2012 A Round Up

Happy New Year Blogland!!

I hope you've all had a very happy Christmas and that 2013 is treating you well so far.

I had a fab Christmas, very restful after the busiest 3 months of my life.....but fear not it was not all rest...managed a good bit of play too!!

One of the things I really enjoy doing at the start of the new year is to look back to my first blog post of the previous year too see what my hopes were for the year ahead.  I always find this gives me an opportunity to reflect on the past year and really appreciate what has happened before thinking about my plans for the year ahead.

So 2012 for me revolved around my one little word.....

I have to say I have really enjoyed having a word of the year, it's just made me think about things in a different way and really gave a different spin on New Years Resolutions.

This time last year I was in my first few days of my final placement....oh how long ago that seems now.  It was amazing and truly set me up for the start of my career.  So obviously my main hope was to inspire someone to employ me, which if I'm honest couldn't have gone better....I got the first job that I interviewed for after a very small amount of applications, in a school that I completely love and I couldn't be happier.

Following on from that I hoped to inspire the children I work with, which from the feedback I've got so far from parents and colleagues, plus the endless 'best teacher' notes and pictures I get handed....I think I managed that too!

Creatively it feels like a quiet year compared to previously, but I have surprised myself by finding a lot more time than I would've thought.  I've definitely scrapped a lot less but have spent a lot of time being creative in the kitchen, as well as a bit of crochet and even tried my hand at some Cath Kidston tapestry.

So the other events I was looking forward to in 2012 were.....

Welcoming my best friends baby into the world......he arrived the day after my interview, I spent the day before nervously waiting for phone calls about the job and about the baby!! He is gorgeous and I am completely smitten!!!

Seeing another best friend get married......

It was amazing!! Just the best day and we had a lot of fun in the run up as well.

Finishing and passing my course and graduating again....

Done....and what a feeling it was!! Never thought I'd do it once let alone twice.

Getting a job.....already covered that!!

And completing a 'document' style project of the year....not quite finished yet but it will be.  I'm not entirely happy with the format I chose but that will just help me get it right next year!

So all in all a pretty good year.  

I'll be back soon with my plans for 2013.

Thanks for sticking through a mammoth post and for following my little blog for another year.

xxxxx

Three More

I am still amazed, being as busy with work as I am, that I have found time the last couple of months to scrap!

I treated myself to a little bit of new stash and made these....

 Me and my friend Jayne on one of our last nights out before she moved to Oz.

 Me and Kerrie shopping in town during the Olympics.

My mad friends Sarah and Sam at Jayne's leaving do.

That's all for now!! xxx

iCraft

A while ago I spotted an iPhone cover on Pinterest that I immediately knew I just had to have! It was a rubbery cover with holes in to cross stitch your own pattern on.  I chose one of the designs that came with the cover that looked like the Apple logo.

After I had been using it for a while I got some admiring comments from two of my friends so as their birthdays were approaching I bought a couple more.

This time I used patterns from the Cath Kidston 'Stitch' book.

I have to say I am quite jealous now! I wish I'd had the book when I made mine...I want a pretty one!  Ah well, at £3.99 they don't break the bank...I might have to make another!

TFL xxx

A Speedy Ripple

This little blanket was a quick project for the arrival of a friend's baby.  As he was the baby who got me a job (I'm doing his Mum's Mat leave) it had to be a good pressie!

It's just a little car seat/pram size and was made mainly using scraps that I had around, it felt like a really satisfying project as I knew I was making good use of wool that would otherwise have not been used.

I'm pleased to say that Sophie really liked it!

TFL xxx

Snuggly Lego

Way back at the beginning of the year, I began working on a little project that I'd found on Pinterest.  I adapted the colours slightly as I wanted to include a green border, I also adapted the pattern too, instead of having 6 stitches on the hook for the bobble stitch I made it 8 to make them more pronounced.

This is how the bricks looked to start off with, I then added the green border to each brick and joined them together in rows.

  I added a wide green border to the whole thing and voila!

 The blanket was for my nephew Max, he loves to have a blanket over his knees and he is the biggest Lego fan ever so I knew this would be right up his street!  As I finished in September I decided to save it for his birthday.  He was thrilled with it, as were the rest of the family.

 He had it over his knees for the whole day and wouldn't go to bed without it!

I'm so pleased that he loved it!

TFL xxx

30 Things.....

This time next week it'll be my birthday....it's not a big birthday but kind of a milestone, and one I've been dreading a little bit.  It's my last twenty something birthday and it feels a bit scary!! Who knows what I'll be like this time next year (think Joey in Friends...why God???!!!)

A few weeks ago I stumbled across an idea on a blog....I forget which........apologies if it's you!! The idea was a list of 30 things to do in your thirtieth year.  As I was about to embark on my thirtieth year I thought it might be a fun thing to do so I set about writing a list.

It's not a hugely ambitious list, it's more like a list of prompts......some things are quite 'big' but others are more simple.  Some are things I've wanted to do for ages and some are just a reminder of what I want to be like every year. Some are related to work, and others to hobbies and passions that I don't want to be forgotten because of the hectic nature of my job.

Anyway, here it is.....

Learn how to decorate cake pops properly...mine are always rubbish!

See at least 1 live gig 

Go to the theatre 

Make at least 1 thing from pinterest per month

Scrap at least 1 layout a month

Get a tattoo

Go on holiday.....already booked!

Meet up with some blogging/twitter friends.....under discussion!!

Buy a new car....done today!!

Complete a document/yearbook style project

See a live comedy show

Crochet a blanket for me

Achieve a better work/life balance.....tricky to measure but one I need to be reminded of!

Eat proper Macarons

Go camping with friends

Learn to fondant ice a cake

Watch live motor racing 

Find a permanent (or less temporary!) job

Be spontaneous......a quality I always aspire to but need reminding!

Take more photos on an actual camera not a phone!

Go on a plane......booked!

Spend a few hours in my craft room per week

Be part of a choir concert

See my own class in a christmas play

Complete my NQT year

Dance more often

Make a Christmas journal

Try new recipes 

See 2013 in in style

Live, laugh, love....just generally have a happy and fulfilling year.

I've already got plans in place for some, and others I hope will just happen.  I won't beat myself up if I don't do them...it's just for fun.  I'm also hoping to document them in some way so that I have a record of the year before my big 3-0.

So, here's to the next year!!

xxxx

500

My apologies for not blogging but I knew that this was my 500th post so it had to be a decent one!  As luck would have it, despite settling down to a full on career, my mojo has returned big time and I have to say it is proving to be a lovely way to wind down for an hour after work a couple of nights a week.  So, I have not 1, not 2 but 5 layouts to share with you!!!

This is one of my fave photos with one of my favourite quotes, scrapped with OA Woodland Park papers.

 Another one with Woodland Park, a pic from my camping trip, a instagram one...yes I'm hooked! And my first go at chevrons.

This one's a mix of papers and some pics from last year.

 I absolutely love this collection (more Woodland Park) mainly because I am obsessed with peacock feathers at the moment.  One of the few photos from my graduation ceremony....if you zoom in you will see Mary Berry (wearing a mortar board next to the bald man!)

And finally, one hot off the press this evening, using brand new OA Midway collection, a really fun one with a pic from a night out.

Let's hope this phase lasts and boosts my blogging mojo too!!

TFL xxx