What day is it ...

... seriously, what day is it today? I love, love, love Christmas as much as the next person, but at the same time, there's a small part of me that can't wait for things to return to normal! Not being at work means that each day blends almost seamlessly into the next, with nothing to differentiate today from any other day of the week. Weekends mean nothing ... Saturday and Sunday are just two days like every other.

Oh boy, how negative do I sound? I don't mean to, so lets change the subject shall we?

2010 is just round the corner and that got me thinking a little. How will you be pronouncing 2010? Will it be "two thousand and ten"? Or will you say "twenty ten"? I haven't decided yet, I'm gonna wait a little while and see what other people are saying, but I think I'm favouring "two thousand and ten" at the moment. How about you? I'm curious to know, so please feel free to leave me a comment with your thoughts!

'Nuff Said ...

... Merry Christmas!!!

New Tradition ...

... well maybe not! I'm guessing that you probably have your own traditions at this time of year, right? When it comes to Christmas Eve, I usually work. This year, things are different and not necessarily in a good way either.

DH & I went food shopping yesterday and as expected, the supermarket was HEAVING with people buying enough food (& drink) to last for months!!! Anybody would think the shops were closed for the entire week, when in fact my local supermarket is open again on Boxing Day!!!

Anyhoo, one of the food traditions for my family at this time of year is sausage rolls ... you know the little bite-size ones? DH can quite happily munch his way through far too many of them in one sitting. LOL! So imagine his despair when we found out that the supermarket had SOLD OUT ... argghhhhh. "But fear not" said DH, "we can just make our own!".

Now, baking cakes is something I'm quite good at (even if I do say so myself), but making pastry??? That's a whole different ball game. So the gauntlet was thrown down and DH took it upon himself to have a go at making his own sausage rolls this year.


Gotta love that tongue sticking out ... I swear that pretty much every photo I took, he was sticking his tongue out whilst "concentrating".

And here are the pre-baked results ... not bad for a 1st attempt! I think we may have found our new Christmas Eve tradition.

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!!!

Where have you been ...

... I've been here all along, what about you? Sorry for not posting recently ... I honestly have no excuse. Since coming back from Cologne, nothing much has happened. I know that doesn't usually stop me from posting here, but you know, sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder(!).

Anyhoo, this really is just a flying visit to say I'm off to the wilds of Scotland today and won't have access to the world-wide-web again until Wednesday ... arrrgggghhhhh!!!!! What am I gonna do?!?!?!?

I'll leave you with a couple of LO's created recently using Sue Cummings' yummy Merry & Bright Daily Download kits (if you haven't already purchased this kit then get yourself over to Sue's shop at oscraps.com - you really don't want to miss this amazing deal!), my very own QP template (see post before this one!) and TaylorMade Designs, Shine On & Christmas Collections.

click here for credits

click here for credits

click here for credits

So have a great weekend wherever you are. Wrap up warm and stay safe if you have snow. I'll post again next week!

Shameless self promotion ...

... OMGosh! Never in a million years did I expect to have something I'd created available for people to buy!!!

Sue Cummings is an amazing designer and I'm so proud to be a part of her creative team (and what a team it is!); she's also a wonderful supporter / mentor and is always encouraging us to share thoughts / ideas. Better still, she's happy to work together with us to see ideas turned into reality. I've said it before, and I'll say it again ... thank you Sue!

So without further ado, it gives me great pleasure to present to you ... Simply Creative No.7

click here for further details

The excitement is growing ...

... and tasks are being checked-off of my "to-do" list! €'s have been purchased, taxi booked to take us to the train station, only the packing of suitcases to go!!!

The only negative thing about going on this trip is that I don't get to take my laptop with me ... so no blogging (boo!) or forum lurking (boo!) until I get back.

But I'm delighted to say that Sue Cummings has aleady released Merry & Bright Daily Download #8 and better yet ... it's currently FREE!!!

click here for further details

Sue's providing sooooooo many gorgeous elements in these daily kits, her wordart (WA) designs are just stunning! I couldn't decide which to use in the LO below, so I figured "what the heck, I'll just use as many as I can!!!"

click here for credits

What do you think ...

... of my new blog header? I'm getting into the festive spirit good and early this year, though my Christmas tree and decorations won't be going up until I'm back from Germany next week.

Have I mentioned that DH and I are off to the Christmas markets in Cologne on Saturday? I'm starting to get super excited about the trip ... I've written a list of things I need to organise, including getting some €'s from the bank and bringing the suitcases down from the attic. We're travelling by Eurostar train to Brussels, then picking up another train to take us to Cologne, where we're staying until Tuesday!!! How fun is that? I really can't wait. I've been doing some on-line "research" and checking out our hotel (Im Wasserturm) and what to expect of the markets and it looks FABULOUS!!!

Talking of fabulous, Sue Cummings has released downloads #6 & #7 of her Merry & Bright Daily Download kit. With luck and in between packing, I'll get a LO done tomorrow!!!

click here for further details

click here for further details

Advent day 2 ...

... so have you opened your Advent calendar yet? I must admit I haven't! I bought a chocolate filled calendar about 3 weeks ago and put it in a cupboard out of temptations way, then I totally forgot about it ... but that just meant I had 2 doors (+ 2 chocolates) to open this morning. Fa-la-la-la-lah, la-la-la-lah!!!

Whilst on the subject of fa-la-la ... Sue Cummings has released her Merry & Bright Daily Download #5 and get this, it's a really cute hand-drawn alpha ... I love it!

click here for further details

Click here for credits

And this makes 30 ...

... thank goodness for Sue Cummings Designs; her Merry & Bright Daily Downloads #3 and #4 are both available now in the oscraps store. Yipppeee!!!!

click here for further details
click here for further details

How many posts this month ...

... well, not quite 30. In fact, I believe this is my 29th post for November ... not bad, but there was a little bit of cheating. Well you can't blame a girl for trying now, can you?!?! It seems strange to think that tomorrow is December. DECEMBER!!!! I swear the last time I checked my calendar it was still only August.

Anyhoo, Christmas is rapidly approaching. All the shops are playing Christmas songs, every other advert on TV is for perfume and nearly all my favourite digi-scrap designers have released their Christmas stash ... oh what fun it is to play!!!

Reasons to be happy ...

... my beloved Chelsea beat Arsenal 3-0 (away from home!) today ... and ... I had some time to play with Sue Cummings' Merry & Bright Daily Download #2. Yeah for rainy Sundays!!!

click here for credits

Merry & Bright ...

... I know it's still only November, but with Sue's fabulous Merry & Bright Daily Download kit to play with, everyday feels like Christmas day!!! Here's a quick page I created with daily download #1.

Click here for credits

And here's a sneaky peak at daily download #2. Hopefully I'll have time to play with the papers tomorrow morning.

Black Friday ...

... don't worry, I'm not depressed or anything like that! For the uninitiated, in the States the day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. There's some debate as to why it's called that, all I know is it's a HUGE day for sales!!! Pretty much every store I've checked out today has some sort of sale going on and the deals are pretty impressive too! Over at oscraps the discounts range from 10% - 50% depending on designer.

By far the best deal I've seen today comes from Sue Cummings Designs ... check this out for an amazing deal:

Merry & Bright Daily Digital Kit for the Holidays!

Do you like opening presents? If you do, then this is the kit for you. Similar to a grab bag you will not know what you are getting with this kit ... each and every day will be total surprise!

Here's how it works: purchase the "kit" from Sue's shop at oscraps and every day between 28 November - 31 December, Sue will add a new product for you to add to the kit. All you have to do is go to your order history and download the new download for the day. You'll get a new digital download everyday for 30+ days! By the end of December you'll have over 12+ papers, 100 wordart & elements, 10+ quick pages and lots of other projects!

So what are you waiting for? Fa la la la lah, la la la lah!!!!

Thanksgiving wishes ...

... Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates this today!!! Hope you all have a fabulous day surrounded with love & laughter, food & drink and best of all family & friends.

My latest discovery ...

... is a magazine called Photoshop Creative. I picked up the latest edition (issue 55) when I went to Tesco today. I don't recall ever seeing it on sale before, but then again it was in the "men's interests" magazine section alongside the computer, fishing & techie type magazines!!! I was a bit shocked at the price (£6!) but figured I give it a go ... and boy-oh-boy ... I've read it from cover to cover and I'm just bursting to give some of the fabulous techniques a try!!! I know I won't be able to use all the techniques featured because I have an older version of Photoshop (I use Photoshop 7.0), but I'm gonna have fun seeing what I can create with my new found source of information / knowledge.

Can't blame me for trying ...

... it's amazing how quickly time slips by. Before you know it, it's the end of another day already! There's not much happening here at the moment, I'm just getting back into a daily routine of job searching, cleaning and digi-scrapping. I have to say though that I'm really looking forward to Friday because there will be TONS of sales on at the various digi-scrapping sites. Makes me wish us Brits celebrated Thanksgiving too!

So as I said, not really much going on around here. My car has been a right royal pain in the you-know-what recently. For some reason, it doesn't like being parked up / not driven for a couple of days. I jumped in my car Sunday morning, turned the key and ... nothing!!! Had to get DH's car pulled up alongside today, just so I could get a jump start. I then went for a 30 minute drive round the Oxfordshire countryside in the vain hope that it will put a bit of life back into the battery. Truth will tell when I try starting the car again tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Anyhoo, enough of my worries ... how's things with you?

PS - Oh before I forget, head on over to the Paislee Press blog ... Liz has got a fabulous give-away going on. Go check it out!!!

I'm sooooooo behind v3 ...

... one at a time!

click here for credits

I'm sooooooo behind v2 ...

... but to post these layouts ...

click here for credits

I'm sooooooo behind v1...

... I really don't have a choice ...

click here for credits

My annus horribilis ...

... if someone were to ask me to reflect back on 2009 (I know we're still only in November, but bear with me), I'd have to say "it hasn't been one of my best years". I thought 2001 couldn't be topped (in crappiness terms) but 2009 is right up there with it!!!

And yet, if it hadn't been for all the turmoil, I wouldn't have started this blog or met some wonderful new friends from all around the world over at oscraps. So something positive has come out of what could be perceived as a negative situation ... oh, did I mention I'm a natural born optimist? LOL!!!

Anyway, enough of my doldrums ... has anyone else started their 2009 review yet?

Paislee Press yumminess ...

... makes scrapping soooooo simple. Liz has posted a fun little challenge on her blog and she's created a gorgeous quick page template as a freebie too! In fact, all the products used to create my LO are from Paislee Press and better yet, they're all freebies!!!

click here for details

"Saturday, March 24,1984 ...

... Shermer High School, Shermer, Illinois, 60062. Dear Mr. Vernon, We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did was wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. What do you care? You see us as you want to see us - in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. You see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal. Correct? That's the way we saw each other at 7:00 this morning. We were brainwashed."

I've just re-watched The Breakfast Club and I loved every second of it. Even though it's nearly 25 years old, I can still quote the opening / ending sequence verbatim! I was a real Brat Pack fan and was totally in love with Andrew McCarthy (swoon) and I think I've seen just about every John Hughes teen angst film. The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink were my favourites, but which was yours?

It's official ...

... the countdown to Christmas has begun. Today was the first time this season that I saw the advert, you know the one I mean right? Yipppeeee!!!

"Holidays are coming ... Holidays are coming ... "

Obnoxious Posting ...

... who me? Never ... I've gotta get my post count for the month back on track some how!!!

click here for credits

Catching Up ...

... as a result of the recent inclement weather here in the UK, I was forced to stay indoors all weekend ... the only saving grace was it gave me a chance to catch up on some scrapping!

click here for credits

Behind Schedule ...

... my last post was on Friday 13th(!), what happened to Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th??? Well nothing (again), which is why I didn't post. The weather here has been awful and we've had our first "winter storm" of the season ... but before you get too excited, winter storms here just mean LOTS of rain and strong winds, none of the white stuff! As I sit here and type this post, the sun is making a valiant attempt to break through the grey clouds ... if it succeeds, it may actually be quite a nice day.

See that's Brits for you ... if there's nothing else to discuss, you can count on us to talk about the weather!!!

This is actually my Thursday post ...

... let me explain. I had all the best intentions to post this yesterday, but by the time I got home I was so exhausted and it was all I could do just to drag my sorry butt upstairs to bed! But why so tired I hear you ask? Well a good friend of mine (Jo) was the hostess with the mostess at a "Jamie at home" party last night. Jo invited me and lots of other lovely ladies to share some nibbles, drinks and check out a range of cook / homeware products by designed by the great man (Jamie Oliver) himself. Is was a great success ... just wish I'd taken my camera so I could show you all the goodies that were available! Instead, I'll link you through to the Jamie at home website ... this should give you a taste of evening.

What do you blog about ...

... when you've got nothing to blog about? Seriously ... I set myself a challenge of having 30 posts this month (equivalent of 1 per day), but when nothing happens in any given day, just what do you blog about? Suggestions on a postcard (or in the comments section) please!

Perspective ...

... something I've always struggled with when creating LO's, but this time I'm really pleased with the results. I downloaded NinaScrap Designs read.and.relax kit and fell in love with the patterned papers ... one of which I've used as my wallpaper in this page.

click here for details

Monday moan ...

... so how come my bathroom gets so mucky? I mean, there are 3 adults living in my home. No kids. No pets. Granted 2 of the "adults" are men (!), but seriously ... how does it get so mucky???

I do LOVE it when it's sparkly clean!

We will remember them ...

... So I'm back as promised. I'll make this short, the reason I wanted to post twice today was because I wanted to share this LO with you. Today is Remembrance Sunday here in the UK and here's my tribute to all those in the armed forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

click here for details

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

“Ode of Remembrance” from the poem For The Fallen

written by Laurence Binyon in 1914

What happened to Saturday ...

... so I missed posting yesterday and do you want to know why? Well, there are a couple of reasons:

1. I was having way too much fun enjoying myself over at oscraps (I took part in my fast ever “chat” … boy those ladies can type fast!)

2. I wasn’t feeling too hot yesterday evening. When I say I wasn’t feeling too hot, what I actually mean is that I was freezing cold!!! I’d been sat in my little room (where I scrap / craft) all day, DH had been bringing hot drinks but for some reason the temperature was just sooooooo cold, and by the end of the chat (which lasted nearly 2 hours & was so much fun!!!) my fingers were blue from the cold. Needless to say, I wrapped myself in a blanket and spent the next few hours trying to get warm again.

So that's why I didn't post yesterday. But I'm gonna post twice today to make up for it! I'll be back later with a LO (or two) , one of which is specifically for today, Remembrance Sunday.

TGIF ...

... and very nearly DSD!!! Confused? No need ... DSD stand for Digital Scrapbooking Day ... yup, that's a WHOLE day dedicated to my obsession!!! I can't wait. The fun and games start tomorrow, but there are some fantastic sales going on right now. What to know more??? Head on over to oscraps and take a look at all the wonderful designers that are having sales ... including the AMAZING Sue Cummings' ... you gotta love discounts like this???

click here to go to Sue's oscraps store

What did you do today ...

... I got up, ate breakfast, surfed and scrapped, went out to lunch (yummy!), surfed and scrapped, watched a bit of TV, surfed and scrapped, blogged, went to bed!

Wednesday Woes ...

... why do some people have to be so nasty? I don't class myself as an "over sensitive" type of person and most things are like water of a ducks back to me ... but every so often something is said and it hurts. I won't go into details, because this isn't the right place and let's face it, how many times have you said something in "the heat of the moment", only to then regret it once things have calmed down again? I don't intend to make that mistake.

Anyhoo, I just hope your Wednesday was better than mine.

Tuesday [Chelsea] Blues ...

... a win would've been better, but I'll settle for a draw!
Come on you Blues!!!

What a day ...

... phew! I'm so glad today is almost over. It started well enough, albeit at 6:30am (had to post in Sue Cummings CT forum), then by 11am and having only been at work for 2 hours, things rapidly descended into chaos! Well OK, chaos isn't the right word, but it was one heck of a busy day. Now I'm just chillin' out & relaxing with a glass of wine.

How's your day been?

P.S. Just had to pop back in to this post to let you all know about a fabulous Oscraps blog hop that's going on at the moment ... the details can be found here & there are some AMAZING freebies to collect along the way. Have fun!!!

1st November already ...

... blink and you may miss it, the year that is.

My blogging record for October has been dismal ... I have no excuse other than "life". I guess that happens to most bloggers at some point in time, right? Well this month, I've set myself a challenge ... I'm gonna try and post to my blog EVERY SINGLE DAY!!! Even if it's just a quick note to say what's been good (or bad) about my day, but by the end of the month, I want to have 30 posts.

Wish me luck!

Sue Cummings Designs - Spotlighted at Oscraps ...

... Are you ready? It's gonna be a fun-filled, fast paced week in the digi-scrapping world ... Sue C is in da house!!!! Woo-hoo. There's an awesome challenge and some absolutely breathtaking prizes .. check out the forum here and don't forget to stop by Sue's blog too (you never know what you might find!).

Champagne Friday ...

... my absolute favourite day of the week ... cheers everyone!!!

Sue Cummings Designs ...

... the kits I used in my LO's at the weekend are now in Sue's store over at oscraps.com. Here's the previews of all her lovely new goodies:

click here for details

click here for details

click here for details

Where Have You Been?

... nowhere is the short answer! I've been here, but haven't blogged all week - sorry! To be honest, I haven't done much of anything over the past week. I guess I just needed some time away from all things digital (scrapping or other!). And now I've had my "week off", I'm back.

So without further ado, here are a few of my latest LO's ... 2 Halloween themed pages using the latest kits (Little Bits 'n' Pieces - Collection #3 Halloween, From My Notebook - Halloween and From My Notebook - Happy Halloween ***all coming soon to oscraps***) from the awesome Sue Cummings Designs:

click here for details

click here for details

This last LO definitely isn't Halloween inspired ... this is my entry into this week Designer Spotlight challenge over at the "O". The challenge this week was to create a LO and use a grid somewhere in the design. I have to say that the grid styling really appeals to my "hyper-organised" self. LOL!!!

click here for details

Hope everyone is well? How's the change in seasons effecting you? Don't know about you, but it's definitely getting chilly here ... may even have to put the central heating on soon. BRrrrrrrrr!

Swell Sunday ...

... time flies when you're having fun. How very true. Last week passed in the blink of an eye and it was soooooo much fun. My week in the spotlight really was a total surprise ... I know some people won't believe that, but when I first logged into the Oscraps forum last Monday, I was completely taken a back! Throughout the week, I made a point to view EVERY single page that was uploaded to the spotlight gallery ... and boy-oh-boy, there are some seriously talented ladies in the digi-scrapping world and it's my great privilege to call them my friends.

So as this week draws to a close, I just wanted to say "thank you" to everyone that took part, you are truly special people and I've loved every minute of "sue-week". LOL!!!

Happy Hump Day ...

... it's WEDNESDAY, yeah! Pretty much half way through the working week. Hope you're all having a good one? My week so far has been wonderful! The "sue-week" spotlight over at the "O" is going great guns and I'm having so much fun checking out the lifts in the gallery ... I've found some lifts that I wanna lift!!! I think there should be an official scrap term for a lift of a lift, don't you think? Any suggestion? Feel free to leave a comment!

I'm In The Spotlight ...

... Woo-hoo!!! I knew NOTHING about this until I checked out the forum this morning, and there it was ... notification that this weeks spotlight challenge was featuring my gallery. Woo-hoo!!!!

Click here to check it out in more detail!

Sunday Sulk ...

... I know I shouldn't, after all I'm a grown woman and seriously too old to sulk ... but ... even as I type this, I'm pouting like a stubborn little child! And why you ask? Well the answer is simple ... DH!!! We were supposed to visit Westonbirt arboretum today, but despite having discussed it and him agreeing to it last weekend, be bailed on me!!! "I can't be bothered" he said this morning. Today would've been perfect for taking photos too ... we've got late warm summer sunshine, clear blue skies and I just know the foliage will look stunning ... but oh no, he can't be bothered. Arrrrrgggghhhhh!!!!

Hi Honey, I'm Home ...

... the wedding was wonderful! I took 200+ photos and had a fabulous day. In fact, the whole weekend away was lovely. It's always good to meet up with "distant" family & friends and when there's something to celebrate, it makes it all the more special. Here's just one photo of the happy couple ... congratulations Dawn & Gary!!!


OK, so I'm totally exhausted now ... I could do with having a few more days off work just to recover from the weekend, but seeing as that's not gonna happen, I guess I'd better get myself organised for work in the morning.

Hope everyone has had a FAB weekend, wherever you are!!!

Just Popping By ...

... to say that I'm off to the western wilds of Scotland (well Stranraer actually!!!) today for a family wedding this weekend. I'm taking the laptop with me, but I'm not sure if I'll get a connection (little bit remote where I'm staying!), but I'm hoping to get some scrapping done & I'll post again when I'm back.

Hope everyone is having a fun-filled week ... any plans for the weekend yet?

Nothing In Particular ...

... that's what's happened in my life over the past week. Does that make me feel sad? No, not really. I just accept that my life [right now] is a bit same ol', same ol'. This coming week will be a break from the routine though, as Iain & I are heading off to Scotland for a long weekend of visiting family, friends and attending a wedding ... which gives me the perfect excuse to take LOADS of new photos!!!

So what's been happening over at oscraps? Well, four of the loveliest ladies at the forum have been recognised for their contributions and are now all proudly sporting the title of Cheery'O!!! Congrats to Ona, Helen, Linda & Sara ... you ladies do a wonderful job and I know you'll all be fabulous Cheery'O's. I can't wait to see what fun & frolics you come up with.

OK, so just closing off with a LO created for the Designer Spotlight Challenge. I had fun "thinking outside the box" on this one ... it's very different to my usual style, but that's what I really love about the "O" ... it stretches you!!!

click here for credits

Hope you're having [or have had for my friends "down under"] a great weekend!

Monday Madness ...

... I wasn't going to post again until later this evening, but when I saw the MEGA sale that Sue Cummings' has got going on over at oscraps, I just had to let you all know sooner rather than later!!! Check these out ...

Phew, the savings on offer are AMAZING ... and it's not just Sue who's having a sale. Many of the other designers are also slashing prices and have clearance sale! So go on, what are you waiting for?

Where Did The Week Go ...

... seriously, I can't believe it's been a whole week since I last posted! It only seems like a couple of days. This is my first post for the month and already it's the 6th September. The days, weeks and months are just flying by. Before you know it, it'll be Christmas. Ha!

The change in season from summer to autumn has started. Now-a-days, the sun is setting before 8pm, the mornings are distinctly chilly and the leaves are starting to turn to the beautiful golden hues of autumn. I adore autumn. In honour of the change, I've changed the hanging display in my craft room from these summer daisies ...


... to this funky pumpkin and autumn leaves combo. Don't ya just love the expression on the pumpkin's face? Talking of pumpkins, it's not too long 'til Halloween and I'm starting to plan what goodies I'm gonna create this year!

But before I get too carried away with thoughts of Halloween and Christmas, I mustn't forget my daddy's birthday. He's currently travelling round Spain and I'm not able to post him a "traditional" birthday card ... so instead, I made him a birthday LO. Happy Birthday Daddy!

click here for credits

See, you don't hear from me for a whole week, then all-of-a-sudden, you get a whole flood of stuff! Same goes for my digi-scrapping. I've haven't created any LO's all week, so I've had to make up for it today. Here's my entry for the spotlight challenge over at oscraps this week:

click here for credits

OK, I've prattled on enough for one post! I'm off to watch a re-run of the MotoGP. Hope everyone is having a great weekend, wherever you are.

It's a blue day ...

... I've been tagged! Val, my friend and fellow Sue Cummings CT member, tagged me with the challenge of creating a blue layout. Now for some this may have seemed a little daunting, but for me it was simple. Straight away I knew what I wanted my LO theme to be ... a dedication to my beloved Blues ... aka Chelsea FC!!!

click here for credits

Here you go Val, hope you like it! Thanks for the challenge.

Tuesday Tedium ...

... I think Tuesday is my least favourite day of the week. It's just a kinda "nothing" day ... nothing new, nothing exciting ... just nothing! I know I shouldn't wish the time away, but roll on Friday. It's a Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK and I can't wait! I haven't scrapped in over a week and I'm starting to get withdrawal symptoms. I've got a couple of kits from Sue Cummings that I've downloaded and are just waiting for me to get creative with, I'm gonna lock myself away and scrap to my heart's content. Sheer bliss!!!

Sunday Stroll (down memory lane) ...

... At 9:06pm last night, my mobile rang. It was the call I'd be anticipating all day. The next 2hrs 45mins were spent chatting, reminiscing, laughing and even crying, as Teressa & I caught up on over 20 years worth of memories!

We'd both been 11 when we were enrolled at Our Lady's Convent High School boarding school in Alnwick. That was back in 1982. We came instant best friends. We were inseparable ... I was Teressa's shadow and everywhere she went, I went. We slept in the same room (at times), we sat at the same table during meal times, we walked to & from school together, we studied together, we even got suspended from school together!!!

In 1987, Teressa (& the rest of the "gang") left school to go out into the big wide world of college, university & work. I stayed on at school for a further 2 years, completing 6th Form. We promised each other we'd stay in touch, we'd write (before the days of instant emails), we'd call (before the days of mobile phones), we'd visit each other (before the days we could drive) ... we'd do all we could to stay in touch. How then, did we lose touch?

Since leaving school, our lives have gone in different directions but there are still some spooky similarities. We both applied to join the RAF (Teressa joined up ... I wimped out). We both met our future husbands whilst they served with the military. We both got married. We both drive silver coloured cars. We both worked in customer service. We both got made redundant recently. We both LOVE card making & scrapbooking!

There are some striking differences too. The biggest being that Teressa is a mum!!! She has two beautiful girls who are as cute as buttons. She's so grateful to be a mum ... she's battled through some pretty intense situations in her life, but she's come through them all, stronger and more determined than ever to enjoy life.

The call ended just before midnight, but I didn't sleep very well last night. I was like a little girl again at Christmas time ... so excited, my mind still buzzing from everything we'd said and thinking of all the things still to say. We've exchanged mobile numbers, email addresses, Skpe & Facebook names. With all these methods of communication at our fingertips, we have absolutely NO EXCUSES for not staying in touch.

I found this photo of us together, wearing our lovely navy blue A-line skirts and white knee high socks. I'd taped the photo into an old exercise book and written a note on the page to say who, when and where. I carefully removed the tape (as anyone who scrapbooks will know, Sellotape is evil!!!) in order to scan the photo. Imagine my surprise then when I turned the photo over ...

Thank you Teressa for being my best friend at school and for being my friend again now.

Friday Frenzy ...

... OMGosh I've just found by BEST FRIEND from school on Facebook!!! I've been registered on Friends Reunited since 2000 / 2001 in the hope of find Teressa, but with no luck. Then a friend of mine badgered me into signing up on Facebook, which I did, but didn't really get to grips with, so I de-activated my account. Then, last week I heard that my old school was having a reunion, but it was too short notice for me to get there ... BUT ... I logged back onto Facebook to check out the photos that were posted [following the reunion] and there she was ... Teressa Woodhead (nee Maudling) staring back at me and better still, getting in touch!!!

Ain't technology grand?

Another Quickie ...

... Forgot to mention this earlier in the week, but Sue Cummings has released some new goodies over at oscraps. I haven't downloaded them yet, but plan to at the weekend ... then I gonna have me some well deserved scrapping time. Click on the images for full details.

Hope everyone's having a FAB week ... any plans for the weekend yet?