Digital Freebies

I have posted a couple of new blog backgrounds in the store over at http://www.scrapdragon.co.uk/ for anyone that is in need of a makover. These two include headers and full instructions for loading them into Blogspot / Blogger minima templates.
After a very hectic hen weekend celebrating my daughters forthcoming wedding I needed to do a bit of digi creating as relaxation before I start on creating the bridesmaid dresses and favour boxes. Of course I would share the photos of the hen weekend but I am not sure if any could possibly be published. I will go and find a 'mild' one! As the hen night involved going out round Burton on Trent dressed up in a Moulin Rouge theme outfit. There was more bosoms, basques and feathers than there ever was in a French whorehouse! But at least it kept the local men entertained. I am sure some of those poor creatures will be fantisising for weeks on what they saw.
The following day we all went to Hoar Cross hotel and spa for a fantastic day relaxing. Highly recommended if you are in need of pampering.

The family adventure

Considering the beautiful weather we have had this weekend, its shame we all ventured up to Scotland last weekend! We took out caravan and my daughter Michelle and soon to be husband Ben took their huge tent and we set off for Glencoe just near Fort William in the Scottish highlands. Our eldest granddaughter Amy joined us as well. At least she stopped being a teenager hiding in a darkened room with her phone and ipod for a week!

The higland Midge decided I was tastier than the highland cattle and found every bit of bare flesh and even some hidden flesh) to feast upon. So off I had to quickly find a chemist to dose up on Piriton as I react badly to all insect bites.

We had a few very wet days and nights in Glencoe, staying at the Camping and Caravan club campsite. the site was lovely and the views stunning. The staff very friendly and it was right next to the Scottish National Trust visitor centre with loads of local walks. The only downside was damp weather and the camping grass like a peat bog. This meant that Amy had to be dried out each morning as she managed to get water into her tent.

Following Glencoe, we headed off to the Milarrochy Bay camsite on the edge of Loch Lomond. The sun was shining and we got a great pitch on the top of the hill overlooking the site. The staff and facilities were great although a long walk from out pitch.

While on holiday I was practicing for my photography masterclass. I was practicing shooting on manual using my Canon 450D SLR. Unfortunately I only had my one 50mm prime lens with my as my kit lens was off for repair. I took the above photos and also practiced trying to get the TV shutter function slowed to capture the waterfalls gently.

Next time we will go somewhere a bit drier and without the midge!

and Breathe....

What a fabulous weekend we all had with family driving from far and wide to attend the naming ceremony of our granddaughter Daisy. My good friend Claire was the celebrant and gave a wonderful ceremony which everyone enjoyed. Daisy was her usual adorable and charming self with loads of smiles and cuddles for everyone.

After the buffet, which I slaved and fretted over getting right for days, I hadf time to get out my camera and take a few photos of those who attended. I used the new Ballroom Blitz kit from Designs by Angel to create the first few layouts of the day. Here are the first two!

Nature's Garden Kit

Wow, have you ever wanted a scrapbook kit which can do just about any style of layout? Nature's Garden from Designs by Angel has just been released. these layouts were created with the kit and I cant wait to use it again!

• The first layout was a lovely little boy who loved to be photographed.
• The second is my daughter and husband at a ball
• The third was a tinkerbell dress up photo session
• The fourth was a photo taken of me at a weekend away.

Here is a discount coupon if you want to purchase from http://www.prettyscrappy.com/

In addition, the extra kit elements which you see below are available free to download for a limited time by clicking on the preview.

A quickpage based on the first layout is free to download at www.scrapdragon.co.uk where you will also find the sampler

Why not visit other design team members and collect all the elements and freebies which are available. This will make it Mega kit!

ANGEL CINDY KAY HELEN LISA

Follow the blog train to collect all parts - enjoy

The wooden bowl

A friend forwarded this to me and I just had to share it with everyone.

I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. 'We must do something about father,' said the son. 'I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.'

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, 'What are you making?' Just as sweetly, the boy responded, 'Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up. ' The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note:

• I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
• I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
• I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a 'life..'
• I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
• I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands.You need to be able to throw something back sometimes.
• I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.
• I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.
• I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
• I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
• I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.
• I've learned that you should pass this on to everyone you care about, I just did.

A long awaited makeover...

They say all things happen for a reason. However, we dont think of that when someting goes wrong, we only look on the downside. Two weeks ago I couldn't upload my new kit to my online digital scrapbooking store. I tried several FTP packages but gave up. Then It wouldn't let me log in to adminster the store. "The computer said no!" I left for a few days until I received and email from a customer (I dont get many, customers that is not emails) who stated hat she had ordered items but did not receive the download link. Oh dear, there really was somethng wrong with the site and I didn't know how to fix it.

What I did know was how to create a new site, the previous one was three years old and I must admit it had lots of unnecessary files in the back that I was unsure whether I could delete or remove. I also wanted to update the design but was unwilling to mess up a live working site. You know the old saying, "if it's not broke dont fix it", well not it WAS broke! I now had the perfect opportunity.

So I deleted everything from the server and set about creating a new website and online store with the clean design I was after. I soon realised it was also an opportunity to do a quality check on the products offered. I have learned an awful lot more and have moved on a notch since I first started i digital product designing. I still had a lot of old kitson offer, although they were offered for free they were still very amateurish.

Now I have finished the code and the design and I linked this Blog to the same design theme for a unified look. I quite like the simplicity, what do you think?

After all that I logged onto my ususal forums and I realised that the usual members who take part in the Kindredcreations.com forum and monthly digital collaboration kit hadn't signed up. I was one of them as my website had taken over my time. I felt a bit guilty as it was Kindredcreations which gave my designing a boost with the free collab kits. So here is my contributionon offer.

You can access it and lots of other elements from a mega kit at the end of the month my visting http://www.kindredcreations.com/kcstore/. You can access this part by clicking here or http://www.scrapdragon.co.uk/ for other kits and downloads. Enjoy and I would love to see what you creat with the kit.

Roslyn Chapel

I have always wanted to visit Roslyn Chapel after I read about it in the Holy Blood and Holy Grail, which was the more factual book predating Dan Browns Da Vinci Code by about 20 years!

Finally we got the chance to go and see it and Although I was initially dissapointed that the roof was still covered by a large steel canopy to protect it and you couldn't see the true outside shape. Once I realised I could go up on the scaffolding walk way and have a close up view of the roof and other carvings I was glad I went.

The second Photo we found when walking down to the where the house was and the bridge. It was part of a tree growing and the wall had been build around it. It looked very much like the guardian beast of Roslyn and I was overjoyed to have found it tucked away from the main tourist area.

I will be going back !

Its a Girl Thing! A little sample....

Apologies for the lack of freebies on the blog of late but I have been creating my biggest every digital kit titled "It's a Girl Thing" in aid of Breast Cancer. I am making all funds from the sale of the kit over to charity. Anyone who sponsors me (see the button at the top of the blog to my Just Giving page) will receive a link for the kit download.

I have been a labour of love developing the kit in a range of pinks. It has twelve background papers, two complete alphabets and loads of elements and words.

The kit will be published shortly when I get all the uploads and links working, but to tempt you I have included a free sample of the colour swatch I have been working with on the kit. You can have these four papers FREE by clicking HERE.

Enjoy and check back for the rest of the kit!

visiting miss Daisy...

Its not often we get to go and vist our granddaughter Daisy. AS my mum and dad are away visiting my sister in Portugal, we didnt have a cat sitter for our three pampered pussies, so we could go down for the bank holiday weekend. We fed the cats and left them a pile of cooked chicken as a treat, then drove down to Manchester on Saturday. Daisy was adorable. she is finding her voice and insisted on treying to 'talk' to us. She definately recognised her grandads voice as every time Allan spoke she whipped around her head and gave a beaming smile.

We mananged loads of cuddles and then had to come home again. Just in time to pack up and sort through my ebay sales. I have sold loads of clothes and some craft items to find my need for photography gadgets!

I didnt take these photos of Daisy. The white High Key photo was done in a studio and the other was taken by my daughter Lyndsey, but I thought I should share my beautiful granddaughter!

I knew it was one of those days...

When I woke up with my left eye swollen shut. When I prised it open it was very red and sore. I felt like Quasimodo. That sort of things happens occasionally when O get run down or have been very busy. Just in time for a bank holiday weekend then! Not only is it a long weekend and I was looking forward to going out for a bear or two tonight but we are off to visit baby Daisy in the morning.

Then I went down stairs and made a cuppa. Allan got up and went to refill the kettle and a bit of plastic fell off. When we looked the inside of the lid had corroded and the plastic was turning to powder. A new kettle was desperately needed, we had had that one for about nine years so we cant complain. But I felt sick when I realised I had just had a cuppa tea from that which meant drinking corroded plastic!

As I have just started Cheryl Johnson's Painting with Light the sequel online photography course I took my camera to work. As soon as I got there I was asked to take a photo of a team for the trust newsletter, and then realised I had the wrong lens on my camera. I managed to remember my previous training and set up the shot on manual. Although it did mean moving people around the group to get the right composition. I might post a sneak peek later. But I have posted a couple more photos taken when I was on the bootcamp weekend. A little baby hands and feet shot and a macro close up of a flower with bee wandering around.

I am off to put in more eye drops and feel sorry for myself as I cant go out and frighten the locals in the pub. I might have to have a glass of wine though to make me feel better.

Excellent Photography Bootcamp

Last weekend a few of us went off to Cheryl Johnson's Photography Bootcamp held in Saffron Walden. Armed with my trusty Canon 450D SLR and a bag of lenses I started on a nuge learning curve on photography. What a brilliant weekend it was. A great bunch of friendly people made the weekend spectacular.

A few individuals wanted to know about digital scrapbooking so I created the top layout with a photo of Lainey taken on Friday evening. I thought her daughters would like her made into a fairy for fun!

The next photo was shot with a very patient and stunning young model as we learned how to use studio lighting and set up. I only wish I had similar photos of my own children as they were growing up. I am going to get this one printed for my photography portfolio.

I have hundreds of photos from the weekend and will post them eventually. This is just a taster of the sort of skills we learned. I was so impressed I signed up for the next online course Painting with Light the Sequel on CJ's blog HERE if you are interested.

May Weekend

You would think that in National Scrapbooking day I would use the excuse to create new scrapbook layouts. But as every in my own contrary fashion. I went back to card making! I have as few to make one for a wedding and a couple of Birthday cards. I was just trying to get back in to the hang of them as I knew I had a pile of wedding invitations to complete.

I love this little dressed up Sugar Nellie stamp, which was painted with mica paints and then added a handbag brad and stickles. The background is Making memories paper. I might have to play with my Sugar Nellies again, I have a few more birthdays on the horizon and need to practice my advanced colouring in :)

The other card is a wedding card which I like clean simple lines. Used my cuttlebug embossing for this one and some bazill bling.

I am still working on my Charity Digi kit which is one of the biggest I have ever done. This will be available free to those who have sponsored by Race for Life. It will also be available for sale in my store with all funds going to the Cancer Research Charity.

April Free Collaboration Kit

Kindred creations have just loaded up the full free April kit. Here is a preview of my contribution. You can get all the elements of my kit and all the other contributers by visiting here

Recovery from a holiday weekend

We have had a wonderful Easter holiday weekend with two of our children and their families visiting. Craig and his wife Ellen arrived on Thursday evening after a five hour drive home. Luckily for them both there was room for them both to stay with Ellens' parents Dot and Derek as there was no more space at our house. We had our daughter Lyndsey, her husband Gary, Amy and baby Daisy staying with us. It was the first time they had brought Daisy up to Hartlepool so the great grandparents could see and have a cuddle of her. Daisy was a dream to have as she is now nine weeks old and just starting to have a personality and giggles! Although our cats were terrified of her when she first came to stay! Harvey didn't like it when Daisy cried; but he is a true 'scaredy cat'!

Well we were just about to relax after a hectic weekend of socialising and drinking (a little too much!) when our cat Pixie took ill again. She has been suffering from a form of brain injury and has been on medication for months. We have just weaned her off the steroids and then today she took a turn for the worse. Her head was almost twisted back behind her and her balance was very poor. Then about 6pm she had a kind of fit and couldn't stand up and vomited. I called the vet and luckily he arranged to go straight to the surgery. (apart from the additional cost of an emergency call out for a statutory holiday!) After a thorough examination and three injections I brought her home, and she seems a little better. I have to take her back again in the morning for a check up. I might means she is on medication for life to keep her at an optimal level of a disabled but happy cat.

I created the layout of Daisy using a template challenge from the pickleberrypop forum and used the New Live Dreams baby kit (from shabbypickle.com) which is beautiful.