weaving and banners

I have really enjoyed all the prompts and ideas from Shimelle's Pretty Paper Party it has been a great class and I am still working my way through it. I have printed all the prompts out and added notes to them all so I will continue to use all the lessons from class as inspiration.

Last week there was a great weekend of challenges and ideas incorporating some of PPP but on a Christmas theme. I wasn't feeling too well so I didn't join in very much but I did manage to make this card

based on the weaving idea I used up some unloved blue'ish Christmas papers and created a woven shape that was glued onto a snowflake embossed card. Continuing with the snowflake theme I added some Martha Stewart punched shapes in a pale blue glittered paper. I am not too sure how much I like this card as I tend to be quite traditional in my Christmas colours but I think I like the overall effect (and I used some of those papers which has to be a good thing right???)

Another challenge was all about banners. People are so creative with what they make and how they decorate these hanging works of art. As I wasn't feeling too great I went for the easy option and used some lovely stash that I had bought from Craftwork Cards. Although it is designed for Christmas, several pieces could be used through out the year, so I decided to use some of the Christmas specific bits. The banner shapes are all die cut so really easy to pop out, I added some Candi and some green alphas (from my stash) and put this together....

I have strung it across the fireplace to show you how it looks but I think I might take it into work to decorate a shelf in the office I share. Here is a close up.....

it simply says 'Happy Christmas' I was going to do Merry but realized I didn't have enough 'R's!! This is about all the Christmas crafting I have done so far this year but hope to do some more soon.

I am looking forward to

• checking out more of the Christmas preparations everyone is doing
• starting JYC (determined to do it this year and finally decided to do 6x6)
• Bloggers weekend in Telford next week!!!

Story telling Sunday

Last month on Story Telling Sunday I shared this story of my love of pigs and briefly mentioned an event involving a fire, I said I would be back to tell you more and here I am .... just!

I love fires, I would really like a 'real fire' in my lounge (or in any room for that matter!) but I live in a modern house and it would cost lots of ££££'s to have a chimney put in so in the meantime I pretend with gas and this fireplace (dressed up for Halloween!)

I really really like Bonfires and love sitting or standing around a bonfire outside in the dark. This makes 'Bonfire Night' a fun evening for me. Bonfire night is also known as Guy Fawkes Night and for some reason we commemorate this man's attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605 ... he failed and maybe that is why it is a celebration! Traditionally it is an evening filled with fireworks, sparklers, a fire and fun food.

DS poses with a sparkler...

November 5th is the date this happens which was yesterday. I travelled to see my parents and my dad had a huge pile of garden debris to burn so we had a fabulous fire that was still smouldering when I left their house this afternoon.

Dad was feeling good, though he only finished his third cycle of chemotherapy a few hours before this picture was taken (sadly today he is feeling much worse, lacking in energy, tired but unable to sleep and constantly queasy). We had a houseful with 19 of us sharing yummy homemade food (jacket spuds, 'bangers', chilli, curry followed by trifle, key lime pie, caramel crunch mmmm my mouth waters as I type!) We spent a lot of time laughing and chatting with the TV turned off, enjoying each other's company, playing Rummikub and catching up with all the news across the generations. Loving family gatherings at the moment, so grateful that we can all get together (though my hubby was a bit poorly so stayed home especially as Dad is vulnerable to infections at the moment). We all stirred the Christmas pudding too, traditions are important and help make memories (see this post for info on Stir up Sunday)

My dad reminded my of my first venture into pyromania when I was probably just 2 years old. I cannot remember this time at all, but apparently I managed to turn on a heater in the bedroom next to my sisters cot (she would only have been 1 at the time) and the cot and the

mattress actually caught fire!! Thank goodness my parents discovered the burning bed before any serious harm was done!

Luckily I have never caused any serious damage since that time (at least I don't think so!)

I am looking forward to catching up with everyone else's 'Story Telling Sunday' brought to you from the superb Sian From High in the Sky pop over and check it out xxx

Pretty Paper Party

I am just about managing to keep up with class so far which is amazing for me! I have loved receiving the prompts which really are totally making sense and giving me clear ideas on how to actually use the papers in my stash. The sketches are great, Shimelle's bonus video today was sooooo amazing and looking through the forum there are a whole bunch of very talented scrappers out there (I have started to follow new inspiring blogs too!)

The first prompt encouraged us to use up strips of scrap paper and I loved the sketch for this LO, so found it fairly easy to put together (tho it still took me some time!) Note the little heart has been moved from the photo, this is just covering up the name of the school.

The second prompt was about using patterned paper as the background. I kind of cheated a bit on this one as for both prompts I used the same base, which is from a set that I was given and immediately took a dislike to. So I decided to use the subtlety patterned paper in both to kind of tie the 2 together as the both pages tell the same story...1st day at school.

I also cut out the flowers from another sheet in the set as I normally don't do flowers/florals so getting out of my comfort zone is a good thing to try. But I am not really sure that it works on this page... what do you think? I am really happy to be scrapping again and to be using up some of those piles of papers and scraps! I will be doing more soon hopefully.

I now need to try and get a 'kit' together for prompt 3 but real life is getting in the way. DS is poorly and has a broken arm (again!), DH has had to stay away with work unexpectedly, DD is on a school trip in France, Dad was due his second bout of chemotherapy today but they were unable to get his permanent IV line in so he has to be admitted to the chemo unit. I have a full day at work tomorrow, hoping DS manages a full day at school as he hasn't so far this week, bless him. Looking on the bright side, if I have to take time off work I may get to indulge myself sorting through those patterned papers!

Pretty Paper Party

Today is the start of a new Shimelle class called 'Pretty Paper Party' of course I could not resist the temptation and signed up immediately I received the invitation, especially as I have literally stacks of pretty papers unused in my stash.

Shimelle set us an icebreaker today all about our paper collections asking us to share what sort of paper person we are. I really think I can fit into 'The Paper collector' and 'the scrap sorter' but I have invented my own new category which is 'the Paper Procrastinator'! I often find that I just stare at all my papers hoping for inspiration, looking at one trying to figure out if I should use it, stroking another, then considering even more. Eventually I realise a couple of hours have passed and I still haven't settled on which papers to use.

Here are some snaps of the paper I have......A shelf of 6x6, 8x8, photo mats and other smaller pieces of paper and card

a shelf with the upside down folder used for scraps and a pile of 'have to keep as may come in useful' random bits of paper and card that obviously needs tidying!

a pile of 12x12's waiting to be put away

a shelf with mostly 12x12's that needs sorting

I am so glad to be part of this fantastic pretty paper party (and I think I have fixed the glitches on this post!) I really look forward to the daily inspiration and the challenges of class. I need to tackle tidying, sorting and using my stash and I hope to take an active part and might actually complete this one (I have never finished one so far!)

I look forward to seeing some of you in class ..... I will be the naughty one sitting at the back! xxx

HIya everyone!
Seeing as it is my birthday I will join in with the A-Z of me I have seen on many other blogs.... you never know you may even learn some new things about me!

A. Age: over 40 .... it is my birthday today!!
B. Bed size: King
C. Chore that you hate: probably Ironing but not keen on any housework to be honest!
D. Dogs:would like one one day as it would mean I walked everyday
E. Essential start to your day: a cup of black tea
F. Favourite colour: brown or green or browny green!
G. Gold or Silver: gold as too pale for silver although my wedding ring is platinum!
H. Height: 5’8.5”
I. Instruments you play: I used to play the violin, recorder, treble, clarinet, piano, bugle and the only one I play occasionally now is the guitar.
J. Job title: Nurse practitioner/ clinical nurse specialist
K. Kids: DS and DD
L. Live: Surrey, United Kingdom
M. Mother’s name: Mum
N. Nicknames: Furrypig
O. Overnight hospital stays: 2 ear ops as a child, appendicectomy, hysterectomy
P. Pet peeves: cold callers on the telephone, ignorance and rudeness
Q. Quote from a movie: cannot think of one!
R. Right or left handed: Right handed
S. Siblings: one sister
T. Tattoos: none
U. Underwear: usually!
V. Vegetable you hate: none I hate
W. What makes you run late: other people!
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth, knee, arm, ear
Y. Yummy food that you make: cupcakes, pineapple muffins, christmas pudding etc etc
Z. Zoo animal: ooh tricky one love seeing animals but prefer them wandering around.

Hoping to read some of your A-Z lists soon xxx

Story telling Sunday

My username on forums and here on blogger is 'Furrypig'. It also forms part of my email address and often leads to either strange looks or questions about the origins of the name.

Many years ago I attended a comprehensive school in Essex (I hasten to add I am not a true Essex girl having been born in Newcastle and spent most of my life away from the county!). Anyway my school had a fantastic farm unit with several breeds of farm animals and this included pigs. I fell in love with the pigs, such intelligent creatures, more clever than dogs and so protective once they have young... as the bite marks in a pair of Wellington boots demonstrated!

I used to go each weekend to help clean the pig sties out with my friend Mandy, overseen by a teacher and an older student called Nigel. The song 'Making Plans for Nigel' was popular at the time and we used to sing it to Nigel as we worked. Sometimes we mucked about and one week we were very silly as Mandy and I found some matches and set some of the straw alight. It went up in flames pretty quickly, but fortunately Nigel was there to put it out and save the day ( this was not my first misadventure into the realms of Pyromania, please return next month to read more about it on Story Telling Sunday on November 5th 'Bonfire Night'!!)

As I grew up I ended up collecting pig ornaments, pictures, postcards and most years receiving a birthday card with a pig on it somewhere (tomorrow is my birthday so I will let you know if the pig cards are still arriving after all theses years!). If anything had a pig on it, I probably would have had it. When I applied for university I put down on my application about my pig collection and one very serious chemistry professor was very interested, asking how many I had and where I kept them. It was only when he looked completely surprised when I said I kept over a hundred pigs in my bedroom that I realised he had thought I actually had a real herd of pigs!

Although my large collection of pig paraphernalia is long gone, there is evidence of pigs in my home to this day. I have some pig stamps I can craft with and have been sent several fabulous hand made pig cards since I started card making. Pigs are still my favourite animal and my heart fills with joy whenever and wherever I see pigs. My daughter thought

of the name 'Furrypig' as a joke several years ago and we cannot remember how it came up but I pinched the name as it is pretty unique and use it wherever I travel on the internet.

On a trip to Dorset earlier this year we came across some piglets (see above photos) and a glorious great big huge mother Sow. Unfortunately, previously mentioned daughter (now several years older!!) used this photo to 'tag me' on Facebook so my pig fame is spreading..... and yes there may be a resemblance!!

Please head over to Sian's blog for more tall tales on Story Telling Sunday

Lotsa love Furrypig xxx

Creative Craft World card challenge with an Autumn theme

I have been invited to be a guest designer this week over at the Challenge Blog for Creative Craft World. The theme is Autumn, this could be an Autumnal image or stamp or the use of Autumnal colours on your card.

The sponsor is the Stamping Boutique and I was given a cute image to use on my card of Audrey the farmer.

As you can see I have stuck to Autumnal colours which I love and for me Autumn is the season of leaves so I had to add a few to the embossed frame I made to compliment the wonderful image.

Thank you to Oona the DT organiser/co-ordinator at CCW for having me this week, it has been a real pleasure to create a card again as part of a DT (I think I have missed it a wee bit!). Please pop over to CCW to see all the wonderful cards that the real DT have made and don't forget to join in the challenge.