I am still here!!!!

Crumbs its been a long time. I haven't blogged or posted on any forums in a don't know how long!

I am still here live & kicking and happy and well.

Life is good if not a little hectic, I have been creating; creating memories by having a fun time with family and friends & recording it all in my project life, but also creating some layouts, most of which I have yet to photograph.

So here's a few shots of what life has had in store for us since I last blogged:

My baby girls are growing up so fast - these photos were taken on their last day of infant school. I can't really believe that they will be in junior school next year!!

We invested in some fish:

Okay, however I try to do this the foto is flipped to the right - Hmm luckily the tank isnt actually sidewards!! Just as well otherwise our our little newcomers would have something to play with!

Meet Jessie J & Becks:

Cute little girls - birthday presents for my other cute little girls!! They are the sweetest little kittens and follw the girls everywhere!

We have been on holiday to the south of france:

This was me trying to re-enact Kate Winslet - Jack I can fly!

Totally chilled out holiday, self catering in a huge caravan meant no rushing for breakfast, dinner etc - we spent the fortninght lounging around, reading, swimming & generally eating & drinking far too much cheese & wine !

As I said the girls left infant school so we made their teachers some thankyou cards;

And finally here's one of the layouts that I have got round to photographing;

Tigs tells me she loves me "for ether & ether, until ages" - still getting her v's and th's muddled - bless!

So a quick post & I will be back with some layouts and project life shares

Happy Friday!
Claire x

Layout update, mainly Websters ...

Happy Wednesday!

Its dark, dreary and awash with rain here in Kent :(

I have some layouts to blog finally, most of them are using Websters from a recent kit from Sarah's cards and the final one is using the very last few bits of another kit containing Crate Paper, random collection (I just loved this kit!)

Here's the first;

I love this picture of Maddy, the layout came together really simply; a couple of banners as mats & a little fussy cutting. I dithered over whether to use kraft or black cardstock as I'm trying to veer away from always using white, & I quite like the result!

Here's the next one:

This one used the same kit, again I tried to stay away from white background - the photo was of the girls on a walk down to the beach in Woolacoombe Bay on holiday last year.

Another one , using the very last bits of the kit:

Ok so I gave in & resorted to the white cardstock & a bit of glimmer mist... just cant help it!! I did use a photo other than one of the girls for a change tho! And it wasnt a "posed" one!! I think Maddy took this of Paul & I.. I wanted to do a layout about how comfortable I finally feel in life & in my relationship with Paul. We just click without any effort... it really does feel like coming home!

And finally, this layout is from another kit that contained Crate Paper, Random range. Ive been wanting to scrap this photo of Tiggy for ages. Paul took it on an iPhone while I was at work... she was running around the house holding a yoghurt drink & tripped over the patio door step.... you can see the results!!!

I splashed some white acrylic paint over the background paper to go with her poor face & clothes!!!

I think the layout needs some journalling to describe what happened but haven't decided yet where to put it!!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Claire xxx

Project Life Update !

Oh I am so loving my project life - I've managed to stay up to date, although I havent managed to blog my pages weekly as I had planned!!! I guess something has to give!

So this is a photo heavy post I'm afraid of weeks 4 to 8:

week 4 left hand side:

and the right:

I also added an 8.5 * 11 insert of lots of pictures of us that we took at Madame Tussauds that week

Week 5:

Week 6:

I think my week 6 theme is my favourite so far - I love this JB butterfly stamp and I love the Ali Edwards sentiment stamp.

Week 7:

I wasn't really keen on my week 7 layouts, didnt really like the colour theme, but really didnt want to redo them all!

However I did like the insert that Maddy made me - its just so cute:

Finally (phew!) week 8 pages;

I just love recording our everyday life. It really doesn't take very long to do either, most photos have been snapped on my iPhone, I print them out on a Sunday while dinner is in the oven. I'm also loving using up leftovers from old Sarah's Cards kits... it means I get even more out of the kits as I tend to keep the leftovers after ive made 3 or 4 layouts.
Each week takes around 2 hours on a Sunday afternoon, I use the not facility on my iPhone to jot down things that have happened or things that I want to document & then it doesn't take long to pull it all together.

I wish I had come across the idea years ago when the girls were babies, it would be an ideal way of recording their early lives, but then again its highly unlikely I'd have found the time to do anything back then!!!

I have lots of layouts to share too that I finally got round to photographing but will save them for a post tomorrow rather than posting all together.

Have a good week all!
xxx

New layouts to share

Happy Thursday!

Nearly the weekend ... hurrah!

Well the weather is getting colder and colder and I'm starting to think that snow might be on it's way :(

I have a few more layouts to share today

Here's the first;

This photograph was taken on my 40th birthday last year and I used an old kit from Sarah's cards, a bit on hambly overlay & some JB alphas.

This one used up scraps leftover from Lou's class at the 2011 retreat... Love that I could use these bits!

An finally this one;

This one hasn't photographed very well... I've used more of the Random kit from Sarah's cards. I think I made 3 layouts and 3 double spreads for my PL album and I still have some left!! Thats value!

I'm off now to photograph week 4 of my PL which I finished last weekend, I am soooo into this project, I'm actually noticing much more about the way we live and the little things all of us say and do.

Thanks for popping by, have a lovely day xxxx

Project Life weeks 1 -3 & some layouts!

Hello!!

Well I finally got round to uploading some photos of my work ... and finally I'm blogging them!

I apologise in advance for what will be a pretty photo heavy post!

Here are my title pages and weeks 1 to 3 for my project life; I really am loving doing this!

Title page:

And  the left hand side of week 1:

right hand side:

I got each of us to write down our new year's resolutions for week one, I love that we can all get involved in this project.

Week 2 left side:

Tiegan made me the little green card; she just made it and put it into my folder where I am keeping all my stash I've picked out do do the first few weeks... it reads"I love my Mummy"

And the right hand side;

And finally week 3... left hand side;

there is a close-up of the little letter that Madison wrote me further down;

Here's the right hand side;

This letter Madison wrote me is so cute! She wrote it in my notebook and so I had to cut it out & use it for one of my inserts...

It reads "my Mummy is the best mummy in the "hole" world and I love her a lot. Love my mummy Madison xxx"  Be still my heart!!!!

Most of the stash I have used is from a Sarah's Cards kit (Random by Crate - lush lush lush!!!) - I plan to try to use up more of my old kits on the project as I go along.

Here's a couple of layouts I've done lately, the first is of Tigs playing in the leaves in the park, and I just love this photograph of her;

Papers are from Prima and I just loved all of the fussy cutting to put the page together.

Here's one of Madison, its a phot she took of herself!

More Crate random and a transparency from Prima... pretty!

Told you it was a photo heavy post! I have some more layouts to share this week and hopefully by the weekend I will have put together week 4 of PL :)

Thanks for popping by, have a fab week
Hugs Claire xxx

PROJECT LIFE (Photos to come!)

Hello!!

Anyone else doing project life?

I thought about it last year & decided I didn't have the time to commit - I thought I'd give it a go & I'm absolutely LOVING IT!!!!

OK so I have to restrain myself from making mini-layouts in the inserts, otherwise I really wont have the time, but I just love how it captures, normal everyday things, like things the girls say & do, me brushing their hair, my work etc etc etc

I'm keeping a notebook in my handbag, in the car and in my briefcase so that I dont miss jotting things down & I'm using both my camera  my iphone to take pix.

I promise I will try to upload some photos of the first 3 weeks as well as some layouts over the weekend....

Have a fab weekend
Lots of love xxx

I don't get it....

Ok so here's the thing.... I just dont get it....

How could anyone turn their back on these two little girls?

Be their father for 4 years, do what you did, be punished ( if the justice system believes thats what it was) for it, then make a new life for yourself and just vanish from theirs. Its been almost 6 months since you spoke to them - that's a twelfth of their lives... Christmas came & went without a word....

My heart aches for my children when I leave them to go to work .... I would walk barefoot over broken glass to get to them... nothing would keep me from them, no matter how hard it was or what obstacles I faced.

I am their mother, they are my life and I adore them... they need me and I need them. They are my total reason for living, my everything.

We are now so happy and settled, they have forgotten sitting screaming under the dining table, terrified of what happened to them... what you did to them that day.... they are content.

Their friends no longer tease them in the playground about their Daddy not loving them because he drove them home from school too drunk to stand up..... They have almost forgotten... but never totally... they still scream if I reverse out of the drive & I am not wearing a seatbelt.....

You did that to them.... and yet I gave you a chance to prove you could be a father to them.... you dipped in & out for a while, but you didn't want them, you wanted your old comfortable life back, ......now you have found a new life and they are forgotten....

How could you?

I want you to know this..........             they no longer need you, I tried to bring you together for 18 months because I believed it was best for them to have you in their lives.... I was wrong, they are better off without you.

They deserve better.... they are beautiful, loving, funny children who deserve stability and love in their lives.... and finally I realise, they have all the love and stability that they need   ... in me.

And in the new life that we now have.

You see, I can't replace you ... I wouldn't want to because the father that you were isn't one that they need.... they now have all that they need and finally I can close the door on that chapter of my life and start really enjoying the one I am living now.

But you should also know this.... having finally made this decision and been through so many chances to try to bring you together, know now that if you ever come to your senses and realise what it is you have lost.... it will be too late.

I will never let you hurt my darling babies again.... I will stop at nothing to prevent you hurting them (however slight) again. And I am not alone.... those little girls are now surrounded by more love then they have ever known..... they are happy and content and so my heart is full.

I know you won't read this and to those that do, I am sorry for my rant.... this to me finally represents closure on the events of the last 2 years. I feel lighter already!!!!