Memory Monday: Pie Charts and self timer fun...

Now those of you who knew me in school would know that pie charts and fun were never two concepts I connected. Apple pie and fun maybe...but maths - shudder! A strange trend to hit scrapping in 2012, but one I was keen to have a go at.
This page uses lots of American Crafts and especially Amy Tan. I created the pie chart with cardboard and scraps of paper - embellished with an Amy Tan stamp and a Studio Calico wooden camera stamped in black ink.

The memory is of our trip to Barcelona August 2012. When there are just two of you on holiday, you always have the drama of trying to get a picture of you as a 'couple' and in Barca you have to be aware of pickpockets and people liable to run off with your camera.
So we turned to the slightly hit and miss method of self timer. With the camera precariously balanced on some rocks. I like this pic as it is a fun angle and I think shows the energy and fun of our trip.

Back next week with some exciting news and an actual layout that I actually created yesterday (after a four month scrapping drought!)

Me right now...

Digging: Les Mis
Drinking: ginger beer and strawberry smoothie
Eating: Almond Magnums
Listening: Eddie Reymayne singing Les Mis
Wearing: PJ's and a hoody
Reading: A really sad book, but I can't think of the title now...
Feeling: relaxed
Weather: was snowing now slush
Wanting:another snow day
Needing: a good back massage
Wishing: I had more energy
Thinking: I need to start listing some stuff on ebay - we had a big snow day clear out
Enjoying: Don't Tell the Bride
Loving: Almond Magnums

Memory Mondays: Summer days in London town!

As snow flurries (not enough to close school!) try to make an appearence I long for long summer days.
Full of possibility.
Full of light.
Still, sometimes, full of rain showers.
So the memories and layouts I share this morning are about a week we spent in London during the Olympics.
The above and below layout is of this bike stimulator they had on South Bank during the games. You had to cycle to power a traffic light-o-metre and then the Olympic rings in the middle of the Thames would turn into a water feature.
The problem was that it was mostly kids going on it.
And they can't pedle that fast.
One boy got bored and just abandoned his bike mid-cycle.
So my husband, encouraged by crowds of exasperated mothers, hopped on and really gave it some welly.
It took some puff and he abandoned his coat halfway through as the light seemed stuck on amber.
Then the old ladies in the crowd were chanting, "Come on Wiggins!" At him!
Finally a small fountain appeared as the light turned green.
My layout is entitled 'Come on Higgins!'

The second layout is taken on the same day on the giant chair ride at South Bank.
It was a great view of London from the top.
My sister, who loves a bargain, was most delighted to find a 50 pence piece left behind on the seat for her.
Classic Mara!

Did any of you get involved in the action along South Bank?

Memory Mondays: Pad Thai in Thailand!

So in the back end of 2012 I ran a mini series (albeit a bit hit and miss) called Messy Mondays and some of my favourites are here and here. I was trying to think of a new idea for 2013 and have decided that my word of the year will be: REMEMBER.
One of the main reasons that I scrapbook is to capture the memories. I have been ill a lot recently and so have been revisiting some of my old diaries and love to look back at the funny little stories and memories from my teens and early twenties - usually about which boy I was crushing on and what he'd said to me and what he'd worn to a party. Actually I liked to make little sketches of the outfits I wore to big events and these are funny to look back on.
So Memory Mondays will be all about the story behind the layout.

This layout is all about my love of Pad Thai Noodles when I visited Thailand, back in 2007, with some friends.

The journalling reads:
"They were a total steal at only 20p and they were made fresh right in front of you. I liked mine with egg, extra chilli and peanuts. Here Cassie and Emma are enjoying their night time snack."

I busted out some old stash and used lots of stickers and my amazing travel themed washi tape with lots of passport stamps on it. I also used a title, sub title and a little journalling spot to explain the 5 w's behind the layout.

Storytelling Sunday: Pick your Precious!

When we were first married we were visiting an American friend of ours living at the nearby base. It was December and they had a massive tree full of all sorts of muli-coloured and shaped ornaments. Some of which my mother would have deemed 'tacky.' I grew up in a house that had colour co-ordinated trees - a new theme and colour scheme each year. But as my American friend and her kids pointed out their favourite ornaments on the tree I began to see the appeal: each of these treasures told a story.
A family holiday to Disneyland.
Grandma Ruth's first bauble.
A skiing trip to Whistler.
I wanted our tree to tell a similar story.
And so (even though Christmas is over for another year and I spent an hour yesterday wrapping them all up in tissue) my precious is our growing collection of Christmas tree decorations - each with their own story.

 We painted these gingerbread men on our Three Year Anniversary trip to Howarth last July. My regular followers will be aware that my husband is a very loyal Club Brugge supporter. Not very festive, but hey ho...

 Next up is our personal fav - a camper van from California. Two summer's ago we spent an amazing three weeks road tripping round California. Now it wasn't quite in a camper van, but we picked this up in a store in Julian all the same.

Lastly another of my favs. Can you guess where we got this? I like that it has the the spiritual side of Christmas as although we are not Catholic - we definitely celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

We weren't even going to get a tree this year - as we were away visiting for most of the holidays, but then I found my bag of treasures and knew that we could not resist the trip down memory lane. Every year we build up a few more and I can see it becoming a favourite family tradition.

Linking up with the lovely Sian over at From High in the Sky. A great new idea for the new year...feel free to pick your precious and join us. It's a bit like show and tell!