Hang Tough

Awww, wasn't yesterday lovely.....a perfect day for Kate and William, and an emotional one for me. I never thought watching the wedding would make me cry..... I loved everything about it.

After the church service we rushed to our friends house..... to catch the newlyweds on the balcony.....and I so wish I'd taken my camera out with me. It was amazing to see so many houses with their flags and bunting out.

I have got a little crafting to share with you tonight, a layout inspired by this sketch last week.

Crate paper Neighbourhood

Sorry if the pics seem dark, they look it on my screen...so much so I can't actually see the photos on the layout....

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll see if I can finish one of my many unfinished projects to share later with you next week.

Bourton-on-the-Water

.....is very picturesque and one of the busiest places to visit. I imagine it's been exceptionally busy this weekend. I hope everyone has enjoyed the Easter break and the sunshine hasn't melted all your eggs!

Bourton-on-the -Water is a great day out, there's nothing better that an ice-cream and a stroll along the clear fast flowing river, which is customary now for the boys to paddle in. Then a stop at the lovely fish and chip shop for supper (and they have those wooden *shiver* chip forks too!!).

The photos on this layout are from our camping trip to Bourton-on-the-Water,
and I waited ages to take the photo of all the kids on the bridge so I wouldn't get people in the background. That's me in the middle photo with my camping pals.

I have stamped the title too, although I'm not sure you can see it in these photos. I just need to add my journalling bits, but as I want to put all the names on there I thought I'd do this after I've posted the layout.
October afternoon papers, and another one of those tags....I'm not sure what I'll do when I run out!!

It's the end of the holidays for us now, back to work and school tomorrow for a few days....have a good week.

Photo a week

It's Sunday again and time to post my photo of the week. The topic this week was High Key, Karen sent me a link to this flickr group to give me an idea of what type of photo I was aiming for. I found this tutorial which showed me how to achieve a High Key photo. I don't have any studio lighting so I had to rely on the sun.....luckily we've had plenty this past week.

Meg was my willing model, I promised her some pretty papers and glue if she helped me out and she willingly obliged...bless her!

So this is what I came up with.
Converting this one to black and white helped a little with the shadows the sun was casting. The trouble was Meg arrived with a pretty red bow in her hair and I wanted to capture the vibrant colour in the High Key photo.
Then I played around with the highlights and fill lights in the photo editing program and came up with this, it's probably not technically correct.....but I liked it!!
On Good Friday we spent the day at a family BBQ so I tried to get some more practice in with my beautiful nephew.....between the beer, the food and the dancing!

With a High Key photo your subject is to stand in front of a white background far enough away not to cast a shadow. This wasn't so easy to achieve with my nephew laying on a blanket in the garden. So although I love both these photos the background isn't what it's supposed to be.

awww he is soooo soooo gorgeous!!!

I've just spoken to Karen and she has some computer problems at the mo, hopefully she'll sort it out and post her photographs very soon.

It's hard to believe that we only have one more day at home and then it's back to school and work for a few days!

More wedding photos

Before I bore you all too much with hundreds of wedding photo's I just want to share a few more with you. These are my fave ones of the day, the bride looked stunning, her dress was gorgeous and set off beautifully with her bouquet.....I bet the photographer never got a photo of the bride poking her tongue out!


Alicia is used to me and my camera, so as she waltzed past me I kept clicking away, and this one of her looking back to give me a cheeky grin is great.
and then there's the first dance and this is another favorite of mine.

I promise to be back with some crafty stuff soon, but before I go (just in case they do read this) I would like to say thank you to the bride and groom for a fabulous day and we wish them a long and happy life together with lots of love luck and laughter xxxxx see you soon xxxxx

Wedding Photos

The wedding took place in a gorgeous picturesque church and the sun was shinning.

The photographer was doing a good job of organising everyone, and I did try to get some of the photos he was setting up, the only trouble was I had to battle with this lot......

.....so I turned to the guests!
Do you remember a TV program hosted by Suzi Perry "How to take Stunning Pictures", they done an episode on wedding photography where they focused on the guests......so this was the angle I took........the more natural photo, and trying to capture the moments the bride and groom may not have got to see.

...like the grooms nephew who was a pageboy. His job was to look after Snoop dog, I took a series of photos of him running up and down the green with Snoop.
Two of the beautiful bridesmaids stood back watching everyone....

....in their shocking pink shoes

Then I took some photos while the photographer was busy organising everyone!! The attention here is on Snoop, although I didn't get him in the photo.
The bride and her brother, who gave her away

The bridesmaids having a goss
The throwing of confetti
Colin chatting to his grandparents and his great aunt and uncle
My sister-in-law and niece
the mother of the bride
and one of my favourites, I love this shot, where they are on their way for the confetti throwing photos and being watched by some of the grandparents.

I have one last post on the wedding to share so i'll be back later.

Thanks for popping by

Wedding Guests

In my previous post I mentioned that we were in Manchester. Some of my husbands family live there and last Saturday his cousin got married. Its been a while since we've had a family wedding and I was soooo looking forward to a lovely day and of course getting in some wedding photography practice.

While I decide what photos to post, cos I took hundreds, I thought I'd leave you tonight with a photo of my favourite wedding guest......... Snoop Dog *laugh*

This is for real!! Snoop is the Bride and Grooms dog!!! He was part of the wedding party, was in all the photos and walked down the isle! Can you believe it?

Apologies for the bad photo, this was the best close up photo of the ones I took, all the others had him looking this way and that and just when I thought I'd get a good shot, one of the guests would call him.......so annoying!!

I'll be back with some more photos in a day or so.

Photo a week

Better late than never is my photo of last week. Last weeks subject was landscape. This photo was taken at Haigh Hall in Wigan in Manchester, where we've spent the past four days.

Behind the trees to the left, you may be able to make out a white building, this I am told is the Reebok Stadium.... I'm not so sure myself, so if you have any ideas??

Karen has taken some beautiful landscape photos and so has Yvonne who joined us last week.

Will be back to soon to share some more photos of our weekend away.

Leaving London

Just over six years ago we made a decision to upsticks and move to the country, not a decision we made lightly. It meant leaving behind everything I ever knew, plus my family and friends.

The photo on this layout was taken at our farewell, family meal in what was our local Indian Restaurant. It pictures Harry and his cousin George, now here are two boys who, I think, are like chalk and cheese..... but they get on so so well. Only ten months between them and when they are together they are always laughing. I have many photos of them together, laughing, and really should scrap a few more.

I used the sketch from Sarah's cards, with the Crate Paper Neighbourhood papers and stickers, and one of those trusted tags, which I'm loving at the moment (can you tell!).


Thanks for popping by.

Camping in the Cotswolds

Two posts in one evening....whatever will be next. There is a reason for this, the Easter Holidays! I'm wondering if I'll get time to post at all over the next two weeks, there is so much going on, days out planned, a family wedding (which I'm sooo looking forward to) number one son will be twelve and.......he has some plans *bless* Oh to be young again!!

So while I have a chance I'd like to share this layout with you, based on Shimelle's sketch of the week.
When I was growing up, all our family holidays were taken in either a tent and later on a touring caravan. Do you know it took me twenty years.....yep you heard right.....twenty years to convince my husband that camping really is good fun. These photos are from our very first camping trip in 2009, with friends...... and they were taken after the tent was put up and we were talking again *laugh*! The joys of camping.
(October Afternoon's patterned papers and stickers, bazzill swiss dot card and a very cute little owl stamp)

Did you spot the *deliberate* mistake? I've just noticed that there is no S on the end of Cotswold, that's what happens when I scrap late into the night, I'd better get off and do that before I forget.

If I don't get back on here, wishing you all a very happy Easter.

Photo a week

Here in the middle of the UK, the weather has been gorgeous. It's been a long time coming so to make the most of it, today, I have sat out in the sun and not done much of anything. Oh happy days!

This weeks subject is texture and with the weather being so nice, I've managed to get in lots of practice. Karen has been posting photographs all week and gorgeous they are too, I'm looking forward to seeing what she's done on texture.

Here are my offerings on texture.
Thank you for popping by and enjoy the sun.

Blog Award

What a lovely way to have ended Mothers day, you may have noticed from a comment that was left, on my last post, that is was also my birthday. So thank you Angie for passing this award to me and ending the day perfectly. I am very honoured.
I'm still in shock though....to receive an award!!! I still can't quiet believe that people actually read my blog, I only started this blog for the ladies that come to the monthly crop and now I find that blogging and blog hoping is becoming more and more part of my everyday life.

With this award I have to give you five facts about me and one of those has to be about crafting.....so here goes...

1. When number one son was three months old I started scrapbooking, 12 years ago July 1999. My next door neighbour was a creative memories consultant and she reeled me in. Scraping was much different then, there wasn't the supplies in the UK like there is now. I didn't have a computer nor a digital camera and photos were cut into all sorts of funny shapes......maybe one day I'll share my very first scrapbook page with you!

2. I have to be organised, I always know when there is too much going on as I start to write and rewrite endless lists.

3. Wooden lolly sticks are my biggest phobia, I have never eaten ice lollies *shudder* and if we ever have chips at the seaside you can guarantee that my portion ends up with those wooden forks *shiver* in them........much to the amusement of my family.

4. I have been employed by the same employer since I left school (and that was a lot of years ago!)....okay....so.... I did have a six year career break after having number three son, but I'm back now, working part time three days a week.

5. Card making is something I really really want to do, over the years I think I've only made a handful of cards and most of them were Christmas cards. Why do I find it so hard then? when I sit down and think I'll make one, my head goes blank and I end up giving up! Maybe I should just accept that card making is not for me.

There it is, five random facts.

Photo a week

Well today has been very nice. It started at 7.30 am (not too early) when the boys woke me by jumping on the bed with flowers covered in glitter, cards and best of all vouchers. Not your ordinary vouchers though, these were much more interesting! Each one was a token, a token for a cup of tea, a hug, breakfast in bed. The best thing of all was that there were three tokens for each one, three boys, three tokens....I can see the logic!! so it looks like I can have breakfast in bed for the best part of the week *laugh*

After using my cooked breakfast token *yum yum* we went for a stroll and I found I didn't even have to use bribary for my portrait photos. I always think of formal studio photos when I think of portrait and Karen has taken some fabulous portrait photos this week. Unfortunately, (for me) I had to use natural light for mine. A studio with lights oooh that would have been a great learning curve.....but hey ho I did manage this weeks challenge so here are some my faves from today.

Number one son
number two son
and another of number two son
and number three son - a bird had just pooped on his head *oh did we laugh* and he wasn't amused!!! hence the pout!
eventually he saw the funny side!


Later on this afternoon the family descended on me for Sunday tea and I was able to get some more family shots. I thought I'd share these too. My gorgeous nephew, he's six months old.
And finally one of me and my darling husband taken by Jack. He made us laugh taking this photo when he crouched down onto one knee and we felt like we should lean across as it didn't look like he was getting us in the picture. In fact looking through the ones he took his composition was spot on, although i'm not sure what setting the camera was on!
Hoping that all you mums had a fantastic Mothers Day.

Travel in Style

Shimelle's sketch of the week

and my interpretation!! Nothing like it, I know!!
I started off with the sketch by turning it on its side as the photo I wanted to use was portrait and not landscape. I did some layering with an assortment of patterned papers......
.....and made this wheel. Inspired again by one of the flowers on Shimelle's layout for this sketch. It reminds me a little of a wheel on a stage coach....can you see that too *laugh*
The twine around the button I saw on layouts here and here. I hope dapfnie.design doesn't mind that I tried this out - it does look very effective.

It's a bright day here today so I'm hoping it'll last, enjoy your weekend and I'll be back tomorrow with my photo of the week. It's portrait this week, so all I need to do is find a willing subject....and that may well mean I have to resort to bribery!