6ichthusfish

See-through scrapbook embellishments - birds...

I have been really busy creating some see-through bird embellishments for It's a Creative World.   Go over there to find out all the details. 

If you want to download the free bird images I compiled...

1. Just right click on the set of images you want,

2. Scroll down and click on 'Save Picture As'

3. Save to your own computer.

Set of large coloured birds...

 

Small coloured birds...

Large black & white birds... 

Small black & white birds...

For ideas to make your bird embellishments more 'arty' and personal, go over to It's a Creative World.

I have also made a set of layered 'brushes' (stamps) in Photoshop to use on digi scrapbook layouts.  These are fun because you can put them over photos, re-size or re-colour them how you want.  Click to download the file...

Download Bird brushes black and white

 

Simple Things Project...

I am enjoying being a designer over on the It's a Creative World site.  The monthly 'Simple Things' project does seem to come around quickly!

This is what I said on the IACW blog about my contribution...

"It doesn't seem two minutes since I began this 'SIMPLE THINGS'  fabric book

and already we're onto word number three...HONESTY. 

Well, since I've had a theme of using quotes on my pages there really was

only one quote I could use... it was something my Mum said as I was growing up...

"Honesty's the best policy". 

Well, I researched who'd said it before her & discovered a couple of famous folks

(including Shakespeare) but my page is really about my Mum & how she taught me

to be honest, truthful and have integrity. 

The older I'm getting and especially since my eldest will turn 18 this year,

I have been reflecting on what an amazing woman she is and also a great parent. 

We aren't much for 'soppy stuff' so this page

(although quite simple - in line with 'simple things')

is actually quite expressive for me. 

I altered the photo in PSE5 so that the background was black & white

and me & Mum were in colour, then printed it out on canvas, together with the text.

I sewed a simple running stitch on the photo for emphasis and used my

sewing machine to do 'messy stitching' around the page edge. 

I made the shabby flower with ribbon & jeans fabric and added a simple red clip with ribbon tied on. 

I have been enjoying working with fabric... makes a change from paper!"

 

Also, I don't think I posted last month's fabric page 'TIME'...

This is what I wrote about that page...

 

 "For my fabric page, I recycled an old pair of my daughter's jeans (well just one back pocket really)

 to hold a small pile of old photographs.  I was really focusing on the passage of time and

embellished the jeans simply with some handsewn paper aeroplanes which appear to fly out of the

 jean's pocket.  I printed out my quote on some computer friendly canvas (£1 for two A4 sheets

from The Range) and trimmed it to look like a clothes tag.  This was a fun page to do & really

simple.

The quote was by Ralph Waldo Emerson and says...

 "The years teach much which the days never know."

 

The next word prompt for May is 'CREATE'.  The cogs are moving!

More Pony Love...

Tiger-girl had a brilliant time on her 'Own a Pony Day'...

It was really interesting seeing the Farrier at work...

Tomorrow (Saturday the 17th) pop over to It's a Creative World site to see this months 'Simple Things' post.  The word is HONESTY. I made a page for my fabric book. 
  

Ponies...Pets...&...Paperounds...

My girlie went riding...

She has an 'Own a Pony Day' next week too.  This is a special treat but she learns so much in the day & enjoys it so much too.  Our guinea pig 'Faith' was interested to make friends with Ruby (the tortoise) through the glass..

It was funny to see T-g in her smart new Girl's Brigade uniform because it looks so much like school uniform...

Today I went for a walk to accompany Chef on his paperound.  This bank of daffodils were fab! 

 

It was good excercise for me but I wasn't that keen on the long uphill walk home ;(

99 random things..!

 

I've come across this list on a blog, and it was so interesting…so here are my answers. Everything from the list that I have done is in bold. (And there are only 98 things for some reason, so I added a random extra one at the end....)

Started your own blog (Obviously - you're reading it!)

Slept under the stars (Nope. But I slept on a train platform in Greece once...)

Played in a band (no but I was in the school orchestra briefly….playing violin)

Visited Hawaii (I wish!)

Watched a meteor shower (I'd love to!)

Given more than you can afford to charity (yep)

Been to Disneyworld (And LOVED IT!!!)

Climbed a mountain (Unbelievable but true!)

Held a praying mantis (No, but I have held a tarantula and several snakes. Not all at the same time though)

Sang a solo (you must be joking!)

Bungee jumped (quite fancy having a go at this...)

Visited Paris (With Husb for our 10th wedding anniversary & passed nearby on the road trip through Europe in 2007)

Watched a lightening storm (Yep - in Germany… Spectacular)

Taught yourself an art from scratch (I guess it depends on your definition of 'art', but I've tried many craft techniques and a lot of them I taught myself)

Adopted a child (No, but I have sponsored several children)

Had food poisoning (Sadly & stupidly my own fault)

Walked to the top of The Statue Of Liberty (Maybe one day)

Grown your own veg (Briefly. Then it died)

Seen the Mona Lisa in France (It was surrounded by Italians!)

Slept on an overnight train (Never been on an overnight train, but slept on an overnight coach from Germany to Manchester ….I am so blessed to be able to sleep practically anywhere)

Had a pillow fight (At boarding school)

Hitch hiked (sorry Mum!)

Taken a sick day when you're not ill (Hmmm. maybe I kinda could of struggled in on a couple of occasions and didn't...)

Built a snow fort (never had deep enough snow )

Held a lamb (and bottle fed it too...)

Gone skinnydipping (A long time ago. Sorry Mum (again)(!)

Run a marathon (Not likely!)

Ridden in a gondola in Venice (Not yet, but I’d be up for it)

Seen a total eclipse (Not as exciting as you’d think)

Watched a sunrise or sunset (Yep, both. The sunsets in Kenya near the Equator are amazing!!)

Hit a home run (As if… I wasn’t even any good at ‘Rounders‘!)

Been on a cruise (no but we rented a canal boat for a week)

Seen Niagara Falls in person (One day...)

Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (Love Scotland!)

Seen an Amish community (No opportunity)

Taught yourself a new language (although I can just about ‘get by’ in France & Germany)

Had enough money to be truly satisfied (Which is to some extent a state of mind anyway)

Seen the Tower Of Pisa in person (would love to!)

Gone rock climbing (Does a scramble over/up some cliffs near Whitby count?)

Seen Michelangelo's David (Husb has though)

Sung Karaoke (Umm. Run for the hills!! Enough said)

Seen Old Faithful (Nope...)

Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant (Nope)

Visited Africa (Kenya)

Walked on a beach by moonlight (more like dusk!)

Been transported in an ambulance (with my DD as a baby who had viral meningitis)

Had your portrait painted (in Primary school...)

Gone deep sea fishing (Does catching crabs off a pier count here?)

Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower (With Husb, on that anniversary trip on New Year’s Day)

Gone scuba diving (Maybe one day?)

Kissed in the rain (A long time ago!)

Played in the mud (Of course… I‘ve been camping!)

Gone to a drive-in theatre (Only seen one at Disney!)

Been in a movie (Nope. Been interviewed for TV though.. In France on New Year’s Day when we were queuing for the Eiffel Tower)

Visited the Great Wall Of China (It's on my list!)

Started your own business (nah)

Taken a martial arts class (watched the kids learn Judo)

Visited Russia (Not yet. Would like to though)

Served in a soup kitchen (No, but ate in one in Colorado Springs)

Sold Girl Scout cookies (Nor eaten any)

Gone whale watching (went dolphin watching in Florida)

Got flowers for no reason (Although flowers aren’t really my ‘thing‘)

Donated blood (when I’m not anaemic!!)

Gone sky diving (maybe strapped to someone who knows what they’re doing)

Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp (I don't know if this is something I'd want to do to be honest)

Bounced a cheque (Oops...)

Flown in a helicopter (on a simulator at the RAF Museum Cosford… it still counts!!!?)

Saved a favourite childhood toy (Still have a dolls house my folks made me & an old china doll of my Mum’s)

Visited the Lincoln Memorial (where’s that?!)

Eaten caviar (It's never appealed!)

Pieced a quilt (Two in fact)

Stood in Times Square (One day!)

Toured The Everglades (kind of were a bit near there in Florida)

Been fired from a job (Nope, and hope to keep it that way!)

Seen the Changing Of The Guard in London (Visited London on several occasions)

Broken a bone (never.)

Been a passenger on a motorcycle (I am a speed freak)

Seen The Grand Canyon (Would love to)

Published a book (Not yet! Only poems.)

Visited the Vatican (nope)

Bought a brand new car (for Husb when he was a Driving Instructor… it was a blue Metro & we had 3 kids under 4!!)

Walked in Jerusalem (One day)

Had your picture in the newspaper (A couple of times)

Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Years Eve (no… but Husb did… she was dressed as an Egyptian & he was a ‘Christmas Pudding‘!)

Visited the White House (Not yet)

Killed and prepared an animal for eating (Never!)

Had chickenpox (Oh yes & missed a Christmas party with a fancy hat competition)

Saved someone's life (Not knowingly!)

Sat on a jury (Never been asked)

Met someone famous (saw Russ Abbott in Stoke-On-Trent once)

Joined a book club (perhaps if I was asked)

Had a tattoo (nope...not too keen either)

Had a baby (three times but one of the times was twins!)

Seen The Alamo in person (nah)

Swam in The Great Salt Lake (Ditto)

Been involved in a lawsuit (Thankfully!)

Owned a cell phone (Several)

Been stung by a bee (Ow… only a week after having a baby too)

Took a Road Trip (Through Europe for 3 weeks with all the family in a 7 seater car full to the brim. This is the extra, random thing to make it up to 99....)

Easter week-end...

We celebrated Easter & enjoyed a long week-end of family time (because Husb had 4 days off, from Friday to Monday).  Here are some pics...

There was time to play chess...

 
...and have long tournaments on the wii...

 
Some folks played football & french cricket in the park...

 

We enjoyed our pets...

 

We met up with friends for breakfast...

 

After breakfast we went in a group to have a walk & some fun in local woods...

Our girlie went riding and came home with a plaiting certificate & badge...

We browsed round a car boot sale on the Bank holiday Monday...

....and girlie baked Easter cookies with chopped mini eggs...

 

..and they were yum! 

We also watched several DVD's (Rocky IV, Rocky V, and Rocky Balboa to complete the box set of Rocky films which Husb had for his Birthday).  Oh & we ate chocolate eggs too & I had new specs.  Phew. We enjoyed our time together.
  

Inky, messy, crafting fun....!

Pop over to It's A Creative World blog to see some inky, messy, painty projects to inspire you.  Seriously... click the link (you know you want to!)  I'm a fully-ledged-proper-designer on there now & you can see in detail how I made the scrapbook layout below ...

A coupla close-ups...

Happy Easter...xxx...
   

Good-bye Fruity ...x

This is a photo I took in February of Tiger-girl and one of our guinea-pigs, 'Fruit'...

 
Although you wouldn't know it from the picture, she was very poorly.  The vet advised against an operation due to her age and the seriousness of her illness.  Well, yesterday we had to let her go.  It was very, very sad.  We got her (and her daughter, Faith) back in early 2004 from friends.  Fruit was a great pet - full of personality - but we had to let her go.  In recent years Tiger-girl has kept them in her room and is obviously very upset, as are we all. 

Good-bye Fruity.

You've been a great pet.

We all love you.