Scrapping Tonight

Another photography app that has me addicted is "Photo Booth", looks like an old fashioned photo booth and lets you choose what film to use; black and white, colour or sepia tones.
I have quite a few funny strips in my collection and decided to scrap a strip using Nikki Sivils "Eager Beaver" line of products.

Photo Booth Fun

love Nikki Sivils burlap buttons

love Nikki Sivils new shaped papers

Supplies : Nikki Sivils Eager Beaver pattern paper, Prima and Making Memories flowers, Nikki Sivils alphabet, Nikki Sivils diecuts, Nikki Sivils burlap buttons, Nikki Sivils stickers, Such Sweet Tierney button, Bazzill card strips


Hope you all had a great weekend. I was cropping yesterday and working on some projects for Crafts Beautiful using Nikki Sivils Summer line. I will have some sneaks to post this week. Another really cute and colourful line, I am talking huge ice creams, rainbows, clouds and birdies, and my favorite vintage cameras!

Thanks for stopping by, I love hearing from you
Anna x

PS: Pencil Lines DT search ends tonight 12-pm GMT

Whilst browsing  the net this morning looking at photographers site for inspiration, I stumbled across this on Skye's website.
I found it so interesting and I will print this out and frame for my studio, I can probably tick most of them , every day!



It's sure is an eye opener isn't it!

Another great place for inspiration of every type, is Pinterest.  
Beware, it's totally addictive! I can get lots for hours on there.

Thanks for stopping by.
Anna x

Pencil Lines are looking for 12 new design team members. The entries I have received have been outstanding and this is not going to be an easy choice by far!
If you are still thinking of applying, STOP,  head on over here for all the details and apply, what do you have to lose?!

sketch to enter the DT search copyright Pencil Lines the Sketch Book

Deadline is 12pm GMT 28th of February. I am taking applications from the UK and international, digital, hybrid or paper, everyone's creativity is welcomed.

Cannot wait to see your entries :)

Anna x

The weather here has been dull, dreary and damp, a perfect day for lounging in front of the TV and baking comforting goodies to eat!

Izzy is becoming a bit of an expert in the kitchen, and today made some chocolate muffins with white chocolate chunks. Of course I had to test one *wink wink*




What you will need :

2 eggs
200g caster sugar
130g plain flour
50g  cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
160 ml milk
160 g melted unsalted butter
150g white chocolate chunks



Method :

Pre heat the oven to 170c
Mix the eggs and sugar together until light and creamy. Add the sifted flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt a little at a time with the milk and vanilla essence.
Mix well.
Now fold in the melted butter and add the chocolate chunks.

Pour mixture into muffin cases, about 2/3rds full. Bake for about 30mins. Leave to cool and enjoy!


I received my copy of Baking made Easy by Lorraine Pascale yesterday, and cannot wait to start baking some treats from her book.
Do you have a favorite cookery book? Do you have a cookery book on your must have list!
I have a very soft spot for The Primrose Bakery and Hummingbird Bakery books at the moment. I also have Cake Pops by Bakerella thanks to Sue, I am just waiting on my delivery of lollipop sticks and then I can start playing!

Thanks for stopping by, and if you do make these muffins I am sure Izzy would love to hear your verdict.
Anna x

My half term has started off productive I am glad to say. The weekend we had a huge clear out of the garage and my outbuilding/known to most as the potting shed! has been given an organized and spacious new look.

Its such a lovely feeling clearing out all the rubbish and strating with a tidy and organized space!
Peter is planning to turn the garage into a studio for me, which has astonished me to be honest, but I am also really excited. Its not an immediate plan but one we will be considering this year.

So after all that clearing out, today has been locked in the studio working on projects for The Scrapbook Magazine and Nikki Sivils.

A few sneaks to share with you today:

Its Your Day collection

Gorgeous Such Sweet Tierney buttons

Family collection

I spy a Little Musing!

Loving Nikki's new lines so much! And check out the gorgeous Such Sweet Tierney buttons. I have a cute spring project lined up with London's buttons and Nikki's papers :)

Hope you are enjoying the start of the week. I have a baking session planned tomorrow, Maple and Pecan muffins from The Hummingbird Bakery book, sound so scrumptious!

Thanks for stopping by
Anna x

As I start to move closer to my starting my photography business, I am collecting props and always on the look out for vintage bits!
Today I bought this old camera for only £3.00!!!!

So happy with it, and I am sure it will get a test run over the half term break with the girls.

bargain vintage camera only £3!!!

Yes half term is upon us. The girls broke up yesterday and I broke up today. need this break like you wouldnt believe! I am looking forward to starting my assignments for Crafts Beautiful magazine, getting stuck in to some projects with Such Sweet Tierney goodies, of which I had a delivery of some cute buttons and journaling spots today. I see lots of baking with Lorraine Pascale in the kitchen and I am sure long walks with Suki and photo ops will also be on the agenda this coming week.

I have updated my 365/11 today as well. I usually update twice a week. I am loving using my IPhone for quick snapshots that my DSLR would probaly not capture. Its been a fun project so far and I hope it will continue to be.
Snapped these pictures today when I picked the girls up from Nana's. Just wouldnt have captured these in the same way with my Nikon. Both photos have been taken with Hipstamatic app and then a filter added using Instagram app, which is FREE

Lilly chilling on the sofa

enjoying boiled eggs and soldiers!

What do you have planned this coming week? Have you made any bargain purchases recently? Do share...

Thanks as always for stopping by, dont be shy I would love to hear from you
Anna x

Just to let you know that my store at Owl Tree Studio opens Monday 21st.
I have some great templates for sale for quick and easy layouts, word art and some journaling spots!
I am really excited about this new venture and Tiffany the store owner has been a star, helping me open my store front and ironing out a few teething problems!

Here's a glimpse at a layout I have made using one of my templates and some word art.



digital supplies : template annab designs, word art annab designs, papers wild blueberry ink, all available at www.owltreestudio.com

Digital scrapbooking is not my strong point, so do keep an eye on my blog as I will be looking for a couple of CT members to help promote my store and products!

Thanks for stopping by
Anna x

Pencil Lines the Sketch Book has been out nearly a year now, and I havnt shared any layouts here on my blog. This layout of Lilly as a cat was one of my favorite sketches from the book, and a favorite layout still. Lilly has had several cat costumes over the years, and has spent many fancy dress party and Haloween dressed as a cat. Now she is nearly 8, dressing as a cat is no longer something she cares to be. I am so pleased for the memories I ahve in my scrapbook layouts and photos now...

Miaow



page copyright of my book. "Pencil Lines the Sketch Book"



Supplies: Cardstock Bazzill, Pattern Paper My Little Shoebox, Buttons making Memories, Flowers Making Memories and Prima, Alphabet American Crafts, Crystal swirl Prima



 What I loved about this sketch is  it allowed me to use paper scraps and lots of embellishments I already had; definitly a stash busting sketch/layout!

Pencil Lines the Sketch Book is still available here

Thanks for stopping by
Anna x

I am totally in love with Nikki Sivils new lines, they are truly scrumptious!
I have been scrapping a fair bit with them lately but all for magazine assignments, so I can only share sneaks.

"Summer" is so me, lots of kitsch cameras, bunting and ice cream comes! This line is going to be perfect for lots of my Disney photos.

loving the rainbow too!

how perfect are Such Sweet Tierney buttons!

"Its your Day" is a birthday line, another firm favorite of mine, bunting, party hats and huge birthday pressies!

And Such Sweet Tierney painted buttons are working a treat with these new lines! See those gorgeous buttons above!

Just need to let you know that I have been asked to join the Crafts Beautiful team. My first editorial is going to be fun and I can see lots of Nikki Sivils and Such Sweet Tierney buttons being used!

Hope you have had a fun weekend. Pencil Lines goes live at 8pm with a new sketch and guest designer. I am also looking for 12, yes 12 new designers to join the team, all details are on the website for the 2011 design team search.

Thanks for stopping by
Anna x

Today the girls had a theme day. They had to take an item from 1950 - 2000 and dress as that decade. The school has literally given as a few days notice, so I was slightly panicky. I wasnt keen on the girls taking to school anything of too much value, and last night we eventually came up with a theme for the girls ; music! As a music loving family of all types of music, this just seemed natural. Peter took to the loft and dug out the vinyls, remember those days?!
A picture heavy post!

Izzy went as an eighties pop princess, very Madonna ish! Not that hard these days as Izzy's wardrobe has leggings, backwing tops and mini "ish" skirts.
Kids makeup is garish in colour and Claires accessories is full of neon stuff which Izzy already had!





Boy did I have fun playing with the finishing touches! Big yellow hair tie, black pumps, purple eyeshadow and a back combed fringe!!!
Izzy loved being the girly girl, and I reckon she would have been a perfect 80's follower!

purple eyeshadow!

the classic fabric hair accessorie

Lilly went armed with an early Adam and the Ants vinyl (Dirk wears White Sox, pre pop 1979) and was dressed as a Punk Rocker!

tattooed knuckle

I took some plain black leggings, dropped and smeared bleach on them and then cut slits.
Back combed her hair, dark grey eyeshadow and liner, black lips and "punk" and "rock" tattooed on her knuckles for the finishing touches. Lilly does the punk attitidue so well, LOL

the details

just had to smile for me

Too much fun was had by me to be honest!

I felt totally under dressed with my straight hair and paired down makeup today!

Has my post bought back memories from your childhood? I was a huge Adam and the Ants Fan, and was always sporting pedal pushers, military jacket and a white stripe across my face,LOL, at the weekend. Where you a new romantic or a little more edgy!?

Thanks for stopping by,
Anna x

I sit here and look my 16 plus scrapbook albums, I realize I have no order to my albums, and half my albums I want to replace. My last 6 or so albums are the cloth American Craft D ring albums which I love!
So my dilema and question to you today is, do you fill your albums by date of photo, or when you scrapped the layout? Do you have specific albums for holidays, each child, pet etc...?

I have been reading Ali Edwards posts on album organization and it has made me think of taking all my layouts as she had, and put them into some chronoligical order of some kind, and maybe dedicate albums to the girls. 
I do have an album each of the children, older layouts I did, when I started scrapbooking, both in Bazzill albums post bound.

What are your thoughts on album organization? Do you any great links to other scrappers ideas?
Would love hear your comments and ideas.

Thanks for stopping by
Anna x

Pencil Lines sketch 224 has gone live with guest deisgner Fauve van Maanen. Fauve also provided this weeks very versatile sketch, and she also designed 2 layouts!

I chose a photo that I had taken with my IPhone for my 365/2011, of which will become part of my Document 2011/Project Life 365. I printed my photo to resemble a polaroid as well.



We have had a lovely weekend spent with friends and Rock Band, just perfect! Sunday has been a chilled out today and for dinner I cooked Delia Smiths (Chinese Belly Pork), Hung Shoi Pork, currently advertised in Waitrose. Here is the link if anyone's interested. Healthy eating regime is going well as is my exercise plans. How are your 2011 regimes panning out?

Hope your weekend was a relaxed and fun one!
Thanks for stopping by
Anna x

Really excited to be joining the digital team at Owl Tree Studio. Who would have thought that I would head into the digi world of scrapping and have my own little shop somewhere!
I will be selling templates for scrapbooking and scrapbooking essentials ie journaling spots/tags and words for use on layouts and photos.

I am so excited! My shop opens Valentines day February 14th, just in case you didnt know, mwah!



Do pop on over and see the designers, including the wonderful Karla Dudley. I am off to pick some goodies up to use with my templates.

Have a wonderful weekend. I will be back tomorrow with some scrappy love!
Thanks for stopping by
Anna x

Yes this is my word for 2011, and I am doing pretty good so far. With the last few days off work with Izzy I have taken to doing more sorting out. My office is tidy and sorted; a bin bag of shredded paper went out today!
Check this post for my progress to date.
Todays battle zone was my studio. I am so embarrased at the amount of papers I have, far too many to ever use. I have boxed up over 150 sheets I would think of various manufacturers.
I am talking,
My Minds Eye, Basic Grey, American Crafts, TInkering Ink, Jenni Bowlin, My Little Shoe Box to name a few. Some are older lines others are barely a year old.

If you want to pick this box up from PE19 area you are more than welcome. Would be ideal for a craft group or charity organization. I have posted on FB and Twitter as well. If I have no takers I will offer it up to school.

Leave a comment here or email me
Thanks
Anna x

EDITED : thanks everyone, you will have been contacted if you were selected to pick up the box of papers. I am sure I will have many more over the coming weeks!

With Valentines just around the corner I thought I would post up my FREE PRINTABLES from last year for you all again.
The circles are perfect with a 2" punch, making them quick and easy to use!





Check out this post to see a mini album I made.
I would love to see what you make with the printables. Do leave a comment in this post for me.

Thanks for stopping by
Anna x