ME ON MONDAY

I'm joining the 'MONDAY WAVERS' again today........another brainchild of the lovely SIAN.

Doing a bit of 'Google Translating' in preparation for our Intercambio session tonight.....a group of we English speakers get together once a week with a group of Spanish ladies to try to talk to each other in each other's language...the result can be pretty hilarious!!

The weekend?.....there was dinner with friends, food shopping, laundry, a little garden tidying....and SCRAPPING!

The credit for the title of this layout must go to RUTH, who left a comment on my FIVE FAVOURITES FOR JANUARY  post......she mentioned BFG and my mind immediately went to the Roald Dahl book....and I couldn't think what she was talking about! When I realised that she was actually talking about the Black Forest Gateau, I knew I had my title...thanks Ruth!

Unfortunately, by last night dad was back in hospital so it's likely to be an anxious week again...hope yours isn't!

Thanks for dropping by!

take care of you

Alison xx

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FIVE FAVOURITES...FINISHED!

You may remember in THIS post, I said I was going to take inspiration form  JO and try to get five scrapbook layouts done each month this year.

I have already shared three of these layouts HERE and HERE. 

This one I actually completed in January: 

all she wanted for Christmas was a unicorn onesie...thank goodness for Amazon!

and this one sneaked into February:

although I reached the grand old age of 56 (!) at the end of January, the photograph was taken in December hence the title!

....but they're done..and I so enjoyed getting back 'into the groove' again!

Thanks for the inspiration Jo...I'll be back with my five favourites from January soon!

Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

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NUMBER THREE.....

....of my FIVE FAVOURITES for December:

The photo itself wasn't the best quality, so I printed it in B&W which helped a little

I have to confess to this being practically a total 'lift' from THIS layout by NATHALIE over at AN OUNCE OF CREATIVITY

It has occurred to me that I didn't share the second layout from my Five Favourites. so here it is:

I have to say that I am impressed that I have managed to get these three completed....can I get the other two finished before the end of the month?....it's certainly my intention- let's wait and see.

Hoping all's well in your little corner of Blogland

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

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INSPIRED......

...by JO and her FIVE FAVOURITES idea, I have completed a layout for the first time in months!!

....AND I actually looked at my PINTEREST boards to find a layout to 'lift'

source

I'm working on my next layout now.....thanks for the inspiration Jo!

Have a great weekend my friends

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

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SIPIDI

YES!...as usual I am slightly very late with my link up to FIONA'S monthly meme over at STARING AT THE SEA.

Believe it or not, this was actually prepared  in good time...then, as usual, life got in the way!!...I thought seeing as NSD has been this weekend, and I haven't actually had any scrapping time this was a good time to post it!

I had a particular photograph I had printed off and that was badly needing scrapped...so I had a look through my pinned sketches for inspiration and I found this sketch (from a year ago!!) by my South African bloggy friend, HELEN and decided it was perfect:

This is my interpretation;

Thanks Helen for the inspiration, and Fiona for encouraging me to actually look at my Pins!!!!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison  xx

THE RAIN IN SPAIN

Firstly, thank you for all your good wishes re the lurgy...I am pleased to report that I am feeling tons better than I was...hopefully normal service will resume this week!

As you know, we don't get an awful lot of rain in this part of Spain...and when it rains it really does tend to POUR!

Mostly, we are relieved when the rain DOES  come ...it gives the countryside  (not to mention the gardens) such a boost.

However, sometimes (usually about twice a year) we have a downpour-in itself no bad thing; the problem being that the clouds have picked up what appears to be most of the Sahara Desert and then dumps it on us!

I know that the UK has been badly affected by the Saharan dust this week too, but I thought you might like to see how it manifested itself here

the pool is full of it!

the car is covered in it

and I'm fighting a constant battle with hose and broom to try and clean the terraces!

Having seen the amount that was deposited here, I was quite amazed there was anything left to  such a pollution problem elsewhere!

I was however,inspired to make a layout about it (and you know THAT doesn't happen often these days!).

When visiting my friend DEBBIE's blog during the week, I saw this sketch from LET'S GET SKETCHY

Here's my take on it:

I hope the air quality hasn't affected you too much this weekend and that the sun has shone wherever you are..even if just for a little while!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

THE WEEK THAT WAS

This week has seen me:

READING

funny, though somewhat farcical in parts!

WATCHING

Series 1-3 of DOWNTON ABBEY.....I missed this on TV and was absolutely hooked!..the remaining DVDs are hopefully winging their way here from AMAZON as I type!

SCRAPBOOKING .....please don't faint!......I have had these two photographs printed since Christmas, and decided it was high time to get them on to a layout!!

not great pictures but I wanted to record the fact that Kirsty can't resist a Carousel...even in the rain!

PLAYING ....YES, you've guessed it:

....and have made it to Level 217!

and, most excitingly, BOOKING another a little trip:

.....this time to meet up with Craig for our Wedding Anniversary later this month.

Now I'm looking forward to what this week will bring...hope you are too!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

FIRST SCRAPBOOK LAYOUT OF 2014

You may remember THIS post, where I showed you this photograph of Stuart that I had totally forgotten about:

At the time I had looked out some papers to use to make a scrapbook page...but didn't quite get around to it!

When I realised I actually had some 'me' time this afternoon, I decided to put the page together...I'm not sure it's exactly as I'd originally planned but I did enjoy making it....i'm hoping it may have jump-started my mojo!

This is the finished product:

sorry about the angle..one day I'll get the hang of this!

I'm also in the process of making some cards...some Happy Mail is going out this week!

I hope the weather where you are isn't causing any damage...there seems to be an awful lot of severe conditions around the globe.

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

PERFECT TIMING!

Do come in out of the heat.....it's 30 degrees(C) out there today, and unless you've brought your swimming cozzie it's far too hot to be out in it!

Your timing is perfect because I've just made a cup of (coolish) coffee for myself, and cut into the Apricot and Coconut loaf I've just made...I'd be glad of your opinion on it; it's the first time I've tried it and I'm not convinced!

It's not too bad actually, if you add a bit of butter...it seems to be a very Scottish thing, adding butter to all tea-breads...lots of people look at me as if I'm mad when I ask if they want butter..maybe you do too?

Why have I been baking on such a hot day?...good question! I have a glut of apricots this year and wanted to try something a bit different with them...usually I freeze them or stew them ...if you have any suggestions I'd be glad to hear them..there's still lots on the tree!...and I actually enjoyed being in the cool kitchen for a while...though scarpered once the oven had heated up!

How was my week?.....better than expected I think. If you read my blog earlier in the week, you probably realise it was the anniversary of Stuart's death. Craig was here for a few days though, which always helps me to cope better...we had a couple of nice meals out and generally just kept each other company.

I hope you'll tell me what's been going on in your own life...hopefully you'll be starting to think about getting away for a break over the summer (and I think if you've dropped in from the Southern Hemisphere, you may on school holidays just now?)

Before you go, I must just ask if you're taking part in JENNIFER'S class? I am so glad I signed up for it....even though I've only managed two layouts so far (though a third one IS in progress). Let me just quickly show you the second one before you go:

The prompt was about colour choices...I love orange and purple together in the garden, and thought the combo might work well with these pics from our Line Dancing Easter Themed night...what do you think?

What?...time to go already?!....this visit seems to pass so quickly...do pop by again next month...I would definately bring that swimming cozzie, as I have no doubt the pool will be the only cool place by then!...Safe travels my friend...I know you have other places to pop by for a visit, thanks to ABI organizing our monthly get-togethers!

Hope you're having fun this weekend!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

FATHER'S DAY

Maybe if I had studied the calendar properly, I would have gone to Scotland THIS weekend to see my dad...but I like to think he wasn't too bothered  about the date... and was just glad to see me! In all honesty if I HAD waited till this weekend, neither the weather nor his general health would have allowed us to do as much as we did last weekend.

In the heat of yesterday afternoon, I decided it would be a good idea to stay indoors and scrap...the fact that it's FATHER'S DAY in the UK inspired me to scrap the pictures I took last weekend ....and I knew I wanted to play along with this month's challenge at  SCRAP AROUND THE WORLD:

 

Here's what I came up with:

The spotty paper is more teal IRL!

I love this die cut I found in the online SILHOUETTE library!

If your dad is with you today- enjoy! If, for whatever reason, your dad isn't with you...think happy thoughts and remember the good times

Thanks for dropping by! 

Take care of you

Alison xx

CATE'S BABY SHOWER

Today's blog post is a very special one......for a very special friend!

I remember the exact moment that this Virtual Baby Shower for our Australian blog friend, CATE was conceived (so to speak!). 

DEB TURTLE, CARRIE, KAREN, DENISE and myself were sitting around DEBS14's dining table (happy days!!), talking about the various blogs we visited and the friends we had made online. Deb Turtle mentioned Cate, and how baby number 5 was on her way and how nice it would be to throw her a Baby Shower ....totally impossible as she lives in Australia, we thought...but as we talked it through, we realised that we COULD do something...and a Virtual Baby Shower was born!! We decided to make pages for an 8x8 album, which would be sent to Cate...our reckoning was that she just MIGHT be lacking in time to do much scrapping, but we wanted her to be able to record those first precious moments/days/weeks in the life of her new bundle.

When I thought of the kind of papers I wanted to use for the pages for Cate's baby album, I remembered the beautiful collection that DEBS14 had put together for us that day at her house......

.......and I knew there were some perfect papers and embellishments there - and it all just seemed so right...full circle as it were!

And these are the layouts which are on their way to DEB TURTLE...and will then make their way to Cate:

Now, there's no way I'm going to offer advice on looking after babies to Cate...after five babies, that really WOULD be teaching your grandmother to suck eggs....but I thought I would share this poem by DOROTHY LAW NOLTE, which has always been a favourite of mine:

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn. 

If children live with hostility, they learn to fight. 

If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive. 

If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves. 

If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy. 

If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy. 

If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty. 

If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence. 

If children live with tolerance, they learn patience. 

If children live with praise, they learn appreciation. 

If children live with acceptance, they learn to love. 

If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves. 

If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal. 

If children live with sharing, they learn generosity. 

If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness. 

If children live with fairness, they learn justice. 

If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect. 

If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about 

them. 

If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live. 

I really do wish we could all have got together for your shower, Cate...but hope you have enjoyed the virtual one.

Thanks, Deb for co-ordinating this lovely event!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

SCRAPPING AROUND THE WORLD

 On the first of this month, my lovely- and exceptionally talented -South African blogfriend HELEN started a new Scrapping Challenge blog called SCRAP AROUND THE WORLD.

The first challenge is due in at midnight EST today, so I am JUST squeezing in with my entry!

The challenge was to create a layout using both this mood board and sketch:

Here's my take on it:

I have had this collage, which Kirsty and I had taken in the Photobooth at the wedding we were at earlier this month, lying on my desk just waiting for me to have time to take part in the challenge...as soon as I saw all that lovely turquoise/teal on the moodboard, I knew what I wanted to scrap!

Some close-ups:

rosette courtesy of  LADKYIS ( as part of SIAN'S GREAT BIG SWAP OF VERY SMALL THINGS)

chipboard again courtesy of LADKYIS!

I realise I've left it too, a little, impossibly late for you to take part in this month's challenge, but please check back for next month's one..the inspiration on the blog is truly amazing!

Hope your managing a little craftiness this weekend!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx 

WOULD YOU BELIEVE.......

......that I actually scrapped this weekend! In between making cups of tea for my Man Friday.....my name for our 'odd job man'...and he literally does all the little and not-so-little jobs around here which I either can't do (think pool cleaning, chopping down trees and fixing TVs) or won't do (think cleaning the outside windows!). This weekend it was lopping the top off one of these blessed Carob trees I spoke about it the last post.

Anyway, I digress...between making the obligatory cups of tea, doing a bit of gardening myself, enough housework to appease my conscience and a little bit of sitting in the sun listening to a book....I managed to start (and finish!) this layout......

.......based (loosely, I admit) on this 'Sketch to Scrapbook' page of SHIMELLE'S

I have heard rumours that Spring may be arriving in the UK.....I'm hopeful that this is true, as I'm heading back there on Wednesday! Hoping you have all had a good weekend

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

A SCRAPPIN' GREAT TIME.....

.....that's the title of my latest scrapbook page, which is -for the first time in ages- a double page layout.

I reckoned it was time to get the pictures of the BLOGGER'S WEEKEND on a page......

......so a multi-pic layout was called for.

I made one of MISS SMITH'S 'polaroids'

and also one of her JOURNALING TAGS....

.....and I layered up some random flowers from my stash:

I'll be back tomorrow with the story of this month's 'precious', in conjunction with SIAN'S STORYTELLING SUNDAY, over at FROM HIGH IN THE SKY.

Hopefully you are having a good weekend......a busy day for me  tomorrow: it's Afternoon Tea at the DROP IN CENTRE, so there's baking to be done...and then hopefully eaten by others, so that I am not tempted!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx