A couple of layouts from my Best of Both Worlds March Kit

Shimelle used up all her March kit and showed us what she had done here. I have just got a few envelopes left and some small pieces of paper! As I don't really make cards I shan't be using them for that, but they will probably appear on a layout at some time! This layout is also based on Shimelle's Sketch to Scrapbook Page Layout number 13.

This first layout is made with photos from our family party celebrating the two anniversaries. I wanted to showcase some of the general photos of people enjoying themselves.

These photos were taken 2 years apart. When Penny saw the one of Emily she immediately said 'you have to scrap that alongside the one of me with Willow - we look so alike!', so I did as I was told!

I remembered to get my stamps out and use them with this layout! The camera at the top of the page and the heart here. That might not be a lot of stamping, but at least I remembered them!

This final layout is scrapped with a photo taken only last month, on our Shropshire holiday. The layout Shimelle did was perfect for our photo as it was raining when Penny took it.

I really like how this one has come together. I don't often scrap with pink, but it goes very well with the dull photo.

I didn't have a cloud stamp, so improvised. I cut some clouds out with my Cricut and then drew around them.

We have been sooooo busy recently that I haven't had much time to scrap. However, I did have Wendy and Sue round last Wednesday evening and we did get to have a bit of a play! And on Saturday afternoon I got a couple of layouts done for my California album (or should I say second album as the first is already full!).

Simply a moment - May 17th

I'm standing in the middle of a book shop. Not any old bookshop, but the one in the middle of Canterbury Christchurch University. I am here on a visit with Penny and we are being shown around by her course director. She and Penny are chatting away about books they like. I stand and watch them, so at ease with one another even though one is tutor and the other student and they are almost a generation apart. Other students mill around me, chatting easily together, happy and relaxed. There is that lovely smell of new books. I feel envious. I never went to university and would have loved to experience what these youngsters are lucky enough to have. When I was leaving school no one suggested that I went to uni as I didn't have a clear career path or idea of what I wanted to do. There was no point in spending all that money on something that might not lead to anything. Far better to go out and get a job. Now I feel envious of Penny and Ben and Hugh. I am the only one not to have gone to uni, to have experienced uni life. I sometimes feel inferior to them although they say that is silly,that  I am clever and could have gone. Why don't I do an OU course now? Working full time and supporting Penny whilst she is away from home I don't have the time - not without giving up scrapbooking and I NEED my scrapbooking! All this goes through mind and then I notice that Penny and Carolyn are ready to move on. Penny grins at me happily. She is so reassured now about attending this campus and I have helped with that. I do have a degree - a degree in motherhood and wifehood (?!) and I should be proud of how I have managed to bring up both my children to be happy and fulfilled and proud that Hugh and I have been happily married for 26 years. Anyway, if I had gone to uni I wouldn't have gone out to work and met Hugh and I may not be where I am now - happy and contented.

Courtesy of CCCU website

I am linking up with Alexa of Trimming the Sails. Do drop by her blog to read her beautiful words (and see her wonderful layout) and the words of other bloggers as they stop and record a moment in May.

Just a quick post

I really don't know where time is going at the moment! I haven't seemed to have stopped this week. After Ben left on Sunday Penny's friend Laurz arrived. The two of them went to the theatre to see a one man show by a wrestler, Mick Foley, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Laurz stayed over and then on the Monday Penny went back to Hemel with her and stayed the night in the Premier Inn there, coming back home on the Tuesday. I am so proud of her for staying away in a hotel by herself - something I never thought she would be able to do.

Penny and Laurz

Laurz, Rory (Laurz's boyfriend) and Penny

On Wednesday I had my friends Sue and Wendy round and we had a scrapbooking evening. I worked on the Photo Freedom pack I had won on Jennifer Grace's blog - will share those photos with you soon!

On Thursday it was Penny's birthday and I was at work. However, I worked through my lunch and left a little early so that I could spend some more time with Penny. Hugh was working from home, so once I got home we let Penny open her presents! We gave her a satchel from the Cambridge Satchel Company which she really wanted - she is going to use it for uni.

We then went out to Southend for a meal, which was lovely! Also, it was great not to have to cook!

When we got back from the restaurant we were all very full, but we had to stick a candle in the remaining cake from Wednesday evening and sing 'happy birthday' to Penny!

Friday saw me and Penny taking a trip to Canterbury. As I may have mentioned, Penny is attending Canterbury Christchurch University but has been at the Folkestone campus which is closing in the summer and moving back to Canterbury. We have got Penny's flat organised but she was getting quite anxious about the actual campus as she hadn't been there. Her course director is brilliant and we arranged to meet her there on Friday to be shown around. Penny and I got the train down, which was fun - I haven't been on that long a train ride in ages!

After being shown around the campus (and Penny was much happier and settled in her mind about it all) Penny and I walked to the library to have a look around and then we had a walk up the High Street, window shopping, before returning home. We walked miles!

Today we have been to the Sealife Adventure centre in Southend. The last celebration for her birthday! It was great fun and we had lunch out which was nice too. This evening we are off to our neighbours for a party as Gary is celebrating his 50th birthday. Tomorrow we take Penny and a load of boxes to Folkestone for her last week of term and to pack some of her belongings up! I am exhausted! Looking forward to next weekend with the Bank Holiday Monday!

Anyway, thanks for reading this far! I will post some more layouts later in the week.

Steaming Hot!

Another layout based on a Shimelle sketch, but this time a Glitter Girl one! This is from Glitter Girl Adventure 59, which you can see here.

Hugh came up with the title for this layout - I asked him as after all, the layout is about him and his love for steam trains!

The journalling is spread across the two areas of the page, but I think it works OK. I am getting to use a lot of my Studio Calico wooden embellishments on these pages, which I am pleased about!

Penny is home this week as she has no lectures. It is her birthday on Thursday and we are going out for a meal with her in the evening. This past weekend I have scrapped a couple more pages, which I will show soon! Ben came home on Friday to take Penny out on Saturday as her birthday present. They went to Tropical Wings, nearby, to see butterflies, reptiles, and many meerkats and wallabies! They had a great time together and it made me really happy to wave the two of them off in Ben's car - they get on so well together it makes my heart feel fit to burst!

Sketch to Scrapbook Page Layout

This layout is based on Sketch Number Six and is another one for my Road Trip album.

I started this over a month ago when I went to my friend, Wendy, for our monthly crop. I needed to do the journalling and add some embellishments which it has taken me all this time to get around to doing!

Here is the journalling close up for you to read!

And a close up of one of the embellishment clusters. I liked the little row of 3 square photos at the bottom of the page - I can see me using this sketch again.