In Which I Spring Back into Life and Question the Nature of Reality

Actually on second thoughts, I might hold off on the questioning the nature of reality thing.  Just for tonight, you know?  It's late and we're all tired.  Let's just leave reality as it is for now and maybe we can give it a good questioning tomorrow.

I'm also going to spare you the traditional its been ages/I'm a bad blogger/handful of grovelling but ultimately invalid excuses soliloquy and cut straight to the chase.  It's late and we're all tired remember?

So where have I been?

Well, back in September, there was the wedding of the century - Lizzie and Jarrad had a wonderful day and all the hard work pulling together the matching invitations, favours, menus and table plan was totally worth it as it all looked amazing (if I do say so myself).  However even better that, was this:

There were times when I secretly doubted that I actually had it in me to make a wedding cake, but turns out it wasn't as hard I thought!  The worst part was the architectural aspect of it and also standing by as people walked past it the wedding watching the bouncy floorboards making the the whole thing wobble back and forth.  It all went well though, nothing fell down and everyone seemed to enjoy eating which I think really the mark of a good cake.

And after the wedding it was time for the Go Go Getaway which can be crystallised into the following points:

• Nice hotel
• Fab layouts
• Great scrapping
• Brilliant company.

To summarise, I loved it and hopefully I'll be back in March 2013 (it's all booked up for next year).  I was really surprised how much I enjoyed it actually and it renewed my enthusiasm for messing about with bits of paper, gave me lots of new ideas and even taught me some things I didn't know.  Here are a couple of layouts from my favourite classes:

This class was call 'Blooming Ribbon' and focused on making the turquoise-y flower garland - it's so pretty, I can't believe I actually made it myself!  Also a bit of a landmark event in that it's the first time I've ever used sewing on a page.  This next layout was from the 'Welcome to my Garden' class which I just loved and I even got to use one of my favourite pictures of good old Sophiekins - note especially the pebbles made of paper clay, such a fab detail.



Anyway, that's almost all from me as it's late and we're all tired but there's just one last thing that I've been working on which I wanted to share with you:

Coming to a hospital near you (assuming you live in Exeter) in February.  Eeeek.

In Which I Pretend that a Few Photographs Constitues a Proper Update

Hello there - my goodness life is quite a busy thing isn't it?  There's a lot going on at the moment and I have produced a total of one layout in about 4 months (I know, my profligacy is really quite astounding) but I like to think it's a good 'un and one day I'll get a picture of it. 

In the meantine, I've been playing around with the Photoshop actions from the CoffeeShop photo blog as recomended by SJ and they're so fab I thought I'd share a few of my efforts.  Let me know what you think.

In Which I Reveal All

Well by now I'll have fled the country in the manner of a fugitive, except for the fact I'm hoping to be allowed back in a couple of weeks without a police escort. In the meantime, here are the SBK layouts I was teasing you with on Friday.

Now all 3 of us are 30, what could be more birthday-y than a picture of each of us with our respective birthday cakes?  The rub-ons and paper flowers that came with this kit were gorgeous and I love how busy and detailed the make the page.

I've been waiting to scrap these pictures for a while, but when I saw the colours and patten on this butterfly I know it would go so well with the colour of the table cloth and combined with the pink cardstock to match Morrissey's nose, I knew I couldn't go wrong.  I used the rub-ons again on this layout to the frame the tiny bit of journalling and then drew antenna on the butterfly to match the curls - I love it when a plan comes together.

In Which I Am a Bit Sneaky - SBK Birthday Kit

Just thought I'd stop by bright and early to share a preview of the layouts I made with SBK's May kit.  It's called 'Birthday' as SBK was founded 2 years ago in Hungary and what better way to celebrate than with some fab summery stash?

Otherwise, things are a bit mental round here as we're off on holiday and have to make the place presentable for the house sitters as ususal.  All very stressful but soon enough I'll be lying by a pool in the sunshine (hopefully) with a good book and maybe a cocktail.  I can't wait.

In Which I Have an Accident and Wake Up in 1973

With the (brilliant) demise of Ashes to Ashes a couple of weeks ago, I've been feeling the need to relive the whole series from start to finish. So follwing some hasty DVD purchasing, we've started watched the first series of Life of Mars again and I'm really loving it.  Very sad that I was only alive for 3 months of the 1970s, I'd have fitted right in and I really love wearing flares.

Combined with all the walking we've been doing lately (more on that another time) and the allotment finally bursting into life, evenings and weekends have been pretty full up around here.  However, I have finally got around to taking a picture of the layout I put together a few weeks back and so I thought I'd share. 

I'm rather bored of it now as it's been sitting on the mantlepiece in the kitchen for a least 3 weeks - it may be time to consign it to an album.  I actually did a little more scrapping last night, but I'll have to keep you waiting for a couple more days until I get the all clear on the sneaky peaks of the fab SBK June kit.

I'm off to plant sweetcorn and courgettes - I shall be taking pictures as I want to use the lovely garden-y Cosmo Cricket stuff which has been sitting in the cupoboard for AGES.

In Which I Get Confused Between Reality and Fiction

I'm reading this great book at the moment, it's called The Importance of Being Kennedy and is a sort of fictional account of real events in the lives of the Kennedy family.

I've read it before and I really like it, but books like this tend to confuse my brain (not actually me obviously, its a lot stupider than I am)  in the same way that books about the Beatles do.  I get so caught up in the story that it's very hard to take a step back and appreciate that it's not just a plotted work of fiction, but what actually happenend to real people.  You know, in their actual real lives.  There's just something about not-so-distant history which I find hard to contextualise.  Perhaps I am cognitally limited after all.

So anyway, the last time I read this book I went a bit Kennedy mad and bought loads of other books including The Kennedys: An American Drama, The Kennedy Women, Sons and Brothers: The Days and Jack and Bobby Kennedy  and  Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years and read them all in a lovely big Kennedy binge. 

I suppose all of this is a roundabout way of revealing that I have a bit of a Kennedy obsession, consider it a type of therapy if you will.  Clearly this is not the same sort of crush that I was talking about yesterday (*whispers* Charlie Brooker)  but more of a slightly unhealthy historical interest which involves pouring over grainy black and white pictures trying to make myself believe that they're really real.

And in case you were wondering (and I simply can't imagine what more pressing questions could possibly exist in your life), my top 5 favourite Kennedys are as follows:

1. 
   
   Bobby
2. 
   
   Kick
3. 
   
   Teddy
4. 
   
   Jack
5. 
   
   Rosie.

 Actually thinking about it, I wonder if this post was really a good way to try and convince everyone I'm not mad.  You know, after yesterday and everything when I knew I was on thin ice.  Today I can hear the cracks starting to spread.

In Which I Make a Very Embarassing Confession

Did you miss me? 

Anyone?

No?

I didn't think so, but I know it's been a while so there was always an outside chance someone might have noticed my absence. Nonetheless, I'm back.  As of yesterday my essays are completed, my exams are over and there's 11 months until my dissertation is due in so I think I'm allowed a couple of months (at least) off from academic pursuits which means that I can recommence my actual life, assuming I can remember who I am and what I do. 

I don't have much to share scrapping wise as I believe I've made a total of one layout in that last 3 months which is not exactly going to redefine the word prolific, particularly as I don't even have a picture to share.  However, I'm hoping to rip into some of the ScrapaGoGo boxes which are piling up in my dining room very soon in order to get my mojo back in time for the GoGo Getaway in October.

In the meantime, I feel the need to get something of my chest. I'm in the throws of an all out, full blown, hugely debilitating celebrity crush which has been extremely distracting while I've been revising and even worse when trying to focus my mind in the exams themselves. 

I am 30 years old.

I need to get a grip.

I've always been somewhat prone to these little obsessions which depart in time, often as quickly as they arrive, but while I'm right in the centre of it, it's like I am 14 years old again and crying into my Mark Owen pillowcase in the manner of the silly girl I am.  

Again, I need to get a grip.  Really.

REALLY.

Aaaaaaaaaanyway.  Here's a couple of pictures to try and draw focus from how pathetic and juvenile I am.

Did it work? 

Oh. 

I'll just have to try again tomorrow.