2012

I promised I'd be back with my plans for 2012 so here I am!

With this promising to be such a big year for me, rather than setting 'resolutions' as it were, I felt that my hopes for this year were better expressed in a different way.  I have always liked the way SJ, and various other bloggers that I follow, choose a word of the year.  I'd never really been able to think of one before but in the last few weeks of 2011 one just kept springing to mind and ever since it's just felt more and more appropriate.  So my word for 2012 is.......

This is a word which just seems to cover lots of different aspects of my life and how I hope it will develop in the coming year.  I hope to.....

I hope to be inspired by the people I work with on placement and fingers crossed, my first job.  On that note I also hope to inspire someone to employ me!! I hope to be inspiring to the children I work with and also be inspired by their constant enthusiasm.

Creatively I hope to be inspired, I am not anticipating as much time to craft this year as I have been lucky enough to have before so some help with ideas might mean I get more done!  Having said that, in some small way I still hope to inspire someone with my creativity, maybe just one of my blog readers!!  Part of the reason I chose this word was because someone said to me just before Christmas, that I had inspired her to pick up a pair of knitting needles for the first time in years, and just yesterday someone else told me that I had inspired her to learn to crochet.  I have to say that I found both comments hugely flattering and was really touched.

So hopefully, during the year, I hope to be able to update you with this.  I also have plans to document this word in a layout which I will share with you soon.

In 2012 I am also looking forward to......

Welcoming my best friend's baby into the world (and knitting/crocheting lots of gifts!!)

Seeing another best friend get married (so excited!!).

Finishing and hopefully passing my course (I've had a good start to this today with a fantastic start to my final placement!)

Graduating (again!!)

Getting a job.

Completing a 'document' style project, albeit a much simpler version.

And just generally having another fab year.

I hope 2012 is a good one for you too!!

xxxxx

(Images from Pinterest)

2011 A Round Up

So back at the beginning of January I shared this layout and my goals for the coming year.  I always go back to these at the end of the year and see how well I've done.  This year they were fairly simple but achievable.

 This was them.....

And on the whole I've done very well with them.

1. Get more DT work. This is one that I addressed almost immediately by joining the Banana Frog DT in January.  Unfortunately it ended a while back because my uni work had to come first but it was a great creative achievement.

2. To carry on doing well and enjoying my course.  Well I've managed that, I got through my first block placement and did very well, and I've just had a ball, this course is the best thing I've ever done.

3. Get through placements.  I think I covered that above!

4. Keep well.  Done....this year has definitely been my most well year since 2006, I've still had my moments but I'm definitely so much better.

5. Develop my scrapping style, scrap less but pay more attention to detail.  Developing my style is something I always strive to do as it keeps things fresh and interesting, this year as I have had so much less time to scrap I think I have tried to savour it more and have managed to pay much more attention to detail.

6.  Have fun and spend more time with my friends.  This one was more prominent in 2011 than I could have imagined. It has been an amazing year with my friends, with lots to celebrate, engagements, weddings, baby news.  New friendships were created that I know will last a lifetime.  Existing friendships have lead to new extended groups of friends who have provided some big laughs and really fun memories.  I have built friendships at uni that have proved to be so supportive and I know I wouldn't have got through the course without them.  Have also had so much fun with my family who continue to be as crazy as ever and certainly know how to have a good time!

So all in all I think I can safely say 2011 was a good one! 2012 promises to be such a huge year for me so I'll be back soon to share my plans for it xxxx

Document 2011: December

So one final installment of 2011 to share with you...here goes December...

The pocket page, I used one of the little hearts that I crocheted as they featured quite heavily this Christmas, but more on that in another post! The pocket is packed with lots of bits and pieces, gift tags, place settings and a few photos that I didn't have space for.

 My focus page is a non Christmassy one, my nephews 18th...

 The first section of this one had to be covered up because it is a photo of the school nativity play, then there was Jan's 80th birthday party which was probably more raucous than your average 80th birthday party!!

 My last day volunteering in school, staff night out, my Christmas craftiness!

 Because of not doing a Christmas journal this year and having too much to fit in I decided to do two divided pages this month.  Christmas eve, my dessert table that I slaved away at, Chewie's Christmas jumper...too cute, Christmas Day.

 More Christmas day, a party with the girls and New Years Eve.

So that's 2011 all done and documented.

Back soon with my plans for a 2012 project xxx

Document 2011:November

Happy New Year!!

Hope 2011 was a good year for you and 2012 is treating you well so far!!

Before I share my round up of 2011 and my plans for 2012 I though I should catch you up with my Document 2011 project.  It's finally finished, it felt like a bit of a drag towards the end but I'm so glad I did it otherwise I don't think I'd have scrapped much this year at all!!

So this is November...

Because of my birthday and wanting to save a few special cards, the pocket page became a pocket on a pocket page!! All the pocket pages are now home to the corresponding page from my 2011 calendar too, so I can see exactly what I did each month.

The focus page was my night out for Emily's birthday.  We went in a limo and everything!!

 Divided page number 1...I ran out of divided protectors this month and as I haven't enjoyed them much I didn't have any intention of buying a big pack when I only needed a couple so I improvised! Had to be creative with these as I spent most of November holed up writing my essay! Few more snapshots from the big night out, my birthday.....

 In my rush to get the album finished and my desperation to find something to fill November's pages I inadvertently managed to use the same photo twice...oooops! More birthday, a wine/takeaway night, and the sports awards.

Back tomorrow with December xxx

A Few More.....

Taking five minutes out of the Christmas madness to put my feet up for five minutes and share with you a few more of the wedding layouts.

This is one of David waiting for the ceremony to start.......

 I know you will have seen this one!

 The first half of a DLO....

 And the other half......

 And finally another that I'm pretty sure I would have already blogged

The next few days promise to be completely manic so I will take this opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas.

See you on the other side!!

xxxxxxx

It's Done!

Merry Christmas!! I know.....it's been too long! So what have I been up to since I last blogged?? Well quite a bit, I turned 28..arrrrgggghhhh!! I submitted my final essay and completed the uni phase of my course, all bar one day in the new year.  I've had a busy term in school, as well as the small matter of preparing for Christmas!


Not much crafting has been happening, except for Christmas presents, one of which is the wedding album I have been working on for one of my best friends.  She got married in May and I planned to give them their wedding album on their first anniversary but seeing as she will now be 38 weeks pregnant on their anniversary I thought she'd have a little more time to enjoy it if I gave it to her now.  It has been a massive undertaking with a whopping 30 layouts but I've done it....by the skin of my teeth....but I have finished!!! I know I have already shared some layouts with you but it's easier to repeat a few rather than try and work out which ones you've already seen!




First an introductory page with space for them to write the engagement story......

 I collected all the information on choosing her dress so I could include it in a page....

 A simple one of the dress close ups.......

 Emma getting ready.......

 Emma and her niece finishing the flowers.......

Back soon with a few more pages xxxx

No You're Not Seeing Things, I Am Blogging!!

My apologies for my recent lack of blogging! I don't really know where the last few weeks have gone!!   So what have I been doing? Well, I've spent a lot of time reading and researching for my final essay which is due in one month from today, arrrrgghhh!!! I also had half term where I doggy sat, spent some time with my friends, helped one of them choose her wedding dress, cooked twice (shock horror!!), did a bit of knitting, spent too long on pinterest and spent loads of time with my head in a book.  It's been pretty busy, and not looking like it's gonna slow down anytime soon. Over the next month I have an English test (tomorrow), Maths and Science assessments, a tutorial which involves another piece of written work and while all this is going on I have the small matter of the big essay, scary!!

In amongst the madness, I have managed to squeeze in the odd half hour in the craft room.  I've done a couple of layouts and made a start on document October which I will share at another time.

Firstly I did this one for the wedding album which is very nearly done.  I used the Crate Portait collection which is proving to be so perfect for this album.

This was a bit of a fun layout to do.  I love this photo of me, at a different wedding party, it just seems to sum up what a crazy, fun night it was and how I truly let my hair down.  I used the Crate Random collection which I am totally in love with.  I also used some Sassafras stamps and some paint splatters.

I WILL be back soon to share some knitting and crochet projects and hopefully my doc October.  I also seem to have a rapidly growing pile of photos to scrap so I really hope I might be able to allow myself a scrappy day sometime soon!

TFL xxx