Spring View over Warwickshire.

On our trip to Coughton Court last month, we climbed up the numerous stairs to reach a roof top space above one of the turrets that afforded amazing views of the countryside.

The trees were coming into leaf and the the rape glowed yellow in the fields.  We took a few photos, the one of the two of us was taken by Harry (he did a good job too!)

I made the layout using mostly Market Street papers by MME, I hand scripted the title using a brush pen and cut it out to add to the page.

Embellishments included butterfly tape by Tim Holtz, stickers and an acetate globe by Shimelle.

Memories of the Louvre

I took these photos of the sumptuous interiors of the Louvre museum in Paris that Napoleon used for his state apartments while in the capital.

 As he felt that 'more was more' with interior decorating (or I assume he did looking at these rooms!), there was only one paper range that I thought would be appropriate.  The Anna Griffin 'Grace' range along with a 6x4 Amelie journalling card really set off the pictures.  I also used a little yellow from a Papermania floral range to back the photos and as a punched border to the roses paper.
Although the papers are very busy, the amount of detail on the photos still stand out.

To make the title I used two die cuts layered, and added a little brush script under the flag to match the rest of the font used on the layout.

I finished off with layered roses, some gold die-cuts and gold glitter Nuvo crystal drops.

First Communion

I seem to have been making lots of cards recently, and while I had my card making stash out for Easter I decided to produce this one to fulfil a request my Mum had made for a first holy communion card.

The background is an Anna Griffin embossing folder, inked, along with an embossed and sanded oval sentiment.

The cross is the same one I used on my Easter cards, cut with a Sizzlits die, and I added punched flowers, a bird and a label with a hand written message. Finally, a green doily completed the background.  I hope she likes it!

New Baby

I got busy this weekend making cards, a few for Easter and a couple of others too.
A friend of mine at work gave birth to a baby girl this week; her second child.  I made her a card using an Anna Griffin embossing folder and sentiment. the image is stamped onto a circle with a die cut scalloped circle in the background.

The stamps are from a set called 'Little Sprout' by Unity, I stamped them and coloured them with Artiste pens...my colouring skills are not great but I hope Michelle likes the personal touch as the stamped family matches her own.

Inside the card, I wrote a message using one of my brushscript pens...it was one I remember being on a card we were given when I had our second baby.

Looking at the card reminds me how time has flown as I joined the school I worked in 6 years ago. Michelle was the other Year 4 teacher with me, so she really helped me to settle in and to get through Ofsted. At the time she was a 'Miss', and in six years she has married and is now a mum of two. You can say one thing about teaching, time doesn't stand still in the job.

Birthday Tea

My aunty (and godmother) is celebrating a big birthday this month, and has organised afternoon tea today for a few female friends and family. My mum is organising floral centre-pieces for the tables and I was asked to make name labels.

As the flowers will be pink and purple,  I decided to decorate them with quilled flowers made using scraps and some leftovers of  Graphic 45 papers.

 I used a really old set of Docrafts dies to makes the paper strips to quill, along with a trusty glue gun.  The names were added using my new brushscript pens; hope Aunty Margaret  likes them!

Hand crafted

I always make something by hand at Christmas.

The journalling is about the little felt reindeer and robins I stitched, and the brush-script I am using in my journal along with in some presents too.

Secret Santa

Every year at work, we have a staff Christmas dinner served up by the kitchens, and ending with a Secret Santa.  This year, I picked out my TA from the last 3 years.  Sadly, she will be leaving us at the end of this academic year to train to be a teacher, so I was pleased to choose her name from the hat.

I know she loves lager, and as the price limit is £5, this covered some bottles of her favourite drink.  I also added a quote completed by me in brushscript.  I always like to add a hand crated item to my Secret Santa gifts.  Hope she likes it!
You may notice that the 8th is missing, but I haven' bought my real tree yet, so hope to get that done (and the page) at the weekend.

Brushscript practice

Last weekend was our church bazaar, and Kev made robins and other ornaments from wood to sell.

To try and help make them look a little more professional I tried out my brushscript to make tags for each robin and a poster.

Together they were a great success and we raised over £80 for the church in under three hours!

He's going to have a go at making angels to sell next year to see if we can break the £100 barrier!