UKS weekly challenge

This is the page I did for last week's challenge on UKScrappers set by Violaceous.  The criteria was to use turquoise and purple, scrap yourself, and use butterflies or scrap about change, growth or freedom.

 The photo is my colleagues and I at the masked dinner our company laid on in Venice.  The food was delicious!  I went a bit mad with the paintbrush flicking, but I quite like the spritzed look lol.

A couple of LOs

My scrapping has been pretty non-existent since my initial spurt at the start of the month, but I managed to finish a couple of LOs this week.  They are using a Total Papercrafts kit (November I think).

For once I had the perfect photos for the rich colours in this kit, and the gold embossing powder.  Haven't embossed for ages, but pleased with the effect it gave.  The LO is based on my UKS team's January sketch.

And I used the leftovers to create this LOs based on Mary's sketch she designed for last week's challenge on UKS.  It features our resident woodpeckers, who come to our bird feeder most days now.  Really hoping we have little baby woodpeckers visiting in the spring but we'll have to wait and see!

Whoops, bad blogger!

Well it's been a while since I last blogged..... I had a hectic week the week before last as I was on a work trip to Venice for the weekend.  I know, my job really does have its perks!!  Venice is beautiful, even in January when it is freezing cold.  Here's a few photos, I've tried to limit them so it's not an overload!  I am sure some will be appearing on LOs soon.

our hotel!

the view across the water from hotel room

Friday evening's 'masked' dinner

Bridge of Sighs

 

St Mark's Basilica

and the detail of the decorations...

St Mark's square - the left hand figure sounds the bell at 5 mins to the hour, the right hand one on the hour.

Just a normal street, with water instead of tarmac... 

It really was amazing, and to think all the foundations are sitting on millions of wooden pilings is hard to get your head around. 

The only downside to the trip is that I managed to pick up labyrinthitis over that weekend.  I can honestly say I don't think I have ever felt as rough..... the world was spinning for almost a week and I felt awful.  I had to spend 4 days in bed, and now I'm just so tired!  But hopefully things are on the up now and I'll be back to normal in a few days.  Hope to be back scrapping soon too - so many new challenges and classes for the new year, I've got a backlog of things I'd like to do!

Last week's efforts

Really enjoyed our crop on Saturday as hadn't seen everyone for ages with the Christmas break.  I did manage to do most of this LO, just had to do the journalling when I got home.  It was using the sketch for the UKS monthly house challenge, and it's another LO from the bumper Christmas kit.

I made all those elf ears, custom fitted to each child's little head lol.

And I finished the UKS weekly challenge LO yesterday too.  The criteria was to use old stash, circles or rings, and doodling.

Scan has decided to go on the squiff but you get the jist...

Not sure how much scrapping I'll get done this week as have some other commitments in the evenings but hoping to get the weekly challenge done again as it's a nice easy one :-)

Oh and in other news.... gave the boys another haircut/shave today and have now managed to remove all evidence of the DIY haircuts lol.

Mojo has returned.....

.... and I'm hoping it's here to stay.  The Total Papercrafts kit for December was a bumper one, full of fab papers from the Merry Christmas range by Echo Park.  I thought I'd get cracking on it straight away, despite having my November kits still to do....

This first LO is using our UKS team sketch for last month (the pearl is quite big so the scanner didn't like it too much!)

and the second is to record the first time the boys decided to give their hair a little trim - 2 days before Christmas.  I'll give Senior his due, his mouth actually fell open when I showed him the photo of the back of his head.  I had to shave the back using the number 1 clipper just to make it look presentable!  Kids eh?!

 It's using our crop sketch for this month.  Not sure I'll always be this quick off the mark to get the LO done.

There's still loads of the kit left so I'll probably do a couple more LOs and then hopefully do a mini book of Alf's Adventures with the leftovers.  Need to get more photos printed first though!

Happy New Year

I'm not really sure where the last week and a half has gone, but it's been lovely to just chill out and not do much at all..... Alf returned to the North Pole on Christmas Eve, and kindly left the boys a present for making him feel so at home.  It's the pictureka game as it reminded him of colder climes and the younger members of the family have found him flipping the cards around the room very funny.

We had a lovely Christmas, the boys were thoroughly spoilt by everyone but really appreciated all their presents.  Now we just need better weather so they can use their golf clubs and skateboards!  Mind you, they have plenty of lego to keep them occupied, and that's quieter than the guitars - perhaps they weren't such a wise move in hindsight, but it does keep their sticky little mitts off DH's which he is happy about.

There's the journalling jar I made for MIL using this post as inspiration.  Her and FIL have started their books already and are aiming to answer one question a day.  Can't wait to get them back next Christmas, full of memories of their childhood and early years.  I made one for my dad too, must check if he's started it - I expect he will need regular encouragement!

We've all decided on a few resolutions for this year.  I really need to use my Wii Fit that I got for Christmas last year more.  Well just use it really, as I've probably only used it a handful of times in the last year.  Junior then wrote 'play my DS more' on his sheet and I had to try to explain why it was OK for me to play the Wii but not him to play his DS.  It's a hard concept when you're only 5.... bless him

So anyway, my resolutions are:

- Use the Wii Fit
- Make time to scan all the old photos
- Blog more often and keep up with blog reading/comments

Struggled with all of them this year, so will have to see how it goes!

Elf Your Christmas - Day 24

Alf left us a note saying he knew we had visitors coming today so he made these reindeer cupcakes that Mrs Claus had taught him how to make, and that he hopes we like them. 

I am sure we will - lots of chocolate so what isn't there to like?!