Why doesn't the sparkle show...?

Grr! I can't understand why stickles and sparkles and stuff don't show up on layouts or cards that you've scanned - or even photographed really. Anyone feel my pain here?

The layout below has sparkle letters for the title - completely glittery irl... here you can't even see that. And all my stickles and liquid pearls get lost too. Ah well. If anyone knows the secret pls let me know. Faffing with elements is not my fave thing, but worth it if it works, I guess.

Sollo, Izzy and Matilda, baking up a storm for Father Christmas!
Love mattie's sneaky scoff of the sticky paintbrush...lol, and how cute does she look in that chef's hat!

All digi elements from Kate Hadfields Jingle all the way

There's a slightly different version of this uploaded on mojoholder, because I changed my mind after i'd put it into photobucket. I wasn't that happy with it, but just wanted to get it up before the deadline, so don't think it's your eyes... it's not - it's me! lol!

And a quick card for Amy on Scrapfreak - hope you had a good day! :-)



ok, got some jobs to do so I better get on, have a good day all!
jkxx

Traditions - making Yule logs.. do you?

Jazz's friend Ruth always made yule logs with her dad, and she passed the idea onto Jazz. As a child I used to help my Mum make the yule log, just like my kids helped me - but ours were the swiss roll, yummy bummy, chocolatty, robin on the top kind, whereas jazz and Ruths are made of real wood, candles, and decorations. And so not very edible... well, you probably guessed that, I expect :-)

But, it's become a tradition out there, and this year her and Hayley, Erk and his sisters, and the kids, found and sawed up bits of branch from their trees, and had a lovely time making yule logs together.. bless em, they all get so excited about all the Christmas preps!

I um...believe there was an element of competition this year.... not that I can see which one was supposed to have scored a series of perfect 10:00's, thereby creating yule log envy across the island... ;-) but take a look... you can judge for yourself... lol




The layout's a hybrid page with loads of scrummy elements from a gorgeous Lilypad Christmas collab called Merry and Bright For some reason my stupid printer made the alpha looked washed out - it's not! I need to twiddle with my settings, as it's actually a proper bright red, but I wanted to have something for the launch so went with it anyway. On release also is another Christmas collab: Good Tidings, both on a special price if your quick!

right, that's me -more later
jk x

Family arriving in England tomorrow

so I may not be about much.. I might, but maybe not. Tomorrow, Hayley arrives for a week, and when she goes home to lanza, jazz flies in, so it'll be a busy few weeks.

I have some scrappy bits to do for people, so will probably stil upload because i don't want to get lazy about bloggin again.. that's too easily done, and then I don't want to bother... etc etc. The thing is, I actually enjoy writing my blog. It doesn't matter to me if ten people read it or a 100.. I don't spose i'd care if no one did, but I admit I like to get comments and like to visit peeps back. It's a social kind of thing - but a time consuming one! eh?

so, tonight there's only this:


A girly wooden 'please knock I might be changing' door-hanger made from a charity shop find, lots of scraps, and some magistical memories chipboard flutterbies. I have a feeling Izzy will end up with this.. just hope Mattie doesn't EAT it! She is Sunny Baudelaire... ask Vin - she ate his Kerrang.

And that's itfrom me - i'm gone!

nearer and nearer....

Christmas, that is..... I'm getting panicky now, as it's just one month away, and I have nothing done.

Anyway, a quick post tonight as I've no time to waffle :-)

This is the layout I did for Tamara's Sketches! blog:

The piccies were taken yonks ago, and we just had to snap the big Paella, as at the time we said it was the nicest we'd ever had.. course, we say that about everyone we ever eat! But there you go... great paella deserves a photo, and I must have dozens on paella pics.... how sad! Lol!

And this is Jenna Leigh Leigh, looking the image of her Mummy at that age. Quite made me catch my breath when I got these pics I can tell you, as I have an almost identical set of photo's of Jazz somewhere, sitting in a pink dress on a wicker chair... Olan Mills I believe, but Jaz took these herself with her new cam ;-)



Anyway, it's another one for Magistical Memories, who have extended the deadline owing to one poor girlie not getting her package until a few days ago.

I can't scan it and I had no natural light so apologies for the rubbish quality of the image. The layouts actually lovely, if I do say so myself.

So, that's it.....thanks for dropping in

hugs

jk xxx

christmas is coming...!!!

We've started talking about trees and putting up the decs! Jazz has been making plans because she'll be here in a week and a half, and she does like to ... er... take over.... lol :-D

(typical Leo... nuff said!)

But that's good coz I don't mind, and she loves it all so I'll allow her to take charge - she's already decided what day we'll be doing it, and what we'll be eating, and where the food will come from - they've seen the Iceland adverts on telly and because they can't get the food out there, they've decided we'll be having it here instead! Bless em!

Oh, and they're bringing this monster with them.... Eeeek!!!! :-D

Apparently, she was left with that pot of choccy pudding for a few seconds while her Mum went to run her a bath... her first pot - and probably her last, I should think! Her dad was so covered in it after getting her out of the high chair and into the tub that he had to have a shower, and Jazz had to throw away her own top because she couldn't get the chocolate off it! lol... and she's coming here.... ooooeeer!

And to get into the spirit of Christmas, I've been making cards!

This set was made using magistical memories fancy frames, papered and inked, some ancient pp's, scraps of ribbon and aome gorgeous digi images, doodled by Katie H and available as part of a fantastic collab kit called Funky Junky Christmas from the Lilypad :-)

So, have a great day everyone... we have a few flakes of snow falling at the mo, but the weather man says rain. Have fun if you get the white stuff and take care :-) I'm off to finish my last piece for mag mem.. then it's the waiting game for me. TBH, I don't expect to get in, but I live in hope!

hugs!

jk xx

This way up!

I love these photos of Vin at the fair in Arrecife this summer. They were taken by his brother in law, Erkin, who was the only one mad enough to go up in the ride with him. The one on the right where he's hanging upside down and you can see all the people at the fair on the ground below cracks me up... talk about white nuckles...you can even see the white gleaming through his fingerless gloves!

I made the layout for Mojoholder this week, where we scraplifted a page by Nichol Magouirk
If you find it easier to work from a sketch, as I do, then try Sarah's sketch below:

What I do is I open up publisher and place sketch and page side by side, then I can see the original design and pluck whatever bits I like from that, and also see the basic shape of the design in clear lines. As you can see from this, I followed fairly faithfully the structure of the page, but altered the orientation of the title, replicated the bottom strips onto the top also, and tilted my focus pic as I felt on my version it was just too blocky - I wanted a feel of movement :-) I'm certainly not trying to teach anyone to scraplift here.. blimey, everyone knows it's not rocket science... just showing how I might personally scraplift a page by adding a bit of my own personality and style without just copying it verbatim.

Journalling reads:

You've always been mad for fairground rides son, ans i've snapped hundreds of pic's of you over the years... waving from the toddler cars, smiling on the back of a merry go round horse, and gripping on next to Dad on the roller coasters... but i've never had a set of photos like these before! Taken by Erk while you guys were actually up there! They're brilliant - and i'm so glad to see you had such a great time on your little holiday before college started. I love em mate - and I love you too!

Anyway - a million things to do and no time to do them!
so it's Ciao for now
jake x

spottier than ever...

... and loving it! My new phase of snuggling with spots goes on....

Today Matilda gets the spot treatment - a LO done for Magistical Memories and Kate Hadfield, using a combination of MM's chipboard shapes and a digi element taken from the newest funky junky compilation, just released today!It's called Home for the Holidays - and it's scrummy. Designed by Kate, Michelle Godin and Rachel Young, there's elements aplenty, Alphas, papers and if you buy the set, there's a recipe card kit which comes free... i'm thinking you could make a lovely pressie out of this? Anyway - have a look - it's yum and just what we need for all the seasonal LO's and cards etc.


This is baby Matilda (our smallest grandchild in the UK) in church last Christmas. She's a big girl of two now, but last year she was the smallest angel on Christmas Eve when all the kiddies come to our church dressed as angels or shepherds... and she got to carry baby jesus to the crib!

Tbh, our hearts were in our mouths, as one time, her sister - entrusted with a lamb, had bitten it's head off, so you can imagine our fear lol! I'm happy to say the holy child made it to the crib unscathed and the story was told without tragedy :D even if Mattie did sing ALL the way through the service!

And another Christmassy LO with elements from the above kit : Circle of Love.


Ha ha... just noticed - I used spotty ribbons! Lol, what am I like? :-D

(Incidently, magistical memories has a sale going on now, with free shipping - but that may just be for the US, i'm not sure. Worth a look anyway.)

Anyway - busy busy busy as usual, so got to fly!
thanks for looking in,
jakey xxx

I couldn't give a HOOT!

I couldn't give a hoot- another LO for Magistical Memories, round 2DT call.

Just a tongue in cheek look at the aging process - and my thoughts on that...
Photo taken this year at Churchills War Exhibition in London - We couldn't resist the kids hat table! :-D



Journalling (for those with middle aged eyes that can't see...)reads:

So I'm not as young as I used to be.

It's true that without my L'Oreal, those golden locks would have a fair sprinkling of greys and my bum's never going to fit into a pair of size 12's again.(or 14's, who am I kidding??)

I can't read a thing without my glasses, and my memory...?
Well, it's not as sharp as it was...

... and my memory's not as sharp as it was either... ;-)

I know I really should grow up and start to act my age, dress appropriately, and behave myself better.

But d'ya know what?I couldn't give a HOOT!

Life's for living, and as long as I can live mine the way I want to... I'm going to!

Chippies used = Owl hang around, and May apple blooms, scalloped edge book plate.

thanks for dropping in :-)
jk xx

I've gone dotty on spotty....it's my new thing!

Not much time for bloggin right now, I have so much to do and i'm panicking because jazz and her lot are coming out to stay in a couple of weeks and there'll be no time for scrapping then!

Tonight, my Sketches! LO:



Tamara sent a DLO Sketch, but I just never do those anymore, so I adapted mine to a single.

Jazz has been on the phone making plans for their visit - she's a whirlwind, and has her agenda all mapped out lol... I'll be exhausted by the time she's gone, I know that much! Can't believe it's nearly Christmas.... Oh well, back to work for me!

thanks for calling in :-)
hugs!
jake xx

potty people!!

yes, potty in more ways than one....

The day we drank the Mojito's is not one I'll forget. We walked around the coast in Ibiza, and found this other beach. Really pretty, with a fantastic beach bar. A billboard proclaimed they sold the best Mojito's on the island.. how could we not try them? It would have been churlish after going all that way... ;-) So of course we did.

Carl looked doubtful when they arrived. Swampy liquid filled the glass and stuff that looked like pondweed and frogspawn floated around...

He eyed the brew suspiciously.... "Are you sure we should be drinking this?" he said.

Mine - obviously half demolished - shimmered seductively... "oh yes, I said... in fact, I think we should have another!"

And so we did....

If you're going to live - live dangerously... is there any other way?

Magistical Memories: Potty People and White Oak Leaf.

My package arrived! I've got 11 packets of Magistical Memories chipboard to play with so i'm one happy bunny today!

All I need now is some time.. ha ha.

On the Lilypad there's a gorgeous collab which has just been re-released Funky Junky and Funky Junky Christmas which includes a free gift - a set of 8 ready-made Christmas and holiday cards - so if you never got them last time around, now's your chance. I just love kate's newspaper baubles, I can see me using them a lot :-)

Talking of the lilypad, I used some of kate's digi designs yesteday to make my Mojoholder layout.

Sarah's sketch

My hybrid layout


It's a bit different for me but I love how it turned out. I think i'm finally starting to accept my work for what it is. In the past i've been my own worst critic.. do you think everyone does that? I'm very unforgiving of small mistakes I make and give myself a hard time over stuff when it doesn't turn out perfect - yet I'd never be like that if it was someone else's stuff... so why kill myself? Anyway, I like this layout - love the pics and like how it's simple, but still me iykwim?

I used 3 different ancient papers again - they look ok, who'd know? who'd care?

And the embellies are all from Kate's woodland whimsey set

I'm still all colded up here... I'm feeling rough as hell but I have to get on - I have a heap of stuff to do... but luckily for me, all to do with scrapping. Carlo has said he'll do all the housework and cooking today. I love that man!

happy saturday, and as always, thank you for popping in :-)
jk xxxx

Christmas Memory Box (altered for magistical memories round 2 DT Call)

I'm still waiting on the postman to deliver my chippies for the 2nd round of the competition, and it's so frustrating knowing everyone has them but me. No matter, thanks to the girls ATDML, I managed to get hold of a film strip and some book plates and a few other bits (Thanks Jill!) so I had something to work with. My fear is that the package will turn up on the 23rd when everything needs to be in on the 25th and i'll be disqualified coz I have nothing to show!

Anyway - this is the project I did manage to get done :-)



I bought this old pencil box at a boot sale, I think it was 50p ( me and my thrifty finds...) lol :-) I told Carlo I would alter it and he said it was ghastly and anyway, it'd be too much trouble...


Pah! What do men know? :-)

First thing was to sand it back a bit and then repaint in acrylic. I chose a nicer red - Christmas Red by Anita's. Then came a lot of inking - of course ;-). It's lined with inked spotty paper, and the lid covered with a beautiful scripty heavy paper - sorry, no idea what, but ancient.

The magistical memories filmstrip was painted, as was the bookplate and folk heart, then inked and once dry I outlined everything with a Krylon Bronze leafing pen. Fiddly, but looks gorge.


I dyed some silk flowers, and outlined them with bronze pen, and decorated the paper ones with bronze stickles and pen also. The heart was wrapped in crinkly copper wire, and I altered some pewtwr brads with krylon pen. Lace coloured with 7 gypsies colour wash. Rub on, deco brad, ribbon and fibre make up the lid pull, and finally everything was drybrushed with copper gold acrylic.

The hardest part was finding and choosing suitable old pics to shrink and sepia tone - I have too many!

Inspired by the idea of making a memory box for the coffee table I hope to fill this with old photo's of Christmas past, Santa notes and other memorabilia for the family to browse.

Thanks for looking - I hope you like my project!

Family news, Vin went up to Birmingham's Carling Acadamy last night to watch Bullet for my Valentine, Black Tide, Bleeding Through and Lacuna Coil with his mate Ollie ( and Ollie's mum and dad, who are considerably braver than me...) He came home with ringing ears... lol, but had a brilliant time and escaped the Mosh Pit's with his life! I shall now be subject to listening to this for days no doubt.... pity me!

Ok, work calls. More later!

jakey xx

Run Postie Run!

I'm waiting on my chippies!!!!!
Some of the girls have their MM chipboard already - some have even completed projects... Me? I'm still waitin...... :-( Really hope they come soon.

Just one Lonely Sketches! LO today.

Scruffy & Stripey Alpha by Kate Hadfield - Lilypad

Snowflakes and border things by Stacey Mann - Lilypad

It was good scrapping these piccies of our old boy. It's been months sice we had to say goodbye to him and we all miss him loads. We even think we see him, or hear him round the place. Carl nearly fell over going into the kitchen the other night coz he thought he saw (well, felt...) Henry under his feet. He trod on the strap of my handbag and panicked thinking it was old henna's tail...! You know when you do that, and you're doing that hoppy, jumpy, trying to balance thing, coz you daren't put your feet down in case you squish the cat?

God..I did laugh... but seriously - we really all DO think we see him... weird eh?

He's out with us in the snow, but he never really liked it. He was just so nosy he couldn't bear it if we were out there and he wasn't, so he had to follow... daft old thing.

Anyway, got things to do!

thanks for dropping by :-)
jkxx

A trip down memory lane GDT spot

Jill and Mel from A Trip Down Memory Lane asked me to do a GDT spot for them this month, which of course I was delighted to do! They sent me some gorgeous Scenic Route Sonoma goodies to work with and I had a lot of fun playing with the stash.

Their November Gallery is now open and stuffed with inspiration, as always. Look out for Suzanne, she's their latest addition to the DT and one of my fave scrappers ever.

MINI BOOK: home is wherever u2 are

A layout of Ruben on valentine's day - And I actually used my Robo to cut the title... omg... don't faint!

And this one cracks me up - me and jazz at Sanna's house last year at our Murder Mystery Party. It was the first one we'd ever done and we were all so excited. We had a brilliant evening until the barman got sick.... not that that stopped us! We just carried on regardless, right to the grisly end... when we discovered that I - Ginny Tonic - was the culprit!

And a little Christmas card

And that's it from me for today.

It's ffffreeeezzzing and we all have stinking colds here.... oh joy. I'm off to try and get some ideas together for my Mag mem submissions... hope my mojo doesn't desert me now!

hugz - jake xx

If life gives you Lemons... be grateful!!!

Happy Birthday today to my mate Lemon!
And I'm always grateful to have her Lol!! :-)

Hope you have/had a smashing time at the crop and I hope today is super nice for you! Have fun spending your pennies sweetheart - love you loads, jk xx

MOJOHOLDER 7th Nov, we scraplifted Molly Peckham:

Sarah's sketch

My layout

have a smashing saturday everyone, off to cook dinner and get ready for the X Factor! Praying ITV behaves itself.. we missed the results last week coz of the stupid rain!

jk x

BLOG CANDY - magistical memories chippies!

Check out the magistical memories blog today for a chance to win the same package of chippies us DT hopefuls who are going through to the final are getting! Crystle is generously offering 5 packages... yep 5! sets of chippies - and all you have to do is leave some praise or a comment for your chance to be in the draw!

get over there and get it done!

1 down 1 to go

WoooHooo!!!I got through the first part of the magistical memories DT call! :-)

We had to make 3 things with our own chipboard and I submitted the wallhanging from here, the halloween board book from here, and this LO. From the submissions received they would pick 20 - however, in the end they picked 27 - so obviously some very tough competition out there.... eeek!

Anyway, my submission was clearly enough to get me through to the final which is going on now... They are sending us some products to work with and from those submissions will pick 9 chipboard artists for their 2009 DT.

I intended to apply for this last year and didn't at the last minute, and have often regretted that so thought i'd have a go this year. I can't say I honestly expect to get through, but if you don't try and all that... plus, I'm possibly at a slight disadvantage because being in the UK, my package will take longer to arrive, meaning I'll have less time to work with it, but ces't la vie ... i'll just have to get a wiggle on when it comes I guess.

Anyhow, we'll see ;-)

A hybrid LO today using a pic which was taken last year when Carlo and I found ourselves surrounded by ALL our children at once... now, that's not something that happens very often anymore, and was a cause for much excitement and silliness - as you can see :-)

Me and my clan: happy 2b together

So, poor as this pic is - and I know it's dreadful quality, I love it, of course.
All digi elements printed and cut out by hand.

credits:

Tiff & Kate's wordy bits - Thanksgiving
Kate Hadfield designs - Gobble Gobble

As always, thanks for dropping in...!! jk xxx

how long ago was this?

Time flies. Rube's was just a baby here... and now, he's a big boy of four. It's mad.

Lovely bright LO using one of my fave colour combi's, some pics that needed scrappin, and tamara's latest sketch. Loads more inspo on the blog :-)

Right - back to work, I have loads on so no time for idle bloggin.... more when I have something to say ;-D

jk x

diggin the dirt

Well, not literally... but it seemed a good title for my little project using Jacque & Kate's fab overdrive collection :-)

Actually, I'm pretty disappointed with my photograph, because this digger is quite 3D IRL, it just doesn't show up here at all. I tried to photograph it from an angle but the flash ruined the pic completely, so maybe tomorrow I'll take a pic in daylight and try to show it up a bit better.

I nicked this cardboard lunchbox from mattie's party - Donna got them quite cheaply on the net - and I thought it would be fun to dress it up a bit with diggers and stuff. I should imagine any little construction fan out there would love to eat a picnic lunch from a customised box like that, and if it encourages them to eat when they'd rather be playing then you're halfway there eh? I remember when Vinnie was little, he was a total nightmare to get to the table if he was in the middle of a game!

Very quick, easy little project - in fact, if you was planning a theme party you could make up a batch of these in no time :-) If anyone wants the addy of the company that sells these boxes lmk, I'm sure Donna will still have it and I'll happily pass it on.

As always, thanks for dropping by

jk xx

Long shot

It's a long shot I know, but I applied for something recently, and the wait is killing me. Lol. I know I don't stand a big chance - there are so many very talented scrappers out there who could knock spots off me in the scrappin stakes... but I fancied a go and i'm keeping my fingers crossed... and my inbox open! :-) Will keep you posted, good news, or bad.

This week's Mojoholder is up, a lift of a Teresa Collins page - and it's another fab scraplift from the girls. I always feel lucky to be part of this talented, happy little team and really enjoy doing the lifts each week. Mine rarely look too much like the original... well, none of us do a direct lift ever, but that's the fun of it - I love to see the different ways my teamies interpret the same layout and make it their own. Anyway - here's mine - my middle two on a girls night out... misbehavin as usual!

The black spotty flowers were blinged up with liquid pearls by Ranger in pastel raspberry, and there's stickles and micro beads at their centres. I'm not certain where the lil crowns come from... did someone rak me them? Not sure, but they're painted in pink acrylic and outlined in black pen, though the colours don't really show up much on this scan. Oh, and I used Teresa Collins papers ! (um....how original...)

Sarah's sketch

Ok, that's me for now, Got a lotta Lost to watch, so must get on...
Hope you all have a great weekend, and manage to stay warm and well :-)
Big scrappy hugz from me!
jk xx