Cycling in the Forest

Hello, hello :)

At the beginning of July we hopped over the border into Wales for a weeks holiday in Monmouth, we made a spur of the moment decision to hire bikes and go for a cycle ride in the Forest of Dean. I thought it would be great to make a pocket page about the day and use the few photos I took on my phone....

I chose this layout of four 6x6 pages...here are a few close ups..

The trailer was for our little terrier Rolo, he was a bit disgruntled at first because he'd rather have walked it but with him being thirteen we knew he couldn't do the whole route!

This was James's first bike ride unaided... we let him have control of a trike as he cannot balance a bike but he still needed a lot of reminders on looking where he was going and when to start using the brake!! We were so happy to see him complete the route but I think we all had more grey hairs and frayed nerves at the end than we started with !!

Most of the stamps and dies I've used are linked in my blog post over at Seven Hills Crafts here if you're interested.

Thanks for stopping by :)
Jenny

Hats Off to our Girl!!

Hi there :)

It's been a busy week but I've finally got a chance to share the Graduation card I made for our daughter, I cannot believe how quick these four years have gone. Hannah has worked so hard and enjoyed University life, we are so proud of her graduating with a First in Psychology from Bath University.

Onto her card.....well it had to be a special card and I knew I wanted to use the Hats Off stamps from Avery Elle so I thought I'd try a box card for something a little different...

I followed a tutorial online for the box assembly and then added the rows of hands and hats on acetate strips to give the impression of movement :)

I love how these cards can still fold flat although some of those hats did poke outside the folded footprint so I had to make an envelope to place the card in...

For more details and supplies please click here to go to my DT blog post over at Seven Hills crafts :)

I'm pleased to say they were able to throw their hats in the air for a group photo... and not have to photoshop them in afterwards as some Universities have suggested!!

Thanks for stopping by :)

Jenny x

Light It Up For Autism Awareness Blog Hop

                                           
As it's World Autism Awareness day today, I've something a little bit different on the blog. I'm joining in with the 'Light it up Blue for Autism Blog Hop' which has been organised by Veronica Zalis and Tenia Nelson.
I don't usually write much about family life on my blog but our 19 year old son is Autistic so any opportunity to bring awareness to Autism is a good one, especially if it involves crafting :)
We have so many fantastic sponsors that have shown their support for Autism awareness and you can see the complete list here.... if you would like the chance to win a prize from one of these fabulous companies leave a comment on this blog, and any of the other blogs participating in todays hop, the gallery of blogs can also be found here. Winners will be announced on Monday 6th April.

Well the colour theme for todays hop is, as the badge suggests, blue; so I decided to stop procrastinating about making a Project Life page and get to it..... and a page about our lad, James, seemed the perfect choice...

So this is my first PL page and I could make many pages on James and his autism but instead, I decided to focus on  the numerous school photos I have of James, which is a fair few... he's been at the same school now for almost 15 years. He attends a Special Needs school which caters for children from 4-19 years of age, he's been fortunate enough to join their various satelitte inclusion classes in local mainstream schools during some of those years which is a great way to raise awareness of autism amongst the mainstream pupils too. James finishes school this July and the daunting step of going to college awaits.

I have put my favourite photos together for this page, they show how he's matured from a baby-faced little boy into a handsome lad... okay, I know I'm biased :)

....and yes, as well as the classic 'missing tooth' photos we have the lovely 'graze across your nose' school photo too... don't they always pick the right time for accidents!!

The black and white photo was taken about a couple of years ago.... I wasn't sure how wearing a tie would go down with him... he loved it but he never came home with it in quite the same tidy knot. He could never tie it himself so had to learn how to remove it over his head for P.E lessons... not a problem now as he wears, what he calls, his 'home clothes' although he's not always great at selecting them appropriately :)

Looking at the photos above, James looks outwardly like any 'normal' mainstream child which is why Autism Awareness is so important. The spectrum is so vast and the children/adults on it are all so different, they do not have labels and nor should they... they do not fit one mold. Living with an autistic child or adult has it's ups and downs the same as any other, you just learn to deal with it differently and ultimately adapt your life accordingly. James is a very special person and his attributes far outweigh any problems... it's just that somedays you need to be constantly reminded of that ;)

Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you enjoy visiting the rest of the hop participants.... I certainly hope to grab some time over the weekend to visit some too :)

Jenny x

                                  

The Smallest grain of Sand and some holiday snaps

Well hello there... I haven't fallen off this planet!!!

It's taken me a while to get back to the craftroom since our holiday in Switzerland and when I have it's been DT stuff that needed attention but this weeks challenge at Less is More spurred me on to rummage through my stamps and create!!

The talented Hannelie is Guest Designing this week and as a nod to her location and blog name we have been given the theme of  SAND  for our cards this week. Now I have enough trouble with glitter so I wasn't about to bring sand into the craftroom as well!! but I did remember this stamp set and matching die from There She Goes lurking in my stash....

I thought it makes a brilliant encouragement card and hey, I used glitter too and yes.... I sparkled for the rest of the day!!! I wasn't sure what to use to make the pearl look 'pearly'... glossy accents just wasn't going to do the job so I have left it for the time being :0)

                                                       ***************************

I mentioned holidays pics in my last post and now that Hannah has downloaded them all from her camera I have a few to share with you. We went on a Great Rail Journeys holiday to Switzerland and travelled on the Glacier and Bernina Express whilst we were there and had a trip to Zermatt too. It's our second trip to Switzerland but a first for Hannah and James... in fact James has never set foot outside the UK before so it was quite different for him and unknown territory for us considering he is Autistic... he loved it!!

I've selected a few photos so I hope you can keep with me to the end of the post

 We spent the first three nights in Chur and this is a square in the old part of town, it's one of the oldest settlements in Switzerland and you can certainly see that!!

we had lots of trips up in cable cars....

to the high ground with pockets of snow still lying about.....

I can't believe how warm it was up there!!

We travelled through glorious valleys and across amazing viaducts..

It was quite odd to see coaches and lorrys passing so close to the train!!!

This was our hotel for the last three nights in the pretty village of Kandersteg..

quite a contrast to the busy town of Chur. 

 The view from our balcony...

Unfortunately visibility was not great the day we went to Zermatt so 

no photos of the Matterhorn but the weather was sunny and glorious 

at the beginning of the week and here we are enjoying 

the warmth on Lake Arosa...

Well that was a whistle stop tour wasn't it, hope you made it this far!!

Right best get the mutt out for a walk... unfortunately no valleys or mountains 

round here to enjoy though :0(

Thanks for stopping by

Jenny x

Stamps used: By the Sea- There She Goes

My Sunshine on a Snowy Day!!

Hi there

If you're living in the UK you've either woken up to loads of snow this morning or anticipating it's arrival later and all the chaos it will bring!!

.....so in the midst of all this chilly talk I have a warming card to share for this weeks OLW which is being hosted by Heather here.
The challenge of a one layer card is quite useful for this new die from Memory box... which reminds me of the sun, so with some PP behind it thats what I've gone with alongside a sentiment from Papertrey Ink ...

oooo I can feel the heat already from blazing sun :0)

My own ray of sunshine is 17 today, yes it's James's birthday and he would have loved a day off school because of the weather.... his wish may still be granted!!
I always think birthdays on a school day are a raw deal but he happily went in with his box of sweets to share out with classmates :0) Here's the card I made him this year.....

Strange.... how many 17 year olds know what a washing machine is let alone have one feature on a birthday card but this is James's most favourite passtime and always has been since he could shuffle across the floor to peer inside the drum!!! The die is a larger Quickutz die that I found on ebay and had to buy it, just for him :0) I've made the door part into a shaker component with some left over circles from the die used in the sunshine card above. Love the bubble die from Memory box too...makes a perfect background.
On opening it he told me that it was a Hotpoint washing machine!! I haven't checked but there probably is a model that looks similar to this.... he takes that much notice :0)

Hannah has come home for his birthday and wisely changed her plans to travel yesterday instead of today because of the impending chaos with the snow so it was a total surprise for him when she walked through the door last night.... lets just say the hug lasted ages :0)

Take care if you're travelling in the snow and have fun in it if your not. *wink*
Thanks for looking and thank you for all your lovely comments on my last post, your support is truly appreciated :0)

Jenny x

A Lovely Day

Hello everyone,
Just popping in to share my Mothering Sunday treats from my lovely kiddos :0)

I always get treated to a cup of tea in bed on Mothers Day and this morning it came with a tray of cup cakes made by Hannah

She was a bit disappointed that the flower petals had dropped due to the moisture in the icing..... but hey ho they are certainly yummy :0)
James had made me a card at school which involved cutting , sticking and writing..... all tasks that he find particularly difficult because of his fine motor skill issues

The little stone owl was a present from him too which Hannah helped him choose, it's just so cute and similar to one we liked in a holiday cottage we stayed in a couple of years ago :0)
Do you see James's writing, he's made so much progress with his handwriting recently, he luckily does a lot of his work on the computer at school which helps him no end but its good for him to keep practising his writing skills :0)

Hannah made me a brilliant card ..... I think I may have to CASE it *wink*

and finally, here's the group shot with the lovely pink Hyacinth I had too.....aren't I a lucky Mum :0)
I must add the cupcakes are missing from the picture, NOT because I ate them all, they were in a tin at that point and there are 5 left as I write this...soon to be 4 *wink*

I hope all the lovely Mums out there had a wonderful day and were sufficiently treated and pampered.

Jenny x

Leap Frog!

Afternoon everyone
I said I'd be back to share the card I made for my Brothers birthday which was Wednesday this week...yep he's a leap year baby and reached the grand old age of 9 real birthdays this year!!

I like to keep his real birthday years as age appropriate cards and fancied a frog theme this year but have no stamps or dies for such a little character so I had to improvise with basic shapes,  take a look...

I didn't have any particular challenge in mind when I made it but it just so happens that all the pieces are punched/cut from card scraps, including the piece used for the sky, so here's my third entry for Less is More .

I'm sure I'm not the only person to have done this but its great to be able to move a few ovals and circles around to make a cute froggy character. Did I take photos of the process?.... No, but then I'm sure you can see how I made him, including his rolled tongue. The lilypad and bulrushes are cut by hand, the 'Hoppy' is a paper pieced Lawn Fawn alphabet and Birthday is stamped, sorry don't know who makes the stamps.

Not much leaping going on I hear you say...... so lets have a look inside :0)

STOP PRESS : I'd like to say at this point that I wanted to make an interactive card but it just wasn't working for me and time was not on my side so this is what I went with instead :0)

The ripples are made by making three elipses in a word document on the computer then printing and cutting them out to use as masks around which I sponged Tumbled Glass and Faded jeans Distress Inks. I need to work on the interactive idea some more, it's getting my head around the mechanics of it that needs time, nevertheless I'm pleased to report my little bruv loved it :0)

Right I have a few jobs to do before James bowls in and demands my undivided attention, seriously he's like a human whirlwind shedding coat, shoes, bags and books on his way through to check out what is or isn't in the washing machine...Rolo keeps well out of the way!!

Thanks for stopping by today :0)

Jenny x

Happy Birthday Sheep Sixteen!!

Morning everyone...

It was James's birthday yesterday, he turned the big 16 which, is a little recognised  milestone birthday these days but when it comes to James, I think these teenage birthdays are always a wonder to me and constant reminder of the widening gap between him and his peers!!  At sixteen he stands 6' 3" tall with size 12 feet and still loves nothing more than sitting sucking his thumb engrossed in a children's programme aimed at 6-7 yr olds or helping load and oversee the workings of the washing machine!

So what to put on a card for him that will catch his attention for longer than three seconds?.. I decided on using a set of Stamps that I won as blog candy from the lovely Lynn a few months ago, because they look like a couple of characters from Shaun the Sheep... one of his many favourites :)

Here's a link to a you tube video in case you haven't met this little chap before and as you can see, or may know, they're a cheeky bunch of characters so thought it only right that they should be up to mischief on the card and have taken a bite from the aperture :)

I took a risk with the spelling of 'birthday' because James is a stickler for things being right but it seemed to suit with him and he appreciated the pun in this instance!

He had a lovely mini party at school, they always make a fuss of their birthdays and then Nannie and Grandad where here after school and stayed for a birthday tea so the perfect day as far as he was concerned :)
We are bowling at the weekend with four of his friends from school which will also be a family outing because he can't go alone and he's really looking forward to it..... not many parents of 16 year olds can say that can they!!!

So here's to another year of ups and downs and decisions about the future.... yep life is quite interesting with James but his friendly nature and chatty character always shine through, giving us the privilege of an insight to how he sees life and actually I think his world is better than ours most of the time!!!

Thanks for your visit, hope you have a great day :)

Jenny X 

A Leafy Colour Trend!

Things happen in threes don't they say,  and my skeleton leaf stamp has never known the use it has had recently so you won't be surprised to see it make an appearance again today for the challenge at Embellish Colour  Trends challenge which has the theme of 'leaves' as well.

I basically used the stamp to make my own patterned paper using Adirondack ink-pads and clear embossing on Versamark to make the tone on tone leaves which have a lovely shiny appearance too.... not possible to catch that on camera :)

A simple button and twine ensemble with a tiny tab sentiment and all done.... the best thing is that I stamped out a whole A4 sheet of leafy goodness so I have some left to play with on other cards too :)

Supplies :  Skeleton Leaf (Impression Obsession), Adirondack Ink ( Plum, Denim, Lettuce and Mushroom), Versamark, Clear embossing powder, Denim Twine and Button from stash

Today in the UK is Children in Need day which is a Charity fundraiser spearheaded by the BBC to raise funds for projects in the UK that support and help dis-advantaged children for whatever reason that may be. Having a child with Autism we like to support the cause and the schools always make it a fun day for the children...... usually based around a non uniform day and this year they are wearing spots so I decided to make a Pudsey Bear to sew onto one of James's t-shirts and he's thrilled with it

I'm certainly no sewing expert and this is mainly stuck with fabric glue, but it was great fun to make and James is wearing it with pride..... what I should have done was sponsor him to keep Pudsey clean at school dinner time!!!

Hope you have a great day and add your pennies or pounds to the pot if you can :)

Thanks for looking , I really appreciate your comments and read every single one X

We're back !

Hi everyone,

As the title suggests we are home from a brilliant weekend away in Norfolk, the weather was excellent in the day ..... bit chilly overnight and early morning , never good to wake up and see your own breath as you exhale!!!!
As promised I have chosen a few pictures of the kids (not really kids at 17 and 15 now but you know what I mean), not many of me as I'm a little camera shy ..... oh and our canvas 'home from home'

The campsite was on a farm and had a really relaxed feel to it,  you could pitch where you fancied and campfires were allowed too.
We haven't camped for a number of years because it wasn't successful with James when he was younger but he enjoyed it much more this time round and Hannah being a lot older now was another helping pair of hands. We tried our hand at self catering too, here we are cooking up a pasta bolognese ....

We visited the Wizard Maize Maze near Sheringham which is a past favorite because they have a big jumping pillow that James loves to throw himself about on .... in fact he loved all the extra activities more than the maze !

James and Dad on the go-karts

..... and they still need to be pushed on the basket swing!

Sunday was supposed to be the best day although the sun took a while to show it's face on the coast.  James just loves to play in the sand burying his hands or feet ! ...... not fussed with going in the sea, especially the North sea as it's so cold, they're were some crazy people having a swim tho!!

The beach local to the camp site is just pebbles so we went down in the evening to see the sunset and let James throw the pebbles into the sea ..... another of his favourite things to do at the beach.
This chap was just positioned perfectly for a sunset shot!

and it was the perfect place for a family photo, with the camera on timer on a tripod.

and finally my fave two photos of my babes from the hols, you can see from this first picture the Norfolk coast is not exactly tropical!!! I'm sure there's a market for fleece swimsuits here, Lol.

you'll notice James doesn't really do posing for photos but this is just him and one of his little quirks that makes him James ..... all 6 foot 2 of him! yep he's the tallest but youngest in the family now!

Thanks for sticking with me through the piccies, I hope to get back into the craft room this eve and get cracking with some of the challenges before they close although I'm annoyed my lightbox has stopped working and I wanted to do some embossing for CAS-ual Fridays this week ...... may need to re-think my idea !

Thanks for all your lovely comments whilst I was away and I hope to catch up with your blogs too ..... I bet you've been creating some fab stuff :)

Back soon X