Esme

My sister rescued a little tortoiseshell cat a while ago and I took lots of photos of her on Christmas Day as we spent the day with her family.

Esme is a very nervous little kitty, but we did manage to get her to have her picture taken by the tree. 

I used up lots of the papers left over from my JYC kit on this layout, along with a freebie by American Crafts I picked up in a magazine.  Making the pages emptied out much of my kit box, ready to fill it up next year!

The title was cut from funky foam using a Tim Holtz XL Sizzix die.  Two more festive pages to go.

Adorable

What other title would be appropriate for this layout, two gorgeous rescue kittens we looked after a couple of year ago?

Again I used up more of the Paige Evans Oh My Heart range (trying to make use of it before the next kit -Turn the Page- arrives in the post.

More of the cat themed washi made it to the page, the title comes from a bargain set picked up in a pound shop.  The script phrase is an appropriate one from a page full of phrases.

The little cat and hearts are more fussy cut embellishments.  Last cat layout for a while! 🐈

More Kitten Layouts

Having found a few more kitten photos and wanting to use up more of my Paige Evans Oh My Heart stash, I decided to make two layouts using them.

The pages were both very quick to put together. This first layout gets its title from the pose of the two kitties, absolutely perfect.

I cut the title using gutted paper from behind the purple stripe, glued to chipboard and die cut with a Sizzix XL Tim Holtz die, great for cutting through thicker materials.

All of the embellishments are cut from the papers and I also used some very cute cat themed washi tape I picked up from Hobbycraft earlier in the year.  

Unlucky Fried Kitten

Ever since I have known Kevin, he hasn't been keen on fast food.  Unlucky Fried Kitten has always been his name for KFC!

When Hannah's rescue kittens decided to explore our brand new barbecue a couple of years ago, I knew this would be the perfect title for a scrapbook page.

The layout was made using a kit from one of the last that Basic Grey released, I added a few stamps dotted around the page, along with a cute set of kitty washi tapes from Hobbycraft.

The title is a mix of Thickers along with alphabet stickers from the Basic Grey set. I added a couple of Sizix die-cut cats by Katie Skilton to finish off the layout.

Yaaaawn!

Our cat is in the prime of her life; she loves to hunt, guard her territory and lie in the sun.  I caught photos of her early in the summer waking from an afternoon nap; I have tried to snap her yawning dozens of times with no success, but not this time!

The layout is made using Kaisercraft background papers and bits cut from Simple Stories I Am cards.

Title is die cut using Funky Foam, other embellishments are from a Crate chipboard set.

I also die cut a heart using a Sizzix set and ran it through the Minc to foil the heart. My boy has been to the orthodondist today to begin up to 2-3 years of work... I'll be glad when this is over!

If only...

My nephew visited us last summer when we were looking after a litter of abandoned kittens awaiting owners. He was so keen to take one home, but sadly, his dad wasn't so keen.

The layout  was made using an old set of papers I can't recognise as they were given to me by a fellow scrapper, with additional doily papers by Stampin' Up,

 and some tiny pieces cut from a last piece of Sassafrass paper I have in my stash.

Doily papers are by Stampin'Up.

Garden photos

On such a miserable July day when it has rained from ten until tea time I had a look back through some of the photos I took of the garden earlier in the month, you remember?  When it was really hot and we didn't stop moaning?!

 First of all, we have had an amazing gooseberry harvest this year, not done anything with these yet, they are in the freezer.

This is a little rose that came from my Grandma's garden.  It can be a little temperamental, some years it flowers, others not, but this year it has been worth the wait as the blooms are gorgeous.

So pretty, even the cat likes them!

And finally, the hanging baskets.  Spring was cold and dull, so I didn't feel like planting them, but looking at how they turned out I am so glad I did!

When I look back at a page with these photos on in the dead of winter, they are certain to cheer me up.

The Last Kitty page...

... for now.

I took these photos back in the holiday just before we went away on the day the kittens found new homes.

The page was another UKS Challenge to use yellow, PL cards, insects (I used butterflies) and a one word title.  I also managed to use a fair bit of old stash, some Amy Tan and Stampin' Up papers and a really old Doodlebug alpha made from double sided sticky that can be gilded or glitter added.  Adding some newer Project Life family cards and smash tape gave it a more up to date look.

I say 'the last kitty page for now' as I have lots more printed off; I'm sure they might appear on another page soon!

Misery....

It seems ages now since our little kitties left us for their new homes.

They went in the days before we set off to the south coast, the weather was beautifully warm and we had the summer holiday stretching ahead of us.

Now the August bank holiday has arrived, the rain is pouring down and the weather is as miserable as most teachers will be feeling at the beginning of a new term.

Here are some of the first pictures of the kittens when we met them in Derby.  The page follows a Simple Recipe from UKScrappers back in July, and uses up a fair amount of old stash.
To cheer us up, we are heading for London for a few days to stay with my brother, just hope the kids take good care of the house while we are away!

Do Not Disturb.

More kitten pictures.  They climbed up onto my lap just as I had my camera at my side, in the perfect position for these cute photos.

I used a mix of newish and very old stash for this page.

 The felt trim under the photos has been in my craft bag for at least 5 years, just waiting for this layout I think!

Also gathering dust was the Cosmo Cricket Rise and Shine cut out; always good to clear and make room.

 I die cut and stitched the title and addded a few buttons.
Hope they are happy in their new homes!

UKS Team Challenge

It is the turn of my team on UKS to set the weekly challenge. As ever, we linked it to anniversaries around this week.

We chose a colour palette from Design Seeds with a nod to seaside holidays and the inclusion of poppy red to remember the beginning of WW1, as on 28th July 1914 Austria declared war on Serbia.

In 1951 Disney released Alice in Wonderland, so anything related to the film for further points.

Finally, in 1959 the British post Office started to use post codes, so the last points were for a title including letters and numbers.

My layout includes the colours from the design seeds, papers are by Stampin' Up and My Minds Eye. The subtitle to the layout is a song title from the film, and seemed ideal for these photos of our rescue kitten.

 And as he was one of four rescued cats, that was my title.

Why not visit UKScrappers and have a go at the weekly challenge yourself?

Last Photos

I made sure I snapped a few final photos of the kitties yesterday before they left for their new homes.

 Hannah was the one who had the longest face,

and we both kept imagining that they were just about to gallop into the room, chasing each other, as they have over the past few weeks. On their last day with us.....

She enyoyed a final rest in her bed.

He made sure he looked his best for the arrival of his new owner!

We will miss them, but our own cat Captain would be heaving a sigh of relief if she could!

A Quieter Place

Finally we have found homes for the kittens, both left us today, one as a gift for a younger sister, the other in a convertible to the south side of the city.  I hope both are happy with their new owners, we have enjoyed their playful natures.  Now we just need to encourage our own cat to return a little more often than for half an hour a day to claim back her territory.

UKScrappers are running a Summer Scrapbooking Challenge beginning on the 1st August with those taking part having until the 30th September to upload their contributions.  Once  I am back from my holiday I'm sure I will take part.

Still Homeless

Two of our abandoned kittens are still without a home, here are the two Hannah brought back from Derby with her. Their original story is here.

Needless to say, our own cat is seriously unimpressed with the new arrivals, so cute though they are we do need to find them a new home.

Exploring the garden

Lolling in the lounge.

Do not disturb.

Nosy kitten.

Rescue Kitties

My daughter and her boyfriend were walking in the park near to their student digs a week ago when they heard a faint squeaking.  On looking down they spotted 4 abandoned kittens, no owner or mother in sight.

 They didn't move the babies, but just waited to see if anyone came for them. A few hours later, with darkness approaching, they decided their only option to ensure the kitten's safety, was to take them back to the house.

The 4 kitties were very hungry, but not obviously feral; having been handled before, leading them to come to the conclusion that the kittens had been abandoned.

With Hannah coming home next week, I'm hoping she manages to find homes for the kittens, they looked about 5 weeks old to the vet and are well weaned; Kev is certainly not keen on having more feline members of the family, and I definitely can't see Captain (our own cat) being too welcoming!