An Extremely Busy Year!

So it's been another year without an update, but with a very good excuse as I've been getting used to being a mum of two. I'll be honest, this has been a lot harder than becoming a mum of one. People talk about the upheaval of becoming a mum for the first time and yes, it's different and sometimes hard, but I had been looking forward to having a baby so much that everything paled into insignificance compared to the joy of having him there.

This time, looking after the new one was pretty easy, but dealing with a now three year old whose life had been turned upside down was not so much fun, and was accompanied by constant mummy guilt that I couldn't be two people at once and give them both the attention they deserved. Couple all this with a husband completing a PGCE and starting a new job and J starting preschool last September and all in all its been stressful and challenging and non-stop at times. But I wouldn't change it for the world!

Here is a pretty recent photo taken by my sister in law of me and E, who is now 9 months old - can you believe it? I won't share too many photos of her on here for obvious reasons, but I felt introductions were necessary!

This photo actually doesn't look that much like her to me, as in reality she has the cheekiest face and happiest smile. She is so different to her brother in lots of ways - way more active, independent and social than he was. I don't think I have done anything differently in bringing them up, so it must just be down to personalities. They get on well, though it can be a bit of a love-hate relationship for J, especially as she is starting to crash in on his games and slobber on his toys (which he hates!).

So, as this is basically a crafting blog I want to get back to sharing my forays into my various hobbies. I think I had been knitting on the endless stocking stitch tube that is Boxy last time? Suffice to say it finally got finished and has been worn several times and I love it! I'll share another post on it soon.

I've also still been hooking the interminable ripple blanket which is pretty big now but still not finished! It gets plenty of use though, J cuddles in it most mornings and it often gets used for den building and other games, so I'm not too worried - I'll work on it as and when.

In the meantime, a lot more projects have been both cast on and finished. Probably the most recent one is the gorgeous Juniper by Veera Valimaki. Veera is probably my favourite designer on Ravelry and I'm so pleased with the garments I've made from her patterns. I've been rubbish at getting Ed to take photos of my finished objects though, so these were the best selfies I could manage with my iPhone!

I knit this inside out, which was a steep learning curve and probably means it's full of mistakes, but it really extended my skills and challenged me to understand my knitting rather than mindlessly follow a pattern, so it's all good experience. And there was no way I was doing all that purling! The yarn is Malabrigo Sock in Lettuce. It's the first time I've used Malabrigo yarn and I loved it. The colour is stunning, it just glows! And the yarn is soooo soft, it was a pleasure to knit with. I may have ordered hanks of two more colour ways as a result of this knit (whistles innocently).

I've got a gorgeous jumper in Sublime Superfine Alpaca dk on the needles right now - just need to finish the second sleeve. It's really cosy and a tighter fit than most of the garments I've knit recently but I think I like the change. May need to buy some boot cut jeans to style it with though...

After that, I think I've got a design from one of these little beauties on the cards:

Veera and my second favourite designer on Ravelry, Joji Locatelli, have released their Interpretations collections as three print books via the PomPom Press. I just had to get my hands on them and I'm so pleased I did - the designs are beautiful. I plan to knit Breathing Space from Interpretations 3 as part of the Interpretations KAL on Ravelry. I doubt I'll finish it by the end of April but it might incentivise me a bit!

I've got loads more knits to share, but will have to do this after I have grabbed some decent photos of them - I will get on it in the next few days. Hopefully I can keep up a little blogging momentum again, as it is lovely to read back over my posts and remember what we have been doing, but I know how easily time can move on when I have two little people clamouring for my attention!

 

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Reflections

Every now and then I get the urge to return here to my blog. Sometimes it's because I've been feeling especially creative and have lots to share. Sometimes it's because I'm feeling sociable and want to reach out to all the people who share similar interests to me (or who read my blog for other random reasons!). And other times it's because I feel the way I do now.

I've been struggling a bit. There has been a lot going on in my life over the last year. Things that have been difficult and stressful and at times even traumatic, though ultimately very positive. Exciting and happy times lay ahead. I may share them here soon.

But getting to that point has taken a lot from me. I feel like my natural creativity has been sucked out of me somewhat. I feel like I have lost the happiness that I used to find in the everyday things - in particular my work.

I have been teaching since my PGCE in 2004. Despite a couple of difficult years learning my craft, I came to enjoy what I did. Kids enjoyed my lessons. I know because they told me. I enjoyed coming up with different ways to teach things. I enjoyed telling the stories and little anecdotes that helped make history come alive.

When I returned to work after my maternity leave just before summer in 2013, I had completely lost my confidence in myself. The first time I stood back in front of a class, I burst into tears afterwards. The world of teaching had changed for me. I felt like I had to measure up to something and prove myself. I felt like I had to fit my lessons to a certain mould. I couldn't teach in my way any more.

I got through last year by working harder than I ever have (despite being part-time!) and desperately trying to jump through the ever-growing number of hoops that seem to be placed in front of teachers these days. Teaching in this way didn't feel natural to me. I couldn't get a sense of flow. I was terrified of being accused of talking too much - the latest big no-no in the teaching world. I stopped having the long discussions that used to form a large part of my lessons. I stopped enjoying passing on my love for and knowledge of my subject.

A few weeks ago I had an observation that seemed to confirm my feelings. It was 'good'. Not bad in itself, but hardly inspirational. The trouble is, while some valid points were made, I disagree with quite a bit of the spirit of the feedback. I feel like we are trying to create a version of what teaching has to be in order to be effective. But there are so many ways to skin a cat. Last year I achieved outstanding sixth form results. I did not teach in the way that would have (currently!) achieved me an outstanding lesson observation. And yet it worked. My students did extremely well. They learned what I wanted them to. We enjoyed our lessons. Isn't that a sign of effective teaching?

And yet I find myself with my confidence in my abilities now at rock-bottom. Why have I allowed myself to feel like this based on other's opinions when I have plenty of evidence of the good I have achieved with my pupils? Partly it is what the government has done to the profession. Performance related pay and continual scrutiny have made it feel like teachers are in a goldfish bowl at all times, waiting to be pounced upon for failure. The word 'good' in relation to your work now means 'not good enough'. The passion and individuality feels like it has been replaced by fear and conformity.

This may be an over-reaction on my part. But it doesn't deny the fact that this is the way I feel. And it is no reflection on my school, which I feel is one of the best around. It is a reflection of the current environment of the profession. It is a reflection of my own self-esteem in returning to the classroom. It is a reflection of the difficulties of balancing home and work life and being a working, part-time mum, especially with small children.

So what am I going to do about it? I don't want to leave a job that I have loved in the past. I am fairly certain that, as is the way of these things, it will change. Things will come full circle. Someone will tell us that another way of teaching is more effective. We will move on. I will learn to love what I do again. And the only way to deal with it is to keep on doing what you know works, what inspires and engages, what reaps results. Even if this doesn't tick all the boxes of current educational dogma.

So why blog about this? Well, I sat down the other night and thought about the things that make me happy. That put work in perspective and give me balance. And it ultimately comes down to two things - my family and my hobbies. Spending time with my loved ones is always a joy. I love to watch my little boy grow and change and discover the world. Lately I have been so caught up with worrying about work, I haven't done that. I have allowed my worries to stop me from sleeping and stop me from taking pleasure in the everyday activities - a trip to the park, rhyme time, choosing books from the library, coffee and cake at the cafe. I need to embrace the little things again.

And I also need to be creative. At a time when I feel my creativity is stifled at work, it is even more important that I give it an outlet at home. I haven't done anything creative now for about two months. This isn't good for my health and wellbeing. I know books need to be marked and lessons planned. But ultimately, a stressed and unhappy teacher leads to stressed and unhappy pupils who won't learn as well as they should.

To that end I've decided to try to finish a few WIPs. I'm going to share them here. It will hopefully give me the impetus to actually finish some of them!

The first is a shawl I started knitting for my mum. I whizzed through the first half in a few days, then inexplicably put it down at the halfway point and haven't picked it up since. The yarn is some gorgeous Araucania Botany Lace which will look lovely when finished and blocked. I need to get this done!

Next is my Lady Penelope cardigan, made in beautiful Sublime Lustrous Extrafine Merino dk. Completed the back, both fronts and one and a half sleeves! Why did I put this down? The colour is divine and I know it will look fantastic (even if I messed up the lace decreases at the front...).

Next up is a pair of socks. The colours are garish (half price yarn at Hobbycraft) but the first sock fits like a dream and I got so far as finishing turning the heel on the second. I only have the foot to knit. One and a half socks are somewhat useless...

Finally we have this beautiful little jumper for J. All the knitting is done on this one. It just needs sewing up. It's been sitting there since March. Surely this is an easy win?!

Writing this blogpost has been cathartic in the build up to another busy half term at work. I need to get some perspective, I need to realise what is important, and I need to make sure I don't put myself under the kind of pressure that makes me an unhappy and unhealthy individual. I'm hoping that getting back to blogging and sharing my hobbies, a process I always used to enjoy, will help me to do that.

 

 

 

 

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A Hat for my Sister

Last Christmas I decided to give yarn related presents to my sister and my brother's girlfriend, but having little time to actually do the knitting since little J was quite rightly dominating my attention, I wanted to find a pattern that was simple and showed off some beautiful yarn.
I found what I thought would be the answer in the pages of Simply Knitting Issue101. It was a simple beanie hat with a lace border above the ribbing, knit in the gorgeous chunky Colinette Calligraphy yarn which comes in a veritable rainbow of different shades. I quickly ordered a skein each in two shades - Monet for my sister, Gaugin for my brother's girlfriend. The colours in this yarn are stunning and beg to be worked up into special accessories.
My brother's girlfriend is quite crafty so I thought she might like to knit up the hat herself, so wrapped up the yarn with a set of DPNs and the pattern. But my sister is not crafty, so I knew I would need to knit hers myself.

The pattern was really easy - I used a long circular needle and the magic loop method rather than DPNs - and the hat flew off the needles in one evening. However, when I tried it on, the hat seemed to be far too small. I know I probably have a larger than average head circumference, but my sister has a lot of hair to fit under a hat and I wanted it to be flattering.

So I ripped back to the end of the lace section and added an extra 9-10 rounds (can't actually remember which it was in the end) then finished off the crown shaping again. As it turned out, I still had yarn left and could have added an extra few rounds, which if I knit it again I would do as I prefer a slightly more slouchy-look hat. But it was fine, so I wrapped it up and gave it to my sister for Christmas.

My sister absolutely loved her hat and wears it all the time, but because I live 100 miles away from her I have only just got some photos! It makes me more inclined to gift a few more knits (which I have always been disinclined to do before in case people feel obliged to wear something they hate!).

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Work in Progress

Well it's been a while since I've blogged, and that is mainly because I've both been a little more busy than usual and I haven't had any finished objects to share. I've been organising my return to work (which fortunately isn't until June so I have a while to go yet), seeing friends and even visiting the theatre - fancy! Seriously though, me and some friends went to see Birdsong at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, and if you get the chance to see this you should definitely go. I have never really got on with the book and became bored quickly by the recent BBC adaptation with Eddie Redmayne, but I ended up sobbing though half of the stage production, it was really well done. Don't you just love stage sets? Just enough there to set the scene but still plenty for the imagination to do, to make the story your own.

So what is on my needles at the moment?
Firstly, we have my Hudson hoodie.

I started this so long ago, and then got bored because I was knitting what should have been an Aran weight garment in what was closer to a dk weight yarn - it still worked out because basically the whole pattern is done by lengths, but the knitting seemed to go on forever.

I have made a real push to get it finished in the last week and it is starting to look like a hoodie now. Just trying not to lose the will to live while knitting interminable amounts of moss stitch for the hood!
When not knitting my hoodie, I've been trying to add a few rows to my Anniken Allis Lazuli shawl - this is going to be a long term project I can tell, but the yarn is beautiful and I will get it done one day. I've made a small error in one of the pine cone motifs when I dropped a stitch, but I'm hoping it won't notice too much...

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The Knitter 54 Review

So before I stitch up my blanket buddy over the weekend and share him on here as soon as possible, I thought I would write a review of the latest issue of The Knitter. I'm a digital subscriber so I buy it every month, and generally I love this magazine. I have a lot of past patterns in my Ravelry queue waiting to be knitted up, and I'm always adding more though I'm sure I'll never get to knit them all!
So first up, one thing I love about this issue. As always, The Knitter provides more than just patterns, and there was an interesting interview in this issue with the historian Sandy Black looking at the amazing archives of the V&A museum, which much to my shame I have never visited though I have always intended to go. As a history teacher I obviously find this fascinating and just wish they had gone into a bit more depth about some of the items, such as the stranded knitting fragment from 12th century Egypt. It makes you realise just how long established this craft really is.

The Masterclass this issue is on Modular Knitting to accompany a pattern called Barnacle by Layla Chelache. This is something I have never tried, but while it looks clever, the pattern doesn't really appeal to me and I can't see me knitting it. Other items that I am not personally keen on are the Navajo tunic by Brandon Mably - I am not a fan of this type of bold colour work and would never wear it. And although I like the general style of Carol Feller's Carlow hoody, there is something about it that just doesn't sit right - I'm not sure if its the colour combination or the graphic detailing on the front - I would be more inclined to knit the hoody without this.

Now onto the positives. I absolutely love the Bergere de France Alaska sweater and could see me casting this on at some point once I've attacked a few other things in my queue. I'm quite a fan of layering and the short sleeves would look good over a long sleeved T-shirt.

Kyoko Nakayoshi always produces interesting designs and the vintage style shawl collared cardigan is very sweet, though I might alter some of the colours myself to something slightly more muted.
Martin Storey delivers as always with Tipsy, a man's cardigan. Ed doesn't really wear cardigans so I can't see this getting made, but I think it would look great on any man who does.

One of my favourite designs is Conifer by Rosee Woodland - I love the effect of reverse fair isle and the optional wristwarmers are genius too. I am not really confident enough at fair isle to attempt this at the moment, but if you are it's well worth a look.
There are various other patterns in the magazine including some for children which is always handy, a bag by Barb Brown and a lovely shawl by Anniken Allis. Overall, it's a fairly strong issue, though there are probably only two items I might add to my queue at this point. In the preview for next issue though I have already spotted some gorgeous items that are right up my street design wise, so I'm looking forward to that!

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The Flat Battery

If you have ever had a C-section, or know someone who has, you will know that one of the biggest problems following it is being unable to drive for weeks. I got by very well due to a good network of new mum friends, but unfortunately my car was not very happy about the lack of attention received for six weeks. Needless to say, when I tried to drive it again the battery was flat, and despite several charges and jump starts, when the recent cold weather hit my little car decided enough was enough and it wanted a new battery.
Unfortunately, I didn't discover this until I left the house last Thursday intending to visit friends. I was so frustrated that I had got me and little J out of the house promptly after his nap, only to find that we couldn't get to my friend's house after all. I won't lie, I shed a few disappointed tears while standing on the pavement deciding what to do.
Fortunately for me, there is a yarn store in my local parade of shops. Although the ground was pretty snowy, I decided to brave it with the pushchair rather than heading back inside to sulk for the afternoon. Despite my meagre statutory maternity pay, I knew I wanted to treat myself to something, and spent a good half hour browsing the shelves. My yarn store doesn't do a lot of the high end brands like Rowan or Louisa Harding unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately!), but it does do my favourite Sublime, Sirdar, King Cole, and some always useful Stylecraft.
I hit upon a ball of King Cole Supa Dupa Chunky in a gorgeous olive green and decided to knit myself a cowl to keep me toasty in this extremely cold snap we are currently enjoying. Spontaneous purchase achieved, I headed off home to feed J and search for any likely patterns.

In the end I decided simple was best, and went for a cowl based loosely on the My Kind of Town Cowl, although in reality the only thing it really shares with it is the provisional cast on and graft, as I used thicker yarn, bigger needles, cast on fewer stitches and knitted fewer rows. In the end I even regretted the graft as I messed it up the first time whilst trying to simultaneously have a conversation with my mother in law! I ended up knitting the whole thing again. Being super chunky at least it knit up quickly.

Today I got Ed to take some photos of me in my new super-warm cowl - minutes after these were taken he pelted me with snow balls. What a joker.

In other news, Benjy the Blanket Buddy is flying off the needles - just half a leg left to knit! Photos will be shared in due course...

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Simply Crochet

When I saw a post on Ravelry about a forthcoming UK based crochet magazine, I was quick to join the Simply Crochet group to find out more about the dedicated publication for this definitely under represented yarn craft. Although primarily a knitter I am always keen to learn new techniques and in recent years have taught myself some basic crochet, but it's often difficult to find interesting patterns that go beyond the traditional granny square. The magazine is produced by Future, who bring us Simply Knitting, The Knitter, Papercraft Inspirations and the long-lamented Scrapbook Inspirations, so I had high hopes for this new offering.

Today the magazine was released on Apple Newsstand, so I purchased a digital copy to have a browse with my cup of tea this afternoon.
The format very much follows its sister title, Simply Knitting, with various shops, yarns and books highlighted in the first section of the magazine. I quite like this section, as it draws my attention to some independent sellers and designers that I am often not aware of, and even if I couldn't afford to purchase some of the products showcased, it at least provides some inspiration.

So what about the patterns? My favourites include a crochet collar decorated with buttons which usefully includes suggestions for how to wear it, alongside a corsage which I could envisage me making out of some leftover Sublime yarn. I also liked the chunky cowl, which I'm sure would work up really quickly, the cute little Amigurumi dragon toy, the granny square beanie and the triangle motif 'Lecchi' blanket which appears on the front cover.

The patterns I was not so keen on were the bedroom items apart from the cushion covers and blanket - some of these were a little too 'twee' for me. I just cant imagine ever wanting to own a granny square covered lampshade, but maybe that's just me. Also the headphone cover is pretty pointless unless you know a music loving tweenie I suppose.
I also unfortunately wasn't keen on either of the full garments in the magazine. The adult cardigan looked a little bedjackety for me, and the little girl's cardigan a bit boxy. I think it's really hard to design truly wearable crocheted garments, though one designer who manages it admirably is Marie Wallin, and I hope the magazine will feature some of her Rowan designs in the future in the same way as Simply Knitting does.
All in all, I was impressed with this first issue and will definitely buy it again to see how it progresses. I hope they do improve the garment offerings and keep the designs contemporary and fashionable, as I think crocheted items can be really stunning to wear if the design is right - I still own (and, until the onset of breast feeding and massive boobs, wore!) a crocheted waistcoat which my mum bought in the seventies, which proves the longevity of a classic design.
All the images above come from a sneak peek available on the Simply Crochet website, so if you think this magazine might be for you, go and take a look.
In other crochet news, I have just finished a granny stripe blanket for the little man that I am very pleased with - I will endeavour to photograph and blog it over the weekend so watch this space!

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The Godfather

It's been an age since I had a chance to scrap, but I don't think I ever shared this page that I made before the little one was born.

Back in February, my hubby became a godfather to his friend's little girl. Although neither of us is religious, I think he was secretly quite proud to be asked and I managed to snap this photo of him after the service (whilst suffering from horrible morning sickness and desperately trying to get through the christening without having to run out the bathroom!).

This was made with a Cocoa Daisy kit but I can't remember which one now. All of my stash has been stored away for the moment as my old craft room has become little Jake's bedroom, so I can't check at the moment. I love the little gem sprinkles, they give some lovely texture to your pages.

I'm desperate to make a few pages again, I have some lovely photos to scrap with stories that need to be told but it's so difficult when you have a small house and very littke time. Hopefully I can fish a few supplies out and have a go again soon.

In other news, little man has just started on solids, so we are having an exciting time steaming and blending veg for him to try - in fact, he is eating better than we are at the moment! We have tried carrot, potato, swede, parsnip, sweet potato, pear, banana and mango. So far carrot is definitely the biggest hit. It's so funny watching the little grimace on his face everytime he tries something new, but he soon gets his head around the new flavour and is really enjoying it. If anyone has any good ideas for flavour combinations for a 6 month old, please let me know!

 

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The Little Vintage Gansey

One of the most satisfying experiences as a knitter is seeing a garment you have made (and sometimes sweated blood, sweat and tears over!) not only being worn but really suiting the recipient. And this is exactly what happened when I made J a Little Vintage Gansey. The design is by Sublime yarns, and can be found in this book, which is full of gorgeous baby patterns so well worth a look if you have any little people to knit for.

There were a few patterns that I liked the look of, but the Little Vintage Gansey caught my eye for its simple but effective patterning, all produced through a simple combination of knit and purl stitches. I loved the colour used in the book, so decided to use the same for my version - Sublime Baby Cashmerino 4ply in Button. Because it is a 4ply, it takes only a couple of skeins to create a garment, so you can justify the expense of a luxury yarn. And I was more than pleased with the result:

The jumper knit up so quickly considering I had a newborn to contend with and very little time to myself. It is an easy enough pattern for beginners, but looks more complicated than it really is - always the best type of knit!

Here is the garment being modelled by my willing volunteer, and very smart he looks too. On a side note, he never fails to dribble on or be sick down this, and it washes up beautifully. Always a consideration for the mummy knitters out there!

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Nearly there!

Thought I'd post a quick catch up and update you on how things are going, seeing as I'm on my first real day of maternity leave.
First up, a quick page to share. I made this ages ago, and the photo is from even longer ago! I love walking along the Southbank and watching all the street performers, but this fish on a bike has got to be one of my favourites!

I am now feeling decidedly huge, and baby is certainly making its presence felt. Unfortunately we had confirmed on Friday that my placenta is far too low for a natural delivery, so we are booked in for a C-section on the 9th July, which is three weeks today! Very close to my due date which is a little bit scary as if I start early I'm going to have to hotfoot it to the hospital pretty quickly before I start dilating.

I'm a little bit disappointed that a normal delivery is ruled out, but ultimately all I want is that the baby we tried so hard to have gets here safely, and the danger of bleeding makes a C-section the best way to achieve that.

We have had a bit of a mad dash round the spare bedroom, trying to box up all my books and crafty gear, and most of that is now in the loft. I also did a big eBay sale and have even more to load up too now - there is no point keeping stuff that I haven't used for years, it might as well go to a good home.

I have been doing a spot of knitting for the baby - believe it or not this is going to turn into a duffel coat. I'm hoping to finish it in the next few days, I'm really not that quick at knitting. Unlike my lovely friend Rach who made me this gorgeous blanket! She is a knitting supremo (though this is of course crochet).

Finally, here is a little photo of me yesterday, at a spa day I was bought for my 30th birthday. It was at a lovely Elizabethan hotel in Staffordshire called Hoar Cross Hall, with these beautiful gardens. The day was just what I needed to calm me down, I was starting to feel very stressed out. The beautiful bump massage I was booked in for was bliss, and has left my skin so soft - even hubby noticed!

Anyway, hope to be back to update soon!

Lumps and bumps

It has to be said, I'm starting to feel decidedly large now.

This is me at 31 and a bit weeks (apologies for untidy bedroom in the background!). I have now put on over two stone, am getting decidedly breathless having to walk around at work and have forgotten what a decent night's sleep feels like. But I know it'll all be worth it in the end - just counting down the days until I can go on maternity leave and have a rest!

It's been a busy couple of weekends too. We went away two weeks ago, after my very clever husband attended his OU degree ceremony. I'm so proud of him - he completed it in less than three years while working full time, which is more than most uni students can say - I worked part time at best through my degree!

Ed had booked us a couple of nights in a hotel at Ironbridge, which is well worth visiting - very pretty and the Victorian museum is great. I have quite a few photos which will probably appear on layouts in the near future.

Then last weekend we visited my mum and dad's and I got to show off my bump which had grown a lot in the five weeks since I had last seen them.

Speaking of mum and dad, they feature in this layout which I made a week or so ago, the picture is ancient, from 2007, but I really love those beach huts! I'm not in love with this layout - the balance is a bit off - but I don't want to do anything else to it right now so it is going to stay how it is until I decide to come back to it and work out what is wrong with it. I think it might be the title.

The trouble with this layout is that after deciding to organise my albums chronologically (inspired by the Shimelle Cover to Cover class) I realised that this layout really stands out in my 2007 album because it has such a different style to the one I had back then when I scrapped a lot of my 2007 photos. I used to have such a busy, intricate style, I've really pared that back to let me have a chance of finishing the odd page since work got so much busier. I hadn't really thought about how much my style has altered over time.

Shimelle's class has got me all inspired - I have printed a lot of my 2012 photos and ordered an AC album ready to start scrapping some up to date layouts and hopefully create an album with flow. We are supposed to be looking for the things that will create continuity in our albums rather than a set of disconnected pages, and I'm struggling a bit with this. I tend to grab whatever is in the Cocoa Daisy kit I'm currently working through, but I'm wondering whether for this 2012 album I need to put more thought into it.

So here are the things that are fairly common on my pages:

- 7 gypsies quote stickers (or October afternoon sometimes)
- Stamping, usually in black ink. I particularly like my set of Autumn Leaves border stamps.
- Butterfly punches, but not on every page
- Buttons
- Ribbon or ric rac, usually to underline a title or similar
- I used to use a lot of paint, and have recently been experimenting with mists instead (a bit less messy/time consuming)
- One photo layouts (though I would actually like this to change to get more of my photos scrapped)

I'm wondering whether I need to choose a particular motif or maybe a colour scheme to create commonality. I'm not sure if I could limit myself though, so maybe just colour schemes for particular events or sets of pages instead? I do like Shimelle's use of kraft cardstock on all her pages in one album, but I would have to buy a load more kraft if I wanted to do this.

It is certainly giving me plenty to think about anyway!

For the two people waiting on their flowers, they are all now parcelled up, addressed and ready to be posted in the morning. Sorry it's taken so long!

An unusual double layout

You see, this is what happens when I go back to work - any other life goes straight out of the window! I haven't blogged for a week and a half, and I had been so good up to that point. Oh well, here I am again, ready to share an uncommon sight in my scrapbooks, the elusive double page spread!

As a rule, I don't like to scrap double pages - I find them really hard work to do well, and you need a lot more space to spread them out and check you have achieved continuity across the two. I have probably done about three double page spreads in the last four years. But I decided that I didn't want to have just one photo of this event in my scrapbook, but didn't feel like squeezing them all on one page.

The first page was inspired by an old Shimelle starting point - I often struggle to use plans or sketches, and I did with this, but I was quite pleased with the finished page. I really love the little camera and chandelier stamps, but for the life of me can't remember what brand they are! I continued my experiementation wth ink mists, in this case lime green and blue, to take away some of the harsh white of the background.

I then added the second page. I'm not as happy with this one, but I tried to fit three more photos onto the layout and also take some of the design features across, hence the use of the horizontal strips and blocks of paper and the same stamp set.

Here are the two as they appear in my scrapbook album - went a bit overboard with the lime green on the second side, but never mind! It isn't the favourite double page I have ever made, but it isn't awful and allowed me to get more photos scrapped.

The event in question was my third hen do. Yes, the third. I had four in total, though I suppose not all would be described as traditional hen dos. It comes from having such separate sets of friends. The first was an awesome day out in Stratford Upon Avon with my work colleagues involving a river boat trip and plenty of dares (and booze!). I had a fantastic time, but have yet to get any photos of this from my colleagues - I dread to think what I look like.

The second hen do was with another set of friends at one of their houses - good food, lots to drink and lots of gossip.

The third was this - a really lovely meal out with my in-laws, so quite a small affair.

And finally, the fourth was with my family in London - a trip to the theatre to see The Mousetrap, followed by another fantastic meal.

So this is the first one to be scrapped, but I'm sure I'll get around to the rest in due course!

In other news, the kitchen is getting gradually closer to completion - still no sink, but we may actually have a worktop and oven by the end of the day tomorrow.

Baby is starting to make me breathless going up the stairs and walking around - I assume because it is pressing on my diaphragm. I literally have to stop half way up to get my breath back - very embarassing. It's not that I'm particularly fit usually, but I definitely have better lung capacity than a sixty a day smoker. It's like getting a taste of what old age will be like!

To those ladies still waiting for their flowers, I plan on packing these up tonight, so hopefully will post at the weekend.