Team GB inspired jewellery

Inspired by a fantastic two weeks of watching the Olympics I decided to make some red, white and blue earrings and bracelet.

I used some red, blue and clear 8mm glass beads and Tibetan silver barrel beads for the bracelet.

And red, blue and clear 4mm bicones for the earrings

These will be perfect to wear on International Night on our Christmas cruise - they go beautifully with the blue and red top that I already have for that night.

These are also my Monthly Make for August

Earrings

Since making these earrings I have made a load more ready for my first fundraiser for Children with Cancer Fund.  This jewellery making lark has become quite addictive LOL!!

 Brown and green Czech glass -

 

 Blue Czech glass -

Milky white acrylic and clear Czech glass - 

 Blue Czech glass -

Mauve and purple Czech glass - 

 Green Czech glass with brown glass and green seed beads - 

Pale blue Czech glass -

Lilac Czech glass and pale mauve glass - SOLD

Thanks for looking xx

Norty Boys & Ny Alesund

Within our UKS Social Group - The Twilight Addicts, we have recently had a mini cybercrop.  Lisa set us two challenges.

The first challenge was to use a favourite tool, a sketch, stash that is over a year old and to use either funny photos or have a funny title.

This was the Pagemaps sketch that she gave us to use -

I adapted it to use on a single page layout.

I used Basic Grey Two Scoops and chose dies and punches as my favourite tools.  The photographs are of Vern and Rodger - two little friends that joined us earlier this year at Meadow Barn.

Lisa's second challenge was to use a piece of equipment that you have hardly or never used.  Also to use 3 sheets of paper that you hate or dislike, use 4 or more photographs and use a favourite sketch to make a double layout.  At first I thought what a horrible challenge but this ended up being one of my favourites this weekend.

I used a Sarah's Cards kit that I really didn't like, this happens rarely but these papers just weren't me and I have struggled to use them.  They are Crate Paper 'Season'.  The tool that I have barely used was one that I have never used - the iTop bradmaker.  I won it in an online competition and have never used it so had a lot of fun making my own brads to co-ordinate with the layout.  I don't have a favourite sketch but I loved a lot of Shimelle's 6x4 love classes especially the May class - I have tweaked it slightly and made my photographs a bit smaller so that I could use 6 instead of 5.  Other supplies used are the Stampin' Up scalloped border punch and two different sets of AC Thickers.

A closer look at each side -

Thank you Lisa for two lovely challenges!!

Ahoy There!!

Another great sketch from My Creative Sketches

And this is my layout using the sketch

I dipped into some of my much older stash and used K&Co Wild Saffron - the swirl is a rub on and the floral embellishments are also from the same range.  The title is cut using Sizzix alphabet Yarn.  The photograph is of Richard on last year's week spent afloat on the Lancaster Canal - on the only nice dry day that we had all week!!

Spa Nights

The weekly challenge over on UKS for this week was to scraplift one of Karen's (aka Scrapdolly) lovely layouts.  I chose this one -

I used a Sarah's Cards kit - Cosmo Cricket 'Social Club' and some photographs from my last Champney's spa break in 2010.  The cluster of journalling stickers are a mixture of Cosmo Cricket, October Afternoon and other bits from my scraps bag.  The title is Crate paper alphabet stickers.

Best Fiends!!!!

Today it is reveal day for last month's sketch challenge for the Sketchy Scrappers.  Jules set the sketch for last month, this lovely one from Page Maps.

And this is what I came up with using another photo from dear niece's 21st horror themed party.

Most of the papers are Bella Boulevard 'Too Cute too Spook'.  I made the little flags using stickers from the same range and cocktail sticks.  The bats are a Sizzix die (thanks to whoever loaned me that one at MeadowBarn!!) and the paint splashes are Mr Huey's Opaque White colour mist.  Oh and I haven't forgotten the 'r' in the title it is meant to say 'fiends' rather than 'friends' LOL!!!

My month in numbers - July 2012

It's the start of another month so time once again to join in with Julie Kirk and her My Month in Numbers feature.

Of course my most important numbers to announce are that it is now only 218 days till the Marillion convention next March in The Netherlands.

 

We celebrated 2 anniversaries this month - 20 years since we officially became a couple and 17 years since we got married.  I liked last month how Julie did a comparison of two photos - so here are mine, taken 16 years apart.

17 years ago -

and 1 year ago -

Well I definitely have a lot more hair and poor old Mr P has very little now - I am pretty sure I know who he will blame the hair loss on!!  Dad is even more white and distinguished and Mum still looking really lovely.

We did a round trip of 710 miles so that I could join the Frozen North crafters at their monthly crop in Holystone.  I managed to make 5 layouts in 12 hours and took 1 coffee cake to share between 13 crafters (really not enough so have been asked to bring 2 cakes next time LOL!!!).  We did also visit other friends whilst in the area and did some touristy stuff too.

 
It has been a productive month - 14 layouts, 10 pairs of earrings, 5 sets of wine glass charms and 8 cards made.

1 new cake recipe tried and 2 lemon dribble cakes made (and no that is not a typo' it is what we call drizzle cake in this house - I promise no saliva was included in the making of the cakes!!!!!).  I used this recipe and it produced the lightest, fluffiest cake I have ever made.

And finally just to show how fast this year is disappearing, I saw this on Facebook on the 4th July

It is now actually only 149 days!!!!!!