Collectively Yours challenges

UK Scrappers ran a laid back online cyber crop last week and various retailers and inspiration blogs took part by providing the classes. The class provided for the Collectively Yours inspiration blog was my own page 'Beauty is ....'

I loved looking at all the different interpretations of this class in the gallery over on UKS. We were offering three winners a prize of a one months subscription to The Design Collective. Boy was it hard to choose just three! We eventually thrashed it out between us and those winners will be announced on the UKS home page shortly. Thanks to everyone for playing along and for the lovely comments and feedback on the class.

For anyone that didn't get time to play along last week, the instructions can be found in the library over on UKS here.

Over at the Collectively Yours blog we have taken a little breather ourselves over the summer holiday period BUT that doesn't mean you have to! We have issued a new challenge for all our blog readers, to incorporate a quote (from a whole selection given) in a layout and to link back to the blog. The winner will be picked at random after the deadline of 23rd August. So pop along and check it out!

We had a great time at the Safari Park and Living Museum by the way (still got to upload the piccies to the pc yet, must do that today) and both places gave vouchers for FREE entry another time, which we will be definitely taking up at some point. And the Inn Keepers Lodge was fab! It was in an old house and we had a huge room, must have been at least 25'x15' with very high ceilings, ornate plasterwork, full height windows .... must have to remember to request that room again next time!

Anyhow, busy, busy, busy so have got to go and get some scrapping done :)

Stress free summer hols ...

Apparently you can get stress free summer hols. I reckon if you keep the kids in school then, yeah, or perhaps you keep them in straight jackets, or you only have one so they have no-one to bicker with. Three .... all I can say is thank goodness I went to the doctors to get meds before they broke up from school! I'm trying to pace the days out (money) and last week we visited Monkey Forest near Trentham Gardens at Stoke. I thought it was fabulous, the kids enjoyed the first hour I think but after that they were like 'oh yeah, another monkey ... when are we going home?' I got some lovely shots. It was wonderful to see the monkeys unfettered by glass, wire or other cage and of course they looked so cute, especially the baby ones!





Tomorrow is my birthday but the only thing planned is that I have to take the car to get new tyres. Oh yep and on the subject of cars ... I took Len and the kids to Pride Park to watch Derby County v Nottingham Forest last week, went to Asda for a browse and a little shop (only place open that time of night) and this guy reversed his car into mine. I got a good witness and the man was (seemed) genuinely sorry. It made a right mess of both the passenger side door front and rear so that will have to go in sometime when the insurance gets sorted.

What else? Oh yes, I have booked for us (me and the kids) to spend the night at the Inn Keepers Lodge at Dudley Thursday night. So Thursday and Friday can be spent going places. West Midlands Safari Park for definite and probably the Black Country Museum for the second day. I love that at WMSP you get to go back for free another time before the season ends (a BOGOF in other words!). I will surely be wondering why I am putting myself through sharing a small room with three bickering kids YET AGAIN when every time I swear it will be the last :D I just hope that we get some enjoyment for some part of the trip.

And thanks for the kind comments (on here and on the DC forum) about my last class - I didn't really explain it very well before. The Design Collective is a group of talented UK designers who have got together to present a variety of online scrapbooking classes. It's a subscription based service (paypal, UK cheque or direct bank transfer) and for just £10 you get 12 classes sent to your email box over a four week mailing period. There is a community forum for discussion and questions and a gallery to share your work. Plus there are other extras available to members. We have subscribers from all over the world too. It's free to register as a member on the forum and that is the place to find out more about how to subscribe.

Don't you just love it when ....

Something turns out as gorgeous as you hoped!

I have had real problems focussing on scrapbooking recently with everything else that has happened but this week I have a class up at The Design Collective so obviously I couldn't let anyone down so got stuck in and ..... I love what I have done!

I've created a very textural page with lots of mediums (corrugated card, transparency, paints, ink, lace, gems, shrink plastic ... the list goes on). I wish I could share it on my blog but I can't but here is a sneak peek here for you.


I'm glad it's turned out beautiful ... just perfect colours for displaying on an easel in my bedroom ... I always have a bit of a confidence crisis, especially when my work is up next to the other fabulously talented DC team members (the other two classes this week are by Jane and Dolly!)

Deadline for August subscriptions is 11.00 pm tonight, checkout our forum for details (you need to register to become a member ... that bit is free ... then you can read what to do ... alternatively you can read more on our blog.

I will update with personal stuff at the weekend ... we are off out to Monkey Jungle at Trentham Gardens for the day tomorrow ... looking forward to a day out with the kids ... must remember to charge up the batteries and put the photo card back in the camera.

Thanks to everyone who is keeping my spirits up at the moment .... love you all!