Friday tomorrow..

.. thank goodness, I'm still standing after most of the week has passed, but only just. I ran a practical science day for gifted and talented children at school today, great fun and lovely to be teaching science again, but glad it's done :)

Still no sign of any work next term, I think I'll be doing supply teaching.

Here's a page that is not my usual style at all. The weekly challenge on UKS was for a page with white space, and I'm sure you are all aware that I really don't do white space. A bit of space? Then fill it!! The only positive thing I would say about the page is that it was quick! The cardstock is Core'dinations, I stuck some random chipboard letters on my cutting mat, and sanded over the top of them. The mat for the photo is embossed using a Tim Holtz folder, one piece sanded. I made the swirl using a Bazzil template, and Anitas gems.

The photo is of the baptistry window of Coventry cathedral, as I've got older I've come to appreciate the 1950s building more and more. Busy crafty weekend, NEC on Saturday, and Exhall crop on Sunday. Then two weeks of work, and I'm done.

Half term is here!!!

I would normally say "Hooray"!! but as I am heading towards my last half term in work, impending unemployment has it's worries. With a bit of luck I'll get a job soon after Easter and not have too long out of work.

As Hannah is home we had a treat today as I took her out shopping for her birthday, thank God none of my kids have ever been bothered about designer gear, so a trip to Matalan and TK Maxx resulted in carrier bags full of stuff for her, including 2 handbags, a colouring book and pens(!!), tights, a dress and even a few sweeties.

This page was made at the Exhall Christmas crop based (very loosely!) on a design by Ifa Zainon who taught the class. It uses papers from the Dear Lizzy Christmas range, and just goes to show that Christmas papers have a multitude of uses! I made the title by spritzing some Glimmer mist onto a craft mat, and then using it to load up my Tim Holtz vintage alphabet and then stamp. Even though the alpha is big and bold I like the way using the misters as ink gives a more muted image. I then cut these out, and finished the title by stitching it.
OK, off to use some stash bought on my shopping trip.... Oh, didn't I say I had called in at The Range as well....?!

White space... or not white space?

Regular readers may recall that i had a chat about the idea of white space (bits with not much on!) on pages a while back, and i came to the conclusion that really, it's not for me.

Well this weeks SLYMI challenge on UKS was to follow this sketch. Aaaaaaaargh! I disliked the sketch so much that i left it until yesterday to complete the challenge. But a challenge is there for making us try something new, so, complete it it did.

and....here is my page, i used Cosmo Cricket patterned paper for a bit of interest in the background, made a mirror image of the sketch, added a bracket to frame the journalling, a bit of lace, and picked a really cute pic of Hannah from way back. Photographed it, uploaded it, job done.

As is my habit i blu-tacked the most recent page up in the kitchen, i have the three most recent LOs of the kids up, to give me a bit of inspiration, and the kids like to see them there before they go into their albums. Well, this LO kept looking at me accusingly.. "I'm not finished, you know...., you need to add more to me.... look at all this space that needs a little something adding etc, etc"

SO, I gave in, took it down and below is the page after i added a few extras.

Not much extra added, a doodled border around the edge, a bit of stitching, and a few die cut flowers and pearl brads. Don't want to influence you in any way... which is your preference? Is it better, more finished, or have i simply copped out and white space is the way forward?

Even after the additions, when Hannah came home her comment was, " i like it Mum, but it's not like one of your usual layouts!"