The '12 Days' Online workshops

Morning all.

I've got a smidge of news for you this fine October morning.

Some of you will remember that this time last year Kirsty Neale and I began promoting '12 Days: A Copy + Paste Christmas' our series of 12 online workshops to get you in the mood for a handmade-Christmas.

Some of you even joined us. [So I'm really hoping that you remember it at least!!].

Well, we've decided to re-run those same classes once again this year [click on image for full details]:
We wanted to run another '12 Days' for several reasons including:

• A year on we're still both really proud of the projects we created for it and we gladly stand by the quality of our 12 stand-alone, full photo, download tutorials.
• We truly loved the cosy community feel we - and our great participants - achieved on the password protected blog.
• During the year we've gained new blog readers [of our individual blogs and via Copy+Paste] and no doubt a scattering of new folk have seen our work in various magazines. We'd like to offer them the opportunity to join in with us this year.

To those who took the class last year ... firstly and most importantly ... thank you. You were amazing!

Your interactions on the secure blog and your discussions of the class on your own blogs were more than we'd have dared hope for. And your feedback meant the world to us.

I've compiled the responses you gave to our feedback questionnaire and think that your words are the best way to summarise the workshops for those thinking of signing up this time round. So here goes ...

[You can click on the photos for a larger view]. Here are the responses when we asked for 3 words to describe the atmosphere, content and style of the projects:And here's some general feedback:

While we'd have dearly loved to bring out a shiny new class this Christmas, it just wasn't possible. However ...

... we have decided on the name, theme and purpose of our NEXT CLASS which we will be delivering in early 2011. [Although right now '2011' seems like a ridiculous date to be writing down ....]

So, if you feel like joining in with us this year hop over here to see what it involves ...and then join us! You're more than, more than welcome. We'd love to see you there.

As a special incentive - in our guest posts on the Papercraft Inspirations blog party this weekend - there'll be a code for a little something extra which Kirsty had prepared for anyone who signs up to the 12 Days class this year. So keep your eyes peeled on the Papercrafts blog [I may even post a link to it here once it's appeared on there ... so check back here too, so you don't miss out!].

OK then, enough of the festive planning for now, back to reality ... back to the man downstairs who's re-plastering my dining room ceiling. [It's OK, we have asked him to come and do it ... he hasn't just wandered in to do a bit of guerilla decorating ... ].

Soon.

Jx

My Month in Numbers: September

White rabbit, white rabbit, white rabbit. Welcome to October everyone.

October.

When did that happen?

I'm aware that I grandly announced that this week was 'Bird Week' and yet so far I've only had 3 days worth ... but September didn't want to wait for me to finish a a week of bird-themed posts before it ended ... so the Month in Numbers post has taken precedence over birds today.

I can however give a nod to my feathered friends with my first photo, as I'm wearing the owl t-shirt I showed you in August:

11 = The number of new Pro-Marker pens I bought at the Harrogate Papercrafts Extravaganza to boost my collection. But, really, without my enormous levels of self-discipline [cough], it could've been so much worse .....

6 - 4 = The score at the end of a round of:

...The Merry Game of Floundering [Oh, if ever there was a game more aptly named!] which Hannah brought out to play when we went to stay at her house:

Honestly, the finer details of the rules would've been hard enough to understand even without the wine ...

And if you're sat there wondering what on earth two supposedly grown-up women were doing playing board games ... we were simply following the directions on the box:

And while I'd hate to sound like an ungracious house-guest or anything, when I mentioned that the score was 6-4, what I meant to say was ... I won!!

£2:00 = The price paid for two pieces of splendid stripey fabric in a charity shop in Coldstream:This particular fabric caught my eye:... as it reminded me of the signature fabric of my much coveted fashion brand Jack Wills: Now, if only I could actually find some Jack Wills clothes in a charity shop ....

£0:01 / 1p / a penny! = the price per scrap of woven fabric I came across in a house sale we just happened to stumble across while in Coldstream:When I was debating whether or not to buy any James just gave me a look that sort of said 'They cost a penny ... why are you dithering!'. One of the old ladies who was presiding over the sale told me that they came from a mill which made fabric for 'all the designer clothes' and that people buy up the leftovers to make ' little pictures'. She was a good saleswoman.

I bought 20 pieces.

Because, really, how often can you buy 20 of something for 20p?!

35 = the acres of grounds ...

...belonging to the Jedforest hotel where we stayed for a couple of days on our impromptu trip to Scotland: It was in / above these beautiful grounds that we saw the buzzard I told you about on Monday. It was also a place through which we walked while fantasising that it was actually ours:We also paused to take in [and photograph] it's every little detail:

I hope to go back one day. The whole weekend was wonderful. [Including the parts where James tolerated me thinking out loud over breakfast about what a fabulous venue the hotel would be for a crafting retreat!]. What do you reckon? ;-)

OK then, I'll leave September there I think. For at least 12 months.

For me, October has begun as it means to go on - I'll be in work today, on a recce trip around all the disabled access doors on campus. [Maybe I'll count them up for October's month in numbers? Maybe not.]

Just like the alst few months, I've added a space for you to link to some of your own numbers. What did you get up to in September?

Julie x

Blog Hop: Cute Camera Cards + Layout [with giveaway]

Hi.

Today's a Banana Frog blog hop day [I'm glad I only had to type that, rather than say it out loud!] and so I'm taking a break from bombarding you with birds like I've been doing all week!

Welcome if you've just dropped by from September's guest designer Birgit Moosbauer's blog. And welcome if you found me any other way too!

If you saw my Banana Frog Project of the Day [here] a fortnight ago, you'll have seen the camera embellishments I created by compositing stamped elements from various different sets. So, here, as promised, is how I've put them to use:
The perfectly fitting camera design backing paper is part of the '7 bis avenue Nicephore' range from 4heures37:
I really liked the end result on these cards and have sent many of them already. And, naturally, I had to have at least a splash of animal print somewhere, didn't I?:

I haven't only used them on cards though, I added two of them to this layout featuring a photograph of me taking a photograph of the sea:

Photographs of photo-taking is an inevitable side-effect of two scrapbookers armed with cameras on a day trip, so naturally the word 'Photographs' ended up as my title word.

I wanted this title to stand out - even against that loud PDQ paper - so I embossed the letters in alternating bright colours. The alphabet stamps I used are also from Banana Frog - they're the FT Rosecube font and Bensfolk [which is on sale at the moment for the silly price of £3.30!].

Here's a close up of that photograph which was taken by my friend, and fellow scrapper, Hannah :

It was taken during our discussions about how our position, on the edge of the coastline, was quite literally at the end of the world! Well, the end of the land at least:

You see? Scrapbookers really are capable of tallking about things other than the latest Crate Paper range ... [although, having said that ... oooh have you seen the 'restoration' range? ...]

Well the, I hope you enjoyed my camera ideas today - let me know if you make any for yourself - it'd be interesting to see another take on them.

If you're following the blog hop around, you now need to go and visit Debbie . [ETA: There seems to a bit of a problem in the hop - so you might like to move on to Michelle's blog for now - to ease you on your way!]

As usual there's a giveaway involved ... just leave a comment below [or on any of the stops along the blog hop] to be entered. For my part, I'll be selecting a winner at random tomorrow afternoon - 16:00 BST 01.10.10.

Best of luck, thanks for dropping by today.


Julie :-)

Bird Week. Day 3: Birds of the World book

Welcome to day 3 of my self-imposed 'Bird Week' which, upon realising how much bird stuff I've accrued and could be showing you ... could seriously be in danger of becoming Bird Month!

Or Bird Lifetime.

So let me just get started and share with you some really handsome illustrations from a 1961 book 'The Golden Picture Book of Birds of the World' which cost me all of 20p! I rescued it from a highstreet charity shop where it was pressed up against a talking Dick & Dom book which shouted out 'Bogies' next to me!

Oh the indignity!

Enjoy the birdies:

I fully admit to squealing aloud when I saw this page:
And these fancies just make me smile:
Especially this one, who clearly knows just how fancy she is:

Then there's this proud chap:
... who is satisfying similar to one I'd already made for the current issue of Papercraft Inspirations Magazine [Issue 78]:
I wonder sometimes about how much people would charge for books like these if they knew how valuable they were to retro-illustrated-book-loving folk like me...

More than 20p I'm sure.

So, until they come to their senses ... let's just keep quiet about how much I'd be willing to pay if I had to, shall we?

What do you make of my bargain flock then? Would you have stretched to the full 20p for it too?


Jx

Bird Week! Day 2! Bird stuff! Obviously.

Hello.

I made some cards for my Scattered Scarlet DT project today:

You can see more pictures of them in my actual post over there should you so wish.

As for the quails' eggs ... they were something James bought, as he's always on the look out for an unusual culinary experience. [However, the less said about the 'anchovy style' fillets he bought last weekend ... the better ... seriously ...].

Anyway ... I felt that the eggs, with their soft chalky surface, each with their own unique pale blue/grey/brown markings were really far, far too pretty to be left in the fridge all lonely, under utilised and un-photographed! Especially when I had some tiny birdie cards to show off ... so I borrowed them for styling purposes!

Elsewhere, in a rather similar style to the CatsLife Press stamps from 3DJean which I used on those cards ....as you might expect, birds have been featuring in the badges I've been making to sell in my Carousel Zebra shop:And judgin by the small flurry of bird-badge buying there's been ... I'm not alone in my avian proclivities.

Which reminds me ... when I set about making my badges I try to put them into a few broad categories such as 'birds'; 'animals' and 'hobbies'. So far I've had a few suggestions of specific themes which people would like to see me featuring so, if you have any ideas on that front - or want to request a custom item, just let me know and I'll get to work.

See you soon. I have some splendid bird illustrations to share with you tomorrow - Wednesday - Day 3 of 'Bird Week'!

[I love saying that - it reminds me of those themed weeks you used to get in primary school! Anyone up for rolling crepe paper into thousands of little balls to glue onto a mural?].

Julie ;-)