week will be spent catching up on all the prep I was meant to do over the summer. On Saturday I had my good friend's wedding and they asked me to speak at it about a week ago - eek! What a typical Mormon wedding - last minute.com!!! So I prepared a talk all aobut the groom - Tim - as we have been really good friends for eight years. I turned up the day before to help get everything set up and they told me I was speaking about the bride - Vicky - who I have known about three years! Ahhh! So I had to quickly rewrite my talk, it was all fine on the day and I got lots of laughs and told some good stories about both of them. I liked the closing thought that I found:- May your love always be added, and never subtracted, May your household multiply, me never be divided. So here are the pics.... It was a picnic themed reception complete with baskets, gingham, hay bales and little blackboards - how cute hey?

Me getting broody with the cutest little baby in the world!

Lastly the classic pic of me and my old housemate Dr.Anna. I just got a new phone and it actually has a decent camera (which is lucky since our camera broke on holiday :( ) And I was messing around with the photo editing. I am pleased with it though and it will mean we don't have to shell out too soon for a new one.

So I have bank holiday blues as it's almost back to school, I am panicking about lack of work over summer, we are broke from all our travels and I feel I have lost my scrapping mojo! I did complete two layouts of our holiday in Malta so will try to post them soon. Apologies for the lack of scrappy goodness!

What have you all got planned on your bank hols??

First love and a nifty website...

Who was your first love? Some spotty faced boy who held your hand in the back of a biology lesson or the man you said "I do" to across the marriage altar?? My first love was sadly not my husband (although I often wish looking back at some of the others that he had been!) so I couldn't have taken this poem and scrapped about one of the others as Arne is not keen on that!! I do have a sneaky little book with pics scrapped of all my old crushes and teen year boyfriends and I will one day show it to my daughter(s), but for now it is well hidden in my scrapping room. This was in fact the poem that Arne's sister Zara read out at our wedding. I decided the best way to get it on the page was to use one of my fav websites - wordle.net and create a beautiful word cloud with the verses. It is soooo fun and you can choose the colours and the layout. I used it as my photo mat:- I painstakingly sewed all these buttons onto the ribbon border. The photo is bordered with silver heart wrapping paper - I always stash all ribbons and wrappings for LOs. The title is a combo of stickers and lettering from an SEI set and then stickles round the edge. I wanted this page to be quite simple and to focus on the word cloud and the black and white photo from our wedding.

Ahhh what a great layout to create a few weeks before our first anniversary!

The other DT members scrapped about kids, dogs and even Twilight so I cannot wait to see what you all create. There are some cute prizes to win too - so get involved you have until July 14th! x

* Lost in Music! *

So I have always loved Aerosmith's Don't wanna miss a thing and am still trying to scrap my wedding pics. I do love scrapping them, but they are quite samey so I need to break it up a bit or be really inspired to scrap it. This challenge certainly inspired me! My sister, Tamara, is obsessed with movie soundtracks and I guess some of that has stuck with me. How could I not use my gorgeous new round page??! I was trying to avoid purple, but I couldn't help it - most of my stash is this colour. I thought that this lyric really complimented the photo.

I made this frame using a cardboard frame and then I wrapped it in tissue paper and then stamped with my new INK IT (hmm maybe it isn't called this but my scrap room is sooo far away and I am sooo comfy in my throw!) gold stamp pad. I got a pack of 20 of them and they are so juicy and really stand out. A glimmer mist heart to emphasise the word LOSE. Looking at it now it isn't very straight, but I prefer the grungy look!

I made a little flower out of tissue paper and inked edges. I felt the top corner was a bit bare without it!

Then I added some buttons on the bottom for a bit of interest.

Thanks for the inspiration Mr Tyler and your big lips! x

That's my boy...

Another layout I have been playing with for months. I was getting a bit tired of the purple and turquoise cardstock so was loving this alpha background (can't remember the make, I am rubbish about remembering makes and ranges) The journalling is on a beer mat I got at a pub in York (I went round every table swiping them all - magpie moment!!) I bordered it in ribbon so it looked a bit like a rossette. I clustered these embellies and added a bit of bling to the layered flower. The sticker matches the journalling about his gran crying all day long at our wedding!

I went for a monocrome title as I thought it was best to keep it simple with the busy background. I matted it on the heart ribbon - which I have used throughout my wedding scrapping because it was left over from the invites.

This is a lovely pic as his grandparents mean so much to him and I love how his gran is grinning so proudly at him. I back it on the dictionary print backing paper to co-ordinate with the background cardstock.

Here is an "arty" shot with our cake topper. Funny isn't it??

I was really pleased with this layout. I feel as though I am getting my mojo back. The hubster is off camping with the boys this wkend so if I can put off marking my Y12 course work longer I may make a few more LO's. I know its sunny out...but...you can't play out on your own! :(