Scrapbooking Barmouth Bay + Stinkin' Cute Blog Award received.

Good Afternoon,

Just checking in because it's a wee while since I posted anything. I hope you are all enjoying the same glorious weather as we are here in Ayr. I finally managed to complete this layout after much humming and hawing over it.

Sorry about the glare from the flash but, after several attempts, this was the best I could do. Maybe I should have taken it out into the garden to photograph. I used dimensional paste (Crafty Notions) for the first time on this - for the sun I mixed in some gold mica powder but the seagulls are made from the paste just as it comes out of the jar.

The base is a cream coloured Bazzil cardstock, the edges distressed with Tim Holtz Stormy Sky DI. The compass is another first - a TH mini mask sponged with the Stormy Sky, but the sea shells are from an ancient (1991!) metal stencil from Laura Ashley , originally used to add a border on the wall of a long forgotten bathroom. The seagulls and starfish are from another, not quite so ancient, scrapbooking stencil and the 'Happiness' & 'Memories' (hidden by the feathers now) stamps are from the Papermania Boutique set.  The papers, shaped using Kiwi Lane templates, also come from various sources. The seashell border and the paper used for the starfish 'flowers' are from the Vintage Sea Paper Kit which I found free on the Far Far Hill blog and the squared paper with the seagull is actually a paper napkin!

The shells, feathers and sea glass were picked up on a beach walk - the glass has been smothered in a layer of Anita's 3-D Clear Gloss. The title letters are from my stash - source also long forgotten.

I am truly delighted and honoured to receive this award from Alice, aka CraftyAlice. I had the pleasure of meeting Alice and her pal, CraftyWhippet, at the craft show at the SECC Glasgow in spring. They are a real bubbly twosome and we had a lovely chat about all things crafty. I found the following over on Alice's blog:

Family isn't always blood.

It's the people in your life who want you in theirs,

the ones who accept you for who you are.

The ones who would do anything to see you smile,

and who love you no matter what.

I'm sure she won't mind me passing it on to you all - I think most of us would agree with the sentiment.

Apparently there are no rules attached to this award although I can pass it on to anyone I'd like to  - well, I think you all deserve it, all your blogs are stinkin' cute, so please feel free to take it if you want.

It's dinner time chez Worthington so I'm off, but I'll be back again.

Happy Crafting,

Stylish Blogger Award

Good afternoon everyone,

WOW! And OMG! It’s thrilling to be given an award, especially the Stylish Blogger Award, once, but to be awarded it three times is simply wonderful and a bit overwhelming. Three lovely ladies have taken the time to make this award to me. They are Sarah of The Handmade Card, Maggie of Maggie’s Crafts and Carol of the mysteriously entitled blog, Something Gone Missing – thank you ladies, it’s very much appreciated J

When I first started writing this blog it was with the encouragement of Sarah who, in an email suggested I should go for it! Her YouTube demos were the first I watched and learned from. A bit of research and humming and hawing I did indeed ‘go for it’. And I’m so glad I did, because had I not I wouldn’t have ‘met’, albeit in cyberworld, Maggie and Carol and that would have been a pity because they both give me inspiration with their lovely creations.

Now, depending which instructions your passing on, I am required to do the following:

1.      Write a post and link back to the person/people who gave the award.

2.      Share 7/8 random things about myself.

3.      Pass the award on to 8/15 lovelies.

4.      Contact those bloggers and let them know about their award.

Hence the delay between Sarah’s award and this post, but with Maggie and Carol showering awards on me too the time has come to carry out their instructions J

Step 1 is being taken care of by the very fact that I’m writing this so on to Step 2.  Having gone through this exercise once before I’m really not sure how interesting you would find it having to trawl through endless factoids so as a compromise here are just five:
(once again, feel free to skip this section if you wish)

·         Although a Scot, I was born in a little English village, Marchwood in Hampshire where my father, a RE in the Army, was posted after WWII.

·         I have lived an incredibly peripatetic life having, after Hampshire, lived in West Lothian, Edinburgh & Leith (home of my heart), Surrey, Yorkshire, Wiltshire, Northern Ireland, Germany, Middlesex, Banffshire, East Ayrshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Manchester itself, Massachusetts, the High Peak District, and now South Ayrshire.

·         When younger I was a registered foster mother, fostering 9 children in all.

·         One of my skills was to take medical shorthand at 140 wpm. I worked as a medical secretary for many years in hospitals and general practices up and down the country.

·         I love gardening, particularly cottage gardening, and all the old fashioned flowers associated with that style of gardening. My all-time favourite gardener was/is the late Geoff Hamilton – still sadly missed.

On to Step 3, now I have two different sets of instructions so by my calculations I can pass this award on to 37 people!!! I won’t, of course, do that but will limit myself to 15 and again I repeat the chosen 15 are representative of you all – because you are all so deserving of this award : )

Finally, in no particular order, my chosen 15 are (drum roll here):

Ikky - http://ikkiscuttlebugcupboard.blogspot.com/
Margaret - http://makingpapercrafts.blogspot.com/
Fiona - http://magickdiva.blogspot.com/
Brenda - http://stamping-fantasies.blogspot.com/
Jules - http://jules-alwayswithaheart.blogspot.com/
Scrapcat - http://scrapcatssscribbles.blogspot.com/
Dee - http://love-a-ladybug.blogspot.com/
Ros - http://wildcards-rosc.blogspot.com/
Helen - http://stampingbyh.blogspot.com/
Twiglet - http://twiglet5.blogspot.com/
Wipso - http://wipso-astitchintime.blogspot.com/
Marie - http://baileyrosy.blogspot.com/
Shazsilverwood - http://silverwolfcards-shaz.blogspot.com/
Christa - http://scrapmommie.blogspot.com/
Laura - http://airingcupboardstamping.blogspot.com/

Phew – that was a bit of a marathon. Before I go on to complete the instructions with Step 4 I’d like to leave you with the first photographs of spring:

Hellebores - earlier this year than last despite the winter we've just had

Wallflowers in bud in February!

my beloved columbines aquilegias just coming to life again(



A Wonderful Blog Award Received

Good morning everyone,

Once again I am thrilled and delighted to have been given an award.

Lovely Lyn of Spyder’s Corner made the award a couple of weeks ago – thank you so much for thinking of me. Lyn is always so encouraging of my poor efforts at crafting and it's always lovely to receive other bloggers recognition, but all the more so because not only are they my peers but also that they are so much more talented and inspirational than I will ever be!

In accepting this Award, I am required to tell you 8 things about myself and then pass it on to 8 others. And that is why there has been a delay between award and post. Help! It has not only been difficult to think of eight factoids about moi that could possibly be of interest to you, but also choosing only eight of my fellow bloggers – you are all so inspirational, talented, ingenious, clever, funny, bright and stylish and encouraging to a beginner like me. How to choose just eight? Well I forced myself to stick to this limit but please understand that these eight are representative of you all – because you are all deserving of this award : )


Firstly the eight factoids about myself - (feel free to skip this section if you wish):


1. I love, love, love red shoes. So much so that when I was bought my first pair at the age of 2 took them to bed with me. Ditto black patent shoes. A few years back, on holiday in Eire, I discovered the most gorgeous pair and paid an astronomical price for them – I almost cried when they eventually wore out beyond repair.

2. I learned to knit when I was 4 years old – my lovely grandmother taught me.

3. I have never tried to eat an oyster – just can’t stand the look of them.

4. When I was 18 I joined the army (think Private Benjamin and you’ll get a fairly accurate picture). Had a ball and picked up a few useful life skills, e.g. map reading and orienteering (who says women can’t read maps?), electricity and magnetism (I can top up an acid battery with the best of them) and how to abseil down a rock face. I can honestly say it was the best job I ever had.

5. I lived in Germany for 6 years and both my kids were born there.

6. I became a student at Manchester University when I was in my mid 40s and graduated with a second class honours degree in American Studies the year I became 50. My 50th birthday party was the best ever. Incidentally, it was at this time I met the current and present DH : )

7. I spent the third year of my degree studying at Wellesley College, near Boston, Massachusetts – a women’s college. The grounds of Wellesley are absolutely gorgeous – it was like studying in a botanic garden.

8. I wrote a paper with pornography as the topic whilst at Wellesley – me, a die-hard feminist who firmly believes that pornography is both exploitative and distasteful!! I was studying a course on cinema at the time and drew the short straw when it came to the subject for my project.


Finally, my chosen eight are (drum roll here):

Ginny – As I Do Rodos - for always encouraging me in my efforts.

Shaz in Oz – Cards Calligraphy - for her beautiful and inspirational work

Carrie - Carrie on Carrie - for never failing to send a word of encouragement

Chrissie – Simply One of a Kind - encouraging me to think clean and simple with her beautiful cards

Maggie – Silvercrafter - for giving brilliant tips and wrinkles

Sarah – La De Dah  - for her beautiful and inspirational work

Kath – Kath’s Blog  - not forgetting the bundle of golden deliciousness - Buddy

Terry - Goin’ Over the Edge - another crafter whose work inspires me

Right, that's it for today. I'm off to visit my daughter and her family and see how much my wee great-granddaughter  has grown this week. So not a lot of crafting being done this weekend but I'm hoping to get an hour or so later this evening.

Love Blog Award

Hi Everybody

I’m blushing – I’ve been tagged with the Love Blog

Nicky of Stiggys Cards, lovely lady that she is, has very kindly awarded me this accolade.

Thank you so much Nicky.

There are a couple of conditions for the award – explanation and instructions follow:

You have been TAGGED and want to participate? Then create a post where you post the 'LOVE BLOG' image.

You should also blog the person’s link that gave you the award and inform her/him that you accept the award.

You can then choose 3 - 5 favourite blogs which you also link in your post, then each blogger will inform you that they have been tagged.

Dear bloggers:
The aim of this action is that we bring unknown, good blogs to light, so I would ask you not to blog fellow bloggers that already have 3,000 followers. As always, the hardest part is to pick who to pass this on to, there are so many bloggers I could give it to, so . . .

Coops

Hazel

Jackie

Jean

Mandy

you have been awarded the

Sorry I couldn't choose more of you lovely blogging friends. Rules say 5 :(

Bye for now,
Elizabeth