Bloomin' YUM!

Check out these new flowers from Prima. If you go onto their main website you'll see all the new CHA 2010 releases;
http://www.primamarketinginc.com/index.php?page=7&cat_id=&cat_id2=109.
I find manufacturers direct websites always amazing for ideas, and to see what new products are coming through.

I'm starting to source yummy products for the 8x8 Retreat Album, and this is just the sort of gorgeousness I'm after, and OMG their papers are also devine - do hope we can get them here in the UK. I just love all this grown-up girly chic that's very "now".

It's the boy's birthday today, so just a quick update today to let you know where I'm surfing - if you spot great ideas/products that you think would be perfect to use in the Retreat Album, then let me know!

Big hugs
debs
x

Photograph Your Jewelery!

Aaaah back in the security of my blog, which I now realise is such a safe haven. Where my fellow creative friends can catch up with my ramblings, hopefully get inspired to be creative, and also perhaps get a little confidence and reassurance from my wacky thought process that life is beautiful.

Well did I need to practice all my positive affirmations and life coach myself and the boy and mini scrapper over the past few days. On Thursday we returned from our day to find our house had been burgled....they have taken all that is precious and more...everything electronic wii, laptop, cameras, ipods - annoying but replaceable, but then they hit our bedrooms to take all our jewelery. Just took the lot! from my mum's things, my engagement ring to my £2 costume jewelery. Absolutely awful feeling to know its all gone....but as the days have gone on, I've realised the value in being a scrapbooker! you train your mind to remember. I can tell you pretty much where every piece of jewelery was bought, the country, the feeling I had as the boy said "it looks gorgeous on you, let's have this one", my handmade ring being delivered to the hotel and being so excited about taking a look at it, wearing my Mum's ring with pride at my 40th Tea Party...and guess what they can't take those memories from us!! Also the wackos didn't get our wedding rings as I had mine on, and the boy's was tucked into his jewelery case which they obviously just didn't spot so we still have these symbols of love from our wedding day.

And guess what as I look in my albums, I've found lots of pictures wearing my things, so again I have lots of memories that they simply can't have. (also extremely helpful with putting together the long list for the police and insurance company!).

So lessons to my lovely and creative friends;
* wear your jewelery - just because! don't wait for a special occasion, wear it to the supermarket just because you can.
* take photos of all your things and maybe make a mini album "all about my jewelery".
* get your photos off your laptops!!! I know I know don't I always say that. Either back up or put onto discs.
* cover a gorgeous shoe box and label it Receipts - let's be those old ladies that keeps receipts so our kids find them years later hidden in with the cereal.
* actually think about the hiding places you have - yep I had money in my nicker drawer, not to hide from burglars but I'd got money out of the cash point to buy the boy some birthday presents so he didn't see the receipts on the bank statement to give him any clues.

So enough yucky news, this is Debs Winrow writing this, the girl of "bounce back", just to let you all know that I am getting really close now to announcing the next Retreat! Yippee!!! It will be either Sunday 27th June or Sunday 4th July. We'll be making an 8x8 album with a difference! Well what would you expect!

OK so think "an afternoon of creative decadence with a village hall vintage vibe!!!". The album will be made with mixed media, from the softest tissues to corrugated cardboard, fabrics to blooms, french magazines to flocked wallpapers.

Just watch this space, as it will go on the website and here on the blog next weekend!

Take care everyone, and have a great rest of the weekend!
Debs
x

Through the eyes of the camera

Love to find 5 minutes to catch up on reading others blogs, and just love Ali Edwards latest challenge of capturing a week in her life. Check it out here www.aliedwards.typepad.com. Anyway I went upstairs to photograph some more layouts for my gallery which I'm desperately trying to finish loading, follow this link to see them, and just had to take a picture of my work area...how can I sometimes make so much mess? Imagaine if I was doing her challenge - would I need to tidy up first, cos when you look at her gorgeous creative space it looks so wonderful. Actually mine looks so much better through the lens of the camera and as a picture - looks all creative and colourful, when the reality is its just a big mess and I should really try and find places for everything. Trouble is I'm spilling out of this tiny room, sometimes having to back out on tip toes not to disturb little piles that mean something to me but knowone else. Maybe that's the trick, just photograph everything in an arty way then mess is necessary - will stick to that wisdom for today!
Hope you are all having a fab Wednesday!
x

Scrap Saturday Layouts

Had heaps of fun teaching the girls these 3 layouts on Scrap Saturday this weekend. Each layout carries handmade embellishment pieces, from a 3D Heart to Paper Bunting to the popular Fat Bird! I love to make my own pieces on layouts so that each and everyone is unique. Hope these give you lots of inspiration!
xx

Fred does Elvis!

Sometimes I realise that the mini scrapper is still only 7 and just needs her Mummy to simply PLAY with her...she was so cool being really good for about 2 hours whilst I worked upstairs, so I finally gave in and had a wonderful game of Barbies with her. Actually I quite like dressing them up, so when I relax and get into it, its good fun. As Barbie got kidnapped, we needed to recruit the famous Mystery Team of Scooby and friends. Obviously there was a plan of surprise, complete with fab disguises....we sorted through the Barbie clothes box and came up with the following;
Fred Jones - Elvis
Daphne - Priscilla - Elvis's chick
Thelma - a french can can dancer

Shaggy - a scientist
Scooby - a french poodle
I know I probably didn't need to tell you all that, as it's pretty obvious!! LOL They just looked so cute all lined up by the fire that I couldn't resist sharing. Isn't childhood a wonderful thing - love being part of my daughters!
Here's a sneak peak at what I was playing with upstairs today ready for Scrap Saturday.

Hope your day was great too!
x

Fabric Scrapping

Had to nip up to London for an unexpected meeting today, so took mini scrapper with me, as we both love an excuse to visit the big smoke. After our meeting we went to the V&A museum and took them up on the Easter Holiday activities, which included quizzes and activities in the India exhibition. Then it was onto the kids exhibition where we had to find an interesting shape from around the museum, and draw it, then find and draw our favourite patten and then combine the two to make a patchwork square.
After this was achieved, me a Buddha head, mini scrapper a Japanese dragon featured on a kimono, we went back to the art room and were presented with some scraps of felt and some fabric, a sticky and battered glue stick and a pair of plastic scissors. I know I'm a craft snob, but just went with the flow,and tried to recreate my Buddha head, got really cross when I couldn't find any black felt - you know me and my splash of black on everything. Anyway as you can see I may need to stick at my day job of playing with paper - as I don't think I'll win any rewards for this project. Mini scrapper's is great as usual.

Was very restrained in the shop as well, which was filled with lots of lovely papers and cards, and just bought 1 card that will make a great template.
Hope your days went well!
x

Day starts with a Gift!

Welcome Spring for sure this time? well not convinced 100% but definitely just going to enjoy the sunshine and warmth all weekend as predicted, in between quite a lot of work due to tight deadlines, an easy afternoon tea with a girlfriend (sent the boy off to buy a round cake from Lidls to make the butterfly cake)supper out with fav friends, as the mini scrapper is having a sleep over, and a nice breakfast with friends tomorrow - not bad plans at all!!! Anyway as the title suggests the boy nipped out to get some paint etc for redoing the porch and front door - it soooo needs to be done so am extremely pleased he fancies a little diy today. Just as he went back outside he said "oh I've bought you a present"...now the mind boggles as he's only been to Wickes and Lidls, but I still fantasised about perhaps new door furniture in stainless steel, perhaps some chocies, flowers, a bottle of bubbly...came down the stairs and thought oh no its sandpaper as there is a whole new pack by the door - actually I have been asking for more fine sandpaper for my tool kit so thought this is quite cool....as I walked through the dining room, thinking how nice it is to have the french doors open and booted up my laptop, I then spied my present - least I guess its for me... a compost converter!!!! now I know there are lots of old jokes about buying ya missus a kettle or a hover for Christmas to guarantee a quick divorce, but I wonder if compost converters hold up in court - LOL!!! a lot. This is very typical of my boy, owning a landscaping company he sees all sorts of amazing things for the gardens, regularly does Chelsea etc, but every now and then he goes all practical on us and buys us presents like this! Of course its a fab idea and we have been talking about it for ages...I'll just need to buy one of those amazing vintage tin compost bins for the kitchen now...ha ha this present has just got expensive!
Have wonderful weekends..let me know if you get weird love gifts too!
x

Yummy and Quick Cake Idea

Thought today was all planned, busily sat doing some sewing on a really uncomfortable bench whilst mini scrapper had a tennis lesson, planning to then drop her off at Grandmas and off to the office to get my head down on boring but very necessary paperwork....all until bless her my Mum in law rang to say "I've been bitten by a dog can you come and get me"...well of course no plans can't be changed especially when someone needs you, so after much plan changing and ferrying around she was stitched up, given bottles of antibiotics to rattle around inside her and my day then started...at about 3pm. I know woman are supposed to be really good at multi-tasking which actually I think I am, but don't you hate days when you seem to start lots of things and don't seem to finish any of them!

So determined not to miss out on updating my blog, with nothing creative or any new photos, I just want to show you CAKE - to inspire you, to tease you, to tempt you into making at the weekend. Simply buy (or make if you are clever or have time), and cut into small cake size pieces. Make some chocolate icing, and cover the cake pieces all over, then roll in coconut. Leave on a rack to dry. When set, simply cut in half and add whipped cream and pop back together - Yipppeeee delicious lamingtons - a real favourite in any New Zealand cafe - you can even just do plain icing and colour it pink if you prefer pink lamingtons.

ENJOY!
Debs
x

Butterfly Card & Envelope

Loved teaching this tiny 4x4 Butterfly Post Card with matching envelope yesterday at the Eternal Maker in Chichester. I especially love the matching envelopes made from a 6x12 piece of paper. Simply find a smallish envelope, carefully undo all the seams and make yourself a template. Just be careful not to go too big, as it could then take a whole sheet of 12x12 paper which might make the envelope a bit expensive. If you are worried about the envelope going in the post, there's no reason why you can't simply write on a plain ol' white envelope and pop your beautiful one inside. They would also make great secret journalling pockets for your albums and layouts.

Have Fun!
Debs
x

Mrs Egg and Friends

Hope everyone had a lovely Easter, filled with lots of laughter and of course lots of chocolate! Following my new Easter Egg idea from last year, I invented Mrs Egg! a rather strange looking chick, ready to party all night, yet relax in front of the scrap table on occasion, Mrs Egg was greeted with cries of joy from Holly as usual, with the obvious and very "Holly" determination that of course Mrs Egg can't be eaten! Lucky I learnt this from last year, so simply filled up the pick and mix sweet pot and wrapped this up as well so she can at least eat these. I simply used a tube of icing to stick on the sweets for Mrs Egg's features, made a tutu out of material and of course used my new butterfly template that makes great wings!

On a more serious creative note I also made her a cute Fat Bird card from my new Fat Bird templates - I love all the colours and am having really great fun making these birds from lots of funky papers - watch out for my NEW Fat Bird Kit that I'm putting together which will give you the templates, include lots of funky papers, plus cute buttons ready for the eyes! The kit will let you make 12 cool birds. Let me know if you'd like me to put one aside for you by sending me a quick email debs@thescrapbookcompany.co.uk. They will retail at £4.95. I'm trying to put lots of new kits together, and will launch them on the website within the next 2 weeks. What kind of kits would you love to buy - lots of ideas at the moment, but would love to hear from you all!

Have fun!
debs
x

Treat yourself to Spring!

Spring seems to be struggling to get here, maybe its me, but I think clocks changing, Easter arriving, Summer School terms about to begin and the 1st of April should be the start of Spring. Mr Weather obviously doesn't agree. So I decided to treat myself to Spring in the house by buying a wonderful bunch of spring flowers. I love the heady smell of the freesias and the colour of the tulips are just gorgeous. Of course in typical "Debs" style I now what to completely spring clean and re-decorate, so the £6 investment in Spring now wants to turn into hundreds. I want scented candles, new flowery accents and some new bright coloured cushions for the sofa...maybe I'll just treat myself to a Living Etc magazine and dream for a little while longer.

Wasn't it wonderful yesterday to have a whole day to do what you wanted knowing that you have another 3 days to enjoy. Unfortunately the boy had to work bless him, so Holly and I read Pookie in bed (a favourite book of my childhood), made a crazy breakfast of cucumber, salami and breadsticks with ginger and lemon tea, and danced to the ipod in our nighties like lunies round and round the living room - a great way to start our Easter break, (and another brilliant reason why I'm not quite ready for webcam!!!!).

Off to do an Easter Egg hunt in the woods where we choose one or two daddies to run ahead and hide the eggs. We all take picnics and I'm guessing today will have to crash at someones house to eat them as the weather looks a bit dodgy.

Enjoy your day!