Just a quick post tonight as my eyelids are drooping!! Here are my 3 Los for the Scrap It Sassy CT - I chose a kit called Something Serene by Secret Garden available here https://scrapitsassy.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20_26&products_id=4793&zenid=3013acb8f4a8d44e42e3d9e84ed2a2ed .

Gorgeous kit with lots of lovely colours, shades and elements of course! I was so pleased to use this kit, as my eldest DD, Antoinette, went on her first ever beach hack on Monday, and I knew the kit would be perfect for those photos! (The little horseshoe in the box is actually a photo I took at the beach!). I also wanted to show how versatile the kit is, and doesn't need to be used solely for beach-type LOs, hence the top LO of Antoinette being all thoughtful!! I loved the little white flowers and red gems - beautiful!

I'm going to upload the LO everywhere else tomorrow, as I'm too tired to sit here much longer, and it's so muggy here tonight - it's been like it all day actually, and thunder is forecast. It will probably arrive in the middle of the night and wake up Evie so I'll lose some sleep..Antoinette will, of course, sleep through it all!!

Antoinette is back from Guides now as begging for hot chocolate before bed, so need to go and make that for her - of course nobody else can make it as nice as me!!!

Just found another idea for teacher's end of year pressies - 2 coasters BIA'd together with a calendar inside, so have just been finding freebie calendars to print off that have the correct image for what I want! Hopefully tomorrow will see several teachers' pressies all made!!

Nite!

Bernie x

This is my last LO with this kit - Garden of Life by Bits N Bobs at Exquisite Scraps - http://exquisitescraps.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8_150&products_id=1948 . I had a really good play with lots of 'bits' from the kit to make this LO just how I envisioned it! The photo is from the end of the day at the stables when Evie had her 7th Birthday Ride! All the horses and ponies were either in their stables or in the field, and it was almost time to leave. This pony has had a poorly leg for a while now, but is always happy to come and have a fuss with people! My DN Megan-Elise is in the back there and DD2 Evie in front - they both love Apple!

Just wanted to say a quick thank you to Julie for letting me play with her wonderful kits - this one was so much fun!! I'm desperate to use this one some more, but have CJs to complete and teachers' end of year pressies to start preparing, so will have to very reluctantly tear myself away from my PSE5 for a little while at least! A day should do it I reckon, lol!!!!

Just a quick update on the Family News front - Antoinette had her beach hack last night! they left the stables at 6pm, arrived at the beach around 7pm, and had such a wonderful time I can't tell you!!! They went down to the beach at Westbrook and walked the horses along to the main Margate sands. The horses had a little paddle while the adults sorted the kids into groups of who wanted to have a canter, and who wanted to gallop! Antoinette managed 3 canters in the end, each one faster!! I asked her why she didn't want to gallop, as it is something she has to do for her C test (proficiency test) next year. She said that as it was Molly's first ever time at the beach (and Antoinette's btw!!) she didn't want her to think that all going to the beach meant was gallopping!! If she gets to go again before Molly leaves she will have a go at gallopping! I think Antoinette was watching one of the enormous horses who went along...it was very excited and unsettled right from the off, and once it got to the beach, all it wanted to do was gallop - the owner was walking with us and was telling us all this too! There was probably a bit of self-preservation involved as well, lol, but I can't blame Antoinette for that!!
Fingers crossed now that the tides work out right again before the middle of August when Molly leaves the stables here for her new life in Sussex!
The staff at Nelson park obviously really enjoy taking their horses down to the beach as well, but we were really impressed about how much they cared about the kids that came along; looked after them, offering advice, and encouraging them to go faster if they wanted to, and really get the most out of the experience. It was quite a sight - 12 people on horseback riding through the streets and onto the beach!! Yesterday was the one day in this whole month that the tides worked out right to do this, as horses aren't allowed on the beaches during the summer months before 7pm, so we're all really hoping there will be one more next month and that the staff will organise this again!

Back to reality again today, and no doubt some aching muscles, as we marched along at a good old pace to keep up with the horses, right the way along from Westbrook to Margate, and then back again! Must check the photos this evening!

Bernie x

My next LO using the fabby garden of Life kit by Bits N Bobs available at Exquisite Scraps http://exquisitescraps.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8_150&products_id=1948 . This was the first photo I thought of using when I initially saw the kit! It's Evie, dressed as Little Red Riding Hood for World Book Day back in March this year! I should think every Primary school in the country has the kids dressing up for this day, and Evie LOVED her costume!! The theme for her class was Traditional stories, so the clothes we had were perfect!! The kit was just right for this photo and allowed the brightness of her costume to show through without competing with it! I've had this photo sitting and waiting to be scrapped, so am so pleased I could use it!

Bernie x

My first LO with an adorable new kit - Garden of Life - by Bits N Bobs available at Exquisite Scraps http://exquisitescraps.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8_150&products_id=1948 . I am SOOOOO pleased with this LO! I wanted to do something a little different (for me!) and also to try to show the versatility of this kit. I know I keep banging on about this aspect of some kits, but it never ceases to amaze me how clever designers are when putting together a kit!! Although there is lots of colour in this very generous kit, I wanted to just use a few bits of the more neutral colours and see what i could achieve! I LOVE this LO, so am just uploading it this evening before turning off the pooter!!

Family news: We had EXCELLENT news today - Pat, Molly's owner (she's unwell and moving to Sussex, remember, and was going to sell her horse which Antoinette has been loaning), told us that she's decided that we are the only people she would sell Molly to, and she can't bear the thought of Molly going somewhere where she wouldn't be appreciated fully or cared for as Pat would like, so she's not selling her now! She's moving Molly down to Sussex with her!! Yay!! I can't tell you how pleased and relieved I am!! Pat has found a little farm just a few minutes from where she herself will be living. It's only a small affair with a small school, but they do a lot of hacking out through the countryside, and lessons on a small scale, which molly will be used for. So it looks like Molly will have a lovely, happy life and not have to leave Pat!! As Sussex isn't too far away from us, we're thinking that in the Summer hols we may take a trip to the area (once we have the name/addy of the farm from Pat!) and book Antoinette in for a lesson on Molly, and have a couple of nights in a Travelodge so we could then maybe take in a Sealife centre for Evie (she's studying 'under the sea' at school and has gone absolutely loopy about it! Tomorrow we have a biiiiiig bucket of various shells to take into school, as well as all the fishy rubber-type toys she possesses, and a mod-rock model fish she's made with Andy over the w/e!! Hope the teacher's ready for her, lol!!).

Right! Think I've done too much sitting aorund at the stables today, so my bones are stiff...off to stretch out a bit and watch some boring tv with DH!!!

More LOs with that lovely Bits N Bobs kit tomorrow!

Bernie x

My last LO for the CT with this kit - Jai Ho by Gothic inspirations available at Scrap It Sassy - https://scrapitsassy.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20_123&products_id=4270&zenid=ec6ff0fec3ef576ecfba9a869d878692 .

I took this photo on Evie's birthday, and the colours were perfect for this kit! Left off the more swirly elements to make it a bit more masculine - may have to print this one as a pressie for Father's day on Sunday!

I've loved using this kit, and it's def one I'll be using again!

Bernie x

My second LO with the lovely Jai Ho kit by Gothic Inspirations available at Scrap It Sassy https://scrapitsassy.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20_123&products_id=4270&zenid=ec6ff0fec3ef576ecfba9a869d878692c!

I don't normally do circles, either in photos (too many memories of my Creative Memories Consultant days, lol!!!) or in decorations, so I was surprised how this turned out!! Am so pleased I achieved something different! Some more of the gorgeous elements from the kit on show here!

Bernie x

Here is my first LO with a new kit from Scrap It Sassy - Jai ho by Gothic Inspirations - https://scrapitsassy.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20_123&products_id=4270&zenid=8288fa6fbf533a9f2fcaca1c6db3b8f7 .

This was the complete opposite of the kind of kit I thought I'd choose for my next CT kit, as I was looking for something with several colourways within it - easier to match with kids coloured clothes I though!! But when I saw this kit it just called to me for some reason, so I snagged it!

Today I finished work early so came home and have had a lovely hour and a half playing with all the gorgeous elements in the kit!! I used this photo of Evie that I'd played with previously to get a certain look about it. I liked the way the 'hardness' of the photo illustrated just what a will Evie actually has now she's 7, having been the most mild-mannered and pliable younger child!!!

There are in fact several shades within the kit, so I could choose darker or lighter according to the depth I wanted! I loved the design on this paper - to show Evie does have a bit of feminine gentleness about her still, lol - and there are loads more backgrounds to use yet!

So I'm looking forward to having more of a play with this kit later this evening! I've had a lovely relaxing afternoon with it, and absolutely LOVE this LO I've created!!

Just time for a nice coffee now before going to pick up the girls from school!

Bernie x

These are three LOs I've made using the new She Dreams kit by Bits N Bobs available at Exquisite Scraps here - http://exquisitescraps.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1856 .

This kit is just gorgeous with loads of delicate, beautiful b/gs and elements! I loved the paint splashes and little birds though especially!!

These layouts were just so easy to make using the kit - the swirly decorated frame was so easy to use, even for someone who doesn't usually go for frames on a layout!!

I think the first LO at the top reflects my feelings at the moment!! We had the sad news that the owner of Antoinette's loan horse is ill and needs to move to Sussex to be near her son. So she is selling her horse, Molly, which Antoinette has been loaning since March. Pat is a lovely lady and has been so kind. She only charged half the going rate for the loan, as she isn't interested in the money, and whenever Antoinette has wanted to enter a dressage or showjumping competition on Molly, she has been only too happy to oblige, and has even paid Antoinette's entrance fees, saying that the experience is good for the horse! Very generously, she has now said that in the two months notice period she has to give the stables, Antoinette can go up any time she is free to ride Molly (we're technically only supposed to get a half hour on Saturdays and Sundays!).

Of course, Antoinette is heartbroken! When she started loaning Molly, who is a very young horse, she said that no horse would ever be as wonderful as her first ever loan horse, Ralph! Now she's totally in love with Molly...and Molly has started to really respond to Antoinette lately, where she won't to other people! Even her owner noticed how she would go into canter easily and smoothly for Antoinette, which even she herself could not get!!

It's such a shame it's not at all possible for us to buy Molly, as she's been offered to us for a very good price - £3K. Molly is such a great horse for her age! Other horses Antoinette has ridden at this age - 4 years - have still been quite spooky and rough around the edges, but Molly is now very well behaved! She's stopped the bucking when going into canter, and stands nicely when required, walks forward nicely (so we're hoping for a good mark in the Dressage test on 29th June!!), she's even getting braver around other horses(her pet fear!)!!!! She would be great for Antoinette's future use, Megan as well, and even Evie, who looks good on her already!!! However with a monthly investment of at least £500 needed, on top of the buying price, for stabling, feeding, veterinary insurance and other insurances, not to mention buying tack, there's just no way we could take on this type of commitment at this moment in time. It's very frustrating, and we can totally sympathise with Antoinette's sadness! I suppose it's something we will all look back on one day and believe it was a good lesson in life that needed to be learned, but that won't be for a while!! We know it is, but it just doesn't feel that way at the moment!!

So! this evening's LO has no pretty, gentle elements on it, just violent paint spatters, and hard, harsh chicken wire! Think that pretty much sums up the frustration Andy & I are feeling!

So, on that note, I'm going to go watch some mind-numbing TV for a while before bed!! Dentist - well, hygienist tomorrow - HATE that newly-scraped feeling, lol!!! Ugh!!

Bernie x

Using the Rustic Nights kit by December Daydreams available at Scrap It Sassy here - https://scrapitsassy.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20_196&products_id=4557&zenid=eeea1f816a0156510db2ae9c418cf2ac .

The b/g was just perfect for a 'Roman' idea I thought...reminded me of the patterns in some mosaics...so used it twice!! Evie 'performing' on her own personal stage at Richborough Roman Fort!!

I really enjoyed using this kit...loved the b/gs especially, and will DEF be using those often!

Family News: It's Evie's birthday on Monday, but as that's a school day we had a bit of a birthday w/e for her, starting today! Well, technically it started yesterday as Antoinette and Evie made cupcakes for today, lol!! This morning we were down into Margate town centre at 9.30am and Evie had her ears pierced - she chose some lovely red studs - gold of course! Then a big chocolate brownie as a reward for being brace - not a tear to be seen!! Then homw to get changed and a quick tidy up before going to the Carvery for lunch with mum and dad and Margie, Tony and Meg, and Auntie Jenny. Then home again to get changed into jods, pick up Antoinette's friend Laura, and off to the stables for a birthday lesson! Antoinette rode Molly, Evie rode little Pickles, Laura rode Joker, and Meg rode Liquorice. They had a great time, a really fun lesson from Sophie, inc. some games, and Evie got an accidental canter from Pickles with no leader (she canters bigger ponies with no leader, but as Pickles is so small and so fast, she needed a leader - as soon as the leader let go after the canter, he set off again!!) - luckily Evie was able to stop him eventually!! It was made a bit harder by the fact she was laughing her socks off, lol!! (Deep breaths needed by all the adults watching!!). Then it was back home via the KFC, food, a play in the garden, then PJs on and they're now watching the Horse Whisperer which Laura kindly bought for them to watch! Thankfully they're calming down a bit now, so am hoping they'll be OK at bedtime! Also hoping they sleep late in the morning!!

Tomorrow it's First Holy Communions at Church, so I'm playing the organ at the 11.30am Mass instead for them...then we'll see where the day takes us!!

Must chase the kids up to bed now!

Bernie x

Another LO using Rustic Nights and another photo from Wildwood on 1/1/08 - got one with Andy in this time!! Changed the tone of the photo to match it better with the kit colours. You can see some of the lovely elements here!

Here is the first of my layouts for the Scrap It Sassy CT using the Rustic Nights kit by December Daydreams - available here - Rustic Nights kit by December Daydreams available at Scrap IT Sassy - https://scrapitsassy.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20_196&products_id=4557&zenid=eeea1f816a0156510db2ae9c418cf2ac .

This was a gorgeous kit with lovely varied b/gs and elements...some gorgeous wood-effect in there, and also some delicate colourways that would be perfect for more dreamy pages or blending.

Photo was taken on 1/1/08 at Wildwood - Evie couldn't get over the size of the trees!!

My last LO using the Watermelon kit by Bits N Bobs (available at Exquisite Scraps - link in post below). I've had this LO in my head all day, and although it hasn't turned out quite as I expected, I love it!! This is my niece, Megan-Elise, on her 10th Birthday. I turned the photo b&w as it just fitted in better and was less distracting. I managed to cut myself a scalloped edge or 2, lol, and the eraser button got quite a lot of use this evening to make things under and over!!

This LO has obviously taxed my brain so much, LOL, I've now got a headache and can't believe it's almost 11pm! Better go crash...hard day tomorrow with more digi scrapping in the morning, then lunch and an afternoon of crafting with my scrapping mate Paulette! All being well of course! Lately whenever I make plans something comes along to put a spanner in the works!!

It's almost Evie's birthday...she's so excited about her birthday ride and having Meg and Laura to sleep over...not to mention making cupcakes beforehand, LOL! She's also determined to have her ears pierced!!

Exciting news for Antoinette - there's a beach hack coming up in a couple of weeks and for £48 she can go on it! As I'm desperate for photos of her on a horse on a beach, LOL, I've said she can do it! Not sure who's more excited, me or Antoinette!!!

Right! TV time to calm me down after the excitement of finishing another LO (I still get that excited feeling, even after 4 months of digi scrapping!! Does it ever wear off?!!)

Bernie x

Here's another LO for Bits N Bobs with the luscious Watermelon kit! I'm not usually a great lover of frames, but decided to just have a play with this one! I was really pleased with the result! It was so easy to just slot photos behind the frames, add a few elements and hey presto! It's a lovely record of the competition for Antoinette - I may even print it out and put it on a canvas for her!

There are some beautiful floral pps in this kit, and I REALLY want to have a play with those this evening - if I can stay awake! For some weird reason I woke up at 4.50am today and that was it...no more sleep for me! Have images of scallops and dainty lines in my head, so just need a nice photo now!

Off to search!

Bernie x

Here is my latest LO - and how pleased am I with it?!! It's for the Bits N Bobs CT, and is made using the Watermelon kit available at Exquisite Scraps here http://exquisitescraps.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1798 .

It took me a couple of hours (and the rest!!) what with all the little pieces to move around and slot in, lol, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself with this kit, and I think it shows! The photo is of Evie at Chessington last Friday, with her Uncle Tony's sunglasses on! I loved the picture and it suits the 'feel' of the kit just nicely!

There's so much in this kit - there's everything on here in at least 2 more colourways, and loads more elements I just couldn't fit on, lol, despite trying hard!!! A really beautiful kit, and I'm so glad I've had the chance to play with it!

Family News: Evie and I had an eye test today. Mine haven't changed much at all - I may need to wear my glasses for close-up work more often that's all (I'd better find them then, eh?!). Evie however needed new glasses. her left eye is weaker than the right, and although it hadn't changed much, the Optician thought it worth getting a new pair. Of course we could have just changed the lenses in her old frames, but Evie REALLY wanted a new pair of frames!! (This from the girl who threw a hissy for when she found out she'd have to wear glasses originally!!!). She chose a nice pink pair with chequered arms in lilac and white...no doubt photos will follow once the new glasses arrive! The Optician told us (which wasn't mentioned before) that vision in her left eye had always been blurred. If it had been discovered earlier she would have had to have an eye patch to try and correct the eye, but as she's almost 7 now there's no point. So that was quite stunning news.

Right! Am off to stretch out my bent over back now, lol, having had a nice long afternoon and evening on the pooter doing CT work! I just HAD to upload this LO before switching off though as I'm so pleased with it!

Bernie x

My next kit from Digital Pixel Pixies is Love's A Puzzle Again 2 by Just Another Scrap available here http://digitalpixelpixies.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4_21&products_id=75 . The LOs speak for themselves, lol, and I'm really pleased to have got them scrapped! Had fun with these kits as well, and puzzle pieces are a new first for me on a LO!!

Bernie x

My second LO for Digital Pixel Pixies with the Desert Dinos kit (link to the store below!). I took this photo last weekend. It's my mum, who absolutely HATES having her photo taken!! In all the years I've been taking photos, I can't remember a perfect shot with her not pulling a funny face or looking away or frowning, lol, you get the idea!! She bought this hat at the last minute before going up to my niece's stables for the day to watch her in a jumping competition. The weather had turned out really hot, and it's such a sun trap where people sit to watch up there, that she just needed some protection from the sun! She was chatting away to my eldest DD, so I stood snapping away until she just happened to look up with as good a smile as I'm ever going to get, lol, and thankfully I was ready for it!!! Don't know what she's going to think about the LO though!!!

Again, the versatility of the kit is obvious! The colours fitted the photo perfectly, and are actually very gentle for such a LO!

All in all I've loved using this kit, so thanks again for the chance to use it!!

Bernie x

My first June kit from Digital pixel Pixies - it's the Desert Dinos kit by Just Another Scrap and can be found here... http://digitalpixelpixies.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4_21&products_id=59 .When I first saw this kit, I was a bit worried as I don't have any dinosaur-themed photos easily to hand, lol, but once I'd downloaded it, it was obvious to see the full potential of the kit! There is so much more to this than solely dino pics!!! There are beautiful papers and elements in there, that are easily used for a whole variety of themes! So my first LO was a photo I took whilst hanging around at the stables last weekend! I managed to get right up close and personal to this little fellow while he was busy at his work!
I also managed to use the font 28 Days Later, as that was the font challenge at Digital Pixel Pixies! LOVE that font, and it suited the LO and the pp it was to be on perfectly!
Thanks for the opportunity of working with this kit - one I'd not naturally have been drawn to, having two girly girls, lol, but which i really enjoyed using and I can see this being one of my staples for my nature shots (I take a lot of flower shots on macro!!) in the future!
Bernie x

This is my 2nd LO for Scrap It Sassy! All the same kit - Shout for Joy by ISKRAP! (Link to store below). There's so much you can do with this kit, honestly! This is another photo from our day at Chessington - we were in a queue and Tony gave Evie his sunglasses to play with as it was a tad boring, waiting waiting waiting, lol:D Evie did so well that day, keeping her chin up when she felt rough with a cold! Tomorrow evening I'll upload these to the nec. galleries, but for this evenig I'm pooped! I seem to have had sleeping sickness all day today for some reason - probably too many late nights, when I sit and make a digi LO with a scrummy new kit, and then look up and it's 11pm! Then I'm so pleased with what I've made and inspired to do more, that I find it hard to get to sleep!! Mad!

Family news: Antoinette came home with another 2 merits today - she doesn't often tell me when she gets any so that was great to hear...and they have to keep a tally ofthem n their planners - she's almost up to 60 for the whole year, so is obviously doing very well with her work at secondary school! She also came home with her Monitoring Report today - they receive one each term and it lists their subjects, what their expected grade will be at Yr 9, and whether they are on target, ahead of target or behind...no behinds for us again, and about 5 aheads, so that's all good news!
Evie came out of school glowing - she'd been given 7 house points today and will be getting a merit for contributing so much to a lovely Class Mass this morning! Parents are allowed to go in for those, so of course mum and I went! Especially as Evie had a reading! She also put up her hand and was picked to answer 2 of Fr. Luke's questions about Pentecost, which was lovely to see her growing in cofidence now! She also sat quietly for the whole of the Mass, despite having the noisiest boy in the class next to her, lol!!
So all round, a happy day! Now I'm gonna go and make DH happy by giving him the chocolate mum sent down for him!!!
Bernie x

Here's my first LO as a member of the Scrap It Sassy CT! It's using the Shout for Joy kit by ISKRAP - https://scrapitsassy.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20_174&products_id=4782&zenid=55476e22b81939dbef301e4b1c495dae - and I'm so pleased with it!!! I loved the colours in this kit, and had a great pic from our day out at Chessington World of Adventure last Friday to go with it!! Poor Evie had a horrid cough anyway, but walked round there for over 6 hours like a brave little trooper!! By the end of the day though, she was absolutely done in!! I snapped a few pics of her daydreaming, and you can just feel her tiredness!! The kit is very versatile, and has some different elements in it, making the whole thing a pleasure to use!

Family News: I got a 'phone call this morning from mum at about 7.30am to say that Marguerite's house was flooding! Frustratingly, there was nothing I could do until I'd dropped Evie off at school. I was imagining a foot of water in the front room, but thankfully it was THAT bad!! At 6.30am Megan had been having a bath, and Margie noticed water start coming from the ceiling...then the heavens opened! Water pouring through the ceiling in the bathroom, on the landing, down into the kitchen via the light (!) and down the front room wall behind the bookcase. Thank goodness all Margie's paper scrapbooking stash and her albums were safe (priorities, eh?!!), and no actual possessions were ruined. All the upstairs landing ceiling and walls will have to be redecorated/repaired and the carpet replaced throughout. Next on the list is getting a dehumidifier up in the loft. It's going to be a real pest, but it could have been so much worse! If it had happened while we were out all day at Chessington last Friday the water would have continued pouring for far longer and much more damage to property would have occurred. So we're trying to see the good in this horrid situation!! At least it will give Margie a chance to declutter a bit ready for moving house and setting up home with Tony!

Right! Off to watch Holby with Andy now before bed...he's not done any work this evening as he had a headache, so after ignoring him for 2 hours to make this LO, it's time to get off the pooter now!!!

Can't wait to make my next LO with this kit though!!

Bernie x