trimmingthesails

Blooming ...

 "And she just thought she'd fit in another class!" mused Himself. He was talking about me, of course, but we were both pretending he wasn't. "As if there isn't already enough in her day. Carrots?".
"Fridge," I said. "I'll do the celery".
He started scraping. "What's it called again?"
"Flora Bowley's Bloom True. And I expect", I added carefully, "she didn't realise when she booked it that there'd be so much else happening by the time it started. What with not being clairvoyant an' all." The knife was staccato on the chopping board, and a faint coolness hung in the air. The boiler in the corner, sensitive at the best of times, turned itself on hastily.
"Still," he continued thoughtfully, "it certainly seems to be making her happy. I'm sure I've heard her ..." he paused, "... singing." The boiler and I waited for the adverb. Tunelessly was the usual favourite. And accurate. "It's lovely." he said. "I hope she carries on enjoying this class." The boiler spluttered first, though I caught up fast. Himself smiled. "In fact, I could take over here if she'd like to squeeze in another burst of that blooming painting before tea."
She did. The boiler hummed along companionably for layering, part 2. I think there's only about another ten layers to go.

Sometimes, often, life Himself is just blooming, well, marvellous. :)

Layer it on ...

... said Miss Smith, in her Just One Sketch class. And in honour of my now-retired purse, I did. I couldn't resist the doodling - for up in the grey and mild mists of the hills, my eyes are desperate for a bit of colour. So thank-you to Basic Grey, a clutch of felt pens, and my favourite stamps ...

Due to family circumstances, things are about to get a whole lot busier here in the next few weeks, and creativity may need to flourish in even smaller pockets of time and with slightly sparser postings. But rest assured I will be visiting you all as much as I can - as well as pondering Miss Smith's next move, for I hear on the grapevine that it may involve a page with no photos at all ...

Round and round ...

... the garden scrapbook page, said Miss Smith in her Just One Sketch class. Encircle your design. Celebrate curves. Which this page, completed at my nearest crop on Saturday morning, attempts to do. You'll see from the orginal design (right) that I tipped it sideways (after a fashion), used the previously journalled narrow strip for a photo, rounded edges and cut out a semi-circle. That left room for a bit more journalling in my Quotes and Notes series for my children. And with the friendly and creative company of the circle of scrap friends, plus cups of tea provided by the lovely Emma and Ali, it wasn't too painful to put together without a computer ...

(Journalling reads: The west of Ireland had some pithy sayings. Here are some of your Grandma Mattie’s favourites; a few of them may also be of Belfast origin, from where Grandad Jack came and where Grandma did her nursing training at the age of eighteen.
“I’ve seen a better-lookin’ face eatin’ hay” (disparaging).  “Does your mother know you’re out?” (to someone behaving stupidly, implying they should not be outside without a parent).  “Who’s ‘she’: the cat’s mother?” (if you referred to her as ‘she’, rather than ‘Mum’, in her hearing).  “Were you born on a barn?” (if you left the door open). “I’ve seen people die with less fuss” (designed to put your in your place).  “If the wind changes, you’ll stay like that” (whenever you pulled a face).  “If you’re not careful, you’ll fall in that shough (ditch), and then you’ll be up to your oxsters (armpits) in clabber (mud).”  “You’ve got bags under your eyes you could plant tatties (potatoes) in”.)

I am wondering what design challenges await us this week!

Not Project Life Exactly ...

... but a version of it: my fortnightly round-up of How Things Have Been. Last year began with great intentions (a monthly record), but then fell apart by Easter. This year, I am hoping for better from myself. When I read last year's, I am sad I do not have a record of our days ...

The same double-page design is used because I really like it, and it suits my purpose. This year, below the heading, there'll be an envelope or booklet with a little handwritten journal, relevant tickets, receipts etc., tucked inside. This might give me the chance to use some patterned paper: most of it so old you wouldn't remember it any longer!

So far, February's is looking something like this. It's a little nicer in reality because the envelope is clearer. You just can't get the photographic light these days ...

Hoping you have a creatively happy weekend. We hear gloomy weather reports of more white stuff, but there's a twilight session at a spa to look forward to. If we can get the car out. :)

'Bye to hearts and hi to hexies ...

As St. Velentine gracefully slips away into the past, I've been indulging in a little digital dabbling. All this lovely quilting from Amanda here and here and here, is going to my head and fingertips ...

Hmm, Alexa is a little thin on the word front in this page, you might be thinking. My excuse is that it's midweek in midwinter - and perhaps some photos tell their own story? :)

Should you be digitally inclined and like a hexagonal png. file for duplicating, resizing and generally messing around with in Photoshop, please do help yourself: download hexagon.

Time I was putting together my first-half-of-February pages: they might even be ready for Friday!

Down the design rabbithole ...

I'm beginning to feel like Alice in Wonderland. We're busy exploring the rabbithole of our design in Miss Smith's Just One Sketch class: we've flipped, reversed, and expanded - and now we're shrinking. Make it smaller! said the Queen. Fearing the next sentence might be "Off with her head!" if I didn't, I did.

Not having anything in a pale honey colour for the background,  I had a little play and came up with this; you're welcome to a 12x12 copy if you'd like one for your own scrapbooking or cardmaking.

Honeygrungepaper: download here

So without more ado, here's the story of me and The Bike:

(Text reads: This is the third bike I’ve had as an adult. My first was much loved. By the time I had realised at university that a bike would be useful, no shops in town had an affordable one left. With a handful of ten pences, I stood in a phonebox and rang every secondhand bikeshop in the county. No luck. Despondent, and with my last coin, I stabbed at a random number in the phone book with my finger, and rang a total stranger fifteen miles away to ask “I don’t suppose you have a bike for sale?” They did. A train journey later and it was mine for ten pounds. I rode it for twenty years. Happy days!)

And hope you have a happy day too. :)

Walking an edge ...

How to fill a whole page from edge to edge? Now that was the challenge set by Miss Smith: tell a story, fit in a photo, keep some semblance of the original design, and - the bit that made me quake! - fill the space. Having long wanted to use this picture, and inspired by the wonderful John McWade of the design site Before and After (see his current video), I flipped my original design sideways, split the long horizontal bar in two above and below the photo, and added a story or two - or eight.

I know. I left a bit of white space above the text in the left-hand column. I tried, truly I did: a camera icon, an arrow, a button, a bow, another mini-photo ... just couldn't get it to work. I got visual indigestion. Will it be enough to fill the brief - whaddya think?

Up here, the rumours of more snow are rife, but I'm pretending it's not going to happen. Mum and I have some fabric inks to try out, a bundle of prepared cotton, and a pile of logs for the fire. Hoping you have a lovely weekend - and see you Monday?

Monochrome moods

Move into monochrome, said Ms. Smith's prompt in her Just One Sketch class. Banish bright contrasts, and choose tones and shades from your photo ...

Taking the background colour of the sofa and wall into the adjoining spaces in the flipped design (using the eyedropper tool) was the work of a moment or two, and the headings and text colour came from the jumper. That was it, really...

Please Miss, I think I might also have done prompt six at the same time: keeping it simple, using a plain background, minimal embellishing, being ruthless!

Perhaps, for a simple scrapper like me, the task should be the opposite: patterned papers, plenty of embellishments and keep it complex? That would be a challenge! :)

Shall I start that now, Miss?

So, did it?

Snow, I mean, for those of you also in the UK? It certainly did where we were. The pre-breakfast walk was misty and eerily quiet ...

"That's at least six inches", observed Himself, looking out of the kitchen door and sipping his coffee.
"Not a chance", I said. "More like four". The raised eyebrow above the rim of his glasses was too much of a challenge. He saw me move slightly. "I'll get the ruler", he added, standing up to head for the tool cupboard.

"Not a chance",  I said again, slipping past him by the sink; it's hard to rush when you're carrying a full cup of hot liquid. Still, he did oblige with the camera from the warmth of the other side of the kitchen door.

(You'll spot that I'm sporting yellow: I have taken Julie's post in her glorious Month of Sunrays to heart). Himself was rinsing his cup under the tap by the time I had de-booted. "Are you going to broadcast the result to the world and his wife?" Himself asked, casually. "Not a chance", I said, picking up the tea-towel and giving him a friendly nudge in the ribs with my elbow.

But you might notice I'm smiling. Mind you, so was he. :).

Story Telling Sunday (February)

This is really my Dad's story, and without more ado, here he is ...


(This page and story are doing double-duty today. It will be part of my Quotes and Notes pages for my (adult) children: snippets of things they might not know about me, their dad, their wider family. Miss Smith's class Just One Sketch is providing the focus - prompt five requires the using of our own sketch in a colourway we might not normally adopt. I'm not sure that swopping white space for black space really counts, but in my defence I did add a row of tiny light green squares!).

Hoping you have a very happy Sunday browsing Sian's wonderful store-house of treasures over at Story-Telling Sunday ...