Pretty Paper Party

I am just about managing to keep up with class so far which is amazing for me! I have loved receiving the prompts which really are totally making sense and giving me clear ideas on how to actually use the papers in my stash. The sketches are great, Shimelle's bonus video today was sooooo amazing and looking through the forum there are a whole bunch of very talented scrappers out there (I have started to follow new inspiring blogs too!)

The first prompt encouraged us to use up strips of scrap paper and I loved the sketch for this LO, so found it fairly easy to put together (tho it still took me some time!) Note the little heart has been moved from the photo, this is just covering up the name of the school.

The second prompt was about using patterned paper as the background. I kind of cheated a bit on this one as for both prompts I used the same base, which is from a set that I was given and immediately took a dislike to. So I decided to use the subtlety patterned paper in both to kind of tie the 2 together as the both pages tell the same story...1st day at school.

I also cut out the flowers from another sheet in the set as I normally don't do flowers/florals so getting out of my comfort zone is a good thing to try. But I am not really sure that it works on this page... what do you think? I am really happy to be scrapping again and to be using up some of those piles of papers and scraps! I will be doing more soon hopefully.

I now need to try and get a 'kit' together for prompt 3 but real life is getting in the way. DS is poorly and has a broken arm (again!), DH has had to stay away with work unexpectedly, DD is on a school trip in France, Dad was due his second bout of chemotherapy today but they were unable to get his permanent IV line in so he has to be admitted to the chemo unit. I have a full day at work tomorrow, hoping DS manages a full day at school as he hasn't so far this week, bless him. Looking on the bright side, if I have to take time off work I may get to indulge myself sorting through those patterned papers!

Pretty Paper Party

Today is the start of a new Shimelle class called 'Pretty Paper Party' of course I could not resist the temptation and signed up immediately I received the invitation, especially as I have literally stacks of pretty papers unused in my stash.

Shimelle set us an icebreaker today all about our paper collections asking us to share what sort of paper person we are. I really think I can fit into 'The Paper collector' and 'the scrap sorter' but I have invented my own new category which is 'the Paper Procrastinator'! I often find that I just stare at all my papers hoping for inspiration, looking at one trying to figure out if I should use it, stroking another, then considering even more. Eventually I realise a couple of hours have passed and I still haven't settled on which papers to use.

Here are some snaps of the paper I have......A shelf of 6x6, 8x8, photo mats and other smaller pieces of paper and card

a shelf with the upside down folder used for scraps and a pile of 'have to keep as may come in useful' random bits of paper and card that obviously needs tidying!

a pile of 12x12's waiting to be put away

a shelf with mostly 12x12's that needs sorting

I am so glad to be part of this fantastic pretty paper party (and I think I have fixed the glitches on this post!) I really look forward to the daily inspiration and the challenges of class. I need to tackle tidying, sorting and using my stash and I hope to take an active part and might actually complete this one (I have never finished one so far!)

I look forward to seeing some of you in class ..... I will be the naughty one sitting at the back! xxx

HIya everyone!
Seeing as it is my birthday I will join in with the A-Z of me I have seen on many other blogs.... you never know you may even learn some new things about me!

A. Age: over 40 .... it is my birthday today!!
B. Bed size: King
C. Chore that you hate: probably Ironing but not keen on any housework to be honest!
D. Dogs:would like one one day as it would mean I walked everyday
E. Essential start to your day: a cup of black tea
F. Favourite colour: brown or green or browny green!
G. Gold or Silver: gold as too pale for silver although my wedding ring is platinum!
H. Height: 5’8.5”
I. Instruments you play: I used to play the violin, recorder, treble, clarinet, piano, bugle and the only one I play occasionally now is the guitar.
J. Job title: Nurse practitioner/ clinical nurse specialist
K. Kids: DS and DD
L. Live: Surrey, United Kingdom
M. Mother’s name: Mum
N. Nicknames: Furrypig
O. Overnight hospital stays: 2 ear ops as a child, appendicectomy, hysterectomy
P. Pet peeves: cold callers on the telephone, ignorance and rudeness
Q. Quote from a movie: cannot think of one!
R. Right or left handed: Right handed
S. Siblings: one sister
T. Tattoos: none
U. Underwear: usually!
V. Vegetable you hate: none I hate
W. What makes you run late: other people!
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth, knee, arm, ear
Y. Yummy food that you make: cupcakes, pineapple muffins, christmas pudding etc etc
Z. Zoo animal: ooh tricky one love seeing animals but prefer them wandering around.

Hoping to read some of your A-Z lists soon xxx

Story telling Sunday

My username on forums and here on blogger is 'Furrypig'. It also forms part of my email address and often leads to either strange looks or questions about the origins of the name.

Many years ago I attended a comprehensive school in Essex (I hasten to add I am not a true Essex girl having been born in Newcastle and spent most of my life away from the county!). Anyway my school had a fantastic farm unit with several breeds of farm animals and this included pigs. I fell in love with the pigs, such intelligent creatures, more clever than dogs and so protective once they have young... as the bite marks in a pair of Wellington boots demonstrated!

I used to go each weekend to help clean the pig sties out with my friend Mandy, overseen by a teacher and an older student called Nigel. The song 'Making Plans for Nigel' was popular at the time and we used to sing it to Nigel as we worked. Sometimes we mucked about and one week we were very silly as Mandy and I found some matches and set some of the straw alight. It went up in flames pretty quickly, but fortunately Nigel was there to put it out and save the day ( this was not my first misadventure into the realms of Pyromania, please return next month to read more about it on Story Telling Sunday on November 5th 'Bonfire Night'!!)

As I grew up I ended up collecting pig ornaments, pictures, postcards and most years receiving a birthday card with a pig on it somewhere (tomorrow is my birthday so I will let you know if the pig cards are still arriving after all theses years!). If anything had a pig on it, I probably would have had it. When I applied for university I put down on my application about my pig collection and one very serious chemistry professor was very interested, asking how many I had and where I kept them. It was only when he looked completely surprised when I said I kept over a hundred pigs in my bedroom that I realised he had thought I actually had a real herd of pigs!

Although my large collection of pig paraphernalia is long gone, there is evidence of pigs in my home to this day. I have some pig stamps I can craft with and have been sent several fabulous hand made pig cards since I started card making. Pigs are still my favourite animal and my heart fills with joy whenever and wherever I see pigs. My daughter thought

of the name 'Furrypig' as a joke several years ago and we cannot remember how it came up but I pinched the name as it is pretty unique and use it wherever I travel on the internet.

On a trip to Dorset earlier this year we came across some piglets (see above photos) and a glorious great big huge mother Sow. Unfortunately, previously mentioned daughter (now several years older!!) used this photo to 'tag me' on Facebook so my pig fame is spreading..... and yes there may be a resemblance!!

Please head over to Sian's blog for more tall tales on Story Telling Sunday

Lotsa love Furrypig xxx