Dream Banner

You know when you keep looking at something and you aren't sure you are quite done or not?  OK, this is one of those projects!!  It is up temporarily for two things, one to photograph and two for me to decide if I need to do anything to it!! 

The papers are Amy Butler and I think they will look fine in my scraproom back home... at least I hope so as it won't look fine anyplace else in my house!! LOL  I used my Martha Steward border punch... I really like that punch,

and I used 1/2" owires and my BIA to punch holes in the tops of the banner pieces to thread onto the ribbon, the idea for which I borrowed from a fellow DT'er over at Bind It All, Jennifer, who makes the most stunning banners!! 
It is Friday here... and I guess it is also Friday where you are!!  But our Friday is Sunday.... so we have the day off and I think Chris has plans to play with his dead people (geneaology) so I am in the scrap room preparing materials for the scrap class on Sunday.

WOYWW

or What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday!!  I was so impressed at how neat and tidy Julia's desk was last week that I thought I would let her know that I have my untidy moments when actually making something is more important than cleaning it all away... not really on Julia's scale of untidy though!! ;)

as you can see, I am having a play with some big monograms that I am hoping will turn into something to decorate my scraproom at home.

oh and following Julia's lead I'll let you lot see the rest of this little space that saves my sanity! If I turn around... this is a shelved section of my temporary scraproom.

and on the other wall are bookcases that are stuffed with all sort of (s)crap stuff!

Hmmm... ok Julia, maybe the cupboards could do with a tidy up!!

Anniversary Card

This is my attempt at a 25th anniversary card to go with the tag book... I think it suffered from leaky elbow syndrome because in my head it wasn't quite that dark looking, but Trudie loved it, so no worries!! LOL

and its isn't green... not sure why it turned out like that in the photo, must be the light in the kitchen!!  It was dark greys and pewters in real life.  I used my new Martha Stewart border punch which is fab as even with all those tiny holes it still went through cardstock without any problem.

Tag Board 'Book'

It's my friend Trudie's and her husband's 25th wedding anniversary this Sunday so I sat and had a play this morning and came up with this.

Trudie has taken to scrapbooking after the classes I have been doing and is now a full blown scrap addict just like the rest of us.  When we were at the Ladies Valentine's Lunch Trudie picked the gift that I had wrapped... for the tags I had tied it up with!! LOL  Sadly, she had it 'stolen' from her during the present laughter and had to pick another gift... which I promptly 'stole', so she had to go and pick another gift... which Rose 'stole' from her immediately after that!!  Poor Trudie, she didn't stand a chance and it caused much hilarity among us women.  I thought a tag type book would make up for it... and she can either fill it and leave it as is or she can break it up and use the tags in an anniversary album of her own.
I have to admit, I find it very restful playing with chipboard, all that therapeutic sanding and inking is such a relaxing thing to do. 

I found these little glass bottles with cork tops in a cheapy shop in downtown Jubail so I filled it with a mixture of Doodlebug sugar coatings and it looks quite cute hanging off the front cover.  I paid a fortune for those sugar coating things and have never used them because it always leaves a sugary trail on anything I have done.... so it's great to have found a use for them at last!! ;)

Two days in a row?

I know, I am as amazed as you are!! ;)  I had a lovely time at the ladies Valentine's Lunch yesterday, such a good laugh with all the present 'stealing' that went on!!

The table was beautifully decorated and there wasn't a newspaper wrapped gift among them all!!

These are all the ladies at the dinner.... except Clasi, who took all the photos.. and what brilliant photos she took!!

Clasi made a montage of photos for each of the ladies... you will be seeing more of this in a mini book very soon!!

This is the card I made for Isabel who is celebrating 30 years of marriage today!!  Wooo hooo!  That is an achievement indeed in this day and age... and even more so when you take into account the lives we lead.

This is still one of my favourite stamps... a gift from Candice and it never fails to make me smile!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Yep I know, you all thought I'd gone on vacation and fallen off the edge of the world and vanished into the ether of the interwebs... well, let me tell you, all those people who think that expat wives just sit about bored all day are absolutely wrong!  My diary is full to overflowing with things I have to do, what with Arabic classes, scrap lessons, weird dice games that sound like a WW2 places to hide (think it was Bunko), cooking demonstrations, more scrap lessons and preparing for a class... I'm finding it increasingly diffficult to keep up with the normal daily events of cleaning and cooking and occassionally ironing (which reminds me, Chris did mention last night that he might need a clean shirt in the next day or two as the hangers in his wardrobe were getting very empty looking)!! 

Oh and its Valentine's Day!!  I was spoiled, very spoiled as Chris bought me the most beautiful bag for my gift... it is so me!!  Pssst, I think I may have got it by default because we were at home in Scotland on vacation and in this store buying some Yankee candle stuff to bring back tot Saudi and I turned and saw this shelf of handbags.... oh my, it was love at first sight!!  If I am honest, I think I may have done a pretty good interpretation of a two year old at the sweet counter in Tesco's... I wasn't leaving unless the bag went with me!!  It's a scrappers bag if the scrapper happens to be a cat lover... it appealed on all levels, beautifully designed, lovely to look at and fun too.  If I say the name Ruth Pinnock you might understand... she of Radley bags design fame?  She has her own line now called Ciccia and they are the most divine bags ever!

This is my bag... it's called 'Damn Cat'.... isn't it lovely?

Well, I was sitting at my desk and had a play and came up with this!!  (Hopefully Ruth won't be too upset with me, it is definitely a scraplift but only in the most complimentary way)!!  I am going to make a mini book with photos of my cats to fit inside it.

Here I am teaching the Valentine's matchbook class... and yes, after 6 hours that t-shirt says it all!!

Here are all my ladies industriously beavering away.

This is the matchbook we made for our hard working husbands!! ;)

The matchbook has pockets which hold tags which in turn hold little credit cards with promise vouchers on the back!

and now I must be off to shower and do my hair as we have a ladies Valentine's lunch.  we have to bring a mystery gift which is randomly picked, then can be stolen twice before it finally settles with it's new owner... sounds like fun anyways!!  we were told to just wrap it in newspaper to make it easy to rip open... ummmm, nah, i am a scrapper, we don't newspaper!!  I used Basic Grey wrapping paper and made some vintage heart tags threaded onto the ribbon.

So, if I owe you an email (and I know I owe a few), you will now understand why its taking so long to get an answer!!  Hopefully things will calm down in a week or so, I have the prep done for the next scrap class and once the ironing mountain has vanished I will be back on form!!