From High In The Sky

Oh, Paris

2012-01-29T10:21:00.000Z

The (Not So) Small One is in Paris this weekend. For a school trip which has involved at least twenty packings and repackings of the pink suitcase; along with a Parents Information Evening, a barrage of emails and more form filling than any sane mother needs. It wasn't like that when I went to Paris.

When I went to Paris, at the age of fourteen, I set out with one school friend to join up with a party of teenagers we didn't know; and a teacher none of us had ever met. I had only the name and address of the French family I was to be staying with, a phrase book and enough French Francs to (just about) last me the fortnight. It could have been hell; but it turned out to be closer to heaven.

We stayed In Chartres and our base was a cloistered school right next to the cathedral. I leaned how to love Brie and how to enjoy dressing on my salad. How to fry frites in goose fat and how to snack on chocolate wrapped in bread. I spent an afternoon sitting in on classes at a Lycee and an evening swapping stories with the Girl Guides. We took grammar lessons in the mornings and outings in the afternoons; and every night we went home to our "families" and tried to make ourselves understood.

It frightens me a bit to think of it now, if I'm honest. How did I dare? With the support, I suppose, of a mother who gave me a push and trusted me to get on and make as much as I could out of the opportunity I'd been given. We had no form filling, no safety analysis, no waivers, no handholding. Was that a good thing? I don't know. I guess there must be a happy middle ground. Somewhere in between. But I hope The (Not So) Small One, with all those forms filled in, gets a chance to stretch herself and discover just how much she really does know.

And that seems like a good place to end for today and remind you that it's Storytelling Sunday next week. I think I'll be trying a photo and a story-in-a-couple-of-sentences this time round. You could use a 365 photo if you like; but all kinds of stories are, as always, very welcome.

My Monthly Make

2012-01-26T09:15:00.000Z

I owe Annie The Felt Fairy a post. And an apology. Last year I took part in her year long Monthly Make challenge. It was a lot of fun and I was quick to say Yes! I'll do it again in 2012. It's even bigger and brighter this time round, with a monthly cheerleader to keep us all going. I'm going to be Miss November. But before then, I wanted to get stuck in cheering on January and February and - well, I hope to enjoy all the January makes by the end of the week.

And I have finally got round to posting my Make:

Felt pinafore and beret. Tights and tshirt top in jersey from an old tshirt

It's a set of dolls clothes made from some patterns I bought on Ebay about three years ago:

Patterns from D-Zinerclothes4dolly

Our doll isn't a Helen Kish, it's a Madeline (from the books by Ludwig Bemelmans). We have a collection of the characters, The (not So) Small One and I, gathered up over the years and pictured in an early blog post here. Sometimes we still find the time to dress them up; and sometimes I still like to make them something new to wear. Trouble is, once I start, it's hard to stop. I've got a rucksack to do..

But maybe that's for next month. There is still plenty of time to join in with the Makes - it can be anything at all and you may post a picture on the Flickr Group or find out more by reading The Felt Fairy. February's hostess will be Natalie of Hungry Hippie.

Annie, I think I'm back on track.

Photo365+1

2012-01-23T09:36:00.002Z

Today I'm catching up with Photo365+1. Yes, I am still remembering to take a picture every day (those prompts are a big help!). I'm looking forward to ordering a batch of prints - maybe at the end of February. I don't think I'll be able to hold off much longer than that. Most of the things I probably wouldn't ever have thought of photographing before: but now each picture gives me another story to tell..

9. Water - tenuous? Maybe. But I always end up ironing on a Monday

10. Metallic - I picked out the bell to photograph, then spotted the old street directory I bought in a charity shop. It has an ad for a scrap metal merchant on the spine.

11. Item of clothing - my bag du jour. Could do double duty as "metallic"

12. Translucent - a bag of pine nuts for making pesto.

13. Inside the Fridge - I like to keep chocolate biscuits in the fridge becasue I only really like them when they are cold. I loathe warm, melty chocolate.

14. Guilty Pleasure - CD's I have had for a very long time and still play regularly.

15. Generous - A box of treats sent from friends in San Diego. We are having fun trying out some new delights.

16. Snack - I couldn't resist adding the purple cover of Scrap365 to the picture of my purple wrappered snack bar.

17. Naughty - A pile of scrapbooking stuff I haven't put away.

18. Pleasurable - More scrapbooking - a new Amy Tan daybook from Gotta Craft

19. Something bad for you - A favourite photo. My car. I need to do more walking..

20. A Sign - A junk mail catalogue which made me think. A trip to the museum would be good..

That's it for today. The next set of photos will be "hot". But think more blowtorches than babes..

Pass The Page: The Hop

2012-01-20T12:00:00.000Z

Wow, it seems like quite a while since I spotted Julie at Letting the Days Roll By's post about playing Pass the Page! It's Chinese Whispers for scrapbookers - one page design passed along a chain of scrappers. The catch? You only get to see the page created by the scrapper immediately before you in the chain..

So, back last year, Julie sent out her design. And Julie's is the best place to start if you'd like to see how this one has progressed. It came to me from Lizzie of Lizzie Made and, after a lot of thinking, I turned it into this:

Then I passed it on to Clair at Obstinate Pursuit and that's where I'm headed right now. How has she changed it and made it her own? I'm looking forward to finding out...

and pssst! if you check out all the pages, leave a comment. There are prizes involved and you'll find out more as you go round..

Many thanks to Julie for organising Pass the Page - let's do it again sometime!

A Good Grey for January

2012-01-19T09:44:00.000Z

Oh grey gingham check, I think you might be my favourite of all the patterned papers in this month's Midnight Rooster kit.

So many different ways it could be used. I went for a country look in the end, with a sixty year old photo from a diferent time, a different life. I wrote straight onto the Studio Calico tissue paper Scraps, just a brief note about the days when a girl could get out and enjoy the sunshine; and her legs did what she told them to.

My second page uses a photo from our Norwegian holiday last year:

I liked that added-on building. It made me wonder if women were the same the world over, through the years, all of us looking for a little extra space. Just to keep things tidy.

The tag is another handmade Midnight Rooster special. And the little hearts?

I cut those from the packaging Tobi created specially for the embellishments in this kit. She thinks of everything. I have nearly used it all, but my scraps asre safely packed away inside the plastic folder they arrived in.

That's me for today. But please do drop back tomorrow for my contribution to Pass the Page

Tuesday? It's Booked

2012-01-17T09:17:00.001Z

I'm feeling book-ish today. It started when I made a little notebook with some more pieces from my Midnight Rooster Nantucket kit.

Seam binding and both alphas came with the kit. And inside has two fabric pockets cut from the piece in the kit too. The tabs are cut with the Slice and the cut-out title comes from a leftover: I used the title I cut out on one of my layouts

Because I often use patterned paper as backgrounds I had three pieces of cardstock to play with - and that "bookplate" pattern from Studio Calico gave me an idea. I cut each sheet into pieces 6x8 inches and sewed them together around three sides to create pockets. Then into each pocket I slid a labelled card for each day of the month. I'll use these to make a reading record for 2012.

For January I already have

The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos by Heidi Adnum. This one is definitely recommended! Lots of practical advice divided into chapters dealing with different crafts; case studies from crafters; everything you have ever wanted to know, beautifully presented
The Art of iPhoneography by Stephanie Roberts. This was a surprise Christmas present and I'm enjoying dipping into it. I especially like the chapter called "Shoot How You Feel"
On Writing by Stephen King. Which I bought and read last year and have hauled out again after I found that article on over used words last week.
Charles Dickens: a Life by Clare Tomalin. So much I didn't know..

..and that leaves me with the winner from last week's Pass The Book Year Two (thanks again Melissa!) . Tantalizing Textures will be going to Fiona from Fiona's Flotsam. Fiona, please drop me an email with your address and I'll get that in the post.

Midnight Rooster

2012-01-15T10:03:00.000Z

It's Midnight Rooster week here on High In The Sky. I'm a huge fan of this kit club! When Tobi asked if I'd like to be the January guest designer, I couldn't have been more excited. There is something a bit special about the way a Midnight Rooster kit is put together, from the colour and the texture right through to the wonderful handmade, exclusive embellishments.

Today I'm showing two of the layouts I made, with more to come. This kit is packed!

See the stamped tag? That came with the kit. As did the October Afternoon Flyers I made the kit from, and the Studio Calico Scraps I used for the kit tail

There's another handmade tag and some more of the lovely October Afternoon Farmhouse collection

I enjoyed putting these pages together - everything in the kit coordinates so cleverly - and I didn't stop until I'd used almost every last scrap. More later in the week!

A Bit of Better Blogging - Part Seven

2012-01-12T10:10:00.000Z

I'm tying up loose ends

on several projects this week. So I've put together my latest collection of better blogging finds for today. I hope you see something of interest:

Pinterest - Good or bad for bloggers? This is a must-read. It's persuasive, it's heartfelt and I couldn't agree more. If you love Pinterest, read this! By Darcy of Life With my 3 Boybarians
Clean Slate Blogging by Judy of Cats Eye Writer. There is always somethng to think about here. I also enjoyed her Harry Potter Headlines.
Blog Posts that Start Life as Something Different - using comments to create content. By Sarah Arrow at For Bloggers by Bloggers
Keeping up with the New Facebook by Paint The Moon. Tips for setting up a fan page. I need to have another look at this one myself!
Also, How to Get More Likes on Facebook by How To Make My Blog.
And finally, I had to include an older one I like Ten Most Overused Words on Craft Blogs from Crafterminds (thanks Sue for recommending this site!)

Have a browse and think about blogging goals for 2012. Or maybe you've done that already?

Pass The Book Year Two - Tantalizing Textures

2012-01-10T09:52:00.000Z

Today I'm passing on a book from the lovely Melissa's Pass The Book Year Two.

It's Tantalizing Textures by Trudy Sigurdson. Any book on texture is bound to be a winner with me! This one is going to get you going back through your stash looking for flowers and fibres and metal and all kinds of bits you might have in hiding.

It even helped me to find a little mini album I'd tucked away. It's one of the first scrapbook-y things I ever made, and when I remembered about the metal label on the front, I went to find it.

Inside is a no-ugly-spared view of our house, not long after we moved in. I wanted to record the worst so that I could see how we changed the place. Take the utility room, for example.

Funny, the other thing I notice now is how my paper crafting has changed too..

But, back to Tantalizing Textures. If you'd like a look at this one (and are happy to pass it on through your blog when you are finished), leave a comment and I'll draw a winner in a week's time. Everything you need to know is on Melissa's page right here. Good luck!

Oh, and if you have a Pass The Book Year One book sitting on a shelf - would you think about passing it along soon? Many thanks!

Photo365+1 Challenge 2012

2012-01-08T12:01:00.000Z

You will probably laugh when I own up to this one. So I'm going to say it quietly and get it over with. Sometimes I think I'm going to run out of photos.

I do. Two years ago I decided to do something about it. I resolved to take a photo a day; and I found a 365 app to help me do it. I gave up after a week. Without any idea about what to photograph, I didn't photograph at all. And that's why I'm delighted to have stumbled upon Suzie's 365+1 Photo Challenge 2012. I love the idea of a word prompt every single day for the whole year. Check out the blog - if you haven't already (I know some of you are right there with me) - she has a whole bunch of enthusiastic followers with a determination to succeed.

I'll be posting my photos in batches; and I have challenged myself to do a bit more digi by using the lovely templates from Pugly Pixel. Simple to use and free to download. Easy. Like Sunday morning. Hope you have a good one.

1. Celebrate - Santa looked like he had overdone it a bit on New Year's Eve

2. New - my new diary

3. Ugly - peeling paint. Ugly or attractive, or a bit of both

4. Pretty - a little of something I'm working on for a Guest Design Spot

5. Excitement - The Tall One in his suit on his way to work experience at the Law Courts

6. Frost - it was so warm here we turned the heat off, so I looked elsewhere

7. Drink - our coffee machine

8. Cosy - my inside boots. I like having warm feet

So, that's my first week and a little bit more. The last four were taken with the Hipstamatic app and I think I'll be continuing with it for the rest of January. After that, who knows?

Oh Bugsy

2012-01-05T10:26:00.001Z

Everyone remembers the first couple of times they went to the cinema. Don't they? The very first film I saw was Disney's The Apple Dumpling Gang, with a friend, for her birthday. The next year we queued up for Bugsy Malone.

How much did I love that film? As soon as I saw the big old car sticker on the Times & Seasons sticker sheet from Gotta Craft that's what I thought of.

I wanted to drive one of those cars. I wanted Mary Jane shoes and a cloche hat and a handbag that shut with a snap. I even thought about finding myself a gangster boyfriend. Though I was only ten at the time. Instead I used to lie in bed at night and sing myself to sleep. "I could have been anything that I wanted to be.."

Everything on the page (apart from the October Afternoon buttons) is from Glitz and Echo Park, from Gotta Craft. Sandra will be open again on Monday 9th January. She is busy adding lots of new American Crafts stock and I can't wait to have a look..

My Month in Numbers - December

2012-01-03T09:23:00.000Z

It's been pretty quiet here so far this morning. Everyone else is having one last long sleep before school starts back tomorrow. We've covered almost everything we wanted to do in the holidays, though. It's been good. We finally saw the new Sherlock Holmes film yesterday, we've finished up the leftovers in the fridge, so probably the only thing left is for me to post my December Month in Numbers. I've been following along with the excellent Julie from Notes on Paper as she counts.

One last chance to scrapbook a tree I thought - a slightly different take on the paper strips design I've been using over the past couple of months.

- We had two trips to the dentist for a girl who has been an absolute star about the whole business. Her stoicism knows no bounds.

- We have eaten four jars of Christmas mincemeat, all turned into delicious pies.

- We got up at 7.00am on Christmas morning. You can tell they are getting older, can't you? Used to be 5.30

- I took 6 days away from the computer over the holidays. I think my eyes thanked me for it. Let's be honest.

- My Facebook page gained 51 likes (but of course there is always room for one more). It's been a fun experiment for me and I'm enjoying adding little extra bits and pieces on there

- and, finally, I've added in the 300 stories gathered by Storytelling Sunday in 2011. Because I'm proud of that number - and I hope you are too. We have made an amazing start already for 2012! Thank you so much to everyone who made time to join in during their festivities. And a special hello to the newcomers. It's good to see you. Come back soon - February sounds good!

I'll be back before then though. Thursday, more than likely. Have a good start to the year whatever you are up to!

Storytelling Sunday 2: The Words, The Pictures

2012-01-01T00:01:00.001Z

Happy New Year, Storytellers! I'm hoping 2012 will hold a lot of everything you love.

Round here we love stories. We love them so much that we're ready to make a start on a whole new year of Storytelling Sunday. And we hope you are about to join us.

I think they may be about to join us

The other day I was talking to Uncle Dave about my plans for the new season, about how I wanted to get the photographers involved, and the bloggers who enjoy from the sidelines; and he jumped up and down and shouted

"You've got to persuade them! It's so important! And I'd like to help."

And I thought - free Ivy League level storytelling advice? From a real Professor? Let's have some of that! And this is what he wrote:

"From what I’ve heard, some great bloggers would like to join in the fun of Storytelling Sunday but are feeling a little nervous.

Now it may well be that you don’t feel you are a great writer: after all, you haven’t written many novels recently. But that’s alright - people who do that are authors, and Storytelling Sunday isn’t about authors, it’s about storytellers. And everyone is a storyteller.

At the fancy university where I’m lucky enough to teach literature, students come to study great novels written by brilliant people so different from the rest of us. But I don’t let them do that until they tell me what they did yesterday, or how their pet cat is, or what happened at lunchtime. They think it’s too easy and a bit silly until they realise what’s going on: exactly like the famous authors, they’re telling me stories; and in fact they (and we) talk in stories all the time. Almost every time you speak, you tell a little story.

But, what if our stories don’t seem interesting? Well, that’s not our decision to make, because a story doesn’t become a real story until someone hears it or reads it. That’s when the magic part happens. You just can’t tell how the most ordinary little story might speak to someone else and bring memories flooding back, or spark an idea.

All you can do is tell your story. The thing you do every day."

Thanks Dave! Has he got you thinking? I think he's right. All you can do is tell your story. Right here. Right now. Words, if you like to work them. Pictures if you prefer. Write your post, add your link and we'll come and visit. Good Luck! The new season starts here..

Small Print: which I'm not making small because I'd love you to read it. I firmly believe we're telling stories in the round here. One person starts and then turns to the next. You can't do it in isolation. So I'm asking everyone who adds a link to be sure to say hello to at least a couple of the other storytellers. There are some stars out there who managed a lot of hellos last year - your efforts didn't go unnoticed! - but it's up to everyone to become a part of the audience. That's when stories work best. Uncle Dave says so.

Words. Pictures. Either. Both.

2011-12-30T10:46:00.000Z

I tell my stories with words. Most of the time. I pick up a pen and start to scribble and something like this appears:

Sometimes a whole story appears, sometimes it's just a snatch. But it's down on paper and that's good. That what Storytelling Sunday is about. recording a moment, keeping it for family and friends, for the future; and sharing it with us too.

BUT there is more than one way to hold that thought. This year the Storytelling Sunday emphasis will be on telling your story the way you love best. If you love to write, please keep on writing. But if you love to take pictures - if that's your best way of telling your story - show us a picture. One photo, a few words. That's a powerful way to tell your story too. I think we need both.

So if you have been thinking about joining in - make it your New Year Resolution! Lots of us will have plans for the 1st January, but remember - any story you tell on the first day of the year will have a special resonance. The link will be open all week, so maybe you'd like to tell the story of your New Year celebrations after the event. Or the story of anything "new". To start us off I'll have a persuasive post from a writer I know (you are starting to get to know him too..) - then it's over to you for

Storytelling Sunday 2: The words, the pictures.

I write:

Maybe you take pictures. Think about it.

It's Not Over til it's Over

2011-12-29T09:52:00.000Z

We have been enjoying a break here at High in the Sky. Last year, and the one before too, I wrote about these, my favourite days of the year when we wind down and enjoy spending time together as a family. Each Christmas brings subtle changes, little signs that everyone is another year older, but the fun is the same.

The (Not So) Small One has been doing lots of the cooking. She found her pink labelling machine under the tree

You can tell by my face that I have just seen the scrapbooking possibiliies. That machine will be mine...

and now we are finding helpful notes attached to everything we own (I never did like this jumper, for example, or Mine, not yours).

The Tall One has some new L plates for the car and a cricket bag big enough to wheel his sister (or any other passing agreeable girl) about in

The Accountant has been patiently driving us round to visit family and friends, as he dreams of a leaner, fitter 2012.

Told you that we were finding labels everywhere. Poor man.

And me? I've stepped away from the scrapbooking and turned off the computer. I've been enjoying that glorious feeling of relief when it all comes together. You know the one?

By the end of the week I'm starting to look forward to the New Year

- with Miss Smith's sketch class starting on the 1st. All proceeds to GirlGuidingUK

- the 365 photo challenge I'm going to attempt

- Storytelling Sunday. Back this Sunday! But I'll tell you more about that tomorrow. I've got some catching up to do first..

From Our House to Yours

2011-12-24T00:21:00.001Z

From all of us here

to all of you there..

A very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year

Journal Your Christmas - Bearing Gifts

2011-12-22T11:28:00.000Z

Most of the wrapping is done now, and gifts have been delivered and we are just about to put a fresh batch of mince pies in the oven. I guess you could say our Christmas was coming along nicely.

We aren't completely on top of things - when I went to print out a photo this morning I discovered that I had imagined that trip to buy photo paper. And could I get it to print on card instead? No I could not. It's on printer paper for the time being. That's good enough.

So, the next few pages in my album:

about a gift for a friend

and a junior chef in the making

Funny, the blog names are now making it into my scrapbook pages. Did you notice that?

and those letters to Santa. In this house Mrs Santa appears in the story. She did, too, when I was growing up. That's creativity at Christmas!

Journal Your Christmas - Deck the Halls

2011-12-20T12:11:00.000Z

The house is decorated, the cards have been sent and there is more than a hint of excitement in the air here. We have two days of school left, then the holiday is ours.

We are all, each one of us, looking forward to something under the tree. A Scoring Board for me; a jigsaw, a "surprise" (how do you surprise a sixteen year old boy ? Second thoughts- don't answer that); and a phone in the shape of a hamburger for the girl who likes to stay in touch.

This page pulls out from a little brown baf sent all the way from the USA by Deb. Thank you!

It's not long to wait now and my album is building steadily.

I usually finish off on Christmas Day itself, but I'm feeling ambitious - maybe the week after will make an appearance too this year. It looks like I'll have room for it:

If you are busy getting ready today, may your preparations be merry and bright!

Tread Softly

2011-12-18T11:00:00.000Z

"This week is poetry week," said The (Not So) Small One. "We've got a big poetry homework about WB Yeats. And that poem He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven. What do you know about WB Yeats?"

"Ah," I said. "I don't think I'm the person to ask. You know how you love it that you go to the same school as Granny did? and you sit in the same classroom?"

"Yes.."

"Well, if you ask Granny, she'll tell you about her English teacher who taught in that classroom. She'll tell you how she listened to that teacher talk about Yeats, the man she knew. About his thick green cape and his strange, drawling voice and his striding walk. When Granny told me that story I always imagined him to look a bit like Sherlock Holmes." I said and The (Not So) Small One nodded.

"That's not too many steps away from you, is it?" I said. "It's like that old song. I've danced with a man, who has danced with a girl who danced with the Prince of Wales"

She rolled her eyes. "I know, I know. We've talked about this before. It's like Six Degrees of Separation. And that's cool. But can I do my homework later? I need check to Facebook now.."

"I suppose so," I said, "but remember - Tread softly because you tread on my dreams

Who can you get to through Six Degrees of separation? If I told you we managed Alvin and the Chipmunks that would kind of spoil the mood, wouldn't it? But it'll make a great page

Tagxedo: Making Great Cards Just Got Easier

2011-12-15T09:39:00.001Z

This started out as an experiment and turned into a little project. Have you heard of Tagxedo? It's a word cloud creator, a bit like Wordle only even more fun. As soon as I tried it out once I could see lots of possibilities.

You can paste in any text you like, choose a shape, colours, fonts, themes, whatever. I put in a few lines of "Jingle Bells", picked out a tree shape and came up with this:

Both photos today edited in RadLab

Then I gave it a bit of From High In The Sky and it gave me this:

which I'm pretty pleased with. Both of these are printed out at 7x5 and put into little Ikea frames.

But they would also make great cards or Christmas tags. And there's more: you can upload a photo and shape a favourite bit of text round it. I'm thinking of snaffling some schoolwork and turning it Tall and (Not So) Small shaped. That would make a different kind of birthday card next year. Or a poster..

Journal Your Christmas - Do You See What I See?

2011-12-13T07:49:00.002Z

After a break for Gary The Magnificent and his moustache, it's back to a bit of Christmas programming today. I have a few more pages for my December album.

Like this:

and this:

A green ruffley bow for a green ruffley skirt. I blogged this story last year. When I wear this skirt, my Mum always says "Why not add some tinsel and baubles?"

and even this:

Just a little extra page. Photo printed with Pogo printer. One is looking very like his Dad. The other has just pinched her Dad's hat out of the boot of the car

and finally this:

Page 10 is another pullout with an old black and white photo - that's my cousin you can see peeping out there. The rest of us don't look much happier on our joint trip to see Santa. But the page isn't quite finished yet, so it'll have to wait for another day.

It might pop up on Facebook. We've been chatting about Florabella Actions and the arrival of the new copy of Scrap365. If you're a Facebook afficionado, please come on over. I could do with the help!

Enjoy your Tuesday

That Was Movember

2011-12-11T09:06:00.000Z

I'm not being festive today. I'm just being plain silly.

When Sandra from Gotta Craft sent me some Echo Park Times & Seasons, the first paper I pulled from the stack had moustaches printed on it. Have to do something with that I thought. And thought. And thought. Until I heard The Tall One talking about Movember. He already sports some ambitious sideburns. Could a moustache be next?

Maybe not. But he had given me an idea for a page. First I had to find a volunteer. Someone who didn't mind looking a bit silly. All the obvious candidates shook their heads, so instead my beady eye fell on... a pair of beady eyes. Gary The Magificent? You're on.

Beard and hat shape cut with Slice Mistletoe card

Journal Your Christmas - I'm Making a List

2011-12-08T09:45:00.000Z

That's a full week's worth of December pages we're up to now and my album is filling up nicely. Preparing the base pages last month has definitely helped.

For the 6th I did this one:

That's me on the left with my hand in my mouth

about the amazing cardboard "Super Shop" Christmas. No, it doesn't look like a shop here on my pull-out photo page. It also turned into a house! If you are thinking that toddler on my Mum's knee looks like Little E, you'd be right. That's his Mum. I really should do a page about that, too. He looks so very much like she did at the same age. And he'll be getting a cardboard house of his own this year. I hope he likes it.

For the 7th I did this one:

I had printed out a photo of the Keep Calm poster for something else, but I thougt it would look good here, as a pullout.

They are getting big now, our two. Dolls houses and train sets have been replaced by teenage hopes and dreams - an easily passed driving test for one, world domination for the other. The best I can do is shop for a few bits and pieces I hope they'll enjoy. Maybe a set of "L" plates; and, I'm thinking, world domination probably comes easier with a labeller machine (pink, limited edition). For making your mark. What do you reckon?

Storytelling Sunday news - we reached 300! Actually, with the addition of Fiona's, we are now at 301 stories for the year. Gail asked if I had any idea how many storytellers we had had - I thought that was a great question, so I had a look and I think we reached 48. That's 48 bloggers all telling their tales and linking them up. What can I say? Thank you!

Journal Your Christmas - All is Calm

2011-12-06T09:36:00.000Z

I'm keeping up with my December album so far with the pages I completed yesterday:

This one

and this one

Perfection? That's funny! When I went to check what I had written on this subject last year, I noticed a big mistake in my journaling. I had replaced one word with another. So of course that's what I wrote about this year. The lovely letterbox is a postcard from Ruth and I have put it onto the back of an example of the cards I made to send this year. The paper bag format is working well for me - I'm getting the lovely chunky album I'd been looking for. This "advent" page is a pull-out from one of the pockets.

Now, for "perfection" next year I think I'll be making a page about the simply perfect Storytelling Sunday we had this month. We have reached 300 stories this year! And lots of new comers have put their hands up to join in in 2012. I'm looking forward to it. Don't forget, the linky is open all week - there is still time to bump up this year's total.

Finally today: one more photo especially for Hey Birdie who asked for a picture of our Christmas trees. Here is the one I took back in 2008 - I can't wait to see if the Christmas photography class I'm starting today will make a change in the way I photograph them this year. We've added a few more decorations since then too. So let's see:

Happy Tuesday!

Storytelling Sunday: Memories Managed

2011-12-04T00:02:00.001Z

It's the first Sunday of the last month of the year. Know what that means? Course you do! We've been telling stories here every first Sunday all year - think what we have achieved! In the past eleven months you have posted 252 tales (with another 11 from me). That's amazing, isn't it? We've gone from 7 in January to 37 in November. We could manage 300 memories before the year is out!

We've laughed, we've cried, we've connected. And that's a very good feeling. I've met some lovely new bloggers, I've learned a thing or three; and I hope you have too. I thought maybe you'd all be ready to let go and try something new next year. But it seems not. Let's tweak it a little, though, keep things fresh. Let's see who else we can persuade to join us.

But enough of moving on for now. Look at me - half way through a post and no hint of a story yet. Let's fix that. I have a short, simple Christmas one for you today. It could be sad, if I let it. But I'm determined it won't be.

It's about two little girls, and their even littler brother. The same three who appeared in the first page of my Christmas album this year. Here they are:

Now, these three were lucky enough to have a Father and a Mother who believed very strongly in the power of Christmas. And never was that belief tested more sorely than in that last Christmas they were all together. For the grownups knew that one of them had only a few months left to live.

But Christmas was still Christmas, and there was magic to be made, and they knew how to do that.

It started, really, with a letter from Father Christmas. Every year those three wrote their letters and put them under the tree and waited for them to disappear. Every year they knew that the letters had been read and filed away by the man in the red suit, for they always got exactly what they had asked for. But only this year, only the once, did Santa have the time to reply. And this is what he wrote:

What a thrill it was! It was passed round and round, even taken into school I think, envied by friends and enjoyed by adults. And when, finally, it had been read and reread, and held up to the light to check it was genuine, it was tucked safely away by the biggest of the three. She already believed in the power of Christmas; but maybe, just maybe, that's when she started to believe in the power of scrapbooking too.

And that's why she'd like to thank each and every one of you for joining Storytelling Sunday this year. Every time you wrote something down, posted it on your blog, you left it right there to be found when it was needed. You should be proud. You should all be very proud. Tell your story - because one day someone will come looking for it. And you want it to be there. Don't you?

So, for the last time this year, leave your link below. Write your story, with a sentence explaining what Storytelling Sunday is all about, then come back here and link us up. One rule this time round - you must wish the two linkers above you (more if you have time!) a Very Merry Christmas. Leave them a comment. Spread a bit of good cheer. Happy Christmas.

Tagging..

2011-12-03T09:59:00.000Z

I'm "tagging" everyone today with a quick reminder that it's Storytelling Sunday tomorrow. Oh, but wait, I do have some tags too

This one:

The full pinboard is posted on the Gotta Craft blog

and this one:

and then this one:

A little glimpse of a quick Christmas banner I made with two different punches and the sewing machine

and then I took that top one and added it to the second page of my Christmas album:

Definitely no snow here yet!

Again, thank you to everyone who has "liked" my new Facebook page. I'm having fun with it so far, adding little snippets of news. I completely understand if you aren't a Facebooker fan - but if you are, you will find me here

Journal Your Christmas - And It Begins

2011-12-01T13:57:00.000Z

It's beginning to look at least a little like Christmas round our way. There is talk of a tree, and a smell of slow cooked Christmas pudding in the air. And it's time for Journal Your Christmas!

This will be my third Christmas journal. The 2011 edition will be, like the others before it, a mix of December Daily and Journal Your Christmas. I'm happy to go with the flow. I'll see where each day takes me. But I'll be sure to write something.

It starts like this:

and from the outside it looks like this:

That's Lilybee Memorandum, some old October Afternoon and a lot of brown paper

It's a paper bag album, so I have ready made pockets for extra journaling:

starting with today and what I believe at this time of year

I can't wait to see what other albums there are out there waiting to be enjoyed. But before I go I just want to remind you that it's Storytelling Sunday this Sunday. You don't have to have a Christmas story to take part - we're interested in any story you love! I'm nearly out of good Christnmas tales myself, I think, after last year's Christmas Club. But I do have one to share. Same as always - everyone welcome, but do please include a link back to the stories here and a quick sentence explaining what it's all about. And with that I wish you a

Happy December!

From High in the Sky on Facebook

2011-11-30T13:38:00.000Z

I'll admit it - I've never been much of a Facebook visitor. I jump on to confirm a new friend and jump off again pretty quickly. But all that is going to change. I'm starting to realise what I've been missing! Lots of you are sharing photos and news on there and of course I want to be right there with you.

So, as a start, I have created a Fan Page for From High in the Sky. It's right here. I'd love it if you dropped by and liked it! I can see some familiar faces on there already - thank you (with special mentuon to Rhona who was first!). I'm hoping to update it with some extra bits and pieces which don't make it here - you know, the little things I'm not going to turn into a whole story. And The (Not So) Small One is looking forward to adding some photos once her Christmas camera arrives. Now, what should I like in return? All suggestions are welcome - recommend a few pages, let me see what you like too...

My Month in Numbers: November

2011-11-29T08:42:00.000Z

Another month, another list. That's November very nearly done and dusted; and thanks to Julie's Month in Numbers, I have a permanent record of my most important numbers:

What I really enjoyed about putting this one together was the choosing of the appropriate November colours. Round here our sky bleaches to almost white, the clouds show grey against it and any splashes of colour become a very welcome relief. That's what I was thinking of when I was pulling paper. December will be different.

By the end of December I might even have recruited the rest of the family to the counting cause. I left out the macaroons, you see. Two dozen beautiful coffee flavoured treats, baked by The (Not So) Small One, and I left them off my list. I don't think she'll let that happen again. So, December, I'll be counting you carefully.

I'm feeling RADical

2011-11-27T11:08:00.002Z

Let's hear it for early Christmas presents! And for brothers who suggest them. Friday night, Uncle Dave dropped by to see if there were any Fajitas on offer. There usually are, Fridays, so he wasn't exactly taking a wild stab in the dark.

"I'll just sit here quietly and not bother you til tea is ready," he said, "because I can see you are conflicted."

"How?" I asked.

"Because you've got your don't-bother-me-now-I'm-feeling-conflicted face on."

Of course. He was right, though. I was conflicted. Torn. Troubled. My free 30 day trial of RadLab was about to end. I had told myself I wouldn't get sucked in. That I would just enjoy it for a month, play around with as many photos as I had time for, and then walk away. But it wasn't turning out to be that easy. RadLab is a lot of fun. RadLab is photo effects made easy. Like this:

Macaroons made by The (Not So) Small One

or this

I had just begun to explore what it can do with its "stylets" and "recipes", But I did have a plan. The Black Friday sale. And that's where Uncle Dave came in. I was still deliberating when he arrived, and eventually he said, "Would you like it as a Christmas present?" and I said "Yes, please," and hit the button. So now I'm posting pictures of girly macaroons in the hope that he will scroll past and not realise I'm using my present early. Do you think it will work?

If you have willpower (and Photoshop or Elements) I do recommend downloading the 30 day trial and having a play around. I think you'll like it.

So, all I have to do now is remind you that it's Storytelling Sunday next week. The final one of the year! We need to talk about what's next: I had wanted to finish it up on a high, but you have been telling me you would like to keep it going. Let's think about it - keep it the same? change it up? Let me know what you feel like doing..

Not Doing Nothing

2011-11-24T08:40:00.002Z

So in the middle of my busy week (and my Christmas card making), I grabbed enough time to get my hair cut.

I wanted something simple and classic, so I made these. The tree is a Martha Stewart punch and the stamp is from a Banana Frog set I won last year

I don't actually like going to the hairdressers - I'd almost just as soon go to the Dentist. Don't know why. I can't remember any hair-trauma childhood incidents. And I do like my hairdresser. When he sees me coming, he plays a bit of Morrissey specially.

but then I prettied some of them up with a seam binding bow

Anyway, I got the fake ~~ginge~~r auburn painted on, and I got out my notebook because I wanted to write a post or two. And then I thought to myself: Know what? I'm going to have a coffee and read magazines instead.

And then I made some blue ones with a snowflake cut with the Slice Mistletoe card. A few more to go, and I'll have a pile ready to go out to friends and followers across the world.

I opened the first one on the pile and it had in it an article about Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love. I've never read the book, but I caught a bit of the film over the summer. The bit about "dolce far niente". The sweetness of doing nothing. Now, that sounds like something good for a blog post, I thought, and I got my notebook back out again..

..but then of couse I realised that it's not the best time of the year for talking about the wonderfulness of doing nothing at all..

..until I remembered about Thanksgiving today. So now I'm hoping some of you at least will be able to spend part of today relaxing in the company of friends and family. Have a good one!

Tuesday, Tuesday

2011-11-22T08:52:00.001Z

Yesterday I made a page about Little E and his thoughts on Christmas:

Made with leftover October Afternoon Rocket Age

Though he did say this a couple of weeks ago now. Maybe he has moved on. Maybe Christmas is up and running over at Little E's place.

Today I hope to get things moving right here in our house. I'm going to make some Christmas cards.

Words and shapes cut with Mistletoe Slice card

Tomorrow I'll be hoping Sandra is nearly ready for Christmas at Gotta Craft. I made some tags her - keep an eye out on the shop blog for more.

Happy Tuesday!

Ten Things I hate About Glue

2011-11-20T10:07:00.000Z

Thinking about glue..does it get to you, too?

- those strings from a hot glue gun. How do you stop them? How do they still manage to be there after you think you have snipped them all off? You take a photo, enlarge it, and there they are..

- the gunged up top of a Glossy Accents bottle. Though this one I solved with a pin glued into the lid to keep the top permanently open.

- the foam pads which sit so high they give way more dimension than you had been planning on.

- the repositionable stuff which actually won't hold any position at all.

- the shiny mark which shows through if you get really desperate and try to stick ribbon with aforementioned Glossy Accents. Yes, I've done this more than once.

- running out of staples at the crucial moment, when you are holding it all together with the other hand. (There is some kind of life metaphor in there, there has to be.)

- the "fuss-free" tape dispensers with the cogs which snap. So you can only use them once after all.

- being sent "transfer tape" in an order instead. Er, what is transfer tape?

- the storage space it all needs.

- the PRICE.

So, do you say boo to glue? Or can you give me a clue what you do?

I'm Pushing Paper

2011-11-17T08:35:00.000Z

I'm pulling paper, pushing pins and generally playing around with preparations for my 2011 Christmas album. So that means I've been using my new board again -

I've made mood boards before for rooms I've been decorating; but never one for an album. I'll be doing it again, though. That's for sure. It really helped me to sort through my stash becasue I knew what I was looking for. I started with the Lily Bee memorandum collection; and the ledger paper look. Love that.

And then I added magazine cutttings, scraps, some old October Afternoon, a few Studio Calico scraps and a couple of photos.

Like last year it'll probably be a December Daily/ Journal Your Christmas mix. I'm aiming to prepare before December starts; but I do enjoy the JYC Forum, so you are bound to find me on there. Oh, and I've signed up for the Christmas photography class with Katrina Kennedy at Debbie Hodge's, so you might find me there too. And you? Where will you be this December?

Tuesday, Tuesday

2011-11-15T09:10:00.001Z

Yesterday I tried out my picture frame pinboard. Here I have it displaying a selection of the beautiful cards I have been sent in the last few months:

The board turned out to be very easy to make. I just took out the glass and used the clips on the frame to hold in a piece of chicken wire instead. A line of glue from a hot glue gun would hold it firm too. It's very light and easy to move about the house - maybe I'll find a different spot for my next picture!

Today I hope to make something with my pack of Plundered Pages, very kindly supplied by Julie from her lovely etsy shop The Carousel Zebra. If you like vintage ephemera you'll love these. "I cut up the books so you don't have to," Julie says. And of course that's perfect for me! She pulled together a wonderfully personalised pack of vintage paper pieces for me - I mean, look what she found:

It's almost too nice to use! Instead of sticking it down I might have to frame it. Thank you Julie. I love it.

Tomorrow...I'll still be laughing at the picture Helena sent me last week. I had been admiring her photos of New York, and expressing my complete envy of the fact that she had stumbled upon a film set for the new Batman film. I am a big fan of Batman, and I told her, so she made me this:

I'm definitely going to be turning it into a layout. I love it too. Thanks Helena!

Have a great Tuesday, whatever you are up to.

November at Gotta Craft

2011-11-13T10:24:00.001Z

I love making things for Sandra at Gottacraft. I really do. But sometimes I laughingly wonder if I take my brand loyalty a little too far. Lying in wet grass taking photos of pumpkins? Anything you say boss..

Actually the pumpkins were all my own idea. I can't blame Sandra at all. As soon as I saw the November kit I thought of pumpkins. Take note! Because this kit is full of Lily Bee's beautiful Memorandum line; and it won't hang about for long. These papers are perfect. Not only do they have lovely subtle patterns on one side - flip them over and they have ledger patterns on the reverse! I have already been back to the shop to order a Tiny Tablet of 6x6 papers because each ledger design is perfect for adding a journaling spot. And together they have the makings, i think, of my 2011 Christmas album. Look -

they work for Christmas designs too.

And those pumpkins? Shop bought. The harvest wasn't too good round here this year. Next year we'll start early.

Leaf shape cut with Slice, alpha from the kit and phrase sticker from the add-on

The Ponder the Pillar Box Page

2011-11-10T08:37:00.001Z

I'm just just squeezing in under the wire with my layout today. It's my answer to some of the challenges Miss Smith has been setting herslf (and the rest of us) over at Curioser and Curioser . With this one:

I hope I have covered "using a sketch" and "finding a new way of telling the story". You already know the story - I had fun squeezing (almost) all the words on here; and the design started out as a Studio Calico Sunday Sketch

I'm not a great lover of my handwriting, but I am doggedly determined to leave it lying around for posterity. especially in our email dominated world. It seems appropriate on a layout about a letterbox. And if you have read the story, you will know why the snowflakes are there.

So, there you go. I promised I would have a go at a challenge and this is what I came up with. Now I just have that Pass the Page to finish up..

Tuesday, Tuesday

2011-11-08T09:19:00.001Z

Yesterday I made some cards:

Today I'm going to get stuck into making my layout for Pass The Page over at Letting the Days Roll By. It's like Chinese Whispers for scrapbookers. But the page has a way to go yet before we can reveal how it has changed from first scrapper to last!

Tomorrow I'm going to take my Ikea picture frame and my roll of chicken wire and make a pinboard..

..so I'm keeping busy. If you haven't had a chance yet, do drop by Storytelling Sunday for a browse. We have 34 stories for you; and the promise of at least one more to come! It's not too late - the linky stays open all week and you are very welcome to join us.

And, just before I go: if you are looking for a single copy of Scrap365, you could check out Gottacraft right here Edited to add: Gottacraft has sold out of magazines! But if you are interested in Craft Stamper, she has some of those in stock

Storytelling Sunday: Endlessly Intrigued by the Passage of Time

2011-11-06T00:12:00.003Z

Are you ready? Then it's time to begin..

As I was falling asleep the other night, and thinking about my story for today, a snatch of something came into my head. Did I read it somewhere? I don't know, but I like it. "Endlessly intrigued by the passage of time". That's me. I'm endlessly intrigued. I studied History for years; and often now the stories I love the most pull the past into the present, even if it's only by one single thread. It's a one thread story today; and it's dedicated to Ruth (whose talent for mailing exactly the right thing has cheered many of us at exactly the right time); and it goes like this:

When we moved into this house five years ago, the first thing I decided I loved was the view from our bedroom window. One thing especially I used to see every morning when I opened the curtains

A red pillar box, on the other side of the road, where the big old houses are. I'd been passing that pillar box for years, as a child; a teenager; a student; and its story was always the same.

Over fifty years ago now, my Mum was a young teacher. She had an interesting job visiting sick children in their own homes, providing "Home Tuition" as it was called. (Although, when I think of that job now, I think of all the things we weren't allowed to do as children because she had seen the results. Snowballs could bring blindness, messing about in the bath could end in a broken back.). And she drove herself between jobs, at a time when there weren't too many other cars around some of those streets.

Anyway, one winter the roads were covered in snow, treacherous; and my Mum's little car skidded - right onto the pavement and into that pillar box. When she had gathered herself together and inspected her nose (which would have a bump forever after), she decided to phone for help and she knocked on the door of the nearest big house. Yes, they had a phone (this was fifty years ago, remember) and yes, she could use it - but would she mind leaving an address so that she could be contacted for payment? For a phone call! From a big house! In an emergency! In the snow.

We heard that story as children every time we passed the pillar box. And when we found this house and I saw it standing there, it made me smile. I loved that link with something from fifty years ago, especially as my Mum doesn't live here in the city any more. And then, one day I woke up and it had gone. Just like that. It had outlived its usefulness and been taken away. The thread was broken.

So I guess what I'm saying today is - take that photo, tell that story while you can. I missed the photo. I was too late. But I've written my story. And if you have written yours, you are very welcome to add it below. Just make sure that you add a link back here so that your readers can join in too; and do take a few minutes to enjoy some of the other tales. It's only half a story until somebody listens!

Before I head off to do some listening, I'd like to offer a big thank you to everyone who has emailed me or blogged about Scrap 365. Special thanks are due to Alana for sending the photos of my pages in print. I'm so delighted those of you with subscription copies have received, read and raved about the first issue! There will be plenty more to come, so if you haven't ordered a copy yet, here is where you need to be..

..and enjoy your Sunday!

My Month in Numbers: October 2011

2011-11-03T09:42:00.002Z

Last month I joined in with the excellent Julie's Month in Numbers. It turned out to be such a neat way to look back on what we had done, that I felt myself counting things in October. And that felt kind of new! So I thought a layout might be the next step.

Funny thing, though. I might have been counting; but I don't seem to have been taking pictures (apart from party ones , of course. They'll be in a divided page protector next to this page.) So I did a no-photo layout; and if I get the chance I'll repeat the same design in November (and beyond) in a style to suit.

And our month?

The birthdays - 80 and 40
1 Autumn Concert in the Cathedral here, with the school choir giving us Faure's Requiem
2 tickets to Elvis Costello, so that 2 sisters could enjoy a night out on their own.
26 years together
429 (or maybe many, many more) punched out witch shapes for my Halloween Chandelier.

November? Bring it on!

Storytelling Sunday this Sunday. Are you ready?

Punch Drunk at Halloween

2011-10-31T09:32:00.000Z

We're at a turning point with Halloween celebrations here. Gone are the days of the school Fireworks display, and the Fancy Dress competitions, and the I'm-scared-of-sparklers-but-let's-have-some-anyway. We will still have the traditional apple tart; and some nuts, and maybe a toffee apple or two. And I hope to catch a glimpse of Little E in his dinsoaur suit. We do have treats ready for callers, though, and we have done a bit of decorating.

But it's more grown-up decorating this year. I made a "chandelier" for the Gotta Craft Blog, with scraps of blue and grey paper and black cardstock; and a LOT of punched shapes. Dozens and dozens of witches, all punched out and hot glue gunned on. More pictures on the shop blog!

And tonight? Stay safe, but have a spookily splendid time!

Calm, Calmer, Calmest

2011-10-30T11:29:00.000Z

..or is that most calm? We are certainly hoping for a quiet, restful week here as we head into half term after a busy few days. Time for a bit of what The Tall One laughingly calls "Family Togetherness".

While I've been breathing deeply and thinking about keeping calm, I've been noticing a new kind of poster popping up on Pinterest. As you do. It's a sort of subway art. Like Keep Calm, you can adapt it and make it your own. Have you seen the ones I mean? Those posters with words to live by; rules for life; funny tips for getting through the day?

Words to live by: I've started thinking about my own. If you had to list the rules - no, not rules, let's call them aims, of your household, what would they be? Or are they values? Anyway, which ones do you hold dear? I made a few notes. Quick ones, stream of consciousness ones; and this is what I came up with. It's interesting, what you can find out about yourself when you do something like this. Seems like I love learning and laughing; and I value honesty and - hope I guess you'd call it.

I used this tutorial from Oopsey Daisy to help with my poster. If you don't have Photoshop, you can make something similar in Picnik - I tried this tutorial and found it very helpful. Or, use up all your leftover alphas instead and glue it down!

And that brings me back to the slogan competition from last week. I had intended to pick my favourite; but that turned out to be too hard because I liked so many of them. So I did a random drawing and Suzy came out as the winner. She said "Keep Calm, it's Only a Creative Opportunity!" and I think that's perfect. Suzy, drop me an email with your address and I'll put something in the post.

So really that just leaves me time today to remind you that it's Storytelling Sunday next week. The penultimate! let's make it a really great one.

Imperfectly Perfect

2011-10-27T09:14:00.000+01:00

One party down, here. One to go. One more cake to bake - a really big one. Eighty candles is a lot. I took pictures, but they probably won't be appearing here, so I have a different party pose for you today.

I found this one when I was uploading photos a while back. I don't know who took it; but I am glad that someone grabbed my camera. That's me, being taken by surprise by Little E, who arrived for my birthday (months ago) and brought the party with him.

For various reasons I don't have many photos of me on my birthday. Two, I think, over all my years. And now this one. It's grainy, it's blurry. It's certainly imperfect. Look - I've got my glasses on; my hair doesn't even look brushed; and I've got a cone on my head.

But I think it's perfect. Don't be too quick to delete the duds! This one proves -

- that you don't need to be looking your best to have a great time

- that if you've got cake, a messy house doesn't matter

- and that (of course) party hats are always good

I like that. It's keeping it real.

Which brings me back to Keeping Calm - any more suggestions for a new slogan are still welcome. I'll choose a winner at the weekend.

Keep Calm

2011-10-23T09:40:00.000+01:00

We're taking a deep breath here today; and trying to stay calm ahead of a week of birthdays. We are celebrating a 40th and an 80th in the family, within days of each other. That's pretty special. There is a lot of cake baking, present shaking and photo taking planned..

With grateful thanks to Carmen wh sent me this poster many months ago, but hasn't yet seen it framed

..but of course that means little time for layout making. I pass this poster every time I make my way upstairs to create. It's on our third floor landing, and even though the slogan isn't so new anymore, I'll never tire of its urging me up the final flight of stairs to my desk.

But I've been thinking...that slogan. Fancy thinking of a new one? There are lots of examples floating round Pinterest - do you have a favourite? It can be silly or sensible, as daft as you like (Keep Calm and Cut Cabbages, for example. Now that's daft, but I like it). I'll offer a suitably patriotic prize for the one I like the most..

Have a wonderful Sunday. We are off to party..

Peas Not Trees

2011-10-20T09:12:00.001+01:00

Uncle Dave has been a bit quiet round here lately, don't you think? He's busy writing his book. Or so he says. If I ask him how many words he has managed today, I just know he'll try to distract me with another one of his stories.

He's close to home now, but Uncle Dave spent many years living in Los Angeles; and he is still a bit more Hollywood than we are used to round here. Take the other night:

"Dave?" asked The Tall One. "What's that strange mark on your jacket?"

And Uncle Dave smiled patiently and said This jacket was brushed past by Elizabeth Hurley's chest once, at a party in Beverly Hills. It hasn't been washed since 1998..."

But wait. As Uncle Dave himself wuld say, I'm losing my narrative thread. That wasn't what I was supposed to be telling you about. So I'm pulling us right back to the dinner table and Uncle Dave's lack of vegetable enthusiasm. The only vegetable he is really prepared to consider is a serving of Birds Eye Frozen Peas. And it's catching on. I'm starting to sense rebellion. I've spent years training them up to eat their veg. (The Tall One again circa 1997 "I don' like the little trees" That's broccoli to the untrained ear) And what am I hearing every evening now?

Peas, not trees. Peas, not trees...

It's catchy. I'll give them that.

Fresh Sheets

2011-10-18T09:01:00.000+01:00

Today -

a couple of journal pages from my favourite source Grace Is Overrated:

a tip: don't use a blob of Gripwax instead of blu tac to hold something on the wall because you think it'll be easier on the paint. Because you'd be wrong.

an update: I have posted out ten sets of paper bags and I have spotted two albums already - one by Jayne here and one by Mel here. And a big thank you to Deb who has sent me another lovely sewn version to try along with some of the cutest little red and green bags I've ever seen. They are pushing me over the edge - my Christmas album this year just has to involve - bags.

That's me for today The title? I have a sick one at home this morning, and I am posting my journaling sheets. See what I did there?

The Art. The Story

2011-10-16T10:38:00.001+01:00

" In the end, the only thing you really own is your story" The Drover. Australia

That's what Cheri chose to put on the beautiful canvas she designed for me. It arrived with me this week and I have been moved ever since, each time I look at it, by the words and by the thought and care she has put into making such a lovely thing.

I have it on my bedside table, where I can see it right now. Isn't it just me? Didn't she get it just right? She is one talented artist! Thank you Cheri. I love it.

Just like I love the story. So I guess that means I'd better think of a quick one for today. Mmm..one about art. ..

Little E, that ruffian nephew of mine, is two and a half now. He 's starting to think of himself as a bit of a man of the world. He sees how things work, he knows what he likes. Swimming is good ("I swim like a fish"). Rockpools are bad ("It went over my head"). Mobile phones are fine ("Show it to me"). Big light fittings, not so great ("It not fall on me?"). And hoovers? he has a love/hate thing with hoovers. Loves to dare himself to approach one, hates the noise.

So, not long ago, Little E and his family to decided to visit a pizza restaurant. Lots of you know what taking a two year old out to eat is like. He loved the phones on the desk, he hated the wait. But one thing, especially attracted his attention as he sat there, hoping for pizza. The art on the wall. I think it was for sale. I think the artist hoped someone would see it and love it and take it home. Little E saw it. But he didn't love it. He looked. he considered. He shook his head. "It," he opined. "It like noisy hoovers."

Nothing at all like Cheri's stunning canvas, then.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Crumble Night

2011-10-13T09:26:00.000+01:00

I love gathering blackberries. I look forward to it every year. This season has been a slow one, though. We have collected only a couple of pounds, nothing like our last harvest. Some say that means we'll have a mild winter. Maybe.

I've got into the habit of making a crumble for everyone to look forward to on a Monday night, Last year we had blackberry until well after Christmas. This year it will be mainly apple. But good all the same.

I've used an older Making Memories design here - and it turned into an 8.5x11 because I had already used a bit for something else. I haven't done any this size since last year's Christmas album. Time for a few more, I'm starting to think..

Paper Bag Update : with a message for Louisa-Jane. I'd be happy to send you some bags if you email me with your address please. I'm sending out the last few tomorrow.

Purple Reigns

2011-10-11T09:02:00.002+01:00

Today you'll find me over at Notes on Paper where the ever inspiring Julie is going through a Purple Phase

She has been taking an autumnal look at the colour purple, with tips and hints on using it for crafts, clothes and interiors. There is a lot to enjoy, including a selection of purple palettes to inspire, a special Purple Phase Pinterest board full of inspiration, and a few guest bloggers ready and willing to take playing with purple to a whole new level. I'm here with a post about purple boots. Thanks Julie for your lovely invitation to partner up with purple!

Update on the paper bags from last week. I've posted out 8 sets of bags (I hope they'll be with you today) and I could stretch to a couple more if anyone is still interested. As an extra challenge, I'm wondering if you can work out a way to include the envelope your bags came in?

The Best Bit was the Bacon

2011-10-09T10:05:00.000+01:00

I did it. They said I'd never manage it; but I did. I got up at 6.00am to watch Ireland play wales in the Rugby World Cup. And we lost.

With grateful thanks to Karen of Random Reflections for the Slice card which cut the (un) lucky clover leaf

Halfway through I thought about switching sides. What with being half Welsh and all; but my heart wasn't in it. I'll save that for the next round.

I thought about when we were little and my Welsh dad would offer a prize to the child who brought him the best red thing-to-wear-while-watching-Wales. Once, he ended up with a biscuit tin upended on his head and a dolls scarf safety pinned to his sweater, for the entire match. While we worked out how many white chocolate mice we could buy with the extra pocket money. We got a bonus if Wales won.

Maybe I'll try that myself next week. One thing's for sure, though. We'll be having bacon sandwiches again. You've got to take your fun where you can, on rugby weekends.

Paper Bag Albums: To Infinity and Beyond

2011-10-06T08:59:00.001+01:00

So it turns out that Paper Bag albums are having a bit of a moment. I'm not quite as behind as I thought. Which is very handy because I decided to make another one. Several of you asked for some instructions, so I too a few photos along the way.

1. Of course bags are right at the top of the list of things you need. Mine are gussetted lunch sacks bought in the U.S. The gusset gives you the little extra smaller pages, but if you can only get plain "shop" bags, don't let that stop you. Try Homebase in the UK or keep reading

2. Decide how many pages you want. I used three bags . The gussets do make them bulky, so don't get too ambitious. You can always make Volume Two!. Fold each gusset up towards the top of the bag, then take two bags and glue their gussets back to back. repeat until you have a stack of pages. My pages measure 6 1/4 x 6 inches, but I trimmed them slightly so that I could use 6x6 patterned papers, for economy. You can cover four sides with one 12x12 sheet - and if you use double sided paper you'll get to use two different patterns with that.

3. This is a great excuse to use up a paper collection you love! Yes, you could spend a happy couple of hours working through your stash and choosing coordinating items, but this album will go together really quickly if you use one line or a kit already matched. A few sheets pf paper and a sheet of label stickers is enough. The secret to making it look good is to be prepared to use the whole sheet.

4. Trim your sheets to fit and adhere. Choose an especially nice square for the front. If you'd like to punch along the edge, punch the bag first, then the paper. It's too thick to do it all at once. You'll see at this point that the paper bags are open. I like them like that because I love to stuff extra bits inside, but glue them together of you'd rather. It's easier to do now than after you have embellished.

5.Then, decorate away! Layer up your embellishments, but remember you need room to bind it at the side so keep it clear. I work in stages - all the blank pages, then all the stickers, then all the stamps instead of on each page individually.

6. I chose book rings to bind and I made a quick template with a hole punch to help me place my crop-a-dile holes

And that's it! There are other way to do this (and there are lots of Youtube videos if you are interested), but don't forget you can make a joliprint pdf of this one if you want to keep hold of it. Now, here's my plan. I know bags are hard to get hold of, and I have quite a lot going spare. So I'm happy to give some away. Leave me a comment saying you are interested and I'll send you enough for an album. BUT you must make it! I want to see it when it's finished! Mine is going to Little E, that rascal nephew of mine. He is just about getting big enough now to think about a bit of Space exploration. Just the other day he was wondering why the sky was broken..

My Month in Numbers: September 2011

2011-10-04T09:49:00.000+01:00

Over at Notes on Paper, Julie counts things. Once a month she rounds up what she she has done and what has come her way, and she makes a list. In numbers. It's a fiendishly clever way of pulling a whole month of life together, as I discovered when I tried it for myself.

My September went like this:

A lot: (bit rough and ready, I know, but who wants to admit how much coffee they actually drink? Plus, I'm feeling my way in here..) - the number of empty coffee tins I have achieved. I just know I can come up with a plan for them. Eventually.

She was experimenting with ice cube moulds. Why do we have numbers for ice cubes? See below

30: bars of soap produced by The (Not So) Small One's soap kitchen. It's her top activity at the moment, combining as it does many of her favourite things - microwaves, mess and delicious smells. I have high hopes for Christmas.

1: picture of The Accountant looking accountant-ly in a new work ad campaign brochure. Not sure about the caption which says (essentially) Phone this man for added value. Really?!

2: books I have especially enjoyed. I've been recommending the Guide one to anyone I know who was a Girl Guide. It's not about making wonky gadgets and singing silly songs, it's actually a very moving story of real courage.

500: rows of knitting in the cardigan I'm making.

3: trips to the dentist, but the less said about that, the better.

7: buttons sewn back on a school blazer. And it only has 3 buttons to start with.

and 92 comments from bloghoppers and well wishers on my Scrap365 post. Again, thank you! It's just over 6 weeks until the first issue appears.

That was September. If you would like to join in, give Julie a shout. She'd be happy to see you!

Storytelling Sunday - The Man who Wasn't There

2011-10-02T00:32:00.002+01:00

It's Storytelling Sunday time again. So come on in! I was just about to start..

When it gets to this time of year, and the nights get cold and the darkness starts to come down before teatime, I always think back to one foggy night when the children were little..

The house. The gate.

It wasn't late, just after seven, probably, when we heard a knock on the front door.

We hadn't been living in the house very long, so it was still a thrill to make our way down the hall and discover who had found us. But, this time, when I opened the door, I couldn't see anyone at first. It was so very, very foggy. Cold. Dark. And then, suddenly, without a sound, out of the mist appeared a little old man. He was standing on our doorstep and he was wearing a crumpled overcoat and the kind of hat a dad would have worn to work many years ago. He said nothing, nothing at all.

We looked at each other and then, with a quick flick of his hand, he gestured for something to write on. I ran for a notebook and pencil, don't know why really, and I held it out to him and he took it. When he handed it back I could one short sentence:

"Please, one pound for bus fare home."

I could spare a pound, I thought, for a man who needed to find his way home. So I offered him one from my pocket and he took it, tipped his hat at me, turned on his heel and disappeared down the path. As the gate clicked I found The Accountant standing behind me. "Why would he come here?" he said. "We're almost at the end of the road. Wouldn't any of the other houses have been closer? Did he really need a pound for a bus?"

And he opened the gate with another click and took a few steps down the street. The man had completely disappeared. Through the fog we looked, right to the bottom of the road, right to the bus stop. There was nobody there. Not a soul, of any kind.

We never saw him again, that gentleman who tipped his hat but didn't speak. He came out of the fog and the fog carried him away again. But I hope we did help him to find his way home. Wherever that was...

And that's my story for today. Why not add one of your own below? It doesn't have to be big, it doesn't have to be clever. We are interested in any little memory you would like to share, today or any day for the rest of this week, but please do remember add a link back here so that your readers can join in too. The linky stays open just for you!

LSNED - The Final Chapter

2011-09-29T08:44:00.000+01:00

As we reach the end of September I'm finishing up my tags (and wondering if I should adapt them for Christmas?). I'm showing one more set today. Not the lot - but you get the idea. Trust me, the rest are more of the same: insects, butterflies, birds and a fair old wrapping of string.

What else have I learned?

- good friends are good friends wherever they live.

- if you can't find waxed button thread, sewing the button on and then painting the shank with nail varnish seems to give a strong hold. At last.

- if you take frozen pastry out of the freezer before you really need to, you end up with a sticky mess. Now that's one I'm going to try to remember. That's the one I'll take with me into mincepie making season.

We're moving on. New month soon, new things to make. Learn Something New Every Day has definitely been worth the time. Maybe you are like me? I've learned a couple of new facts, some practical stuff I'll hold onto; and one or two things I'd probably be better forgetting again. Does that sound like you too?

Scrap 365 news: the winner of the blog hop has now been posted on the blog here. You can also find information about UK and international subs : first three issues for £3 if you live in the UK!

Finally..don't forget Storytelling Sunday this Sunday. Are you ready?

A Bit of Better Blogging - Part Six

2011-09-27T10:01:00.001+01:00

I've been waiting for this book to arrive

"Scrapbook Workshop - Favourite Techniques From Favourite Scrapbook Bloggers"

and it has inspired me to pull together another selection of blogging tips, tutorials and thoughts I have found interesting. I hope you find something here worth a look!

From Write to Done (great writing site) an interesting post here - are you a Blogger Buddy or a Blogger Bum?
Pugly Pixel - all round very lovely site with lots of video tutorials for photoshoppers who like to blog, iPhone photo tips, freebie web design items. A pleasure to browse.
Scoutie Girl offers a reasonably priced blogging ebook and more which I think would make an interesting follow on to Shimelles's classes. I haven't used it, but if you browse around there are some free extracts to tempt you
BlogU - lots of useful tips which don't assume a lot of knowledge. Check out her popular posts sections.
WhatThe Font allows you to uplaod a sample of a font you have found and loved to find out what it is
My Girl Thursday - cute videos with "your blogging questions answered" and some free printables

I'll be creating a Pinterest board with my blogging favourite tip sites just as soon as I can - so keep an eye out for that. And check out the Pinterest Parade too - it's still growing!

I hope your Tuesday is a great one. On a sidenote - I have been unable to access my email since about 6.00pm yesterday. I might be waiting until my technical support gets home tonight before I'm back. But I will be back. Definitely.
ETA: Email has returned. Hurrah.

Thank You

2011-09-25T12:06:00.000+01:00

On Thursday, just around lunchtime, the postman knocked on my door with a card. Inside it said "Hoping you have a wonderful day, love from Amy". I couldn't stop smiling. What Amy didn't know (though, I'm starting to wonder - I think some of you might know me better than I know myself) was that Thursday was the big Scrap365 Blog Hop Day!

I got up that morning to find a bunch of flowers and a card from the family who knew I had been looking forward to sharing my secret with you. They wanted to wish me well. It was a wonderful day!

So, thank you to Amy and to Ruth, for her special card, and to everyone else who has left a comment or taken the time to email me their best wishes for the new magazine. It has meant a lot. It's that mutual support which makes the blogging world such a great place to be.

There is still time today to check out the Blog Hop here (or scroll down to my last post and start with me). Please do go and browse the blogs of the other designers and start looking forward to 18th November. That's the date to remember! Oh,and you could check out the facebook page here too. You'll find all the subscription information there.

And, please, have a think about what you like, what you need from a scrapbook magazine and let me know. All opinions welcome!

I just have time to remind you that it is Storytelling Sunday next week. Only three more until the end of the year..

Scrap365

2011-09-22T18:00:00.001+01:00

I'm scrapping 365! And I couldn't be more delighted. It's a big day here at High In The Sky and I'm so pleased you are here to join in. Have you heard the news?

A brand new scrapbooking magazine!

Scrap365 will be ready soon and I am very excited. I've been invited to join the Design Team!

It's going to be one big adventure.

Of course, if you have come from Marsha's you'll know all about Scrap365 because you have been following the blog hop and meeting the Design Team along the way. Now it's my turn:

this is me

I'm Sian Fair and I live in the UK with my husband and two teenage children. All my creating goes on up on the top floor of our very tall house - and that's why my blog comes "from high in the sky". I have been scrapbooking for almost four years now and most of my layouts include some stitching or a bit of crumpling and as much of the story as I can cram onto the page. I currently design for Gotta Craft here in the UK and I can't wait to start bringing you some Scrap365 projects.

and this is what I do

This magazine is going to be amazing! Please, join in on our hop today and meet the rest of the team. See what they do, say hello. Oh, say hello! There could be a prize in it for you. Leave a comment on ALL the Design Team blogs AND on the Scrap365 blog and you could win a years subscription to Craft Stamper magazine AND stamps worth £20.

So, hop on over to Lousette's and say hi. She is looking forward to meeting you. We all are! Are you ready to Scrap365?

Scrap365 will be going on sale from 18th November, on newsstands and digitally worldwide. If you can make it to the Big Stamping And Scrapbooking Show at Alexandra Palace this weekend, drop by the Traplet Publications Stand (#63) for a sneak peek and a special subscription deal. Or keep up to date by following on Twitter (@scrap365mag.com) or Facebook (facebook.com/scrap365).

Carry On LSNED

2011-09-20T08:31:00.000+01:00

I'm carrying on tag making and staying alert to anything new around here. This set has a more masculine feel than the last, maybe? I might have to go girly again with the next batch.

What have I learned?

- that sometimes making it up as you go along isn't enough. It's worth taking the time to find out how to do it properly.

- that keeping a notebook beside the bed really does work.

- that the very first Girl Guide leaders believed girls shouldn't be overly boisterous because it would cause them to grow moustaches.

- and that when the dentist says "if I pack it with antibiotic dressing you'll be fine," he's erring on the side of - wrongness.

Thursday's post will be a bit later than usual, but please do keep an eye out for it. I hope you will like it.

Miss Smith's Giveaway with a Twist

2011-09-17T10:00:00.001+01:00

Miss Smith is 200 today! Actually, no. That's not quite right. BUt it got your attention, didn't it?

Actually, the excellent Miss Smith is celebrating her 200th blog post today. Hurray! There is always something creative and lovely to admire over at Curiouser and Curiouser; so of course Miss Smith (oh, go on then, let's call her Kirsty, seeing we are partying) was bound to come up with a smart way to mark the occasion. She made embellishments. Lots and lots of beautiful embellishments. And then she put them in the post and we all oohed and ahhed when they arrived.

I made a card with mine:

It was so small and neat and perfectly formed that (as I was delighted to discover) it fitted right into the centre of a Martha Stewart doily. Then all I had to do was add a quirky message for Kirsty, because I know how she loves a bit of quirk.

Happy 200th post, Kirsty!

And happy hopping to you! There are lots of other embellishments to admire, so best thing you can do now is hop on to Carrie at A Princess Ponders and see what she has created. Or you could always start at the beginning right here.

Have a great weekend..

My Magazine Madness

2011-09-15T08:59:00.000+01:00

"You're going to have to do something, Mum. That pile is bigger than you are and it's going to end in tears.."

He was talking about my magazine collection. It's true I have a lot. I love them. Always have done. Right back to the days of Twinkle (with its cut-out paper dolls); to Bunty (did it have paper dolls too or am I imagining that?); and then Jackie. After that it has been craft magazines or interiors or fashion, depending on how domesticated I am feeling.

Every so often, when the floorboards start to creak, or the stack beside the bed threatens to topple in the night, I do try to rationalize my collection. But I usually pull out so many pages to keep that all I end up getting rid of is staples.

I think I got worse after I found these boxes in IKEA

They have such a lovely library look. I bought as many as I could. Which turned out to be A Good Thing, because they have been discontinued. Maybe they were trying to tell me something? Maybe I should take the hint. I'm kind of tempted to have a clearout - I found this fantastic article on Pinterest. Have a look! 100 uses for old magazines? What's not to love?

The Paper Bag album

2011-09-13T09:00:00.000+01:00

We've a lot of things on this week here at High In The Sky. Mostly appointments of the medical kind - just check ups all round, nothing to fret over. But, wow, they don't half blow a hole in the day. I'm close to blowing into a brown paper bag instead of creating with one.

Or two. Or three. I'm guessing I'm a bit late to the crafting table with paper bag albums. Years ago I asked Uncle Dave to bring me back some lunch sacks from the States. I have a stack - hold on while I measure - 7 inches high. So it's a good job I enjoyed making one, really. I have enough for a few more.

This one came about becasue I was trying to think of a way to showcase all the patterns on both sides of the MME Lost and Found papers Sandra from Gotta Craft sent me. Lots of the sheets had a special "bit" printed in one corner, so I decided that if I made a 6x6 mini album, I would be able to quarter each sheet and make use of the feature pattern. So, I made the front and back covers from half a sheet of paper.

I've been pulling out a few photos of my Grandparents to go inside and thinking about the journaling and if you would like to see more - check out the Gotta Craft shop blog this week. Or have a look today at the sneak peek for this month's kit which goes on sale tonight. I think you'll like it.

Further Adventures of LSNED

2011-09-11T07:08:00.002+01:00

I've made my next set of tags and I've hung them on my new shelf. Maybe you'd like to see?

What have I learned? Let me think..

That some opportunities you have to work for, you have to make them happen; and others appear out of nowhere. They are both good.
That the waiting for an unpleasant thing you know is round the corner can be worse than the thing itself.
That September light and August light aren't the same and I need to find a new time of day for taking pictures.
That taking the time to leave a heartfelt comment can make a difference to someone's day.

And

That I can keep my fingers crossed for peace and quiet as much as I like. But six teenage boys on a sleepover will still watch all-night Rugby World Cup coverage whilst eating approximately four hundred bags of crisps. Still they have gone now; and I'm having a nice calm day to recover. Have a great one yourself!

LSNED 2011 Rides Again

2011-09-08T09:14:00.000+01:00

I'm finding a groove with my tag making

and I've learned a thing or two along the way. Last time round, I followed the prompts. This year, I'm more or less doing my own thing. Keeping an open mind and looking for the new as we settle into the old routine.

Last night, for example, I learned that some things are worth waiting for. I finally got my shelf up. It's an old peg-rail-and-shelf-together kind of thing and I've painted it to use as a display prop, so you'll probably be seeing a bit more of it soon. There is just a peep of it in the banner photo above.

On Sunday I learned that William the Conqueror's wife was 4'2" and had at least ten children. In the eleventh century. With no pain relief. I don't know about you, but I'm impressed.

And all week I've been learning what I guess I've known all along. I'm better with cold weather clothes. I like choosing them and I like wearing them, September is good. Let's enjoy it!

Learn Something New Every Day 2011

2011-09-06T08:39:00.000+01:00

So, I know I said Autumn always puts a certain - spring in my step; but it has taken me until now to start Learning Something New. I've talked about it and thought about it, and now I'm finally doing it:

Clearly, one of my ongoing lessons has to be that I can conquer my procrastinatory tendencies if I try. It's the trying that's the hard bit.

Last year I worked small, with a little box of gift cards, and I enjoyed it. So this year I decided to do (nearly) the same thing. I played about with the Vintage Findings card for The Slice, cutting different tag shapes:

I nearly went with that index card shape. (Didn't know I had that. Next lesson: take more time for playing.) Then I tried out some embellishment cutting and there was another lesson there: a one inch bird sitting on a branch is a lot, lot smaller than a four inch one. Interesting.

It's tags for me, then, and I'm learning while I cut, as I stick, when I think..how about you? how's your learning coming along?

With very grateful thanks to everyone who participated in Storytelling Sunday again this month. I know lots of you took a break from learning to join in. Thank you! The Linky stays open all week, so there is plenty of time to add your story. And if you are reading this in a Reader? Please, click here - at the last count there are 27 stories to enjoy!

Storytelling Sunday - In Which Grandpa Wins a Car

2011-09-04T00:47:00.001+01:00

It's getting colder here today; and I've been thinking about lighting the fire before I start. But maybe not. Let's just settle down for a yarn instead.

You know, back when I started blogging I was completely, delightedly taken by surprise when someone left me a comment about my storytelling. The way I saw it, there was only ever one storyteller in our family and that was my Grandpa.

Grandpa left school when he was, oh, about fourteen and he worked with his hands for most of his life. By the time I got to know him, though, he was seldom to be seen without a pen and a pale blue writing pad. We wrote to each other often (he sent silly poems when I was sick); and every night, without fail, he would set out to finish a crossword.

But there was one thing Grandpa was even better at than finishing puzzles. One thing he excelled at. One thing he lived for. And that was winning competitions. You can probably guess the kind he was good at - the ones with slogans to invent or phrases to finish. He did them all the time. Grandma quite often went into the cupboard and discovered that the labels had disappeared from all the tins because he needed tokens to enter. But there was usually a coffee table to be had for it in the end; so she served up tinned peas for breakfast and they learned to like it. That table sits in my Mum's now (1960's G-Plan - it's right back in fashion). Then there was the radiogram. And the honeymoon in Rome (which he donated to my aunt: she bought the wedding lingerie, he took the box and won a holiday).

But, best of all, the prize of a lifetime: Grandpa won a car. Imagine! Look, there's Grandma being presented with the keys:

Funny, she doesn't look like that in any other picture. She looks softer, usually. She must have been on her very best behaviour. It was just before I was born, so I'm a little hazy on some of the finer details. Maybe this one was clinched with Grandpa's all-time classic slogan:

"Christmas is coming, it's so plain to see, Here's your lawnmower back, may I borrow your tree?"

I've looked at the pictures and I'm guessing it had something to do with Findus Frozen Food. And fishsticks. Looking back it's hard to imagine the impact that car must have had on Grandma and Grandpa. They were born just as the very first cars were being made. They lived in a terraced street with, I think, one other car owning family. I guess it was life changing. They drove out to the countryside, down to the sea, over to the blackberry hedges, round to their friends and family. When I was a little girl they would call for me on a Sunday morning and I would ride to church in style. On the plastic seat covers. After all, they had to keep it looking good, didn't they? And it served them well, that car. Until Grandpa wasn't fit to drive it any longer. They got older over the years, and the Triumph stayed the same. Shiny and bright and smelling of "new". The competition car. Won by Grandpa.

That's my story for today. If you have one would like to share (and I hope you do), leave us a link! Write your story post, linking back here so your readers can find the other stories too, and add it to the list. All stories welcome: long ones, short ones, tall ones if you like. The more the merrier!

The iPose page

2011-09-01T08:51:00.000+01:00

I know what you are thinking. You're thinking it's the beginning of September, so I'm is bringing out the school uniform photos. Actually, you'd be half right. If you have been hanging out here for a while you might remember the pictures from a post I did about taking iphone photos. The (not so) Small One and I had fun trying out some tips on posing and thses pictures were the results.

I have been meaning to put them on a page for ages. But the real reason for this page is that big embellishment. The over sized cream flower. It came with a kit from Midnight Rooster and I've been saving it up, wondering how best to show it off. It's something a bit different, isn't it? One of the nice things about getting homemade embellishments in a kit, I think, is that you can have a bit of a look and work out how they are made. So, you never know, you might see another big flower popping up on a page. Or two.

After all, I might have another iPhone page to make now that I have discovered The iPhoneography Blog. If you are a phone fan, check it out - every new app reviewed; advance news of new ones ("my week in pictures" anyone? I like the sound of that); challenges too. Definitely worth a look...

Don't forget! Storytelling Sunday this Sunday. Everyone welcome.

The Season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness

2011-08-30T10:07:00.000+01:00

I can't help it. I'm ready for Autumn. It's my favourite time of the year and I'm not putting it off any longer. I've been out looking for blackberries:

and I've brought my purple boots out of storage

and I've even started knitting an autumnal coloured Professor Plum cardigan for Uncle Dave

What can I say? I fell heavily for Fall many years ago. It was my dad's favourite season too, so my Mum says. A couple of brand new sticks of blackboard chalk in his pocket and he went back to school after the Summer, ready for anything. I'm kind of feeling the same way myself this week. September, I'm ready and waiting..

You have been asking about the actions I used in Thursday's post. They are from Florabella's "Color and Haze" collection. I used "Milk and Honey" on Thursday and today I tried "Sweet Color". Any other recommendations now I know how to install them?

Sweet Six Squares

2011-08-28T10:08:00.000+01:00

It's been a little while now since Sandra at Gotta Craft sent me some of the new Authentique 6x6 paper. I'm glad I waited for this holiday photo before I broke out the pink ones. I think I'm converted! A bundle of smaller sheets is such a great way to get hold of lots of lovely patterns at once.

It's official. I'm going to have to face facts. She is now taller than I am. She has been a teenager for a couple of months now (you can probably tell by her expression) and she is growing up fast. This is the first big thirteen picture she posed for. I hope it's the first of many.

Quick reminder: Storytelling Sunday next week!

Work, Waiting and Winding Roads

2011-08-25T10:18:00.001+01:00

The Summer holidays are drawing to a close here at High In The Sky. As the years flick past time seems to fly faster with every new school bag we choose. For the last week we've been in that in between state before the holiday ends and term begins, sewing on name labels and catching up with friends who have been away.

This morning we reached the last staging post before the new year. The Tall One received his exam results and he has done us proud. Very, very proud. All that work and waiting has seemed like a long and winding road at times

but now we know he has a solid foundation for his final two years. And we are off to celebrate!

Then we'll be coming home to finish up all the holiday projects we've been experimenting with. The wooden skeleton kit (Christmas present) is nearly done. The make-your-own-soap is more than completely done (don't overheat it - turns out like chewing gum). And the bedroom tidying is - ongoing. "There's a story behind every one of these things," said The Small One as she sorted. Oh yes. All that's left to do now is have another look back through the summer photos. There is an autumn of scrapbooking ahead...

It's Not Hallmark, It's Me

2011-08-23T09:52:00.000+01:00

It's been a while, but I've made a few cards. I thought it would be good to start a collection to have in hand..

but as soon as I had finished I realised that I had actually been making each of these with someone in mind. So I'll be posting them off and starting my collection again. If you are a card maker which do you prefer? Having some cards ready? Or making "to order"?

It Was Junk Nirvana

2011-08-21T10:29:00.001+01:00

Round here we have a word for someone who likes a good ol' root around in a bin. I'm guessing it's what some of you would know as a "dumpster diver". Would that be right? We say "bin hoker". That's "hoke" to rhymn with "poke". So when you rock up to a junk shop and you see a big sign saying "Have a Good Hoke" you know you are in for a treat.

We were way out of town, in the middle of nowhere, on a cloudy Friday afternoon. On an emergency trip. Uncle Dave's sources had told him that the junk shop was closing and we had to be quick. "It might be junk," he said, "but it might be great junk. It could be junk nirvana."

No, wait, that was me. I said that last bit. I was almost as excited as he was. We don't have yard sales here, so I don't often have the chance of a lucky vintage find.

And we were lucky. I do have to hold my hand up and say this treasure isn't really mine. The Small One spotted it and persuaded Uncle Dave to pay £5 for it. They brought it home, along with Uncle Dave's radio; and they spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on the kitchen floor with a bucket of water and a selection of cleaning products. Result.

We did leave behind the giant plastic ice cream cone (would have had to lash it to the car roof I think). But we might be back. If he's closing down, he might be open to offers..

Don't forget, you can add your Pinterest boards to the Pinterest Parade right here

The Pinterest Parade

2011-08-18T09:03:00.001+01:00

Come and join the Pinterest Parade! So many of you are fans that I thought I'd have a bit of a party. A Pinner's Paradise. A Parade of the Pinterested. It's simple and everyone is invited! Add a link to your main Pinterest page right here where we can all see it. Check out the other links to see who is pinning what. Find your favourite blogger's innermost style secrets!

I'm keeping this linky open for a year and I'm hoping it'll become a great meeting place for Pinterest fans. So even if you haven't dropped by here before, you are welcome to leave us a link to your boards. Let's find out what you love! I'll put the Pinterest Parade badge in my sidebar and that will take you right back here any time you like. Sound like a plan?

I'll go first and after that it's up to you. Show us your boards. Parade your pins right here

The Add More To The Story Challenge

2011-08-16T09:51:00.000+01:00

It's that time of year again, when we gather together the photos, the programmes, the tickets and the triumphs. We pull the school albums from the shelf and make sure they are updated before the new school year begins. Sometimes The Small One pounces on her other album while she's there. It's a mix of pages she made (when I first started scrapbooking and wanted to play along) and pages she asked me if she could keep. All from the early days.

And it was in this album I found a perfect candidate for Shimelle's Add More to the Story challenge:

This layout is nearly three years. It's kind of quirky, but I still like it. It does have a bit of journaling, just enough to tell the story, up there in the top right. (It also has three little cut out Small Ones - spot them?). But last night I found a tag and a long piece of ribbon and added the next stage.

I simply stapled the ribboned tag onto the side; and I think the journaling tells you the rest.

She doesn't know about it yet. I thought I would leave it as a surprise for her to find sometime in the future, the next time the album appears. Unless she is reading today, of course. In which case - it's still on my desk, in front of the Glossy Accents. Don't forget to put it away when you are finished..

Whatever you are up to this Tuesday, I hope it's a good one.

August At Gotta Craft

2011-08-14T07:05:00.001+01:00

Today I have two pages I made with the August Gotta Craft kit. It was blissful! No, really. It was Authentique's new Blissful collection and I did enjoy using it very much.

First of all I made this one:

taking the photo of me in my grey shirt as my starting point. I'm looking contemplative, don't you think? The little fold up journaling card in the kit was perfect for tucking away some private thoughts.

And then I made this:

which was inspired by the chipboard banners in the kit. I added some buttons from my stash and a few flashes of pink with papers from one of the new Authentique 6x6 paper pads. 6x6? Perfect! I'm always hoarding my full sheets of patterned paper to use as backgrounds. This way I can use smaller sheets to add accents and make embellishments. And I will. Oh, yes, you can count on it.

The Summer Scavenger Hunt Part Two

2011-08-11T08:41:00.001+01:00

I've been out and about looking for more photos, thanks to Rinda and her Summertime Photo Scavenger Hunt

Not quite a "roadside memorial" but certainly the most interesting roadside anything I've seen lately. I'd love to know more about it

A building made from metal or glass. Airport at 5.30am - with a soft urban action to give it a bit of atmosphere

Cardoness Castle Scotland. Our first holiday stop

Driving down England on the way to our holidays gave us plenty of chances to photograph rain

But at least the sun shone when we got there. We found this little graveyard tucked away on a quiet hillside. There were lots of "Dahl's" buried there:relations of Roald's, maybe? I've left a corner of our ship (to the right) in this picture to remind myself how I wondered about the our intrusion in such a peaceful place

And finally, this is my cheat's picture. I actually took this one last summer, zoomed right in so the girl wouldn't know I was there and I so I wasn't photographing her face. It might have been her own house she was sketching outside...

And that's as far as I've got. Still no sign of a unicycle yet, but I haven't given up hope!

Going Postal

2011-08-09T09:50:00.000+01:00

"That," said Uncle Dave, "was the weekend I ended up doing karaoke in the police station basement. I was holding the microphone and trying to read the screen. Which was hard because it was in Chinese.."

Butterfly garland from a kit by Midnight Rooster

He has a collection of stories like this about his time in Taiwan. Sometimes we hear a lot and sometimes just a little snatch. But if I want more I can always go to my tin box full of all the letters he sent while he was there. If you are a regular here, you might remember me writing about this before. I've been meaning to make a page with this photo ever since; but it has taken a push from the excellent Julie and her inspirational Going Postal series to get me there.

Take a look! She has a positive plethora of postal projects to share and she pinning them

Storytelling Sunday - The Day The Caravan Died

2011-08-07T06:40:00.001+01:00

Come on in! I was just about to start..

I wanted to give you a summery story for August. I thought and I thought; and in the end I decided to borrow one.So let's go back to one of those long hot 70's summers, when boys were men and the whole lot of them wore shorts. Back to one curly haired nine-but-nearly-ten boy who was sitting in the back of the car. Thinking about his birthday and playing pencil and paper games with his sister.

Taken at lunchtime, just hours before it happened..

They had been travelling for a while, towing their caravan behind them; and he and his three big sisters were getting hotter and stickier and hoping for a break. There was food in that caravan. Maybe secret hidden birthday presents too...

It all happened so quickly and yet time seemed to stand still. It was three o'clock in the afternoon when the curly haired boy heard a bang bigger than anything he had ever heard before. He knew his Mum was shrieking, and then he knew that what he was seeing through the car window was the caravan swinging round in the road, and the caravan roof slowly unpeeling itself and flying through the air towards the layby, and the rest of it breaking into pieces, and then he felt life slow down and wait.

This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. The curly haired boy felt his dad's anger rise and then start to fall away. Their caravan had been hit by a car; but now the driver barely seemed alive. He had suffered a huge heart attack. Wrong place, wrong time. But then there is never a good one, is there?

They put him onto one of the caravan cushions and then the ambulance took him away. When the firemen arrived they took their big brushes and started sweeping things out of the road. All the curly haired boy's things and all his big sisters' things and all his parents things. In bits. Being brushed up. They tried to find anything that wasn't broken. One of the firemen came across the road bouncing a ball and offered it to the curly haired boy. Yes, that was his. They offered him a little toy car, still in its box. No, that wasn't his. Ah, but it was. It was one of those surprise birthday presents he'd just been thinking about. Hidden by his siter, just waiting for the right moment. Now he was standing in a layby, beside a pile of plywood and he was being given his present two days early.

Good folk gathered to see how they could help. And things really started to look up when the local vicar arrived. What with the curly haired boy's Dad being in the same business. They were taken to the Rectory and cared for. No one was hurt. Things can be replaced. Caravans too. And the curly haired boy had a good birthday after all because, as a special treat, he was allowed to ring the church bells.

The new caravan being packed up. Everything they rescued? It's that little pile to the right of the picture

But he has never forgotten the day the caravan died; or the heart attack man (who did recover); or the firemne; or the kind vicar's family/ In fact, if you ask, he'll tell you how a Christmas card used to arrive from them every year after that until he was quite grown up. And caravans? He still loves them! But that, I think, is quite another story altogether..

Now that's my story for today. How about yours? Write your post, including a link back here so your readers can join in too, come and add it to the linky and then sit back and enjoy. It doesn't have to be long, it doesn't have to include a project or layout. It can be new, it can be from right back in your past. It's up to you. We love them all and everyone is welcome!

Five Pass The Book Confessions ..

2011-08-06T06:15:00.001+01:00

...and an adopter.

As I get ready to hand over to Melissa, I thought it was time to confess:

1. I didn't know if it would work at all. Your enthusiasm has delighted me.

2. I didn't even know how to make a blog badge when I started. But I worked it out and it has given me a lot of pleasure to see it pop up in blog world.

3. My favourite will always be the first one, Where Women Create, which Cheri has promised will land back here soon. I'm looking forward to it.

4. I'm really hoping there will be a message or two inside for me to read.

5. This is the big one. Ssh! Don't tell. I don't actually like wrapping parcels. I'm happy to pass the books, but I can definitely pass on the the parcelling! I can never make it as neat as I'd like.

Which leaves me with July's adopter of Art Saves to announce. Before I do that I'd like to thank everyone who has joined in. Keep on passing those books round! Each one will stay out for twelve months. And I'd like to take this chance to thank Alison of Life In The Slow Lane for sending me a blog award recently.

Thanks Alison! I'd like to offer my confessions as my part of the deal and I'd love to offer the award to everyone who has received a book. How's that?

So of course that includes today's adopter of Art Saves and that is....Julie from Notes on Paper. Julie, I'll get that in the post just as soon as I can.

Stortelling Sunday tomorrow. See you there?

Not Bright In Brighton

2011-08-04T08:29:00.000+01:00

The day we went to Brighton it rained on a biblical scale. It was so wet we could barely see our hands in front of our faces. So wet that we found on street parking astone's throw from the Pavilion on a Saturday lunchtime. and so wet that I wrapped my camera safely in its waterproof jacket and left it there.

Photo from tourist leaflet. Crown shapes cut with Slice Vintage Findings card

Tall and Small said that if I took a photo of them in their waterproof macs, they would remove themselves from the family. With immediate effect. Then they trudged off in the direction of Starbucks. Their father said; "I'm glad you aren't going to take a picture of me in a fold up raincoat, and then put it on your blog captioned The Accountant In A Pac-a-mac. It doesn't make me sound very exciting."

I took a last look at the Pavilion. It was darker than I imagined. And definitely wetter. I thought about stopping in the gift shop for a stick of seaside rock, because there has to be a good joke in there somewhere. But Starbucks was starting to call me too, so I left it.

We won't forget our visit, though. The day we were there, they turned the bright off in Brighton.

Psst..other Sky High news : You may still place a comment for July's Pass The Book here. And it's Storytelling Sunday this Sunday.

Jemma's Blogiversary Hop

2011-08-01T03:57:00.003+01:00

When Jemma from Just Jimjams asked me if I'd like to be part of her one year of blogging celebrations, I said I'd be delighted. She was quick to make me feel welcome when I joined UK scrappers (years ago now, wow!) and her encouragement ever since has been very welcome. Happy Blogging Birthday Jemma!

Please write a post for a blog hop she said. Well, I have been thinking about numbers and anniversaries this week because it's our Wedding anniversary soon; so I thought how handy! how nifty! I'll show them my latest Pinterest inspiration.

Lately on Pinterest I have noticed very pretty photos of rings.So I decided to take a picture of my own engagement ring, bought by a boy who was still a student, for a girl who was - still a student.

Marry me he said. And because she said yes, he found a holiday job in a mobile tourist office which was really a caravan pitched in a carpark. So he bought her a ring and she loves it to this day. But she's very glad she now has a photo because her ring doesn't have seven stones anymore. Just before she went on holiday she discovered she had dropped a diamond. She's waiting for it to come back. He says it will. And he always keeps his promises.

So now it's over to you. You will find a number hidden somewhere in my post. Collect a number from each of Jemma's blogiversary friends, put them in numerical order and them email her with the number missing from the sequence. And to do that of course, you need to move along on the hop. Next stop is Hilary from Pictures and Paper Bits. So, go! Pick up another number! And Jemma? Keep on blogging!

Pass The Book: My Last (But Not The End)

2011-07-31T07:56:00.001+01:00

Just sneaking in before the very end of the month, today I'd like to bring you my last Pass The Book. I'm going to be quick, because you have heard quite enough from me lately, but, please, do join in this one last time. July's book is:

the brand new, just published Art Saves by Jenny Doh. Stories, inspiration and prompts sharing the power of art is how it's subtitled; and that works for me. It's a beautiful book, just full of gorgeous pictures and nuggets to dip into. Perfect for coffee time, or five minutes before you fall asleep.

I bet I don't need to tell you the rules by now (but you can always check the page here). Leave a comment if you'd like to be in the draw. I'll post the winner next Saturday. But I do need to tell you that, from next month, super book-fan Melissa from Daily Life Bits and Pieces will be taking over. And I'm delighted! Do look out for her first selection in August. I'm looking forward to it already.

One last peek at Art Saves :

"Combine your efforts with the efforts of other like minded people, and you'll be able to achieve things that are greater than what any one person could accomplish alone"

- which reminds me to note: it's Storytelling Sunday next week! I know some of you are already thinking about your post. I am too. A holiday themed one, I reckon. Just need some photos...

Five Things I've Noticed..

2011-07-30T07:07:00.002+01:00

...about my boy being away (and a completely unrelated layout)

It is travelled themed though. My first Norway page, which appeared on the Gotta Craft blog last week

1. The dishwasher is only half full every evening.

2. I don't seem to be running out of milk. Or bread.

3. Watching the Formula One without him isn't the same.

4. No one pats me on the head. No, wait. That one isn't true. Everyone pats me on the head. And I mean everyone.

5. You bring a child into the world, you look at him and you think I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you always have everything you need. And then he grows up a bit and tells you his plane gets in at 5.30am, which means getting up at 3.00am to drive to the airport. And you think Mmmm..

My Crafty Life Part Five

2011-07-29T08:17:00.000+01:00

Ah. The Scrapbooking Years. Still in them. Still loving them. And it all started, as it usually does, with a trip to the newsagents.

A layout about a layout? Probably overkill. But for the sake of completeness, here it is

I'd taken the morning off from fixing the hem on my sister's wedding dress; and I was browsing around, thinking about what I could make for her as a souvenir of her big day. As I was paying for something else, I caught sight of a scrapbooking magazine. I'd never seen anything like it. All the things I'd been playing about with for years - cutting, collecting, keeping- were right there, together. It was irresistable. I brought the magazine home. I stayed up late into the night looking at the pictures. Then I got back out of bed so that I could read some more (really). I sat at midnight, wondering at such perfection.

Of course I had to have a go. I looked around, I bought a few things and I made this (ready? remember, it's my first page)

That's my very first page. Never seen in public before. We can all see what isn't so great about it. But, know what? I like it a lot. It has pictures (I even took a detail shot); it has a story (on the tag); it has ephemera (that receipt envelope from the shop in the story) and it has my set-the-mood patterned paper background I still use today. It was a scrapbook page. and it was a start.

I joined UK Scrappers, I took some classes. I met some nice people and I kept on cutting and sticking. One of my pages was spotted in the UKS Gallery and in Spring 2009 it was published in Scrapbook Inspirations. Then I had another one picked up, so I submitted a couple more and they were published too. I took part in their Ready Steady Scrap challenge later that year and it was a lot of fun. I was so sad to see Scrapbook Inspirations go. A lot of us were.

Then I started to blog and I met even more lovely scrapbookers. I took other classes and I joined the Gotta Craft team; and all the time I'm still working on my pages, pushing myself to learn new things. I'm not a technique-y scrapper (I don't think). I'm more about the story and a piece of pretty paper and a sharp pair of scissors. But I'm always finding new ways to lay down what I want to say and I don't think I'll be retiring from this part of my crafty life any time soon. Oh, and that souvenir for my sister? I made her a scrapbook, of course, with some cross stitched decoration and a box to keep it in covered with some left over curtain silk. I never throw anything out, and I never, ever forget.

So that's my crafty life. By the time I'd finished all of my pages, this is what I thought:

- My Reading Life might just be next.
- I used the same basic design all week, and I'd do this again, even though I was aching to try something new by the end.
- I used two kits from Midnight Rooster throughout. This was the easiest way to keep it all coordinated.
- Other ideas did come to me as I worked. All the fancy dress costumes I made; and the soft toys I sold at a Craft Fair. But I'm happy enough to add pages in at some point in the future. That's what ring bound albums are made for.

Now over to you. If you were to tell your story in stages like this, what subject would you choose?

My Crafty Life Part Four

2011-07-28T08:48:00.000+01:00

Just before I slipped into my thirties we moved house. We had one baby, and plans for another one, so we looked for more space and found it in a pretty red brick semi with lots of little rooms and quirky touches. We had enough for the house, but nothing left over, at the beginning, so of course we started making things again.

These are the soft furnishings years. What I can't believe now is that, when I started making curtains, I had no sewing machine. I did it all by hand. It sounds daft now; but then it was soothing, calming work after a day of toddler taming. And every time I got tired, I went out and looked at the price of the ready mades; and then I went home and sewed some more.

Blue stars for a "space" bedroom, pink flowers for a girlie haven. Then, at last with a sewing machine from a magazine special offer, factory shop creamy linen for the kitchen and sage silk for best.

I kept going when we moved here to High in the Sky. Brown gingham downstairs, more linens, more silks higher up the house. Never, ever at full price, mind. I'm a frugal, factory shop loving girl when it comes to fabric. I used a book by Katrin Cargill to learn how to make the pelmet in the photograph for a small Small One who wanted a country look. Then I challenged myself to make matching slipcovers for a little sofa. (I did a fake animal fur rug too - when I say "country" I guess I really mean "Little House in the Prairie").

She must have liked it just fine, because a bigger Small One still has no plans to turn teenager and paint her room black. If she did, I'd be ready. I have some bargain, roll-end, black factory shop linen just waiting to be used. And all curtains wear out eventually, don't they? Let's just call this phase "on hold" while we look at where I'm at right now. But that's for tomorrow...

My Crafty Life - all this week

My Crafty Life Part Three

2011-07-27T08:47:00.000+01:00

I got married when I was twenty two (just). I think I probably spent the next few years caught between wanting to stay in and make things for our new home - and wanting to go out to prove that now I was married I wasn't going to spend all my time at home, making things.

We did a lot, though. Had to. Money was tight. We papered and painted (but it was my sister who sewed the curtains when we were on honeymonn. Thank you.). We built a kitchen from flat packs. Those were the years of "Prima" magazine with its pullout paper patterns. I stacked them up and thought I knew everything there was to know about domestic economy. Which simply goes to show how much I still had to learn.

And in the evenings, I cross stitched. I can't remember what started it (probably a magazine. It usually is.). I bought books 9all of the Jo Verso ones, so sad when she died). I stitched cards and pictures and in my lunchbreaks from the library I hunted the needlework shop for new threads I loved. A couple of hours on the information desk of an afternoon always went more quickly if I could dream about the new colours tucked away in my bag.

And then, all at once, everything changed. I wasn't so interested in work anymore. I wanted to stay at home and wait for my baby to arrive. I did a bit of knitting for him (sweaters and a hat) but I knew he had two grannies to help out there. So I started a cross stitched baby blanket, each soft square a different letter of the alphabet, with room for a name in the middle. I put in the final stitches sitting up on my hospital bed with my tiny son beside me.

And that was the beginning of the end. Funny, the final thing I stitched was a "Baby is Sleeping" door hanger. He did sleep sometimes; but the sewing stopped. Just for a little while. And there was something new round the corner.

My Crafty Life Part Two

2011-07-26T08:45:00.000+01:00

By the time I was a teenager I was making a lot of my own clothes. Some by choice, but not all. Living with a Mum brought up on "Make Do and Mend" sometimes meant going without if you couldn't sew it yourself. Not that it was all bad, though. I was able to knit myself a "picture jumper" (pink clouds, purple mountains - hey, what can I say? it was in my black phase) when they were the right thing to have. And take my jeans in to make them tighter. Always had to have those inspected before I sewed, just in case I was in danger of cutting off my circulation. But what I really remember is the designing and making of my "formal dress".

Once upon a time, in the days before Proms had been heard of (here), our Upper Sixth decided to have what we called a "Formal". It was simply arranged, just a meal and a band; but we still spent many happy hours in the Study room planning our dresses.

Mine was to be grey (faux) silk, I decided (still in my black period, I wanted something like the one the girl from New Order wore on Tops of the Pops). With a dropped waist. Nothing like it in the shops, of course, and I probably wouldn't have had the money for it anyway. But we did find the fabric and my Mum helped me to put it together She sewed pintucks round the hem and found a length of black velvet ribbon for the shoulder. We took jet beads from an old evening bag and made a new one and she loaned me a silver bangle and a crystal necklace; and I put on the dress we had made and I had a wonderful night.

I wore it again a year later when, as new girlfriend of the previous year's Head Boy I had drinks in the Headmasters study. Different do, different school, same dress. I felt very grown up. That's us in the photo. We don't look like that today. But the dress hasn't changed. It still looks a bit like a sack. And that is just the way I like it.

My Crafty Life - every day this week.

My Crafty Life Part One

2011-07-25T08:49:00.000+01:00

On and off now, for a few weeks whenever I get the chance, I've been working on a collection of pages about the things I have made over the years. When I realised I had five I thought - do something new for you Sian and blog them through the week. So, starting today, here they are.

My crafty life started, I think, as soon as I could hold a pair of scissors. Before I went to school my favourite thing to do was cut out Paper Dolls. Not the ones from my Twinkle comic, though; they were too nice to cut up. Funny, I say the same thing about paper now.

My Grandma taught me to knit when I was about five; I made a scarf for Ted Fred, then a little grey woollen satchel. It gave me a headstart when it came to school needlework lessons.

Oh, now there's a subject close to my heart. Why isn't it taught anymore? The Small One is the only girl in her class who can sew on a button. And that's not right. I know sewing isn't for everyone; but those lessons taught us more than practical skills. They taught us about sharing, about bonding, about girl power. For an hour a week the boys disappeared. The clever teachers knew how to gather us round and draw us out. How to get us to talk about school and friends and family while we sewed. Our P7 teacher told us lots of things girls our age needed to know. It's not done like that now; and I think we've lost something there.

We made things too, of course. A knitted "dorothy bag". whatever that was. A Liberty Print smock. (It was the seventies. Wish I had that fabric now.) A chunky ribbed hat and scarf. A needlecase. A rag doll. Some of it was unravelled, ripped out, crumpled up; but all of it was proudly displayed at the end of the year.

By the time I left Primary School I had a gypsy skirt I actually wore, a row of Girl Guide badges I had sewed on by myself; and a love of everything I could make by hand. I want that now for our girls today. Let's bring back sewing lessons! Let's do it all over again!

Tomorrow, my teenage years

Five Holiday Observations..

2011-07-23T09:34:00.000+01:00

...with photos from Bergen's open air museum.

1. If you are the littlest (see how I slipped that in there?), you don't have to carry a suitcase. The big people do that.

2. Next time, don't visit the Titanic exhibition two weeks before sailing. That way you won't be left fighting the urge to shout "Stuff the drill, let's just get in the lifeboats," at the Emergency Procedure Lecture.

3. When your husband describes your outfit as "jaunty", you know you have overdone the nautical stripe cruisewear.

4. Watching the Space Shuttle launch while in a hotel room miles from home with everything you own reduced to what is in your suitcase can be a strangely moving experience.

5. Something great about getting older: it seems no time since last summer. Holidays come round faster and that has to be a good thing, right?

Have a great weekend everyone. I'll have a new layout up on the Gotta Craft blog tomorrow and I have a special series I've been working on for you next week. It's "My Crafty Life" with a layout a day Monday to Friday. How's your crafty life this summer?

Wish You Were Here

2011-07-21T10:35:00.001+01:00

So here's the thing: the motto of the company we travelled with is "Escape Completely". And we did, oh we did. And yet as we travelled and looked and admired and wondered, I found myself spotting things you would have liked. And that was nice.

I saw a collection of trolls one of you would have loved. And a shop full of clean Scandi design another one of you would have wanted to bring home. And a decoupaged table which I just know would have had one of you reaching for the mod podge. And then I started looking for things from my list, my list for Rinda's Summertime Scavenger Photo Hunt, and I discovered a few:

Wall art in Stavanger

Decorated mail boxes in Olden

Rooster weather vane in Olden

Wooden bridge in Geiranger

I've been enjoying seeing who else has been joining in, as I sift slowly through the posts I've missed. I'm savouring them in between loads of laundry. Nearly there with that - I needed a fast turn around because on Sunday The Tall One flies to Pittsburgh to take part in the International Schools Language Olympiad. He's been doing a bit of training with Uncle Dave:

Dave: Forget cricket. That was your old life. The hard work starts here. I've marked a few passages..

The Tall One: Yeah. Right. I'm off out to play cricket.

Whatever you are up to this Thursday, I hope it's a good one!

When The Sun Shines..

2011-07-19T12:26:00.000+01:00

"When the sun shines, angels are travelling," our Tour Guide in Bergen said. Now, we're no angels; but the sun certainly shone for us last week in Norway. It flashed off the waterfalls and made the green fjord water glisten as we sailed past.

One fjord, one pair of big sunglasses. And me.

We had a wonderful holiday and I have lots to tell. But most of those stories are still in my head for now, waiting for a chance to escape.

Phrase book borrowed from (who else but) Uncle Dave

I have been answering emails this morning, but I am also looking forward to looking at my Google Reader. It's full to bursting with enough excellent lunchtime reading to last me all week. And then there is the laundry pile, which will probably stretch into next week too. It's good to be back...

Oh, look. Family togetherness. In the coffee shop at Geiranger Fjord Centre

We're Going On Holiday

2011-07-12T08:55:00.001+01:00

Summer is here and we are off on a break

We have left Uncle Dave in charge of the house and the hamster and we'll be back in about a week. Keep on blogging!

July at Gotta Craft

2011-07-09T08:35:00.001+01:00

Today I get to show you what I made with the July kit from Gotta Craft. Odds & Ends from Cosmo Cricket? Gorgeous!

First I did a layout about a bit of kitchen accessory shopping:

Red letters and numbers and blue doily cut with Paper Reverie Slice card. Button and cream alphas included in the kit

then I kept on cutting out those paper dolls so that I could make some tags:

Ribbons from my stash

and then I made a card

Twine, papers and cardstock from the kit. "Cherish" cut with Paper Reverie Slice card

or two

Leaves from the kit

I have lots left and I'm hoping to get stuck in again soon. I might even be ordering seconds...

The Sew Sindy Page

2011-07-07T07:46:00.000+01:00

Simply the page from the story:

using some Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday and a big October Afternoon Thrift Shop sticker

Oh, no, there is one other thing - I have been testing out the new mobile device version of From High In The Sky. So if you read on your phone, have a look and see what you think. Quicker? easier? What do you reckon?

From Pin to Pen

2011-07-05T08:44:00.000+01:00

I'm talking Pinterest again today because I really want to show you my favourite find so far:

It's a ready-to-print-out-and-fill-in journaling sheet from the extremely clever Christie at Grace is Overrated. She has a whole collection of these waiting for you to use (with the promise of a couple more over the Summer). If you enjoy using your markers, you'll like the plain ones to colour yourself, but you can also try out the completely ready to go kind like this one. And she's happy for you to blog the results. I asked. What's not to love?

I'm going to be filling out a few more of these (just dipping in and picking one I like, (you don't have to do them in order), I can tell. I might even be able to persuade The Small One to join me. What do you think?

Thank you to everyone who joined in Storytelling Sunday this month. If you haven't had a chance yet, do click through from your Reader here to enjoy. And don't forget, you may add your own story any day all week!

Storytelling Sunday - Sew Sindy

2011-07-03T00:31:00.002+01:00

Welcome to Storytelling Sunday! Come on in, did you bring a story with you?

This is the story of a girl, a book and a doll called Sindy.

Once upon a time, when men walked on the moon and everything we ate was plastic, I asked for a Sindy doll for my birthday. I loved my Sindy; and I longed for the days when I too would own yellow boots zipped to my knee and a micro skirt which barely covered my behind. She had a small wardrobe to choose from, my doll. My Mum didn't believe in shop bought clothes. They were a waste of money. So Sindy stuck to her check mini until the glorious day I went to the library and found this:

Top Outfits for Teenage Dolls by Nesta Hollis

For the next year it was my favourite book in the whole wide world. I thought it had been written just for me. As soon as I handed it back into the library I put my name down to take it out again. On a loop.

The ones I made then

And then I sewed. Oh, I sewed. Any scrap I could save, any ribbon I could gather. Annette-next-door joined in; and we had grand plans for a Sindy Boutique, lovingly crafted from old cereal packets. We worked through the eight weeks of our Summer holiday, piling up lots of skirts (easy); dresses (a bit harder); to tailored jackets (pretty darn tricky, since you ask). I have them still though we never did finish up that shop. Teenage life got in the way eventually. All that work? No, I'd never let them go.

The ones I make now. Felt coat and a dress from a sock

And that might have been the end of the story, if I hadn't got chatting to a scrapbooking friend one day. (Julie, thank you - this one's for you!). I described my book. She said, quick as you like, "Here's an Amazon link for a second hand copy. Buy it. You know you want to." Or something like that. So I did. I ordered it and it arrived and I opened it and I gasped. Because inside that pink cover I knew so well were some tracing paper patterns, lovingly folded into the right pages, all marked with the details in a pencil hand I had seen somewhere before. Were these the very patterns I had traced all those years before? The paper was the same, the writing very very similar..I can't say for sure because I couldn't find any library marks on my book (and you know that's the first thing I'd look for). So let's just dream; and believe that my book came back to me and that my patterns were waiting.

So that's my story for today. If you have one of your own to share you are very welcome to add a link and we'll come round for a read. Don't forget to tell your readers it's a Storytelling Sunday post so that they can join in too. The more the merrier!

Sindy in the nurses uniform I finally sewed thirty years after she first asked for it