Liberty layouts...

I'm still away in Sutton so still have not scanned my two My Freedom layouts for you. I do however have some other eye candy to share with you - created using Scenic Route's mini Liberty line. These projects were made for the Papermaze blog and full instructions for the layout are posted there right now. I don't scrap much in these very masculine colours of navy and red but they made a lovely backdrop for this gorgeous photo of Ed playing Last Post at the Coventry memorial service on November 11th (by the way, the photo isn't mine, it was taken for the local newspaper and Ed's mum bought a copy - I don't have a zoom lens and could no way get a shot this good with my compact!).



The other project was created as a Father's day gift for my Dad - it commemorates a beautiful day I spent with my mum and dad walking on the South Bank and taking photos of the city - we had such a happy day together and I wanted to record our memories of it.



Today I've been out for a fantastic lunch with my Dad and sister at the Italian restaurant in Banstead, where the food and the peroni was absolutely delicious. Tomorrow I'll be heading off back to Coventry, but I've had such a nice few days I'll be sorry to leave my family. I'm looking forward to seeing Ed and the furballs again though, and I have a holiday in Portugal with my family to look forward to soon as well...

Been away for while...

I'm on a visit to my family down in Sutton at the moment, and basking in the glorious weather that the South East are currently enjoying - it makes such a change from constant rain! I managed to see my Grandad again while he came for a visit which was great as normally I don't get to see him for months and now I have seen him twice in the space of a few weeks. I managed to get a few pictures of him this time too. I've been out shopping with my mum, I've caught up with my brother, and I've felt sorry for my sister who has glandular fever and has been ill in bed all through the sunny weather poor thing!

I have actually scrapped my pages for My Freedom too as I bought my scrapping supplies with me, but I want to wait until I'm back home to scan them in and share them. So for today I'm going to share a page I made with some Kelly Panacci papers for the Papermaze blog, and catch up with missed blog prompts.

The papers for this page were lovely to use - I used a black fineliner pen to doodle around some of the images for added definition, and created the title by drawing around BG monograms and adding small cut out strips of paper for added interest.

So, to the missed blog prompts, the first one I missed asked if there was something we would like to pass onto the next generation. Now there are all kinds of things I would like to pass on, but being a teacher and witnessing what childhood today is like in comparison to my own, I think I would like to pass on the imagination that my childhood games entailed and encouraged, as we did without computer games and spent hours creating our own stories and scenarios. Much as the internet and computers are an amazing development which improve our lives in many ways, I sometimes feel like something has been lost by our reliance on them.

The next prompt was to talk about an artistic technique which we love but perhaps do not use often or it intimidates us. I suppose an artistic technique which I would like to try but haven't really had a go at yet is collage. I love looking at the work of others but its either too far from my own style or looks too complicated for me to really give it a go. Another technique (though I'm not sure its exactly a technique) is 'white space' - the use of large areas of space on layouts. I have a tendency to fill up all available space (usually because I've got a lot to say and fill it up with journalling strips!), and a half empty page just doesn't seem complete. But others use white space so effectively, I'd love to try it more.

My favourite treat as a child is an easy blog prompt. My mum used to work overnight at a care home on Friday's and Saturday's when I was a little girl, so my dad looked after us. Me and my sister would both go to bed at the same time, but I would always wait for her to fall asleep, then I would get up and go downstairs to join my dad and we would watch 'The Price is Right' on television together. He always made sure he had bought a big bag of Golden Wonder Cheese and Onion crisps for us to share too. I loved this time together with my dad - it was my treat of the week! My treats today are a bit different. I suppose one would be Fry's Turkish Delight bars eaten straight from the fridge. Another treat would be a meal out with my family, particularly to the Thai restaurant in Sutton which we all love. And sometimes, the best treat is just a day to myself drinking tea and watching box sets of my favourite period dramas such as Pride and Prejudice and Bleak House. I have noticed that a lot of my treats involve food. Clearly I haven't changed much over time!

And finally, today's blog prompt was to tell about a person who influenced my creativity. This one is easy. My nan was a massive influence on me and got me into all kinds of creative pursuits. She taught me to knit, cross stitch and embroider, and I still use the box of embroidery threads she bought me and put aside for me and which my Grandad found and gave to me after she died. Nan used to make up stories and use to write poems, which she wrote down in little notebooks. She was a clever lady, but most of all she was a real eccentric, a one of a kind and a completely unique person. I missed her terribly when she left us, and I'm always sad that she never saw me embrace this hobby because she would have loved it.

Anyway, a little sentimental for today, but my next post will hopefully be sharing more eye-candy as I upload my pages for Serious and Playful.

Magic Miss!

Ok, hardly an inspired superhero name but seeing as I get called 'Miss' the majority of my working life it had to be done. And yes, I've clearly got too much time on my hands to have produced the following comic strip. But I have always been a Marvel Action fan and have always doodled in this style so being given the chance to actually complete a comic strip was SO much fun! Hope you like...

A woman on a mission!

Yep, thats me! I want to get this house cleaned from top to bottom at the start of my holidays, so that I can enjoy it for the remainder. I had been hoping to get the second bedroom (read scraproom!) decorated this Summer but what with the dreaded credit crunch thats gonna have to go on hold. But at least it can be tidy.

So I've managed to miss yesterday's My Freedom blog prompt, to share my favourite game. This is a toughie. I used to enjoy a lot of different games, from card games like Happy Families and Grumpy Gus Gorrilla (noone else has heard of this one, but I have fond memories of it!), to board games like Cluedo and Monopoly.

Probably my favourite board game though is one called Scotland Yard. It was based on a big map of London with a transport network printed on it. One person took the role of a criminal on the run, and the rest were detectives. Everybody had a limited amount of transport tickets, and the idea of the game was for the detectives to catch the criminal in order for them to win, or for the criminal to evade capture, so that the person playing as the criminal won. I always played as the criminal and used to absolutely love it! In fact, I have such fond memories of it that I forced my family to play it last Christmas day, though I think they only did it to humour me :)




Today's blog prompt was to talk about our first job. My first real job was working in the Customer Services department at Allders in Sutton. Allders has since shut down, but it used to own a big string of department stores across the country. I had to wear a horrible uniform of a navy blue skirt and white shirt with blue flowers printed on it. At first, my skirt was also made out of the horrible flowery material, but I quickly bought myself a navy blue pencil skirt to wear instead. And I always used to catch my tights on the filing cabinet drawers - so often in fact, that when I left I was bought a pair of tights as a joke present (along with some other lovely gifts I hasten to add!).

My job involved taking payments for customer account cards and sorting out their queries, selling items from wedding gift lists and dealing with customer complaints and returns. Way to be dropped in at the deep end on your first job! I only worked weekends, and most customers were ok, but there were some customers who were serial complainers, and the minute you saw them coming you would run and hide! One woman used to buy items, especially kitchenware, use them, then try and return them for a refund. She used to do this most weekends. I can even remember her name - Mrs Bidessie!

Off the topic of the My Freedom class, one of my pages was featured in the We Challenge You article in Scrapbook Inspirations this month, and here is a scan of the page...

I love this layout - it brings back such hilarious memories of me moaning non-stop about having to wear plastic macs in public!

Aspiration...

Finally I have finished my Aspiration layout for the My Freedom class - its been the hardest yet, mainly because the amount of words we were supposed to write just didn't fit comfortably on the page! I ended up having to cut it down by 50 words, and its still very cluttered, but I'm happy with it this way and thats the main thing as this album is ultimately for me!



In other news, I have finally started my Summer hols but it has yet to sink in that I have six weeks off to myself - it will really hit me tomorrow morning when Ed gets up for work and I don't!


It has spurred me on to make a few changes. I want to spend more time with friends and family, I want to sort out my finances in the face of the dreaded credit crunch, and I want to spend some time clearing out the house of any old stuff which is cluttering it up. I also want to spend some time scrapping of course! Every now and then you reassess the important stuff and I've been doing that lately - spending less time on the computer is going to have to be a part of that for the next few months, although I will endeavour to keep updating my blog most days as this is also a way for my friends and family to keep in touch with me too.


On the theme of change, I had some sad news this week - one of the online stores I design for, Rebecca's Scrapbooking Stash, is closing down. As a result, Rebecca is going to be having a sale for the next few weeks which will be well worth a look. It means I'm now only designing for one store, which is a shame, but I'm sure Papermaze will continue to keep me busy!

My inspiraton layout...

I've been a very busy scrapper, and have acutally managed to get another layout done - my double layout for Shimelle's class, about my inspiration. I stuck with green's and pinks for this layout (its come out a bit bright in the scan) and decided to add butterflies which are supposed to show my inspiration soaring...





For some reason, I couldn't get the scanned pages to stitch together exactly, but its not too bad and gives you the general impression of them as they look when they are in my album.



Today's blog prompt was an odd one - what quirk do we have that explains what inspires us was the way I read it. So I suppose my quirk would have to be my obsession with sixties music -whether it be American Motown or British guitar bands - and this is reflected in the tunes I choose to listen to when I create, and the fact that I selected the Beatles as one of my biggest inspirations.


The only reason this is a quirk is because I am only 26 and therefore way too young to have listened to any of these bands when they were actually playing. But maybe there are some other youngsters out there who are equally inspired?


In other news, only one more day to go before my six weeks of school holidays start, and I think I'm starting to count down the hours...

My Desert Island Essentials...

In a post totally unrelated to the My Freedom class for a change, last night I completed a page in response to a challenge between myself and the other Lushalicious ladies - what would you take with you on a desert island? So here is my response - the gorgeous photo was found on Flickr and is by Matthew Winterburn.



Lots of stuff going on here. I used stamps, letter stickers, Heidi Swapp masks, flowers, string and scraps of ribbon. I wanted to give it a slightly distressed, beachy feel, so the edges of the layout have been roughed up and inked, though you can't actually see that on this photo as I've cropped it quite close.

This was definitely fun to do, and again made very easy by my colour coordinated stash. Bring on the next challenge girls!

A timeline of achievements...

Today's prompt in the My Freedom class was to create a timeline of our achievements, as well as a timeline of what we still aspire to achieve.

I sat down to do this when I got home from work, and its amazing all the things you remember when you get thinking about it! Its nice to think you have achieved lots of great things, even if they were quite small achievements.

So I have to share some of my achievements so far with you. I think one would definitely have to be my first graduation day - I have graduated from three different postgrad qualifications but the first definitely meant the most. I achieved a first in my BA History and Politics degree, something I had been hoping for but never thought I would actually get. A lot of work in the second year of my degree really paid off in the end. It felt like the world was my oyster. I just didn't know what I wanted to do with it yet...





Another big achievement was buying my first house. I felt so elated when I finally got those keys in my hand after weeks of solicitors playing silly buggers and holding the whole thing up. It made me feel really grown up, and I was so excited about decorating and getting cats to live in it!







So what about a future aspiration?

Well, there were a number, but one I've had for a long time and which I really hope to do one day is to write and illustrate a children's book. I mean for quite little children, with great big pictures and cute stories. I am always getting ideas for these books. Maybe some time I'll actually sit down and produce one of them!

Another aspiration is to live by the sea. Probably somewhere in or around Brighton. I just love it - the sea makes me feel so happy and I hate the fact that currently I live just about as far away from a coastline as you can possibly get in England (though admittedly, thats not really far considering this is an island nation!).

Finally, I would really like to achieve my PHD one day. Maybe even when I retire. I always planned to do it after my Masters, but decided I wanted to work and earn money. But one day, I will definitely go back and do it. Just not sure when...

My Dream Day!

I thought I would share my dream day with you all today - but rather than tell it, I thought I would actually share the mind map I created with you. And thanks to the wonder of my scanner, here it is in all its glory!



It would basically involve mainly my family, a trip to the British seaside, and an awful lot of eating! My family are very food-orientated - one of our greatest pleasures is eating and we can wax lyrical over the whole process! I would definitely have to stay in a lovely hotel with a massive bed and jacuzzi bath, enjoy a great big breakfast buffet and eat either Thai or Italian food for dinner (probably my favourite, a tomato and mozzarella salad if it was Italian. If Thai, a dish whose name escapes me but it involves chicken, cashew nuts and dried chilli). There would be lots of messing about on the beach (which would be fun because unlike most British summers, the sun would be shining). Me and the young folks would go out to a bar with some fantastic music in the evening. And I would take tons of photos of everything to scrap the next day and turn into a minibook :)

Meanwhile, today's blog prompt was to share a list of links to websites that inspire me most. So here goes...

First up, we have my talented friend Laura, who is also doing this class. She always has some awesome eye candy by way of her fantastically bright and funky layouts.

Next, we have Print and Pattern, which also has some gorgeous inspiration in the form of, you've guessed it, print and pattern!

Another great website to browse is Colour Combos - I've spoken about this one before, but it really does have some great ideas on it for combining colours.

My very talented friend Micayla designs for a challenge blog called ScrapMojo - Micayla's layouts are just amazing, as are the rest of the ladies there. Micayla also has a fab blog, though she is not updating quite as much at the mo because of computer probs, poor girl!

Another very cool site is this one by Scrapperlicious - even if you don't like her layout styles, her technique descriptions are fantastic!

Helen's blog is always good for a look - she has a lovely style and creates adorable layouts of her little girl.

And finally, I know I'm biased but the blog I design for, Scrap, Paper, Scissors has some amazing work from the other ladies involved, including Wendy, Angie and Debs which are always worth a look.

Hope that is enough to get you going - can't wait to get started on this week's pages now...

My Travel layout

Well I've been away for the weekend - Ed had a band job in Littlehampton and I took the opportunity to visit my Grandad who lives there now. He is 92 and getting a bit frail, but I still love his company and I'm a little sad I live so far away and don't get to see him so often. He told me lots of stories about his childhood and all the changes he has lived through as well as showing me some of his old photos. I'm determined that I'm going to start recording some of the stories he tells and start a scrapbook album as I don't want his memories to be lost.

In the meantime, back to 'My Freedom' and I have my travel pages to share.


As you can probably tell, I'm limiting myself to a certain colour scheme of pinks, greens and turquoise, as well as keeping the format of the pages very similar as it makes it far easier to create an album, while also giving it a unified look. Not that this is always important, but seeing as this will form a complete album when it is done, its nice if it has common elements running through it.

Today's blog prompt was to share an old photo of yourself as well as a current photo and explain what has changed and what has stayed the same.

So here is the old photo...

And the most recent one I have...

Things that have stayed the same:

• My love for my family
• My creativity
• My interest in the world around me
• My desire to achieve
• My strength of will

Things that have changed:

• My hair!
• My levels of self-confidence
• The place I live
• My goals for the future
• My friends

And finally for today, I thought I would share my inspiring photos - most of these were taken at different times, because I find lots of things inspiring but they aren't necessarily within easy reach!

First up, I will definitely be including some reference to the Beatles - probably the photo from my blog post the other day. They have never failed to inspire me for years - their songs speak to me in a way that most don't.

Secondly, we have my family - you don't get much more inspiring than them - they have supported and encouraged and are what I predominantly scrap!

Thirdly, we have my favourite city in the world - London. Every time I go back there and visit I am inspired by the atmosphere and buzz and diversity - you truly feel alive there.

Fourth, we have the artwork of others, which I have represented with this photo of my various design books - looking at other's work can be incredibly inspiring, as I am influenced by their ideas and styles.

And finally, we have my stash - very inspiring! I only have to look at it to want to start creating.

Time

I wanted to share my first double layout for the My Freedom class which I finished creating tonight - its in response to the time prompt, and our journalling had to be quite freestyle and repetitive, using the same words to link together all the different claims on our time. I decided to go for pink and green for this page, mainly because it toned nicely with my pink phone in the picture if I'm perfectly honest. I've had to stitch the pages together in Photostudio, but here it is (the individual pages are shown afterwards):

Shimelle asked us to comment today on whether we enjoyed a fast or slow pace of life - this was prompted by the manner in which she 'drip-fed' us the instructions for journalling on our first page. I have to admit, I quite enjoyed the slow pace of the prompts. While normally I would sit down and plan my page with journalling very much a part of the initial design, this way of working made for a refreshing change.

The page came together very easily, and I think thats partly down to my fab new colour-coordinated system which allowed me to pick out my papers for the project so quickly. Hopefully the travel page will be just as quick...

A poem that inspired...

Today's blog prompt in Shimelle's class was to choose a poem that had inspired us in some way, and explain how. Now, I don't actually read a lot of poems these days, but there are a few that stand out that I have read in the past and have stayed with me for a variety of reasons.

First of all, the poem Before You Were Mine by Carol Ann Duffy. I had to study her poems at school but I actually really enjoyed the collection, and this is the poem that I always remember.

Before You Were Mine

I'm ten years away from the corner you laugh onwith your pals,

Maggie McGeeney and Jean Duff.

The three of you bend from the waist, holding

each other, or your knees, and shriek at the pavement.

Your polka-dot dress blows round your legs. Marilyn.

I'm not here yet. The thought of me doesn't occur

in the ballrooms with the thousand eyes, the fizzy, movie tomorrows

the right walk home could bring. I knew you would dance

like that. Before you were mine, your Ma stands at the close

with a hiding for the late one. You reckon it's worth it.

The decade ahead of my loud, possessive yell was the best one, eh?

I remember my hands in those high-heeled red shoes, relics,

and now your ghost clatters towards me over George Square

Till I see you, clear as scent, under the tree,

with its lights, and whose small bites on your neck, sweetheart?

Cha cha cha! You'd teach me the steps on the way home from Mass,

stamping stars from the wrong pavement. Even then

I wanted the bold girl winking in Portobello, somewhere

in Scotland, before I was born. That glamorous love lasts

where you sparkle and waltz and laugh before you were mine.

At the time I read this poem, I loved it for its nostalgia for a time that the writer hadn't even been part of. I can relate to this kind of nostalgia, and a longing to know the people you love now before they became mothers and grandmothers and so on. I think that this feeling really relates to my desire to scrapbook, and keep records, and study History I suppose.

Another poem that stands out in my memory is this one, by Eleanor Farjeon, called It Was Long Ago. This is another one that probably gives a good insight into why I scrapbook. Its extremely nostalgic and I always felt a little bit sad reading it, knowing that the old lady and the cat were long gone. And that the little girl had to grow up. I had never really thought about my favourite poems before, but its amazing what they say about you! I am clearly a very nostalgic person.

It Was Long Ago

I'll tell you, shall I, something I remember?

Something that still means a great deal to me.

It was long ago.

A dusty road in summer I remember,

A mountain, and an old house, and a tree

That stood, you know,

Behind the house. An old woman I remember

In a red shawl with a grey cat on her knee

Humming under a tree.

She seemed the oldest thing I can remember.

But then perhaps I was not more than three.

It was long ago.

I dragged on the dusty road, and I remember

How the old woman looked over the fence at me

And seemed to know

How it felt to be three, and called out, I remember

"Do you like bilberries and cream for tea?"

I went under the tree.

And while she hummed, and the cat purred, I remember

How she filled a saucer with berries and cream for me

So long ago.

Such berries and such cream as I remember

I never had seen before, and never see

Today, you know.

And that is almost all I can remember,

The house, the mountain, the gray cat on her knee,

Her red shawl, and the tree,

And the taste of the berries, the feel of the sun I remember,

And the smell of everything that used to be

So long ago,

Till the heat on the road outside again I remember

And how the long dusty road seemed to have for me

No end, you know.

That is the farthest thing I can remember.

It won't mean much to you. It does to me.

Then I grew up, you see.

In scrap related news, and to stop me feeling a bit melancholy after these poems, here is a layout that I created ages ago. It was supposed to be for the Papermaze blog but after problems with the supplier it never got shared there. So here it is now.

I also think I deserve a medal, after I spent around three hours yesterday sorting all my patterned paper and cardstock into colours in my plastic trays. It now looks a lot neater and it was surprisingly easy to pick out colours for working on today's layout prompt, so I'm glad I did it. Hopefully it will make the whole process of coordination hassle-free. But we shall see...

My Travel Essentials...

Last night I sat down and completed another layout, totally unrelated to the class I am taking, because I really wanted commemorate my new haircut. Its quite simple - I took the inspiration from the top I was wearing and went for greens and reds and indian-style stamps for the decoration. I machine-stitched some journalling lines and used some AC thickers and a blank ticket for the title. It has absolutely poured down with rain here all day so the photo is pretty dreadful, but I've tried to alter the brightness levels in Photostudio to give you a better idea.

I have filled in my prompt for today and thought I would share my answers for it on here. So here goes...

Where were you born?

Sutton, Greater London

Where have you lived?

Sutton, Leamington Spa and Coventry

What travel experiences do you remember from your childhood?

I remember several trips to Haven Holiday camps quite vividly - we studied the brochures and got really excited weeks before, then endured the long drive in the car, followed by trips to the beach and piers and model villages and lots of fun at the children's disco at the club house in the evenings.

Where do you travel on a day to day basis?

To work and back in my car most days - the journey takes about 15 minutes and I always listen to Radio One in the car because I hate messing about with changing radio stations and I also hate Warwickshire local radio! Sometimes, my journey is interspersed with a trip to Somerfield...

For what reasons do you travel?

WORK, WORK, WORK! And sometimes, I travel all the way down the M40 and round the M25 and visit my family. Which is a much better reason to travel.

Do you travel light or push your luggage allowance to the limit?

I normally take it to just under the luggage allowance, but always make sure I weigh my bag as my oh Ed once got stung by a stingy baggage allowance and had to pay a premium to take his case.

What modes of transportation do you use?

All sorts, mainly car, train, taxi and plane.

What place in the world has left an impression on your soul? How did that happen?

Italy for sure - the people there have this self-assurance and pride in their country and their way of life that we just don't have in England.

Has there been a time in your travels that you wished you stayed at home?

Once, on a trip to Cornwall when I was about ten, Mum and Dad both got severe food poisoning, it rained all week and the house we were staying in was dingy and grotty!

Given no obligation, no cost, no need to pack sensibly or be responsible for anything other than your own happiness, where would you travel right now?

Right now, I would go back to Italy because I am really stressed with work and I know I would relax there. However, if I wanted a new adventure and felt a bit more energised, then it would have to be New York which I desperately want to visit one day soon.

So, what would I always make sure I packed on any holiday?

Definitely a book - last year I picked up the last Harry Potter novel on the day it was released at Gatwick airport before we flew. I had finished reading it by Day Three of our holiday...

Flip-flops, especially my current New Look ones. I have flat feet, and most shoes absolutely tear my feet apart. If I'm going to be doing any walking around sightseeing, my feet have to be comfy!

Teabags - I know, this is a sad English thing but if I can't get a cup of bog-standard PGTips for a week then I get very cranky...

A long scarf for tying around my head to keep my unruly hair out of my face (it always goes frizzy in hot places) and also protect my head from the sun. Also on this theme, a hair band.

A massive handbag for carrying everything in!

Travel

The other topic we had to photograph and blog about this week in Shimelle's class is travel. So today I thought I'd share some photographs I took for this layout - these are all of my little car, which I haven't yet scrapped so thought this would be the perfect opportunity for me!

First up, we have the slightly off-kilter shot of my car - I was not really trying to be arty here, just avoid getting my number plate in the shot whilst also hiding from my neighbours the fact that I was taking photos of my dirty car. I don't THINK you can see any bird poo on it in this shot, but I'm sure if you look closely...

Next, the close up detail of the car keys, which still very sadly have a broken keyring and bit of dirty string attached! Not the most attractive, but if it kick starts me into buying a new keyring then at least we have achieved something with this photo!

A shot here of my Little Miss Sunshine air freshener, which has been hanging there since I've had the car and is more of a decoration now as there is certainly no 'freshen' left in it.

And finally, the obligatory shot of myself in the wing mirror, which I quite like nonetheless because not only does it have me and the car, but the corner house with the bike outside which I park in front of each day, and the local pub in the background too!

Now, today's blog prompt was: if we could travel anywhere in time, where would it be? Anyone who knows me well would be able to answer this one - definitely the sixties! And I would go to see this little lot...

I think I would be one of the girls in a Hard Day's Night chasing them through the train station! Or chasing them anywhere really. I'd just love to be able to wait expectantly for their next LP and hear their songs brand new for the first time. This is a life long obsession which resulted in me studying Sixties history at uni way too much and now enthusing about it to my sixth form student, poor little mites!

Now, I'm off to fill out my schedule for prompt two...

Time...

So the first prompt for Shimelle's new class is to record the passage of time in our lives. Seeing as I'm not ALL that old, and I've already worked quite a lot on albums of my childhood, I didn't want to focus on the passing of years, rather the everyday passing of time. So I went around the house photographing the different timepieces that keep my life in order. So here goes - please be prepared for some seriously bad photograpy - I may have a GCSE in the subject but this seems to make no difference to my ability to use a compact digital camera. Maybe one day I'll be able to afford an SLR...

So first up, we have my bedside clock - this is for telling the time late at night normally as its actually Ed's phone alarm that gets us up in the morning. I lost the front of the clock when moving into this house, so it has its battery all exposed (tres pretty).



Then we have a detail from the July page of our Rotten Veg calendar which my mum bought me for this year. I'm afraid I just love the cards with these vegetables on and the calendar was just too much to resist...



This clock gets used way too much in my day, with all the time wasted on the computer in the evenings, and if anyone can tell me how to get a good shot of a computer screen please let me know!



The oven timer gets used practically everyday, except when we have takeaways! Or beans on toast...



This is the main clock in our house - it hangs above the calendar in our kitchen, and I always glance at it in the morning when I'm trying to eke out the time spent over my breakfast and GMTV before I absolutely HAVE to leave for work.

This is our living room clock - I bought it in the Next sale years ago and I have to admit that its mainly used for decoration rather than time-telling these days as I always forget to change the batteries in it...

This is my little lifesaver, my mobile phone. Right at the start of the year my watch broke and I never replaced it, so all my classes get timed on this little fella and its my chief means of telling the time when I'm out and about.

Finally, we have the timekeepers by which I run my working life - my school timetable and my planner. Of course, there are less than two weeks left for these - I get brand new ones in September again when they become totally vital for several weeks until I memorise my classes.

And that, as they say, is that. Now I'm off to look for suitable travel photographs...

Getting ready...

So that I would be able to pay full attention to the Shimelle class that starts tomorrow (I do fully intend to keep up with this one!) I decided to spend the day getting all my outstanding DT work done. Of course, I can't share it at the moment but I thought I'd show you some sneak peeks anyway!

Can't wait for the class to begin tomorrow - loads of the lushalicious girls are doing the class too so its going to be awesome seeing their - and everyone else's - amazing interpretations of the same project.

Right, I'm off to enjoy my glass of wine in front of the TV before bed...