A new blog...this time to replace Arline's Allsorts!

Hi All


I know I have been dabbling with a few new blogs over the past year or so but the following blog will replace this Allsorts one. I have been having real trouble with the old 'blogger' which this blog still seems to be a part of?! so decided to begin a new blog of a similar nature with a variety of posts on. Crafty posts, book reviews, general postings, baby posts etc. So I hope you will all come over and join me :)


Arline's Cozy Corner


Hopefully I will see you soon!
Hugs
Arline
xx

What baby items could you not have lived without?

Hi All

22 weeks today...crazy! We have been working hard to prepare for little one over the past few weeks. We have been and ordered our Nursery furniture...to be delivered in October...eek! Here is a piccie of what we have chosen:

We've also bought our travel system! We have gone for the Silvercross 3D system in pistachio. Currently at my in-laws! Here is a piccie:

Our spare room is also full of bits and bobs!! Feeling very real now!! Will do a rundown at some point but would love to hear what baby items you couldn't have lived without?? Look forward to hearing your ideas...need all the advice I can get!!

Hugs
Arline
xx

Our baby story so far…

Hi All

Sorry it has been so long, I promised to post sooner but it has all been so mad! I thought I’d give you a proper insight into our pregnancy story so far as I am now 20+5 days now!

Ok, so we found out I was pregnant when I was almost 8 weeks! My sister happened to be here and my hubby was away for the night…a really exciting time but also quite scary at the beginning. We had been trying for a baby for quite a long time so we were really chuffed with our little miracle. However, for the first few weeks we were very anxious as we had to have an emergency scan and were worried we might lose our little one. Luckily, all went to plan and here was the first piccie we got at 8+3 weeks:

And this was the picture that made us call our little one ‘Smudge!’ Self-explanatory I guess lol. Such a relief that all was ok and so we began to think about preparing to tell people. We didn’t want anyone to know until we were 12 weeks along but a few had to know like work but we also chose to tell a close friend each as we really needed to talk to someone else about it all!! It was a very nervewracking few weeks as we’d had a rocky start but our 12 week scan finally came around. Super nervous when we rocked up but all went fine and we got to see something which looked a little more like a baby!! Here you go, Smudge had definitely grown:

We had already planned how we were going to tell our parents and went on to do that the following weekend, including wool for my Mum to knit with and a Grandparents book for my in-laws! The following few weeks saw more people finding out, of course we had to announce it on Facebook and it also saw the summer holidays begin for me (came just at the right time as the tiredness had really started to set in!!) It has then been quite a lazy summer holidays…went to see my Mum for a week and to celebrate my sister’s 21st! And then had results day at school, a rewarding moment as a teacher to see those who have worked hard do well. But it has been strange as I’ve wanted it to go slow because it is the holidays but also to go quickly because we wanted to go to our scan! Had a lovely week with the hubster as he was off for a week and we started clearing out the spare room to turn it into a nursery and then we finally got to our scan day!! Anxiety was really taking over at this point as I hadn’t felt baby move so was worried, although a bump is forming so I knew Smudge was growing!! But…it was the most amazing thing! The sonographer was absolutely fantastic, she went through absolutely everything and my favourite bit was definitely the little close up of the feet and hands! Really looked like a little person which I know sounds really silly but it made it a lot more real! I was on, and still am really, a real high after the scan and all is well. Here is our latest and probably last little piccie:

We were also strong and have remained ‘Team Green!’ We decided we wanted a surprise when baby is born so now everyone is guessing lol!

And that is where we are up to so far. What I would like to do is use this blog to show you our recent purchases and note down any symptons etc I may be having so it is like an online journal!! Not sure how much I will be able to blog when back at work but will try!

I hope you enjoyed that and that I haven’t bored you too much! Will try and keep you updated if you are interested!

Thanks for your well wishes!

Hugs

Arline

xx

It's been a while.....but I'm back!

Hi All




Well, I have returned! I have been a bit 'out of action' in the blogging world over the past few months. My crafting is still more focused on scrapping/smashing but some new developments in life have taken over. A couple of months ago I found out that I was pregnant with our first child! We are over the moon and so excited. I am currently 17 weeks so now I am beginning to feel a little more like myself I thought I'd try and get back to the blogging world. Seeing as though this new journey I am embarking on has nothing to do with craft, I thought it might be better to come back to my 'Allsorts' blog!

Over the next few months I am hoping to document what has happened so far and the exciting run up to baby being born! Any scrapping/smashing will still be documented on the blog listed in the post below, but I thought it would be fun to share the everyday bits and bobs of being pregnant. I would absolutely love to catch up with old blogging friends and maybe make some new blogging friends on the way. Would love to hear about any baby blogs that you think are useful so please post a comment if you have any links for me, or indeed any advice!

I am currently away at my Mum's, away from hubby which has been harder than I thought....it must be the hormones! But as soon as I return I will update you with scan piccies and other bits and bobs that our little one has already been given....this baby will be soooo spoilt! Lol!

Hope you are well, I will try and pop round and visit you over the next few weeks!
Hugs
Arline
xx

New blog!

Hi All

My new blog is up and running with a couple of posts on now. Would love it if you could come on over and follow me once again I am hoping to keep this one for my cardmaking and my new one for scrapping and SMASHing!

Arline’s Scrapping Good Time!

Hope to see you over there soon!

Hugs

Arline

xx

Scrap365 Blog Hop

Hi All

Well it has been a while! Things have been a bit mad…we have finally had the visit from Ofsted so work has settled down a little now and the visit went well My first experience with them was stressful but very positive.

I have decided to make a new blog as a lot of my crafting is becoming more SMASHing and scrapbooking so will be leaving Arline’s Allsorts behind very soon….I think…although I’m not sure whether to keep it open for cards I may make…not sure I can let it go just yet! Lol!

I have been taking part in a blog hop over at Scrap365 which is a fab scrapbooking magazine which I have recently found. There are loads of fab prizes up for grabs and still time to join in (before midnight tonight) if you want to take a look.

Will make a post with my new blog address soon if you would like to follow me. I would love you to join me on a slightly new crafting adventure

Hugs to you all and hope you are all well.

Arline

xx

Challenge # 17 A Christmas Cracker

Hi All

I have been having major technical issues on my other blog but have finally launched the new challenge! Our theme over at Christmas Crafting is ‘A Christmas Cracker’ and here is my card this month:

We are sponsored by Di’s Digi Designs and you could win a $10 voucher for their website! Definitely worth a go! Due to the technical issues I have had, this challenge will be on till 12th January 2013!

I have been working on my December Daily so will have to blog about it at some point!! Work is still mad but not too long to go now! Still on Ofsted alert….even going into the last week! Eek! Getting there for Christmas now…hoping to get all finished this weekend. So much to do but I love this time of year, even the cold weather!

Hope you are all well! Will try and blog my December Daily asap but if I don’t get chance, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Hugs

Arline

xx

Christmas Crafting Challenge # 16–Decoupage

Hi All

Another challenge begins over on Christmas Crafting this month and it is:

Decoupage!

Here is my effort! I bought this decoupage kit at a craft show I went to a while ago-it was great to do a bit of crafting I haven’t done for such a long time. Hope you like it…..thinking my sister might like this for Christmas!

The deadline is 30th November to get your entries in so please come and join us.

I was going to have a crafting day today but mojo has gone away again! Hoping it comes back soon…going to persevere later-have made a few cards but just not feeling it today.

Having a work day tomorrow and then hoping to do some shopping with the hubby at the weekend…and relax before returning to work next week-has been a busy half-term…count down for Christmas now! Lol!

Hope you’re all well-will try and get back into the blogging world as soon as I can. I do often visit but don’t always have time to comment.

Thanks for looking.

Hugs

Arline

xx

A few more SMASH pages!

Hi All

As part of my 30 before 30 list, I really want to try and finish my red SMASH book! It is full of bits and bobs as it is my first one so I have made another two random pages over the last few weeks.

My first one to share with you today is another one inspired by Austen. My Mum and I really want to go and visit some more of the film locations of the 1995 P+P and I really want to go and see the various houses she has lived in. Hope you like it-I have popped all of the places on the page and hope to tick them off in the future!

Here are some close ups of each side!

Hope you like it. My second page (so my quota of 2 a month has been completed this month!) is of my little fluffball-Charlie cat! I have recently bought a Fuji Instax camera and have loved having my first play with it, taking pictures of the cat….not sure he appreciated it much! So I just had to SMASH these piccies and he has been on my list to do for a while. I also used a little technique I saw Rosemerry Merry and Dean WIlson (C+C) using this morning which was to make your paper look more like a ripped page out of a notebook-this was to punch the side and then cut a little slit from the edge…looks really effective! Hope you like it, I have kept it quite simple…

And a few close ups…

Love the vintage feel of the piccies! The top one is my fave as he looks like a little kitten but he is 10 years old!!

Hope you like them and if you haven’t discovered SMASHing yet, go on YouTube and check out a wonderful array of videos…you will be hooked as soon as you start!

In other updates on my ‘30 before 30’ list, I have read nearly three books this month from my ‘30 books to read’ list, ready to send out my first RAK this week (said I’d try and do this every month), have de-cluttered one spare room, December Daily is being prepped…and lots of other things in progress! October has been very productive!

Hope you are all ok…will try to get round and see you all, five more days at work then it is half-term…woop! Finally, some free time!

Hugs
Arline

xx

Challenge # 15-Buttons and Twine

Hi All

Hope you are all well. Here is the new challenge over at Christmas Crafting this month. Our theme is

 ‘Buttons and Twine’

and our kind sponsor this month is Bugaboo! You can win 7 of their fabulous digis!! Here is my DT card:

Hope you like it and please come over and join us this month-only three more challenges (including this one) before Christmas! Progress for my ‘30 before 30’ list-I have read my first book ‘I’ve Got Your Number’ by Sophie Kinsella-was brill and am about to send out my first ever RAK! Working through them….slowly!!

Hope you are all well.

Hugs

Arline

xx

Well hello little blog!

Hi All

It has been a while but hopefully I am back in action…well, kind of! I went back to work at the beginning of September and have finally managed to get some time to myself to craft! In my absence I have missed celebrating my blogging birthday and my actual birthday with you…watch this space for some candy on it’s way!

So what have I got for you today? I have got another SMASH page for you…feeling like my MOJO is finally coming back so really enjoyed making this page. It is my ‘30 before 30’ page as I hit the big 30 next year! Will pop my list below for you to have a look at but I hope you like my page.

My 30 before 30 list:

1. Learn how to crochet
2. Learn how to knit a baby cardigan
3. Go abroad again on a plane
4. Craft for at least four hours a week
5. Start to write a book
6. Send an RAK each month
7. Read 30 books
8. Finish red SMASH book
9. Put more pictures up in the house
10. Sort out loft and de-clutter spare rooms
11. Blog once a week at least
12. Take time to relax at a spa (twice throughout the year?)
13. Lose some weight and eat more healthily
14. Get a new job
15. Go on a Jane Austen week tour
16. Drive up to Sunderland on the motorway
17. Save some money
18. Buy a piece of designer clothing/bag/shoes
19. Complete a December Daily in 2012
20. Make bread from scratch
21. Organise doing my Masters
22. Book a spontaneous weekend away on a Thursday and surprise hubby
23. Start a patchwork quilt
24. Have a grown up girly weekend away
25. Donate to three different charities throughout the year
26. Something ‘For My Eyes Only’
27. Another one ‘For My Eyes Only’
28.  
29.  
30.  

I still have three things to add to the list but not sure what they are going to be at the moment! Will let you know how I am getting on…I have already started to learn how to crochet, plan my December Daily, job hunting, blogging and another page done in my red SMASH book!

I also have a new baby girl card to show you that I made. Our friends have just had another beautiful baby girl last night so we are super excited to go and see her! Hoping she will like the card and off to get her some little pressies….time to get broody again!

My birthday was on Wednesday and I has so many lovely gifts-I was well and truly spoilt by everybody! Apart from being at school, I had a nice day but really celebrated yesterday as hubby took me and my friend to Rosemerry Merry’s shop in Ellesmere Port! Was fab and I was extremely naughty buying lots of things I probably didn’t need…oops! Had a lovely time though and we made an unexpected visit to Cheshire Oaks on the way back which was nice. Here is me outside her shop with my goodies!

Hope all my friends in the blogging world are well and I will try to come and visit you during the week and may even try to get back into my challenges.

Thanks for looking and happy crafting!

Hugs

Arline

xx

Christmas Crafting Challenge # 14 Traditional Christmas

Hi All

Here is my card for our challenge over at Christmas Crafting this month. We have been sponsored by the fabulous

Lili of the Valley

and our challenge is

Traditional Christmas.

Hope you can find the time to join us! If you took part in our blog hop, you will also find the winners announced on this months post!

I have used a fabulous Lili of the Valley stamp and the ticket stamp is a Cuddly Buddly digi.

Thanks for looking

Hugs

Arline

xx

SMASHing time!

Hi All

It has been a while! We got back from Canada on Sunday….strange to think that I was in Michaels craft store this time last week . We had a fabulous time away. We saw so much so it was exhausting, but I now have lots to SMASH about! Scroll down for a few of my fave pics from my hols-I won’t bore you all with the details but some of the highlights were visiting the beautiful Rockies, seeing a bear walking along the road (!), braving the Capillano Suspension Bridge and of course visitng Michaels Craft Shop! Canada is definitely somewhere we will return to, especially as Steven wants to try his hand at climbing a mountain…eek!

However, it is nice to be at home, lazing about, drinking proper tea! Lol! We were also hankering after a roast dinner so looking forward to that at the weekend…yum! Anyway, getting back to SMASHing! I managed to get a bargain green SMASH book from Walmart and I have already started documenting our trip. Below you will find my first page all about the flight and our first day. It was the first time I had ever flown so quite a momentous occasion for me! Hope you like it-I am trying not to worry about the layout of this book, I am truly going to SMASH it all in!

It isn’t very colourful though…mmm…may continue adding to it. Here is my second page so far, a work in progress! Want to print some piccies off for this one I think.

Hope you like them. I love the background papers in the green book, they fit really well with our trip as they contain coastal views, trees and mountains!

Here are a few of my favourite pics from our hols……

The beautiful Lake Louise-the water was just stunning!

Me and hubby at the top of Sulphur Mountain in Banff.

Gorgeous stop off on our way to Jasper.

Can you spot the bear?! On the roadside on our way to Jasper.

Lynn and John (my in-laws who took us to Canada) on an actual glacier! Think this is a lovely picture of them both!

A view of Vancouver from one of my favourite places, Granville Island.

The cutest little sea otter in Vancouver aquarium.

One of the grizzly bears on top of Grouse Mountain (They were in an enclosure-not sure I would have liked to have met these two on the side of the road!)

Back to reality now Isn’t too bad, had a lovely Christmas crafting day yesterday with my best friend Becky. Will upload my makes over the weekend…going to do a little more today whilst watching Murder She Wrote! My guilty pleasure

Hope you are all well and thanks for looking. Will try and do some blog hopping over the nest few days and visit you all.

Hugs
Arline
xx

** LINK TO BLOG HOP-CHRISTMAS CRAFTING **

 

Here is the blog hop post you may be looking for . Don’t forget there is also a DT call open until 31st July! Just e-mail christmascrafting@hotmail.co.uk if you are interested. Newer posts will be found below this one.

Arline

xx

Couple of cards and a reminder!

Hi All

Hope you are all well. Finally, the summer has arrived and I am free from school for 6 weeks!! Woop! Might even get time to do a bit of crafting! I am off to Canada on Thursday for 18 days….can’t believe it! Tis also the first time I have flown…eek…hoping that all will be well! I am hoping to do a bit of Smashing whilst away, or at least gather bits and bobs ready to use when I return. Sure I will have lots of piccies to bore you with too!

Before I started packing, my friend Becky came round on Saturday and we had a little play with the new Crafter’s Companion Mulberry Wood CD Rom. First time I had played with it and the images are so cute! My first card I would like to enter in to the Crafters Companion challenge this month which is ‘Ho Ho Ho Christmas’. This is one of the very cute images from the CD of Santa and I have added a little Stickles just to give it a bit of sparkle.

My second card is another of the super cute images from the CD. Love how the image builds up in stages! This was originally in a frame and I cut the four images up to make it fit a square card.

Also need to remind you about the festivities over at Christmas Crafting this month. Due to DT holidays, we have decided to extend the blog hop and challenge until 31st August. Please pop on over and take a look. You can win prizes from Little Claire, Bugaboo, Robyn’s Fetish, Whoopsi Daisy and My Mum’s Craft Shop! The challenge is ‘2 or more folds’ and remember, we are a Christmas challenge blog, so your creations need to be of a Christmas theme. Hope you can join us!

Will blog again when I return and will try and do a bit of blog hopping! Apologies for not coming to see you for a while…promise I will catch up!

Thanks for looking.

Hugs

Arline

xx