The Pantiles

Linda had found a shop selling craft materials on the web, and it was based in the Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells. She had never been there and wanted to investigate. I have been to the Pantiles many times but a long time ago. When our friends Frances and Steve lived in Tunbridge Wells we used to go regularly. Funnily enough we drive past very month on our way to Cardinal Crafts Crop. I was happy to take a look and was pleased to discover it has not changed very much. Unfortunately the well was not flowing well enough for us to 'take the water'.





We had a lovely Italian meal and loved the kitchen shop. The craft shop was not quite what we were looking for but Linda was able to get some decoupage papers she wanted. I did get a sheet of decoupage paper by Paper Nations to make a new home card for my parents, and another for three small Christmas cards, as I guess I should make a start on these soon!







I learned that however busy you are it' good to take a break and go out with a friend for a few hours. We had a good day, thanks Linda.

Blogging!

I started this blog back in May, I had been considering the idea for some time. I loved the work of Wendy, Karen, and the Paper Maze blog and the Mojo Holder blog. I was talking to Linda who had also decided to start a blog and this encouraged me to put my blog thoughts and ideas into action. So initially I learnt a lot about blogging from her. There are so many excellent blogs out there. So little by little I have picked up ideas and knowledge about managing my blog from the many other talented crafty bloggers over the months. I especially liked Wendy's ideas of making a blog header by hand, scrapbook style, so started off by trying this myself. Was thinking the other day I may make a new on soon and have a bit of a change.

Learn Something New Every Day

Today is about learning from others.

I have learnt a lot about computers, blogs, the internet etc. through starting a blog a few months ago, thanks to all my crafty blogging friends.

Crop

Had a really Lovely day at Jill's Crop today (Cardinal Colours), surrounded by great friends and so many shades and varieties of Bazzill Basics Card stock it's unbelievable. I was able to buy the two most recent collections from Basic Grey.



I love both the new ranges now in my stash. Eskimo Kisses and Indian Summer. I also had the Basic Grey newsletter delivered into my email box today and need to take a closer look, but love the sketch for this month.



All these papers are so versatile. The Eskimo Kisses may be for Christmas but there are many papers in the collection which could be used at other times too. Both colour ranges are beautiful. Can't wait to get started on these papers.




While at Jill's crop I worked on a LO for the Mojo holder and am pleased to be a few weeks ahead in case I get help up one week with work and family things. It was a LO of my great nephew, Oliver. However it will be about two weeks before I can share that one. I also did another LO for the Hollywood Album - I know I said it was finished but this completes the blank back page of the album, and Shows Catherine in Hollywood itself. She (along with all the dancers) was not able to go earlier in the week, as she had dance lessons. So we arranged to take them all there on the last morning before our flight home. We couldn't take the girls all the way to LA and not take them to Hollywood!! I still have some photos from Disney and Universal which I may scrap and add to this album later.

I used a Scrapahloix kit from last year, one of the 'second kits of the month' the papers are from Making Memories 'Passport range. The letter stickers are from Marjoline Bastine.

I also started on a third LO today which I will finish off at home, this one is for baby Hannah.

Learn Something New Every Day: (LO to follow)

Today I learnt (or should I say was reminded) that I have a wonderful circle of scrapbooking friends who meet at Jilly's once a month. It may take an hour and a half to drive to Jill's, but it is well wort the time and effort every month.

My addiction to Basic Grey continues with the latest papers.

It's good to finally get around to using a kit I purchased a year ago!

Getting ahead with the Mojo Holder LO's is always a rewarding feeling.

Chillisford

Toady we travelled up to the house in Suffolk, intending to stay in and do some jobs around the house. Andrew is back at school and Catherine was busy with friends, but Emily decided to join us, she asked her boyfriend Alex along, and also a school friend Gemma. So all five of us went in the end. Gemma's family have a caravan in Suffolk not far from our house, so she knew all about the area too.

We decided to go out to Chillisford and take a look at St Peter's Church. It is a lovely place for taking photographs. It was a very wild and windy day, but stayed dry.

Learn Something New Every Day

Today I learnt (or it was reinforced) that Emily has some lovely school friends. When I think back to her early days at the grammar school when she was very shy and found it difficult to make friends. Gradually over the years she has made some great friends. The school has been great for her, helping her build on her strengths, she has met some like minded girls and teachers, and has been able to grow and blossom there. Tomorrow she returns for her last year and she will truly be sad to leave.

The best photographs of me are taken when I'm totally unaware they are being taken. I'm hopeless at posing for a photo! The first two were taken at Chillisford and the last one was emailed to me by my SIL, she took it at Heather's house the other day when I was in the garden with Hannah.

It may only be 3rd September, and the sun may be shining, but it's very windy, and I would have been better wearing closed in shoes for our outing today. My feet got chilly and so did the rest of me. When we went out in the evening I changed into socks and trainers. Thing is I love wearing open shoes and hang on to them as long as I can before giving in and going into closed shoes for the winter. A true sign that autumn is on the way!

Preserving old photography

Today I have been scanning negatives of the children's fifth birthday party and a teacher's wedding they attended with their class from about the same time in 1997.

I always kept a diary until I had my children, then with three babies arriving all at once this stopped! I did however start taking many more photos than ever before. I tried to be organised enough to get them into an album, adding written details as soon as each developed film dropped through the letter box. The negatives were all kept but not in any organised form. Although some time later I put these in negative files, and where I knew details added them for later reference, however many were not labelled.

Andrew, Catherine and Emily ready to blow out the candles.

Several years ago Mum and Dad has a sort out and found a big box of slides. I had seen an advert in a local shop to have negatives scanned onto CD. I paid to have some slides from the box put onto CD for my family as a Christmas gift. This went down really well and everyone was pleased to see these old photos again. I was however disappointed with the quality and some were not straight or had marks on. No attempt had been made to clean them or straighten them. A few years ago we got this lovely Cannon printer and scanner and I started working my way through the colour and black and white negatives. One day I plan to rescan the slides I paid to have scanned too!

Andrew in the Hammock

I wanted to show the photos I had found with family and friends involved, and thought of emailing some. Then I hit on the idea of adding them to an album on Facebook. This was very successful as the children in the photos were thrilled and tagged themselves and added comments. I have also become friends on Facebook with several parents of these children who I had lost touch with over the years.

Catherine with her shoes on the wrong feet!

Learn Something New Every Day:

I learnt the value of scanning old photographs, negatives and slides and preserving them for the future.

Emily bouncing round the garden on a birthday present.

I also learnt the value and reward of sharing these old memories with family and friends. A new way og getting in touch with old friends.

Year 1 teacher Miss Hunt, becomes Mrs Fox. All the children went along to the wedding.


My page for today.

Back to School

I love September and the newness of everything, it does feel like a second new year when the kids go back to school. This year for us the children (young adults) are returning to school for their final year. Lots of work, important decisions and exams over the next nine months, then they will have left school for good and be awaiting an even bigger new start next September.

Today is day 1 of 'Learn Something New Every Day', please see Shimelle's blog for details. The task today was preparations and making a front cover. I decided to use my Bind-It-All at the end of the month to hold all my pages together. I treated myself to The Zutter Clip Board - Wood 8"x8" covers from Jill's shop.

I have been looking through my papers and decided I would not buy any new papers for this project. I came across this lovely K & Company Specialty Paper designed by Brenda Walton.

The pad is 12"x12" and contains 24 double sided papers. I have only used a few of these papers so there is plenty to play with. The papers are double sided so I only needed 15 sheets to make the 30 inside pages of my journal. Then four extra sheets for covering the boards. The excess cut from these sheets is ideal for matting, journalling and cutting shapes and letters.

I used a selection of letter stickers for the title, all from my stash, So again not buying anything new. Using four different alphabets meant I had enough letters for each word. I love the mix and match eclectic feel of this page, and the bright cheerful colours.

So now I'm ready to get started!

My lessons for today:
I learnt to make good use of the stash I already have.
I learnt to get that stash more organised.

Learn Something New Every Day

I am joining Shimelle's 'Learn Something New Every Day' class in September. My prize for winning a class in her 'Month of Colour' was to choose from a selection of classes. Here is what she has to say about it: "September is a special kind of second new year: the time of year when we head back to school, set new goals, live up to our shiny new intentions and embrace the idea of doing a little something to make ourselves a little better somehow.
Around here, we do that with an online class called Learn Something New Every Day.
Now it its fourth year, this online class encourages you to observe the world around you and learn from your daily experiences and surroundings. We work with a small format album to make thirty daily entries, and we adopt a few short cuts and techniques to make those daily entries possible in even the busiest of weeks. And once you’ve joined, you’re welcome to participate for as many years as you like at no extra cost.
The class includes:...preparation notes delivered next week...thirty daily full-colour pdf prompts delivered to your inbox ...access to a private class forum at shimelle.com to chat and share your work...permanent file archive so you can come back to the materials at any time
PLUS New for 2009:Although the principles of the course stay the same each year, the prompts are revamped to show you a new book with a new look. This year’s additional materials include:...for paper scrappers, this year’s featured album is made with repurposed supplies that will encourage you to stretch your supplies by recycling some items from daily life, and the option of a kit for scrapbookers in the UK....for hybrid scrappers, four pages of printable accents to include in your album (available to download on the first day of class)....for digital scrappers, five page templates (layered .psd files) and a mini kit of papers and embellishments designed just for the class, plus the option of additional digital supplies available when class begins.
So you’ll get all that too, whether it’s your first year to sign up or you’re joining us again in 2009"

I love the newness of September, even though I no longer go to school or college, it's still going on for my children. They will be starting their last year of school this September when they enter year 13. It's AS results day for the girls on Thursday. I'mlooking forward to learning some new tricks!