Oh sooo tired

I went to bed last night feeling like pooh and have woken up this morning with a stiff neck courtesy of swollen glands. I now have hot eyes and a runny nose. It's beyond funny, I've only just got rid of the last "cold" which lasted the best part of six weeks.

I'm weak, and this confirms it.

Onwards and upwards eh.

On Saturday I'm teaching a class and between you and me, I'm a tad nervous. I have 10 ladies making a BIA 4x4 mini book, all of them new to the world of mini books (I know - imagine that!) so that also means they have never had a go with a BIA either. I gave a mini book demo - well, lecture really, last month with lots of question and laughter along the way. The crop organiser came back and asked if I would put a kit together and teach a class. I feel very honored to have been asked. I must have done something right!

I already have everything packed and ready to go. I've chosen the lovely 7Gypsies Notting Hill papers for them to use. I do hope they like them. Fingers crossed my BIA will come back in one piece and nobody will lose any fingers along the way (there are a couple of care in the community amongst them...LOL). Either way I'm sure there will be just as many laughs as last month.

That's my in progress version in the middle. Not the wire it will have on it as I'm recycling one I used to demonstrate how the BIA works.

I've also decided that today is as good as any day to start my "Week in the Life" project of Ali E fame. I was sat flicking through my copy of Life Artist last night and thought - why not, what are you waiting for? It's not as if life is going to change much and it is all about recording the day to day things. I've taken a couple of photo's so far for today and my diary will serve to take notes. Then all I need to do is get an album sorted out, a scrummy AC one with lots of those new page protectors they do to hold photo's in.

While I'm sitting here uploading images and typing away, Rosie is downstairs watching her latest obsession. That is her obsession for today, to which she was introduced by Chris last night. Danger Mouse! Love it, after all he's fantastic, he's amazing, where ever there is danger he'll be there......

Got the theme running through your head now...LOL. I have.

mini monsters....

The BIA is out and the pogo printer is winking at you. You then discover an almost forgotten kit, in to this case Indigo Mill's Monster Mash kit from October '09 . Put it together and what do you get? In my case a 2x4 inch mini book of my little monsters.

The size of the book was dictated by the covers as they were made from off cuts from the travel journal I made last week. Waste not want not! Makes it an idea size for all those off cuts of paper piling up.

I've only added photo's to one side of the pages, and the book will happily stand up so you can always have those adorable monster faces looking at you while you work. The other sides have all been decorated using the monstrosity cardstock stickers.

Thanks for looking!

Me time....

This year I will be "celebrating" my 40th with a trip to New York without the kids. Each year Chris and I take a kid free break, but this year it will be for my birthday and to a place of my choosing. We went a couple of years ago and we have a rule of not going to the same place twice, but I loved it and there are still things I want to see. I also don't want to be dealing with turning 40 and have language problems. So, New York it is! Yay!!! I can taste the breakfast already....drool.

With this trip in mind, I've made myself a little travel journal to take with me based on the Julie Kirk's (Nabview) 3-in-1 mini book tutorial which you can find here.

I love the pocket idea so have used that for vertical and horizontal pockets to slip receipts and tickets in while we are away. I usually use a hotel envelope to bring things like that home, and then they stay in the envelope. This time they will have a home from the start.

There are also pages just for journaling, and some of the "pocket pages" have been turned into extra wide pages for me to witter away on. Other's I've turned the journaling block around to give the book more interest and make you want to handle it. At the moment I'm also considering taking my pogo printer with me as I think a few little photo's in it would be great.




I'm really looking forward to using it and may make another one just because I can!

This one has been make using kraft cardstock for the pages and pockets, bakers twine, basic grey recess papers (yep - I'm using old stash!!), journaling block stamp, inks, a little touch of paint, 7Gypsies tapes & a rub-on and some Tim Holtz bits and pieces. Oh yeah - and I dusted off my BIA to bind it, it's been a while.

As always, thanks for looking!