GIVEAWAY RESULT AND AN APOLOGY!

Just a quick post, to say that  the the name out of the tin (you can tell how sophisticated we are in this house!), to receive a copy of 'Extremely Loud.......'

is........................

BEVERLY!......GLORIOUS RESULT!! ;)

I've had a lovely weekend with Kirsty, though have eaten far too much! I'm off to my Keep Fit class just shortly though, which will hopefully help get me back on the straight and narrow! This afternoon I'll be driving up to Valencia, to drop her off for her bus  back to Barcelona...not quite 'life in the slow lane' today!

Oh!...and my email address book was compromised last night, so apologies  if you have received spam emails from me.....seemingly the way to avoid this happening is 

a) not to click on the links in emails which have subjects like:

 Nicee Day

You?

Lovely Photos

Great Email

If you do , when you click and open up the link it hacks into your account and sends these kind of e:mails to all your contacts.

b) change your login details every month

Again, sorry if you've been affected

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

A BIT OF 'SUPPORT'

 It's OK people: I''m  not actually in NEED of support, I just want to share some layouts I made this week with the help of a couple of sketches over at SKETCH SUPPORT, which, incidentally I was inspired to go looking at  after checking out some of SUE'S  layouts over at LIFE & MEMORIES....I do love the inspiration as I go blog-visiting!

These are another few pages to go in my niece's album....although her Birthday isn't till mid-July, I wanted it ready by mid June, as I'm going to the  UK for a wedding then...but it now looks as though she is going  to come over here after her exams at the end of MAY...thank goodness I started early..I wouldn't want to be working on it while she's here!

WARNING!!!!....PHOTO HEAVY POST!

I used this sketch( #21), as the inspiration for the first two LOs

I must also give credit to Jemma (aka JIMJAMS), as the filmstrip inspiration came from her LO HERE.

The fab chevron ribbon came from a package I received this week as a prize, from  THE STRINGERY (from their Bloghop a couple of months ago)

The final LO was inspired by this sketch (#17), though when I look at it, it was very much a starting point, not a final destination!

Here are the two pages separately

Just a reminder too, that if you want to be in the draw for  this book

just leave a comment at the end of THIS POST by the end of today.

Hope you are having a lovely weekend...I'm off to pick Kirsty up in an hour or so..she's decided to come down for a few days, as it's the May Day holidays at the beginning of next week, so no Uni....the downside is that she's starting to bring her 'stuff' back as she finishes at the end of June. Guess what mum will be doing next week?

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

GIVEAWAY RESULT..AND ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!

The reason for another giveaway is that I have just read yet another 'keeper' over the weekend...'EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE', by JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER.

DD has been urging me to read this book (and others by the same author) for a couple of years now, but I just didn't think they 'were for me'. When I was at a local Charity event last week (which I actually meant to write a post about), there was the ubiquitous 'second hand book' stall and this book was one that I happened to pick up. I added it to the pile of books to buy...which, incidentally, I need like a hole in the head!.......and, as already said, I picked it up and started to read it on Saturday night in bed.


It is one of those 'intriguing' books...I know quite a few people who wouldn't like it , not just because of the way it's written, but also because there is very little in the way of character introduction (you are left to pick that up as you read) and-at times- the story doesn't seem to be going anywhere..indeed, at a couple of points at the beginning, I wondered if there was any story at all! 


It's  about a 9 year old boy in NYC, whose father had been killed in the Twin Towers on 9/11. It draws you into his family's (though especially his) grief, intertwined with the mystery surrounding a key he found in his father's wardrobe about a year after his death, and also his family's history.... it is a 'people' story.


On 'Googling' it this morning, I have discovered that it has been made into a film and was released in the USA in January and UK in February, so maybe some of you have seen it....I'll be watching for its DVD release.


So.....at the end of all that, I enjoyed it so much that I would like one of you to have a read at it and-hopefully-enjoy it too! If you leave a comment at the end of this post by Saturday (28th) at midnight GMT, I'll 'pick a name out of the hat  tin' again!....and speaking of which, the lucky winner of '84 CHARING CROSS ROAD' is.......





LISA-JANE ....Congrats Lisa Jane...if you send your mailing details to alison290atlivedotcodotuk  I will get a copy off to you!


Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

THIS YEAR'S EXCITEMENT IN THE GARDEN

Those of you who were reading my blog around this time last year, might remember THIS POST, when I was very excited about the Cherry tree and the Bird of Paradise plant in my garden.


This year, not only has the Bird of Paradise bloomed again, but this time it has THREE flowers!

and the cherry tree has gone from having two fruits, to an absolute plethora of fruits!...can you feel the excitement from where you're reading this?!

I hope there are exciting things happening in your garden too!

Remember you still have time to leave a comment at the end of THIS POST, to be put in the draw for my giveaway (until midnight GMT)

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

THE FINAL TWO FOR SHIMELLE

I believe we have till tonight to get any layouts uploaded, for the Online Crop hosted by SHIMELLE last weekend.


I managed another two yesterday, but didn't get them photographed till this morning.


CHALLENGE #12


The challenge was to use one photo twice......I used this sketch from PAGE DRAFTS

and came up with this

This photograph of Stuart and DH is one I've been waiting to scrap for a while now, and I thought the repetitive picture idea would be ideal for it, as (as the journalling says) 'THE BIG PANCAKE' was read constantly for months! Stuart absolutely loved this story, and it was always the one he brought to us, and asked anyone who visited to read to him.

CHALLENGE#10

Something bold- use two pics on a bold background.

I used an old ice cream print from DCWV, which I've had for years ...I have to say I have used lots of older stash for these challenges, which I'm rather pleased about!

I used GLITTER GIRL'S layout for my inspiration for this one!

Although Kirsty looks as though she might be saying how delicious the ice-cream was, she was  actually telling me to stop taking photos of her with her mouth full! 

I reckon that's me completed as many challenges from the crop as I'm going to...time to tidy up a bit!

If you missed THIS POST, there's a bit of a giveaway at the end of it...you have till tomorrow night to leave a comment  to be in the draw.

Thanks for dropping by!

take care of you

Alison xx

HA-PPY HA-PPY HAPPY HAPPY MAIL......

...(sung to the tune of 'Happy Talk' from SOUTH PACIFIC).


 You may remember that  last week, I shared my Happy Mail from the lovely RUTH...Well, in the space of another week  I have received this lovely card from SIAN

AND this lovely collection of goodies 

from SUSANNE (a prize for last month's IN GOOD COMPANY Challenge).

THANK YOU BOTH!

Back to the book sent to me by Ruth....'84 CHARING CROSS ROAD'

I can honestly say that this is likely to go somewhere on my list of 'favourite reads'! The first part of the book is in the form of letters between an American lady (the author, Helene Hanff) and a bookseller (from a shop on Charing Cross Rd, London!!)  starting in 1949 and ending in 1969. No torrid love affair, just a gentle exchange of letters about books, but giving a lovely insight into life on both sides of the Atlantic during the UK's rationing years. The second part of the book is in the form of Helene's diary, which she kept when she was eventually able to visit London in 1971.

In the spirit of Ruth's 'Happy Mail throughout 2012', I am offering a copy of the book(I shall be keeping the original!)  up to one of my lovely readers...all you have to do is to leave a comment on this post before Mon (23rd) at midnight (GMT).

In the meantime, I am off to look out some more photos, in the hope of getting a couple more of Shimelle's challenges completed.

Have a great weekend!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx