Long time no post

Well it has been an awful long time since I last posted and I am sorry.  I damaged my shoulder which took me out for a few weeks and then work has been manic since and now we are at that time of year where it is all go go go until the end of term. 

I have been busy here behind the scenes crafting away when I can though.  I have a back up of photos to share with you, which I will do over the next few weeks.  These are my last few LOs that I have completed.

This is my son Joseph at his school concert.  I used scraps from a previous LO and some MM embellishments.  The papers are October afternoon.

This next one is my son Jack who is the grumpiest child ever. He had a face like this all because Jake had the spoon he wanted.  I wouldn't mind but all of our cutlery is the same!!!!  I  can't remember which papers I used but the sketch is #123 from The Scrappiest.

I love this next page and it took me ages.  I have used some papers I got from a Sarah's Cards grab box.  The embellishments are just random ones from the embellishment box.  The title was cut out from a Sizzix alphabet and then embossed with a wood grain and then inked up.  It is of my son Joseph again when we recently went to a local Forest.



Thank you so much for looking and taking the time to comment.  I have been so busy I haven't been around visiting but I am going to try and get around you all in the next few days.

Laura x

Boy Racer

Evening all.  I had crop on Saturday I didn't manage much as I have done something to my right arm/hand- and I can't get an appointment until Friday grrr!!!!!  This post will be short as I am having to type with my Left hand!!! 

I used the Counterfeit Challenge kit and a sketch from pagemaps.  The picture is of my oldest son at Legoland.

Thank you for all of your comments on my blog I am trying to get around you all x x

Laura x 

May Counterfeit Challenge Kit and add on

May already can you believe it??  Last month I took part in the Counterfeit Challenge and had so much fun.  I didn't use all of the kit but I had a good go and I am really pleased with the LOs I produced.  I am taking part again this month as it made my scrapping so much easier.  I love it it feels as if I have all new stash when actually I just dived in my stash and pulled out things to match lol.

Here is my main kit these are the papers.  I have a mixture of Cosmo Cricket,  and Crate paper.

These are from the scrap box - October afternoon and Making Memories.

Here are some of the stickers etc.  Crate paper, October Afternoon and Cosmo Cricket Letters.  I have already used some of the stickers but never mind.

Here are the embellishments I have a pot of brads, chipboard stickers, epoxy stickers, journalling cards from last months kit, SU ribbon and SU stamps.  I am using the Paper dolls dress up and Plantin Schoolbook Cricut cartridges. 

Here is my add on kit.  I went for a summery boyish feel.  The papers and die cut sheet are from a Me and My Big Ideas paper pack. 

I have a mixture of stamps from SU, Making Memories and Imaginisce. 

These are the extras - journalling cards SU ribbon and stamps, chipboard stickers jars of buttons. The punches are from Stampin' Up.



I am very happy with my kit and will be having a play at crop tomorrow.

Thanks for looking.

Laura x

WOYWW

Morning it's Wednesday again so it means that crafters everywhere are showing us what's on their desks.  Here is mine this morning, can you tell I am getting ready for crop?  The kit is a Sarah's Cards Kit from a few months back.  The notebook is my scrapping bible it has all of my sketches in there, tittle's and quotes I like, card sketches etc.  The basket is some cards I have recently completed at the LSS that are waiting to be photographed and blogged.  If you have any questions about my desk please just shout.

If you would like to see everyone else's desks please pop on over to Queen Julia who started this Wednesday tradition.  Did you know it has been going for 100 weeks?!! 

Thanks for looking

Laura x 

Last of Counterfeit Challenge

Well this is the last of what I made of the counterfeit challenge kit this month.  I still had a quite a bit left over but I had a fab time participating and have been very productive. I made 6 Los with the kit.  This has been really good as I have completed an extra 5 LOs this month too.  Usually I scrap at crop and do do the 2 LOs for my scrapbooking classes and that's it.  I will certainly be doing it all again on the 5th!!

Anyway here is the 1st LO.  It is the boys and I Mothering Sunday after they had just bought me breakfast in bed.

This next one is myself and Hubby.  He annoys me so much but my world wouldn't go round without him.  The only photo's we have together are from 'Mess' do's and I love this photo as it was taken by my brother at Legoland.

Thank you so much for looking

Laura x 

Thumb Sucker

Phew another week over and wow it's been busy!  So did you watch the wedding?  Wasn't it wonderful? She looked just like a princess out of a fairytale in that dress.  I have to admit I did shed a tear watching it lol but hey I'm always a sucker for a good love story! 

Anyway This is a LO I completed last weekend but have not got around to posting.  This is my youngest son Jack who sucks his thumb all of the time!  The problem is he didn't start until just after his 4th birthday!!

I used the Counterfeit Challenge kit again.  The letters are cut out with chipboard on the Big Shot, embossed and then painted.

Thanks for looking.

Laura x 

The Cake

Not the best photo sorry!  I have another LO I have completed using my Counterfeit Challenge kit. The story behind the photo is that I always make my children's birthday cake and whilst this one was on the rack cooling ready to be iced, my youngest son Jack came along and ate half of it!! That's why the decoration is a bit of a hodge podge lol.

Sorry for the short post today I am looking after oldest child as 1st day back at school and I have a poorly one- typical!

Laura x 

Nan and her boys

Morning all I am shattered today, we had another day out yesterday to Legoland and didn't get home until late. Anyway all of the housework done and the boys are occupied and as we have done so much these holidays I am taking the rest of the day off - well until dinner needs doing obviously!   Here is a LO I completed at crop.  My nan passed away last year and this is the first page I have done of her since. It was extremely difficult with the journalling as I had to describe her in a past tense which was strange.  This is her with two of my sons and my cousin Jamie.

The papers are Tilda Lavender. I thought the went perfect with the photo. The background is paper strips and ribbon layered up.  The flourish and the flower were cut on the Cricut.

Thank you so much for looking the scrapping mojo is still there and I have been scrapping away so please come back again.

Laura x 

Just Girls

A few weeks ago I went on a weekend away with my girlfriends to London.  We didn't go shopping just sight seeing, we were tourists in our own Capital City.  Obviously when going to London sight seeing the one place you go is Buckingham Palace, most of the statues were covered up for maintenance as apparently there is a wedding or something going on this month??????   The picture is of us girls on the steps of the Victoria Memorial.  We were all laughing because Kelly had made a comment about the bloke running off with my camera! 

Everything is from the Counterfeit Challenge kit.  The flower was cut out on the Big Shot.

I never ever do close ups of my LO's and I have to say it is one of my bug bears but I just wanted to show you what I have done here.  I wanted a strip of paper here but did not have one the same colour.  So I used extra wide sticky tape - the red one - and added flock to it.  It came out the perfect colour and added much needed texture to the LO.

Thank you so much for looking

Laura x 

I'm a little snowman

Morning I hope you are having a good start to the weekend.  As I have said I am in a scrapping mood lately and this is a LO I completed last week. It is of my youngest son Jack in his last pre school Christmas performance.  Jack was a snowman in a padded suit and had to sing I'm a little snowman short and fat.

The papers I have used are My Minds Eye - I think.  The snowman and letters were cut on the cricut and then run through the big shot with the Swiss dots embossing folder. 

Thank you so much for looking

Laura x 

Counterfeit Challenge LO #1

Good afternoon all if you saw WOYWW yesterday you would have had a sneak peak of this LO as I was right in the middle of it.  Well here it is all of the products were from the Counterfeit Challenge kit.  The brown wing and leaf in the top left hand corner are the other side of the paper. I handmade the flower just by cutting two circles, distressing them and then adding a brad.  The LO is my first Son Jake having his photo taken by the hospital photographer.  The only thing I am not happy with is I have done the journalling in pencil as I couldn't find the right colour pen so I will have to come back to that.

Thanks for looking

Laura x 

WOYWW

Good morning everyone I hope you are all well.  It has been an age since I have participated with WOYWW from this blog I usually do it from my SU one.  Anyway my desk is a bit messy and busy this morning.  It's not messy in a bad way though as I am in the middle of a LO.  I am doing a LO of my son using my Counterfeit Challenge Kit and you can see that I am colouring my chipboard letters.  You can see the LO on my glass cutting mat on the left hand side. The purse is in the window as I needed to buy ink cartridges last night - typical I get in the scrapping mood and the printer runs out of ink.  Oh and don't get me started on buying my ink from Tesco that's a whole other bloody post lol!!!! Anyway I think that's it any questions just shout.

If you would like to see loads of other desks please pop on over to the Queen of Wednesdays herself Julia

Laura x

Counterfeit Kit

Be warned this is very photo heavy.  I have been following the http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com/ for a while and I love it.  This is my first time at the challenge and have spent a few hours going through my stash making up the kit.

Here is my card stock there is a range of American Crafts, Stampin' Up, Bazzil and co-ordinations.

Here are my papers I have quite a selection as you can see.  I have selected Making Memories, Rusty Pickle, Scenic Route, Tilda, Basic Grey, K&co, Li'l Davis Designs, Urban Lily, 3 bugs in a rug, and Fancy Pants.

I also pulled these scraps from the scrap box.

This is a selection of ribbons, lace, felt, Aida, glitter and flock.

 This is some of the embellishments I have got a sheet of Chipboard shapes from Basic Grey Two Scoops.Fancy pants rub ons a selection of journalling notes from Making Memories and October Afternoon.  The Kraft coloured hournalling pieces are made from Stampin' Up Crumb Cake card stock with various stamps I had and ones I borrowed from Kelly.  In the kit there was a branch and some birds.  I cut these out using SU card stock and Make The Cut on my Cricut. The leaves are from Sizzix Little Leaves sizzlit.  The transparency and white tickets are from an old Sarah's Cards kit.

Here is a selection of buttons, brads, pins, flowers, bottle caps and chipboard.  The tags are actually chipboard Christmas ones but I am using the other side.

The kit included chipboard alphas but I am going to cut my own using Sizzix Block Party dies as I can just cut out what I need.  I will also be using the Stampin' Up bird punch and the exclusive Beautiful Wings embosslits which cuts and embosses at the same time.



Well if your still with me you deserve a medal lol.  I am so excited to use this kit now I feel as if I have had a stash delivery when actually it was all here already and it cost me nothing!!

Laura x

Crop

Good morning.  I went to my monthly crop on Saturday - Ludgreshall Crop and had a fab day cropping, eating, chatting and more eating.  I have been in a bit of a slump when it comes to scrapping lately, only scrapping at crops or for my scrapbooking class but I don't know what happened on Saturday but I am all fired up again to get scrapbooking.  I have even done two LOs at home since!!! 

Here is two LOs I did at crop.  This first one is of me when I was about 2.  I have had these papers in my stash for 4 years they are by Pink Martini.  I bought them at the Newbury show specifically for this picture.  I just had to rummage through all of my mums tins of photos to get it.

This next sketch is of my youngest son Jack playing with a toy camera which was free on a children's magazine. The papers are We R Memory Keepers and the embellishments are from Making Memories.  The stars are from the SU punch and the letters cut out with my Cricut.

I will be back later in the week to show you the the LO's.

Laura x x

Hello

Well I haven't blogged here for over 3 weeks sorry.  I have such plans for this blog too- I will get there don't worry.  I won't bore you with how busy life has been with working, hospital appointments etc but lets just say I am back.  No I do not have the time to post daily but there will be at least one a week. Anyway I have been crafting away and here is one of my recent LO's.  It's my hubby in his sexy army uniform.

 I used Basic Grey papers but am not sure which ones sorry. 

Sorry for the short post I am looking forward to coming and visiting your blogs x

Laura x

Menu Board

I hope you have all had a nice half term if you have had the week off.  I have something slightly different to show you today.  I wanted a menu board for the kitchen on a really small budget.  I bought a cheap clip frame A4 size from ASDA 68p I think and just slipped some paper behind.  I used some papers I already had in my stash papermania I think.  Sorry for the really crap photos. Any help on how to photograph glass?

I used the SU heart punch for the hearts and the letters were cut on my Expression.

Thank you for looking

Laura x x 

Saturday

What a horrible grey day it is here today. It's one of those days when I just want to curl under the duvet. Unfortunately that is not going to happen with 3 boys to entertain.

I have another LO here to share with you. This is of my 2 youngest boys in London. We were walking up the Embankment and they spotted him and were in complete awe.

The papers I used are Rusty Pickle - I think. I have some hidden journalling on a tag which is just about the boys reaction. The silver skulls are charms which I found on Ebay.

Thank you so much for looking I will be back in the week.



Laura x

Some LO's....finally!

I do apologise to all of you that have emailed me asking if I am okay - Thank you x I am fine it's just the weeks seem to be running away at the moment, no specific reason but I am full of great plans for blogging on a Monday and before I know it it's Sunday again and I haven't posted at all.  Anyway my LO's This first one is my DS3 who started school on January 10th, it was heartbreaking watching my youngest start school :-( I used October afternoon papers and embellishments. This next one is of my oldest child who is 8. I think the papers used are October Afternoon again. Thank you so much for looking Laura x

Hello

Hello all I hope you are okay. I am so sorry for not posting or visiting any blogs things have been rather busy here. My youngest has started school sob sob and I have been getting my SU business off the ground. I haven't quite got the balance right yet but am trying to make more time to craft for me. During the next week this blog will have some changes. As you can see I have already given it a makeover but will be adding other things. I will be posting my favourite recipes, sewing projects and some bits I have made for the house. There is so many crafts I want to try and I will be sharing them here. I will obviously be doing a lot of scrapbooking/cards on here too. Anyway I am getting papers ready for crop tomorrow so I will love you and leave you and will be back next week with quite a few blog posts. Oh and here is a sneak peak of the new room. Laura x

A boys card

One of things this year is to be more organised. For someone who crafts I run out of cards an awful lot, does that happen to anyone else? I have realised I send more cards to boys than I do girls, so it's all well and good making pink and flowery cards but the 9 year old boy at school really doesn't want a forever friends card know what I mean? Anyway I have been making up boys cards so when the boys tell me at 8.30 in the morning I need a card for Joe Bloggs at school I can be the domestic goddess and just go oh just go in the card draw and pick one - good aren't I? The card I made is using a free stamp off one other magazines around this month, coloured with copics (check me out). I used old Basic Grey Boxer and buttons with chipboard. I am entering the card in the following challenges http://designdollies.blogspot.com/ http://toptiptuesday.blogspot.com/ http://thesisterhoodofcrafters.blogspot.com/ http://aifactorychallenges.blogspot.com/ http://totallypapercrafts.blogspot.com/ http://stampchallenges.blogspot.com/ http://raisethebarchallenge.blogspot.com/ http://prairiefairyfridays.blogspot.com/ http://onestopcraftchallenge.blogspot.com/

Newsletter

I am starting a monthly newsletter (pdf link in email) about my promotions, stampers 10, classes, competitions, etc for my Stampin Up business. If you would like to be included in this please email me at laurameeksu@hotmail.co.uk. The emails will be going out the end of the week. Laura x

A quick card

Back in December it was a friends daughters birthday. I didn't have the time to spend ages on a card so out came the Forever Friends decoupage. I used papermania papers with it and I think it worked out really well. Sorry about the bad photo it was the only one I had x The craft room is finished and I will share pictures this week with you all. Laura x x

Teachers gifts

Well I know this is a bit late but I thought I would show you what I made the boys teachers for Christmas. I made them some peppermint bark which is so scrummy I had to make some more for me lol. I also made them some chocolate lolly's with cashew nuts and dried cranberries which I saw on Barefoot Contessa - love that programme. I decorated some plain paper bags with a retired Stampin Up stamp using Real Red ink pad. The cards are the same as the ones I made before using scraps of paper. The teachers were so pleased and it worked out so much cheaper. Sorry for the quick post I am supervising hubby whilst he is building some furniture for the Craft room. The room is chaos but the rest of the furniture gets delivered on Friday so I am spending the weekend getting it how I want it. I can't wait to show you all photos of how I have organised it all. Take care Laura xx Laura x

New Year

Happy New Year to you all did you have a good night? We had a wonderful night here with friends but after they left and we all got into bed I was woken by my 4 yr old sobbing with a poorly ear, so I spent the night cuddling him on the sofa. He seems better now which is good as I really don't like to see him upset. So then do you have any new year resolutions? I have a few this year give up smoking (patches bought and ready to start tomorrow), loose weight, pass my driving test, and the big one is to do something that makes me happy everyday whether it's baking, stitching, a soak in the bath in the middle of the day lol. I have a lot to share with you on this blog this year. My craft room is having a massive overhaul and being completely reorganised so I will be sharing my ideas with you. I am aiming to complete a mini book a month - a lady on UKS is running this. I am taking part in a few cooking challenges which I will put on here. I have quite a few stitched items I am hoping to complete this year. I am also hoping to learn how to use my sewing machine properly so hopefully I will have some items I can share too. One thing I am doing is going on a stash diet. I have far to much stuff and some of it I have kept for so long because I didn't want to cut into it, I am starting to go off it... So this is the year it will get used. I hope you all have a happy and healthy start to the new year Laura xx