My New DLO

I am pleased with the effect of the different strips of patterned paper, stuck on to the, often discarded, white card album inserts. I love doing double layouts.

This might help you to read the journalling ...

I have also created two sheets, using random pieces of vintage papers from the scrap bag and I will be using them for a heritage LO soon.



Sadly Emma and Steve’s cat Puck was killed last night and like us, cats are not just pets but are part of the family. They are both devastated, especially Emma.
Steve brought Puck home to give Emma some company through the end of her pregnancy and then he gave her comfort during the first few months of worry over the twins. They were so close that it was as though she had three babies.

It has made me very sad too as I had only been over with them last weekend, so to take my mind off things I have been out in my neglected garden, pulling up and spraying weeds, while it is good weather.

I haven’t finished the slippers yet either but I will blog them when the weather changes and I manage to complete them. I find it a real problem if I leave something not quite finished and then put it away for safety … out of sight, out of mind problem ! … the cats, however, would just think they had new toys if I left the knitted slippers out.

Thanks for reading all this.

Take Care xx

Glad to be Back

If you have been aware of my disappearance from the blog scene for the past two or so weeks then I'd like to shout I’m back but if you didn't ... dont worry about my outburst and I'm not at all upset that you didn't miss me. (lol)

So what have I been up to …. mainly I’ve been away. DS needed a cat and house sitter again and it is really great to spend time with Ben and Jake at each end of the stay. Poor little souls came back with a streaming cold, which meant night times had been and still were, hell. The lack of sleep was showing on both loving parents but as DS remarked … you just cope. We couldn’t believe that the boys were not exhausted enough to sleep but all they managed to do was 20mins here and there. By the time I left to go home poor Emma was coming down with it. I could have stayed on but I think they needed the house to themselves and although I can help with the chores, I cannot do much for the boys except play as my old knees have long since given up any relationship with the floor, which is where the nappy changing occurs.
The feeding methods and routines they have is amazing and if I show my face it all goes to pot. Emma has to keep it going, as it’s how she and Steve cope so well. Whether the boys are deemed to be 11 or 9 months due to their premature birth … how many of you Mums out there could honestly say that they could get through the 2 course meal time of two babies in less than 10 mins (including cleaning hands and faces) every time … and still have a smiles on the faces of both little ones.
I think things may well change once they try to feed themselves but that is not being rushed as last time Jake was given a spoon at mealtime he tried to poke it straight down his throat!

Now I’m home I really miss them and they are in my thoughts most of the day. They are at that wonderful stage where the world around them is full of liquid information and they are the sponges. The look of wonder when Ben discovered that moving a button caused the ducks inside a box to also move, could not have been greater than Newton realising the significance of an apple falling from a tree.

Jake honoured me with kisses followed with a neck snuggle which confirmed that I really really love being a Nana and that that feeling could not be equalled by anything but a neck snuggle from Ben.

Emma rang me today to tell me she felt so ill that Steve had to take the day off but that Jake had clapped his hands together on his own ... the significance of this is that I had made up a clapping game on wednesday to keep him happy and then this morning he clapped for his Dad.

As usual I took loads of photos in the hope of a few that were good and also captured my visit.

This is them showing off their first 2 teeth which have been a long time commingThis Ben showing me that he now knows how to blow raspberriesand this is a thoughtful Jake who loves Monkeys tail!! I feel he is more of a Jacob here.

I also had a go at knitting while I was away ... bootee slippers for the boys from a pattern Emma found on the internet and I then managed to size them up so Emma has a pair, as she loves knitted slippers. She treats herself to a pair now and then but as they don’t last long and are pricey at £12.99, I thought I would have a go. Well they worked out at about £1 a pair, using wool I bought at Lidl ages ago. I just have to add the fastenings and I will take a photo ready for the next time I blog.

Before I went away I did this LO …. Simple ... but tells the story … sort of Dr Seuss style I felt.

It says
…Hello … Shall I pose …
Interesting … I have Toes.

I have nearly finished another (not of the boys this time) where I used pieces of patterned papers to make my own 12x12 background papers. I stuck the pieces on to two thin pieces of white card ready for my DL. and I shall blog that as soon as I have finished it.

Glad to be back blogging, can't wait to catch up on everyone’s blogs … I think this calls for a large coffee and an even larger bar of something yummy
.
Take Care xx

I found some INSPIRATION ... Yeah

I have just finished three layouts …. Yes three.

Two are early pictures of Ben and Jake that I had forgotten to scrap. I took them on my first visit after they were home. This was two weeks after they came out of hospital, when they were 7 weeks but less than 5lbs in weight.

The third one is on 'Glimpsing the Past' as it is of my mothers paternal grand parents.

I sometimes feel that my style is too simple but it takes me ages to choose paper and decide where my photos will go, let alone what decoration or embellishments I will use. I have tried to do more complex ones inspired by other peoples work and just occasionally from my own brain but I am actually happier with my simple ones. They do often have quite a lot of work to them though, so maybe I shouldn’t feel I am less inspired than the rest of you out there.
My favourite one of these is ‘2 little boys’ as it happened by accident. I found my background paper and then looked through my scrap box, pulling out two pieces that I thought would work. They were cast onto the main sheet, along with the photo, while I put the box away and when I turned to start work they just looked right just where they sat. All I have done is straighten them up and added embellishments. Wish it worked like that every time!

Bye Bye Bug ...Fingers Crossed

Yeah I feel 100% better … not yet 100% well though … none of us can shake this bug off totally but at least I want to blog and am having thoughts of scrapping again.
Money is so tight that I cannot remember when I last bought stash but DD decided that I should use our Art Base filled loyalty card to choose bits for ME. Yesterday I had a good browse … cant wait to place an order.

While I was unwell I was sent some gorgeous pics of my grandsons, to cheer me up and they did. This is just one I’d like to share with you

I love those Dribble Bibs too. Wish they had been around when their Dad was a baby !!!!


Hopefully the next time I blog there will be a LO.
Thanks to all those who left me kind messages on my blog, when I was really unwell, it REALLY helped.
Take care
Angie xx

I FEEL RUBBISH

I am the last in the house to have caught this abominable cold/flu thing and I am sitting here trying to type with tissue up each nostril. It’s not fun … believe me. Each day so far, all I want to do is sleep. 1 hour up results in 4 hours sleep and during that hour all I want to do is eat and drink something cold. During the last 36 hours I have craved lemonade floats. … something I haven’t had or even thought about for years.
DD was the first to get it and she is on day eight. She is still rough and her runny nose is now blocked with tender sinuses. Although she also has a chesty cough now she has longer bursts of energy before needing sleep … oh joy I have this still to come.
Oh how I wish I had the energy to scrap but this short blog has wiped me out.

Will blog again when I feel human,
Take Care Angie xx