If you want me ...I'll be in the kitchen.

If you've just dropped by from www.shimelle.com [a.k.a 'where the party's at'] then greetings party people - it's good to see you. If you didn't get here via Shimelle's blog party - then greetings to you too. All are welcome. Even gatecrashers!

If I'm honest, I'm not the biggest party girl that ever lived. Being expected to be scintilating company in a room full of strangers / family whilst being forced to listen to someone else's [misguided] idea of good music, isn't particularly my idea of a high old time. But don't get me wrong, there are a few things I do like about paties and they are:
[1] party shoes
[2] finger food
[3] party shoes
[4] wine
[5] cake and ...
[6] party shoes. You get the idea.....

But, when I was asked by Shimelle to bring something to her party, I was more than happy to do so. In fact if more parties involved pretty printables, scrapping and blogging ....then maybe I'd be converted!

OK, enough about me and my anti-social mad-crafter ways ..... here's my finished project:

I was working with the 'friendship' sheet of printables [available exclusively from 'Go To Press' the first part of Shimelle's upcoming Stress Free Scrapbooking online class [which you can sign up for over on the Two Peas site here]. So it made perfect sense to use them on these pages from my mini-book which records the exploits I've had with my friend Hannah [who will be joining in with the party herself later on today].

To create the embellishment below, I cut around one of Shimelle's designs, added a sandy texture using Ranger's Distress Embossing Powder in 'Old Paper' and then, using masking tape, I covered up the original quotation to customise it wiht my own thoughts!
Let's face it - how many people do you stumble across who actually, 100%, no questions asked, no odd looks given, truly 'get' what scrapbooking is? Exactly!!! So, when you find one you should grab them and hold onto them with both hands [But first, remember to put down your craft knife. New friendships are delicate enough without puncture wounds complicating matters!].
I cut the, very cute, hands and heart image from Shimelle's design sheet and ran it around my envelope which contains a key part of my journalling. I hid the heart element of the design beneath the envelope flap, which when closed, is secured with a large brad, decorated with a rub-on and a gem heart.

Once the envelope is opened, using the journalling blocks from the 'friendship' sheet,
one of the stories of our day by the sea is revealed ...

"What with the dark clouds overhead, the rain and the fact that Hannah had tights on ...we decided against paddling ...this time!"

As two educated women, we did deduct that she could have got away with going into the sea wearing her tights as the water wouldn't really have harmed them. We even debated the possible restorative qualities that salt-water-impregnated hosiery could have on tired feet!

But then we got stuck as to how she'd get off the beach. The options were: [a] to put her feet directly from the sea into new white leather boots [and she was never going to go for that!] OR [b] to walk the wet, tights-clad feet back across the beach thereby running the risk that, by the time we reached the promanade she would have accumulated so much sand that she'd never get her feet back in her boots anyway!

Next time we go to the coast ...I'm taking scissors ....just in case! "Knowing that we weren't going to have any paddling photos ...Hannah thought up something equally scrapworthy!"

I don't think that there's any shame in staging your own 'photos-to-scrap-with' scenarios. Even ones as blatant as this!! There you go Hannah - you threw down the gauntlet ....and I photographed that gauntlet, printed it out and scrapped it! It's your turn now!!

Along with Shimelle's printables I've used Basic Grey 'June Bug' paper [Admiral], a few 'June Bug' rub-ons and some Heidi Swapp ghost heart shapes [from the Gauche Alchemy 'Ball & Chain' kit].

Well, that's all from me for now ....but the party continues all day over at Shimelle's place . So, while you're all distracted by the pretty projects ... I think I'll go and help myself to the joys of the buffet table!

Party on.

;)