Ouch!

It's been a little while since I made jewellery and I'd forgotten how much polishing it takes to get silver looking good.  I actually have a friction burn on one of my fingers after working on this double pendant.   The smaller one has children's fingerprints on it, and the larger one is patterned.  I'm really pleased how this one has turned out and hope the recipient likes it too!

It must be time for new challenges

You know, and I know, that I am utterly useless at keeping up annual or monthly challenges. This year I took part in LSNED and didn't finish.  At the start of the year I meant to look at the Document:2010 project on UKS....and forgot.  I haven't even looked at JYC this year.  So, for 2011 I've set myself a challenge of creating a weekly art journal calendar a la Kate Crane. 

So here are the first two weeks all ready to go.  I figured that as I love doing my art journal, then this surely must be an easy to do.  No photo's to take or print out and that means a distinct lack of feeling the need to colour match.  Using up lots of scraps of scrapbook paper to make the daily journalling squares.  Surely it has to tick some boxes as well as making a dent in my stash mountain, albeit a small one. 

I'm doing this in an A5 greyboard sketchbook from paperchase and it feels good to have put it to use. Pages are ready to go not just for the first two weeks, but the first six.  I figure by giving myself a head start I stand a fighting chance of doing this.

My next crafty task is indeed to look back over the Document: 2010 prompts (I have them all downloaded) and maybe make a Document: 2011 album.

So what crafty challenges are you planning to take part in next year then?

Frosty Mornings

You can’t deny it is rather beautiful and worth getting the camera out for.  We’ve had weeks of snow and ice, our footpaths and untreated roads still have inches of ice on them. Poor Rosie almost cried with the cold on her face going to school this morning.  It comes to something when you get up and hope it’s only –4 Celsius as you’ve got used to that and it’s not as bad as it sounds.   It’s certainly not the sort of weather than has you leaping out of bed.  Jamie can’t wait for the school holidays to start so he doesn’t have to (1) get up and (2) go out.  Oh boy – does he have a shock coming to him.

Being a guest

This month I’m a guest, in this case a guest designer for A Trip Down memory Lane.  It was a real privilege to be asked, especially as ATDML was the first store I ever did any scrappy shopping with.  I loved the papers that I was sent to work with and simply put - I ran out of time to use them what with out trip away and all the chaos that comes with coming home again. I’ll be sure to share more layouts with you when I get five minutes to scrap.

The December gallery is now live, so head on over and take a look.  There are, as always, some fabulous creations there, and I’d really like to say Thanks to Mel & Jill for inviting me to join their talented team of designers this month.

Thanks for stopping by!

Just can't concentrate!

It's driving me nuts that I can't seem to concentrate on a blooming thing at the moment.  Never mind restless legs from running, I have restless everything from being on holiday and am seriously struggling to get back into it, and worse sort myself out for Christmas.  I have half idea's for projects running round in my head, a pile of presents to buy and make, food shopping to do and a house to sort out.  I've even walked past the post box a dozen time with a huge pile of Christmas cards in my bag and forgotten to post them .  I'm panicking and that means I come to a full stop!  Not the best really.

So this very quick and probably dull post, is to apologise for the lack of blogging taking place.  I have crafted for my crop, I have tons of photo from New York along with tales of parades and sparkly rings (twas a very special 40th) and I have created layouts for an upcoming guest DT spot,  I will share these things with you soon.  That is as soon as I have sorted myself out and feel properly back in the grove!  Until then thanks for stopping by.  Normal service will resume in January!  Promise.