My Month in Numbers 2012: July

Hello hello.

Well, another month has passed us by. Another month which, despite having involved more Christmas projects and a hailstorm, was in other ways a summer month. Just about ...

Let's see how July stacked up ... in numbers [if this series is new to you, you might like to check out the details here.] Now let's get started ...

2 = the number of plastic sacks we filled with shredded paperwork after a mammoth organisation + filing session:

only 3 = the number of important[ish] letters regarding our current mortgage ... which I shred by accident.

In my defence I had been keeping them in separate 'To shred' and 'Not to shred' piles. Then something clearly went awry ...

4 years = the time lapsed between this year and the date on the last neatly organised , highlighted, stapled and properly filed away bank statement I found. Don't get me wrong, the last four years of statements were all there, in a neat pile, in a cupboard but they hadn't been filed away.

And this struck me as a bit odd ... so I asked myself ...

... what happened sometime in the Autumn of 2008 to have so distracted me from being my old hyper orderly self?

What was it that could dramatically reduce the time I spent on domestic organisation?

And then, the mists of time cleared and I remembered ...

In Autumn 2008 ... I started blogging.

Aha ....

Mystery solved.

Henry IV Part 1 + 2 and Henry V [plus Richard II ... even though that wasn't technically on in July but the very end of June] = the new Shakespeare adaptations which made up The Hollow Crown series on the BBC:

I so admired and enjoyed this series: from the immersive, believable, acting to the sometimes distractingly good costumes [all those leather work and quilted jackets ...oh my.] If you missed it, and you get a chance to see it sometime ... even if [and especially if] you've never enjoyed Shakespeare before ... give it a go.

And, should you need any further convincing Tom Hiddleston [above] spends most of his role in leather trousers. You can thank me later.

270 = the age of the chapel we visited last Saturday:

It's one of those places I must have passed-by hundreds of times without ever giving it much thought. Then on Facebook a local tourism page mentioned that this chapel - on the site of some alms houses - was having an open day. And, while we're not church goers, we do like a bit of history ... and we are quite nosey ... so we swung by and took a look.

The signs outside, by the side of the road said 'Chapel Open Day: Photographers Welcome'. How nice was that? So, we happily took photos of this tiny place of worship which has never been out of use.

The window above the altar shows the founder of the hospital / chapel / school on the right, and his brother on the left [who - useless trivia alert - was married to Samuel Pepys' cousin. Bet you're glad I went now aren't you?]

1 hour + 2 x 4cm blisters =  As the weather has improved a little I decided to take myself off on a brisk morning walk. I got around 20 minutes in when a blister or two began to develop.

I really need to invest in some proper walking shoes or trainers. But they scare me. In fact, my feet shrivel up at the very thought of it! That said ... I don't like the 15 minute:1cm blister development ratio that happened last week either, so I may have to get over my fear of sporty footwear after all.

This drier [kind of] and [mostly] mild, weather has made a difference to my get-up-and-go though and I've also been on several bike rides this month.  One of which took James and I past these guys:

Cute but so, so noisy when they realised we hadn't brought them anything to eat!

13 + 1 = the number of ships + acrobatic jet-skiers counted along the coast: 

This energetic neon coloured sight is really not the kind of thing you expect to see on the North East coast but on this day, in that sunshine, you really could have been anywhere in the world.

5 = the number of times I tried to capture the strange romance of the lights of the heavy industry reflected in the  tide at dusk.

With each shot I tried ... it just kept getting more and more blurry. More and more out of focus.

This was the fifth and worst:

Or maybe it's the best too ...

Funny how a lovely softness and abstract feeling can emerge when you least expect ... or plan for it.

Maybe there's a life lesson in there somewhere.

Maybe it's just an out of focus photo.

Maybe both. Depends on the mood I'm in when you ask ...

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And on that philosophical note - here endeth my numbers for this month ... how about yours?

Everyone's welcome to join in:

• with a blog post - as long or as brief as you like;
• with a single important number - or a list of statistics;
• with a single photo - or many;
• with a scrapbook page - or none;
• with any method which makes sense to you.

Then ...

•  Drop back here and link me to your contribution - this can be any time at all during the coming month;
• But ...please don't just fly by and air drop a link to your own numbers ... stay a while and leave me a few friendly words at the same time.
• I'll swing by yours and comment too then,
• if your post has at least one photo/image for me to 'pin' - I can add your vital stats to the Month in Numbers Pinterest board where lots of others can view your post and visit your original post;
• And finally ... if you do want to take part in this communal counting caper ... please find time during the month to visit and say Hi to at least a couple of the other Month in Numbers bloggers too [I know lots of you do so already - and I think you're lovely!].

Right .. I'm off on my own blog-visiting rounds now ... see you there no doubt!

Julie :-)

It's A Sign: David's Paradise

Hi hi.

You might remember this recent Summertime Scavenger hunt update where I shared photos taken at the beach, well here's something else I found while I was there ...

... a rather relaxed looking Michaelangelo's David ... in Bermuda shorts spray painted on to the sea wall:

And do you know something ...  considering how this was an incredibly beautiful day complete with clear blue sky, ice cream cornets and paddling in the sea ... on a dog free beach ...

I found myself agreeing with David's sentiment whole heartedly.

Paradise indeed!

Julie :-)

[p.s: See you tomorrow for My Month in Numbers]

Introducing ... The Height of Summer

Hello.

I'm not the Wizard of Oz.

In fact, come to think of it, the Wizard of Oz wasn't even the Wizard of Oz!

He was just a regular man tinkering away at a machine behind a curtain creating a larger than life persona for himself.

I couldn't find a better picture + can't find the original source. Sorry!

And to some extent ... that's what we, bloggers, tweeters, Facebookers, forum members etc etc are all doing too!

Sure through sharing our stories, our hobbies, our preferences, dreams, craft projects, outfits, family news, recipes, fears, obsessions and cat photos we learn an awful lot of wonderful things about one another. And we get close and we make true friendships. Invaluable friendships. Supportive friendships. Oh-my-goodness-someone-else-understands-my-notebook-fetish friendships.

But unless we ever meet up in 'real' life there remains [at least] one thing you and I can never truly know about each other via our online existence and that's ...

Which one of us is the tallest?

Seriously.

 I'm going to take an educated guess and say you are. Because most adults - and many children - are. But, for the sake of argument ... I'll stick to my original point and say that we can't know for sure, unless ...

... unless during August 2012 we all step out behind the curtain for a minute or two to reveal ... our true stature in a little series I'm calling:

Are you in?

How this came about:

I was chatting to a friend on Twitter who, while attending the recent Craft + Hobby Association Show in California met up with someone who, having previously only seen her online, was surprised at her petite stature. And, conversely, my friend agreed that the other lady appeared taller than it appeared in her online avatar.

I suggested that - in the crafting public interest - she ought to go around the show photographing all of the other well known creative ladies so we could all see where they all fitted in a Usual Suspects-like police line-up!

I don't think she did it ... however, this silly, throw away, idea took a hold of me ... and wouldn't let me throw it away.

And I began to think ...

• I remembered how surprised I'd been to learn that my long-time online pal Kirsty Neale was a tall specimen of a thing! I think I'd always assumed that, as we have so much else in common ... we must look alike too! Yet we don't.
• And I remembered how, in an established group of forum friends I'm part of, when the topic of height comes up now and again, we've all been surprised to learn of the mistaken assumptions we've been making about each other based on avatars  ... or simply our imaginations! 

And, you know me ... wherever I start to see a pattern forming ... I tend to want to turn it into an interactive series for us all to play along with.

So here I am. A girl asking the online world how tall - or not - it is ... and hoping someone will join in!

How to get involved with The Height of Summer:
This is entirely up to you ... but here are a few ways you could consider:

Simply reveal your true height:

• take a full-length photo of yourself and share it on your blog; 
• who knows, if I get enough takers on this I could even list us all in height order in my sidebar!
• If you're not comfortable with sharing actual photographs of yourself - don't be put off! Simply find a creative / alternative / crafty way to share your statistics [collage? art journaling? model? sketch? stick man? photo of a mark on the wall?]

Share any photos you have which feature an interesting or funny play on scale in it:

• Maybe you've been dwarfed by standing next to something [a tall building, animal, tree etc -- I'm going to dig out some of me with the impressively vast Angel of the North]
• Maybe you've met up with a friend or someone who towered above you, or who you towered above;
•  Maybe you've been to a theme park where the characters made you feel like a small child again ... or maybe you've felt like Gulliver wandering among the Lilliputians.

Discover where you fit with the height of someone or something else.

• maybe you have one of those height charts which tell you which animal you're as tall as;
• maybe you know how big a particular celebrity is and whether you could look them in the eye! etc

Share tales of :

• where your height has played a role in the action or the outcome.
• ales from childhood where your size might have felt like a gift or a curse.
• If you join in with Sian Fair's 'Storytelling Sunday you could combine the two and tell your height of summer tale on Sunday 5th August and link it up to Sian.

Encourage your children to tell a story about their height or share photos of their height charts / pencil lines on doorframes etc

If your size means that you struggle, in whatever way, to find clothes, shoes etc to fit:

• maybe you could blog about those shops or brands you've discovered which do cater for non-'standard' sizes;
• or maybe you could ask your blog readers for recommendations and tips.

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I'm sure there will be many, many more ideas and ways you could join in so ... have a think and see what you come up with.

 Then, once things begin in August [next week]:

• If you link to this series in your own post - and if you mention to your [no doubt baffled] readers what it is you're playing along with then ...
• I'll be happy to pin any of your Height of Summer posts to the Pinterest board.

Also ... I encourage you to share this idea with any and all of your online friends.

• Because i'm certain that the more of us who participate, the more pleasantly surprised we'll be to find that whatever our height, shape or size ... we're not the only ones.

I for one am sure there's another 5'2" Wizard of Oz on the other side of this virtual curtain just waiting to be revealed to me.

I can't wait to see how we all measure up!

Julie :-)

Not one of those blog posts

Hi, hi.

This isn't one of those blog posts wherein the author teases you about amazingly exciting and yet tantalisingly secretive Grand Plans afoot.

Well ... it's not exactly one of those posts. Mainly because they slightly annoy me.

I'm not big on secrets. My heart bursts if I'm trying to keep one of my own and my head bursts when I'm trying to elicit one from someone else. So I don't want to do that to you.

No good blogger should deliberately try to make their readers erupt.

That said ... it is a bit like one of those posts ... so I'm playing it safe and leaving down burst-proof plastic sheeting here  ... just in case. Moving on ...

Earlier in the week I made this:

... and when I was deciding on a sentiment to put on it this 'Keep Dreaming' one seemed right.

I've been doing a lot of that. Dreaming.

Not just this week, or this month, but for around the last 5 years at least. If not the last 36.

Here's a few of those dreams ... and what became of them:

• to have long nails by the time I was 15 -- didn't happen when I was 14. Still hasn't.
• to have an E-Type Jaguar -- What? Why? My tiny car's well over a decade old and see no need for a new one. Don't know what I was thinking.
• to be able to use my much loved and fought for English degree in my work -- when I was unemployed [several times] I was told it probably wouldn't happen. Now, I write for magazines. I blog. I plan to do more of both.
• to have my name on a door -- I think I once thought that this meant I would be a boss. With staff! -- Now I'm self-employed. I work at home. I run a [very] small business. I'm my own chief cook and bottle washer [as my Grandma would have put it!]. I'm often Employee of the Day / Week / Month. I may need to craft a sign for my door!

So, what are these burst-worthy dream-related secrets I'm hiding from you? Well, they're not really secrets ... or even dreams. They're more like plans.

• I've been working on putting some of my scribbled notebook thoughts and ponderings into reality.
• Those of you who read my blog in person [i.e:  outside of a blog reader] may have noticed my header has already changed [a few weeks back] to reflect the changing balance of those things I'm blogging here more often these days.
• I have a Facebook page. 
• I've sought, and am receiving, advice from various sources on how to keep building on what it is I want to do / have / offer. And ...
• I've finally ... after disappointments and changing my mind and seriously hoping I've made the right choice ... finally bought a domain name of my own. Go me!

Having my own shiny happy welcoming website has been a closely held dream of mine for a while ... now it's getting nearer. [It's happening slowly!! So don't expect any big 'reveal' any time soon!].

So, basically ... what I'm saying ... in a roundabout way ... is ...

I'm taking steps toward building up this thing ... this collection of things I do ... this happy breed of bits and pieces I work at ... this band of silly blog posts, making people smile, sharing ideas, projects and my way of looking at life ... this thing which I still can't quite get use to calling a 'business' ...

And really whatever this thing is. It really isn't a 'dream' any more. It's what I'm fortunate enough to do even when I'm awake! And I need to pinch myself into remembering that.

And finally ... one eagle eyed reader noticed recently that the 'zebra' part of my Etsy shop name 'Julie Kirk & The Carousel Zebra' has now disappeared and was hoping he was doing OK now that the shop name is simply 'Julie Kirk'.

[If you don't know the significance of one rather enigmatic plastic toy zebra in my life ... then please read his story here or this next part really won't make much sense. There's a happy ending. I promise.]

But you see, the thing with zebra is that he is - and always has been - happiest when I've been able to manage without him. When I've been standing on my own 2 feet, rather than on our combined 6.

Not that he's ever too far away. And he's certainly not gone far.

He's living out his days on my bedside table. A Keeper of the Dreams perhaps.

And you can rest assured that ... if ... when ...my new look site ever gets built... there's always going to be a home for him and his handsome stripes over there!

I'll be making a space for you there too.

Come as you are.

Bring your own dreams.

Julie x


p.s If this inspires you to blog your own dreams, plans, inklings, ponderings or zebra-like tales ... come tug on my sleeve and show me.

It's A Sign: For 'air' go in the opposite direction

Hi you.

Here's [yet] another of my airshow photos in which I blatantly ignore the actual planes.

This time round I was more interested in the arrows and labels I kept seeing on the sides of quite a few planes. Labels like these:

Someone wiser, more aeronautically knowledgeable and less facetious than I would probably tell you that it's something related to static electricity and avoiding sparks when re-fuelling ...

As for what I'd tell you ...

... well, I'd tell you that it's a notice all planes have to have in case the pilot forgets where to land.

Believe what you will.

Julie :-D

Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt: the seaside edition

Hello, hello.

There's been more blue sky and dry air this week than we've witnessed so far this 'summer' and so - to continue on with the 'Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt' [hosted by Rinda Ontiveros over at Gallo Organico] - I now bring you the photographic fruits of a few coastal trips we've made ...
1. A pier:

At first glance, looking at this, you may think that I don't know what 'a pier' actually is.

And you may think that I've just taken a photo of a twisted metal tower. A tower which, yes, does jut out on to a beach, but which still doesn't quite fit the bill as a full blown 'pier'.

And you'd be both right. And wrong. Because it's not actually me who doesn't know what a pier is.

No, it's the people who designed/commissioned this structure as part of the ongoing Redcar seafront rennovations. The same people who named it: The Vertical Pier.

3. A border:

For the unitiated: I'm dog-phobic. Quite a lot. And it's ridiculously limiting ... especially on sunny days when I really, really, really want to go and stand in the sea and not come into contact with any dogs who want to do the same.

So, looking out for signs like this one is essential for me when I'm at the coast.

I love how this one [taken today] so clearly demarcates the border of exactly where dogs are and are not allowed on the beach. Not that I can ever totally relax even after spotting the signs though.

I mean ... I'm having to rely on the owners having read and taken notice of the sign as ... I don't think dogs can read. Can they?

Because if they can ... I think I'm even more scared of them ...

14. A person playing with a ball:

I have nothing funny to say about this photo. Please move on. Nothing to laugh at here.

18. A movie poster:

Outside Redcar cinema which is a strange, faded relic of a building which is quite literally on the seafront. It's not opposite the beach - but rather above it. It stretches backwards out across the sand and, although I've never been inside, I have it on good authority that sometimes, if the tide is coming in, you can hear the sound of the waves beneath while watching the film!

They're all I've managed to capture so far, but at least I'm now over the halfway line: 11 photos scavenged and just 10 to go!

Oh and speaking of statistics: a quick reminder that there's just 10 days until the end of the month ... which means 10 days until I'll be blogging my Month in Numbers ... join me?

Julie :-)

Fairies, faith + fitness: 'new' vintage paper packs

Hey, hey.

I may not have been blogging a great deal lately but that's not to say I haven't been doing anything.

Why, just today I tried Darjeeling tea for the first time, tried on leopard-print heels and bought a copy of the Radio Times ... so, y'know, it's all 'go' here.

But, joking aside [even though all of the above is true] I have managed to find some time in between tea-drinking and planning my week's TV watching to seek out new ideas for themes; cut up hundreds of vintage book pages; arrange them neatly; wriggle them into individual packets; photograph them; edit the photos; write product descriptions ... and begin adding the first of many new Plundered Pages paper packs to the shop. Go me!

In fact, I've been so productive you could almost be forgiven for thinking I mess around with paper for a living  ... oh ... wait ...

Anyway ... here's a quick look at a few which are already available to purchase ...

The first reflect a theme which, after finding some lovely illustrations, I'd been considering for a while but was unsure if there'd be a market for it:

But, after asking for opinions on my Facebook page and receiving emcouraging feedback I decided to give a few Christian faith themed packs a try, especially after someone commented that they cut up their Bible to use in their crafts ...

Next up there's a theme which might just reveal a little of my recent TV viewing and reading habits :

I'm thoroughly [and unexpectedly] enjoying watching Once Upon A Time on Sunday nights plus I couldn't drag myself out of be this morning until I finished The Graveyard Book the first Neil Gaiman story I've ever read. So it appears that, despite it not being my usual category of choice, I must have been hit with the fantasy stick lately.

[OK, I've just realised that the term 'fantasy stick' could be awfully misconstrued. How about we forget I called it that and pretend I simply said 'magic wand' or 'fairy dust' instead? Deal? Deal.]

And now for a few packs which I hope don't get treated like me in a P.E lesson: ie. get chosen last:

If you've got Olympic tickets and plan to scrap your trip ... or if you've simply got boys who aren't strangers to grass stains and mud ... you might like these ones!

For more images and the full details of any particular pack - visit the shop where I'll be adding more Plundered Pages over the week, followed by new Interesting Bits kits next week!

And if you have any more questions ... just yell, email, tweet or Facebook me. [We could even try telepathy if you like. I'm game if you are.]

See you soon.

Julie :-)

It's A Sign: Paper is not the only 'craft'

Hi, hi, hi.

At some point here I will blog something other than my photos of the airshow ... but, I don't know about you, but writing a blog post I can be proud of can take up a lot of brain space ... and I seem to be a little tight on that lately!

Instead, I'd rather keep us all happy by sharing funny photos while letting my brain cells put their feet up and relax. Just for now.

So here we go ... here's something I spotted from across the airfield. No prizes for guessing why it grabbed my attention: 

Craft checklist?! Craft checklist? Where? What? Wow ....!

What could be on it? Could I use it to take a census of all my supplies? Paper ... check! Scissors ... check! Bits, scraps and rubbish ... check!

But alas ... this was not the 'craft' they were looking for ... as you can see by the other sign below:

Ah.

I see.

Air craft checklist.

I might have guessed ...

Julie :-)

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p.s: there's usually something vaguely paper-related going on over on my Facebook page which you're welcome to come visit too.

It's A Sign: Just don't make a habit of it ...

Hi again.

I've got another of my non-aeroplane related Airshow photos to share today ... and I'm afraid it's just further proof [should it be needed] of my inability to allow even the vaguest of innuendo to go unremarked.

So, allow me to remark upon it now ...

How could I not sneak a photo of this?

And while I'm quite sure there was nothing illegal about the whole thing ... there's got to be something slightly immoral or at the very least unseemly about spongeing the monk.

Wouldn't you say?  

J :-D

It's A Sign: It worked for the whales

Hi, hi.

When we go to the Airshow James and I take a camera each.

More often than not his lens points upward or zooms into the details on the planes ... meanwhile mine scours around for something slightly less aeronautical in theme ... not always easy.

But then my eyes light upon something like this sign taped to the shelves of a scale model stall ... and I sneak out my camera to capture it ...

Because I reckon that - as sea-life-friendly slogans go - this one could actually catch on ...

I mean, it worked for 'Save the Whale' didn't it?

;-)

Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt: Pt1

Hello. I'm back.

I'm going to pretend you missed me, if that's OK with you? Good ... let's move on ...

This year I thought it might be a fun to join in with the 'Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt' hosted by Rinda Ontiveros over at Gallo Organico.

So, all the while I've been away in Lincoln, I've been making a start at snapping some of the 21 categories of photo from Rinda's list.  I've got the full list in my sidebar [over there somewhere >>>] if you're interested ... and you can check out the full details on Rinda's blog post here.

Here's what I've found so far:

6. A historical landmark:

This is James climbing Steep Hill in Lincoln [go on ... ask me how it got it's name ... ].

Apparently it's a Roman roadway so I'm pretty sure that makes it a historical landmark.

As usual we stayed in a guesthouse at the top end of town and, as usual, the decison whether or not to wear heels or flats when going out for a meal was based purely on whether I'd have to scale the hill to reach the restaurant.

Because, while I like nice shoes ... I like un-broken ankles and teeth even more.

7. A person playing a musical instrument

Bagpipers, RAF Waddington Airshow.

8. A person dressed as an angel or a statue of an angel:

High, high up on top of Lincoln Cathedral.

And from the sublime to ...

11. A shadow:

James and I projected on to the ground at the Airshow.

And, in case you're wondering ... that oddly and questionably shaped 'thing' in between us is his ... camera. Obvs.

17. A church, chapel, cathedral, mosque or temple:

Inside Lincoln Cathedral.

Despite being non-church-goers we thoroughly enjoyed listening to the music from the service being conducted in another part of the building. James said it was like when we listen to Radio 3 ... only real ...
It was very restful.

19. An outdoor stairway:

By looking at the angle of the road you might have already guessed that this is also on Steep Hill!

21. A picture of you standing with something that symbolizes your nation:

Me and a particularly large Royal Air Force plane.

 [Yes, clearly I don't know what specific type of plane this is but I can definitely say that it's 'large' because it is and I can confidently say it's an RAF plane ... because it says so in big letters on the side.]

If you remember any of my previous post Airshow posts [such as this or this] you'll know I'm not actually into planes myself but rather that I go to the Airshow:

• to keep James company;
• to collect what I call 'Girl Points' i.e: goodwill which I can cash-in later, like when I want him to take me to a papercraft show ... ;-)
• to eat junk food. It was a bacon + sausage sandwich followed by a Mr.Whippy ice-cream this year [although, to be fair, I don't really need an excuse to eat junk food.]
• to listen-in to conversations and take photos of funny things I find [I'll share these soon];
• and to people-watch. And those 'people' sometimes includes pilots in snug uniforms ...

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I think I'm going to enjoy collecting as many of the Scavenger Hunt photos as possible as it's nice to have a bit of challenge and a bit of structure to the randomness of life! And who doesn't like crossing things off a list?

And if nothing else it's already resulted in some noteworthy moments, such as ...

... when I missed the chance to capture a shot of #10: A Horse because James couldn't get the camera out of his bag in time before it trotted off.

So, the next time we were in the same spot I found myself walking through a 14th Century Exchequer Gate [in the Cathedral quarter] stridently declaring: "If there's a horse around this corner ... you'd better be ready!!".

Ahhh .... memories are made of this ...  

See you soon.

Julie :-)

3D scene project: Kitsch is Where the Heart Is

Hi, hi.

As it is every 3rd Tuesday, today it's my turn to share a Design Team project on the shop blog of my friend 3D Jean, and this is today's offering:

Some people might call it a 'shrine' ... the Tando packing calls it a 'Mini Theatre Stage' ....

I call it 'the thing I made mam for Mother's Day hich she still has on display in the living room':

As it was for a very special person I populated my scene with some of those 'saving for best' items, like the little teddy and the gorgeous doll image from an old annual. And I went slightly cabochon-crazy too

It may not be the most sedate, understated creation ... if anything it looks rather as if I covered the 'thing' with glue and held it aloft during an explosion in a kitsch factory ... to see what stuck.

But who said that would be a bad thing?

And, like me, my Mam grew up under the influence of my [late] Grandma who bestowed her love upon us all at times with the most wonderfully eccentric, Magpie-eyed gifts ...

... so kitsch really is where the heart is round here.

Julie x

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Supplies available at 3DJean:

• Tando Mini Theatre Scene
• 'Horizon' patterned paper [around frame] by Lecon De Choses;
• Various cabochons;
• German scrap foil.

Other supplies:

• Bunting stickers + floral patterned paper [on background] by Lily Bee Designs;
• Floral label sticker: October Afternoon;
• Button + crochet trim from The Ribbon Girl

A super quick card from leftovers

Hi.

I'm still not really online.

I know ... you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise but despite having an infamous namesake with a time/space shifting abilities ...

I assure you I've not been beamed up from anywhere, Scotty ... this is just another scheduled post.

I just wanted to give you a heads up to a weekend of activities and giveaways going on over at the 'Jennifer's Jumbles' blog.

By now [fingers crossed] I believe my giveaway post will be live over there where you'll have the chance to:

• Win YOUR CHOICE of any single item from my Etsy shop.

**Make sure to hop over to Jennifer's blog for the competition details and to catch up on the weekend's other competitions and challenges.**

• And hop to the shop to see exactly what you'd ike to ask for if you won!

Good luck! [Or do I mean live long and prosper?]

Julie :-)

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p.s: I made the card in about 10 minutes as I wanted to include it in a parcel which had to go into the post yesterday morning. Apart from the card blank [itself an off-cut] it's made solely from items which had been hanging around on top of my desk and also from the bin beneath it! The only thing I added was the strip of fabric tape and gems.