tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4590415706632959242024-03-19T04:02:57.814+00:00Other Amusementsra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.comBlogger298125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-40211374141439577282016-03-25T11:00:00.000+00:002016-04-05T22:10:33.708+01:00Pretty Easter eggs <a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6vicBE7M-tE/VwQo6UHR6ZI/AAAAAAAACbs/pNqYhFK5l102F5Moq0Kt0SSaUfNIOgM7A/s1600/oa_easter_eggs_2016_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6vicBE7M-tE/VwQo6UHR6ZI/AAAAAAAACbs/pNqYhFK5l102F5Moq0Kt0SSaUfNIOgM7A/s400/oa_easter_eggs_2016_01.jpg" /></a>Just a quick post to tell you about this cool way of making Easter eggs that I tried. This is the first time I've dyed eggs - usually I go straight for the chocolate kind but they look mega. They are all done with red cabbage, can you believe it?<br />
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There is a great tutorial <a href="http://honestlyyum.com/12980/diy-dyed-robin-eggs/">here on 'Honestly Yum'</a> that I've been saving since this time last year.<br />
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You have to start with white eggs for the super pale ones, but the brown ones are great for the really dark colours. She uses edible gold 'paint' to do the pretty flecks but I used what I happened have with is edible gold lustre powder. If you mix it with a little alcohol you get a 'flick-able' texture.<br />
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Happy Easter! <br />
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ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-52782829522613834972016-01-30T19:00:00.000+00:002016-04-05T22:01:22.772+01:00Adventure planning: New York <br />
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Although the year has barely got under way I've actually already travelled abroad once and booked another trip!<br />
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I've been to Paris. Unfortunately the visit was for work so I didn't get to do anything fun, but I can't complain since I did get to be in Paris for a a few hours and have lunch in a real French cafe. <br />
I also got to travel on Eurostar which I've not done before. I hardly even noticed that we were in the tunnel. Probably for the best as the idea of being under all that sea is not good to think about too much.<br />
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I've also got a (for fun) trip planned to New York. I'm very excited about this one. I've haven't been to the big apple since 2007! Whoop. I'm travelling with my husband this time. We had talked about going somewhere else in the US but oddly NY is a more affordable destination because of the flights. <br />
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I generally think it's good to get flights early and hotels later for good deals.<br />
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I got a different travel guide as I think the statue of liberty might still be where I left it in 2007 ;)<br />
Last time we were there we did all the major sights so this time we are hoping to see some of the out lying areas - the hipster places in Brooklyn, the galleries and museums. We'll be going to the Brooklyn Brewery and MoMA.<br />
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Any recommendations for great places to go in the city that never sleeps?<br />
<br />ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-5506572805588718452015-12-25T09:00:00.000+00:002016-04-04T20:33:00.462+01:00Merry Christmas!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas 2015</td></tr>
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<br />ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-86994621209509202002015-11-28T18:00:00.000+00:002016-04-05T22:38:28.692+01:00December album supplies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Let's get straight to it.<br />
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Here is my 'kit'. I've chosen a (slightly excessive) mixture of bits and pieces rather than one whole line. I never like everything and there is always glitter on something. I bought it all online at <a href="http://www.craftie-charlie.co.uk/">Craftie Charlie</a>, except a few pieces from Paper Issues (they stock individual sheets and since they are in the US, get things in stock faster).<br />
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- December Daily 6x4 Album by Jasmine Jones for Ali Edwards<br />
- 'Christmas Magic' wooden buttons by Shimelle for American Crafts<br />
- 'Christmas Magic' stamp and stickers<br />
- 'Christmas Wishes' 6x6 papers by Pink Fresh Studio<br />
- 'Claus & co' wood veneers by Simple Stories<br />
- 'Joyful' journaling tags by Elle's Studio<br />
- 'Yuletide' stickers by Pink Paislee<br />
- 'Snow Day' flair badges by Lawn Fawn<br />
- 'Imprint Tile' Printed Thickers for Pebbles<br />
- Postcard from Paperchase<br />
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I'm excited to get started enjoying and documenting the most wonderful time of the year :)<br />
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ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-38332921034060924282015-10-18T12:32:00.001+01:002015-10-18T12:34:23.487+01:00How to make a mini Halloween countdown calendar - with printable <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZxVwPNeyec/ViLZ9bhPksI/AAAAAAAACYE/dPNA9PY-8xQ/cal_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0"src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZxVwPNeyec/ViLZ9bhPksI/AAAAAAAACYE/dPNA9PY-8xQ/cal_01.jpg" width="380" height="380" /></a></div>Well hello there. As part of my run up to Halloween (and revealing my finished Cabinet of Curiosities) today I'm bringing you another easy little craft that is kinda cute.<br />
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Since my project is primarily meant to be a countdown calendar, there really has to be some kind of number/time element... somewhere. Considering there are a limited amount of shelves/drawers it couldn't work like a advent calendar with opening doors/drawers.<br />
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I thought about clocks or dials but really I wanted something that would fit under that little bell jar and, well, I like paper. Hence the actual calendar idea. The pages turn over the top and I've added enough numbers to count down from 99, but 31 will probably suffice. It's only about 7cm tall (2.5in). <br />
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I'm sharing it as a printable if you want to have a go at making your own teeny tiny calendar, click on the image at the bottom of this post and right click to save a nice big print resolution version. It's still for personal use only though. Just for fun, guys.<br />
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<b>You will need:</b><br />
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Printer & One sheet of thin card<br />
I'm suggesting using thin card for this, I did try it with bog standard printer paper and it was okay but a bit flimsy. It didn't have that old paper look I was going for. They made things proper in the olden days.<br />
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Two 5mm jump rings (thats 3/16th of an inch apparently - is that a measurement?)<br />
I'll bet you've got some knocking about from that time you tried jewellery making. Here is a <a href="http://www.fusionbeads.com/Opening-and-Closing-a-Jump-Ring">guide to opening and closing jump rings</a>. A paperclip or fuse wire could work at a push.<br />
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2mm hole punch<br />
You could use an awl or cut the whole thing with an electronic cutting machine.<br />
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<b>Instructions:</b><br />
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- Print out the image at 100% (it should fit on A4 or letter)<br />
- Cut out all the pieces (you only need numbers 0-3 for the first set if you get bored of cutting)<br />
- Fold the calendar base into a triangle and put a small piece of tape or glue on the inside flap<br />
- Punch the holes through both sides of the base at once<br />
- Punch a hole in each number card<br />
- Open both jump rings and thread each one through once set of numbers 0-9 and both sides (front and back) of the calendar<br />
- Close up the jump rings<br />
- That's it, now you can set the days until Halloween!<br />
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Here is the image:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Eu2jWXwBF-c/ViLXg6iB50I/AAAAAAAACX4/z2m-aYgy91c/s1600/oa_halloween_cal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="372" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Eu2jWXwBF-c/ViLXg6iB50I/AAAAAAAACX4/z2m-aYgy91c/s400/oa_halloween_cal.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click the image for full size, then right click and select save as.</td></tr>
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Don't forget to change it each day, I won't be help responsible if you miss all the Halloween fun because of bad calendar management!<br />
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ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-62827939460708612952015-10-10T11:20:00.000+01:002015-10-18T11:29:28.295+01:00How to make creepy old photographs For a while now I've been wondering why anyone would want the <a href="http://www.craftie-charlie.co.uk/tim-holtz-idea-ology-found-relatives-cards-th93121.html">Tim Holtz Found Relatives</a> cards. It seemed really weird to me that you would make something with photographs of people you don't know. Then as I worked on my <a href="http://www.otheramusements.com/2015/09/halloween-project.html">Halloween Project </a>I realised I was going to need some pictures. Not just photos, but old spooky ones. So I set to and made some that are a bit creepier than the Tim Holtz set, but I do get what they are for now. It's part of getting that feel right.<br />
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Here is how I made my old and weird photographs for my halloween project though this might be useful for all kinds of stuff.<br />
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I used, my iphone, Canon Selphy scissors and tea.<br />
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First you need some digital versions of old photos. You could scan something you have already or find something online. Look for royalty-free, public domain or creative commons images; these generally mean you can use them (you still need to check the license). National archives are also a good place to look, there are several on Flickr.<br />
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Get your image set up - I used the PicFrame app to get two images on one 6x4. Old pictures were usually smaller.</div>
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Then I adjusted the colour using the PicTapGo app, any editing app will do or you could do this on a computer. I gave it an orange-y brown hue.</div>
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Print out your pictures and cut them to size.<br />
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I like to round the corners on some - it looks more old-fashioned to me (and I have a corner rounding device).</div>
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Then they need messing up a bit. I 'distressed' the edges by running my scissors along the sides. There is a tool you can get for this, but I find scissors and fingernails work fine.</div>
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Rough them up by bending them and create a couple of folds. The paper the Selphy uses is really glossy which doesn't help in this instance, I had to run my scissors along the fold to make it look worn.</div>
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One thing the glossy paper <i>is</i> good for is peeling the edges, you can peel up the film layers and see the paper inside. For the fortune teller lady I dipped the edges in a very strong cup of tea afterwards so the inside didn't look so bright white.</div>
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So there they are, a bunch of messed up all photos ready for the 'Cabinet of Curiosities'. Stay tuned to see the finished project later in the month.</div>
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ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-10793788304068611032015-10-03T15:30:00.000+01:002015-10-18T11:53:42.416+01:00Halloween Project - making a start<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I get that this does not look very Halloween-y. This is my plan for the inside of the Cabinet of Curiosities. I've used washi tape (surprise surprise) to hold all the shelves up and the blocks at the bottom will all be individual drawers. </div>
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Obviously by the time it's finished it will look a bit more spooky-victorian and a tad less Ikea. I've been getting inspired by these awesome works of Assemblage.</div>
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<a data-pin-board-width="380" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="320" data-pin-scale-width="80" href="https://uk.pinterest.com/ra_life/assemblage/"></a><br />
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You'll have to wait and see how it turns out!ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-39509917228100293512015-09-19T11:57:00.000+01:002015-10-18T10:58:44.286+01:00Halloween Project This year for Halloween I want to make a countdown calendar. Like an advent calendar but, you guessed it - until the 31st of October. I (laughably) thought I might be able to have it done by the first of October. No chance. But it shall be complete by Halloween my pretties and hopefully come out each October hence. Bwa hahaha hahah.<br />
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Back in the real world. I have looked at a myriad of options for advent calendars - windows, pockets doors and drawers and I want everything. My fascination with boxes of things goes way back. The only thing I like more than paper is boxes. Boxes with drawers are even better.<br />
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I love love love these in my makeshift studio space:<br />
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The point is, I'm going to create a 'Halloween Cabinet of Curiosities Countdown'. A box with drawers and shelves and more boxes and jars. I've got no idea how it's going to work but it's going to be awesome.ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-6988457637718430822015-08-25T11:36:00.000+01:002015-10-14T11:40:22.240+01:00Thinking about Christmas already?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oPaPG_cy71A/VdJErsqHhrI/AAAAAAAACVs/DuTUPUp6DJ8/s1600/Photo%2B20150817213136191" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oPaPG_cy71A/VdJErsqHhrI/AAAAAAAACVs/DuTUPUp6DJ8/s320/Photo%2B20150817213136191" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>I'm already dreaming of Christmas. Sounds crazy but this year I'm not going to tell myself it's crazy. I'm going to use it as the early alarm clock going off in Christmas planning world. Why do I never have a super fantastic hand-crafted advent calendar? Because I don't think about it until November 30th!<br />
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Here are ten things you can start planning way in advance to make December way more fun whilst also making you feel less like a moose for dreaming about Crimbo already.<br />
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<strong>1. Advent calendars</strong> - if you want to do one of those little-present-per-day things, now would be a good time to start collecting. Bits and bobs will turn up naturally and it will be no work compared to trawling round for 24 things within the right price range. I've tried it. Not only is it very stressful, it costs a lot more than expected.<br />
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<strong>2. Cards</strong> - I assume if you are a 'proper' card maker you'll have started on them already, but even if you normally buy a pack of cards, you could get some personalised ones printed at somewhere like Moo.com. Or just get your friend's and family's addresses into something digital. Cards are 1000 more enjoyable when you can concentrate on writing heart warming messages instead of copying out everyone's address.<br />
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<strong>3. Start your list</strong> - Santa really appreciates a list and you receive gifts that you really enjoy. Start jotting down or pinning things you like but are not time sensitive. Like a cooking book you fancy rather than something limited edition that will sell out.<br />
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<strong>4. Start someone else's list </strong>- this one is magic. Start a pin board for things you see for your family and friends, you will be so glad you did when you start getting stupid busy. Why do things get do busy all of a sudden?<br />
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<strong>5. Making things</strong> - not just for those with giant knitting projects in mind! Vanilla extract takes a couple of months - so chuck it in a bottle now. <br />
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<strong>6. Saving money</strong> - if you get paid monthly there are four more pay days before Christmas. Everyone does things differently but if you are a put it on the credit card type of spender or just don't have a plan at all - saving some cashola now will feel awesome later.<br />
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<strong>7. Plans</strong> - get your plans in early for the best turn out. I'm not saying invite people to you soirée today, but just think, if you were attending a Christmas Eve party, how much notice would you need? If you were going to do a cookie swap, how much baking would you want to do that week?<br />
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<strong>8. Traditions</strong> - is there anything you'd like to start/stop? You don't have to continue things you don't like (obviously) but starting new traditions takes a bit of thought and discussion. Some years feel different. The year my grandparents passed away we had a big family dinner at a hotel. I'll be honest, it was not the best Christmas, but the change was helpful and the following year we went back to our traditions with fondness rather than trepidation.<br />
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<strong>9. How can you help other people</strong> - maybe one of your new traditions would be to get involved in a project which helps homeless people or make a box for Operation Christmas Child (though they use them for mission work, so you may or may not be down with that).<br />
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<strong>10. Christmas in Summer party</strong> - or if you live in the Southern Hemisphere - Christmas in Winter party! You know you want to. <br />
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Merry Christmas ;)ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-55459626065747549772015-08-11T22:34:00.000+01:002015-08-11T22:34:58.457+01:00Black forest gateau macarons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'll start today by telling you that this is a bit of an experiment. Not my baking, well, maybe. Actually that's always a bit of an experiment, but that's not what I'm talking about.<br />
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I'm attempting to blog from a tablet rather than a proper computer. I have a fond idea that I'll get more written if I don't have to sit at a desk. That it won't feel like work. Less formal. We shall see.<br />
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On to the baking. The start of a new series of the Great British Bake Off has once again ignited my interest in baking. Last week I made the rookie error of not having any treats in for scoffing whilst the program was on! So my brain was quickly running through what was in the cupboards in an attempt to find something to reconcile the situation.<br />
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What it noticed was that we had ground almonds, icing sugar and eggs. In the house on the same day. If you are a baker yourself you'll recognise these simple ingredients as the basis of macarons.<br />
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The next night (because I've learnt that starting a bake at 9pm is not a good idea) I embarked on making my first macarons since probably these: <a href="http://www.otheramusements.com/2013/03/comic-relief-macarons-and-cupcakes.html">red nose day macarons</a> in 2013.<br />
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Chocolate macarons are my favourite, but since I was going to take these to a picnic, outside, several hours train ride from my house and the weather report said highs of 27°c ...<br />
Ganache was out. So I decided to try a Black Forest cake style macaron.<br />
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I used Pierre Hermé's recipe for the shells with some green & black's cocoa powder. Then for the filling. I knew I couldn't use fresh cream because it makes the macs soggy and does even worse than ganache in the heat. I made a chocolate cherry cake last year with a great Morello cherry jam which go I thought would be ideal for the cherry flavour but was still stumped on the cream.<br />
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Eventually I went for an ermine frosting which is new to me but worked out really well. It's like a buttercream mixed with a sweet white sauce. You can pipe it and its quite stable and didn't turn into a melty mess!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macaroons in Hyde Park</td></tr>
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I piped a ring if frosting onto each shell and put a spoonful of posh conserve in the middle, it tastes even better if you add a teaspoon of kirsch to a couple of tablespoons of jam.<br />
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They went down brilliantly at the picnic and a couple of people even asked where I bought them from (score!).<br />
<br />ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-39718561789062157992015-06-27T21:36:00.000+01:002016-04-05T22:25:33.579+01:00Belgium travel albumI have returned from another trip to the continent.<br />
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Brussels is a lovely city, it feels like a low-pressure Paris. By 'low-pressure' I mean it doesn't have to be AMAZING all the time. You don't have to feel like someone is going to propose all the time. You don't have to pretend you are Audrey Hepburn or anything. It's just a really nice European city. And they speak French. Sometimes.<br />
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This is one time that I felt like we didn't see half of what was on offer. I suppose because we were there for an event rather than to run around seeing the sights.<br />
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This was my first trip with the Traveler's Notebook format journal. The one I took is a DIY version rather than a real Midori. I have the Passport size one from Midori but it seemed a bit small for this adventure. Perhaps because we were five of us. Why would that matter I wonder? It's not going to make the photos bigger...<br />
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Onwards.<br />
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This is the book. The cover is a kraft card from the My Mind's Eye collection 'Kraft Funday'<br />
I usually like to choose a photo that kind of represents the whole trip on the front, but this beer mat seems to tell the story on it's own. I added the gold frame die cut.<br />
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I used scrapbook papers from a raft of papers from my collection including some Webster's Pages: These are the days and the Project Life Midnight edition for the pages. They are a mixture of bold black and white prints with more muted colours. I hoped I would be able to use them to show different parts of the trip and it worked out well.<br />
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It's not finished. Obviously! I'll keep working on it until I get excited about something else.<br />
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Have you got any holidays planned for this summer?ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-90997706660983348702015-04-03T13:00:00.000+01:002015-10-14T13:07:20.156+01:00Got me a new Filofax<img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XdNEYvPbR1c/VR8KFKpIugI/AAAAAAAACUc/3at0_bFOOc0/oa_filofax_original.jpg" height="380" width="380" />I'm spectacularly pleased with my latest purchase. Not only is it way cool, I got it half price. So, what did I get? A new Filofax. To be more precise the A5 Filofax 'Original' in Dark Aqua.<br />
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I reckon this would divide folk I know into those who would say: "Nice! What inserts are you using?" And those who would say: "The last person to have a Filofax was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Del_Boy">Del Boy</a>".<br />
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I can see their point, in the general sense paper planners are a bit dated - everything is electronic now. However, I always have a sketchbook with me and I've always had a bit of thing for, well anything stationery related...<br />
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In fact this is not my first Filofax. In fact this is not the only Filofax I own. This is not where I reveal a cupboard stuffed full of them.<br />
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But <i>this</i> was my first. Yep, it's from the eighties. I got it as a birthday present when I was a kid. I don't think it's a real branded Filofax (since I was about 8 at the time, I didn't really care) but it does still have a bunch of Time Manager inserts in it.<br />
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I've been looking at so many lovely planners. The way some people have them set up is stunning especially the Kikki-k fans. I'm also glad that this is expanding the scrapbooking industry a bit. Getting new people involved and making creative products for them can only be a good thing.ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-60400072251094546712015-03-14T22:23:00.000+00:002015-10-14T13:29:29.955+01:00Cartonnage Be still my heart.<br />
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Although the French word 'cartonnage' technically means cardboard, I seem to have stumbled upon a great word for things constructed out of cardboard, like boxes. Except the English word 'cardboard box' doesn't really cover it. It sounds so disposable.<br />
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These are actual items constructed out of cardboard. They are sturdy objects like drawers and even some furniture. I'd like to try some of these techniques, it opens a whole world of new options for scrapbooking and bookbinding.<br />
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Many of the items pinned below are not styled to my taste, but you can see the possibilities. A tiny bookcase for a set of mini-albums? A box to contain a travel journal with a drawer for all the extra memorabilia? Fantastic. <br />
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<a data-pin-board-width="380" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="306" data-pin-scale-width="70" href="https://www.pinterest.com/margiamatai/cartonnage/"></a><br />
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Check out this <a href="https://uk.pinterest.com/lyneroussel/cartonnage/">Pinterest board</a> too.ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-7367705959525182842015-03-02T22:20:00.001+00:002015-04-05T13:33:03.313+01:00Learning French <img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hhJl_Rx2AHM/VSEpZ_7ER8I/AAAAAAAACUo/05ipMJVKNOE/oa_french_grammar_book.jpg" height="380" style="text-align: center;" width="380" /><br />
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Bonjour!<br />
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J'ai commencé à apprendre Français encore. C'est le deuxième fois. J'avais appris à l'école mais avec pas beaucoup succés.<br />
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[ Hello there! ]<br />
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[ I've started learning French again. It's the second time. I did learn at school but with not a lot of success. ]<br />
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That's not true. I learned quite a lot, and my reading comprehension is still quite good. I was just a bit lazy and didn't take it very seriously. Now I am enjoying learning irregular verbs. Maybe I would have enjoyed it at school if there had been an app for it like I have now. I'm currently using <a href="https://www.brainscape.com/">Brainscape</a> which is a flash card based system for learning all sorts of things.<br />
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Or if there had been YouTube videos like these:<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/CommeUneFrancaiseTV">Comme une Francais TV</a> - Geraldine is great, she inspired me to start speaking French more<br />
Her show is aimed at people who live in France and want to fit in. So its not for beginners but I find it fascinating! She also has a website - <a href="http://www.commeunefrancaise.com/">commeunefrancaise.com</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/DamonAndJo">Damon and Jo</a> - these guys are funny. They have a LOT of personality. They make travel videos and sometimes French videos as Damon teaches French.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBwSqx6A83sNQ5SIYWpmucQ">Caillou!</a> - Geraldine, Damon and Jo, and everyone else suggests finding TV programmes in French similar to those you like in English (or your native language). I find these extremely difficult to follow and a lot of the French is slang-y. Not useful when you are still learning. So I started watching Caillou. Yes its aimed at 5 years olds, but it's very sweet and I understand a lot of it. Plus they use real words so the kids can learn.<br />
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Tu parle le Français? Or do you speak another language?ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-40039084887086763342015-02-02T20:04:00.000+00:002015-04-03T18:37:19.895+01:00Thoughts on Project Life 2014 and plans going forward<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6sF_LOiBTZs/VPYrt3me1uI/AAAAAAAACTQ/8mJGoGGsQE4/s1600/oa_pl_binder_2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6sF_LOiBTZs/VPYrt3me1uI/AAAAAAAACTQ/8mJGoGGsQE4/s1600/oa_pl_binder_2014.jpg" /></a></div>Last year I completed a full year of Project Life in the 12x12 format. Well, just about. All the photos are in, there are still some words to type up.<br />
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Anyway, after this mega achievement, I asked myself if I wanted to do the same again, and as with the 10k race I ran, the answer was no, not straight away.<br />
Both were very satisfying to complete but also hard work. Enjoyable hard work. Maybe commitment is a better word.<br />
And my Project Life binder is giant. I kept it to one since I did on average one side a week. There is a very boring month where four weeks are on one page. And a couple of extra inserts from trips.<br />
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As I asked myself about it, I realised I do still want to document my life and some of the everyday things, but not everything. More of an over view and if I am going to be into this hobby for any length of time (not something that is normally a problem for me) it will need to not take up as much space. I've currently got four 12x12 albums (not all full).<br />
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Another thing happened, someone I follow on Instagram has the Heidi Swapp Planner (the new black and white stripe one that goes with the Big Picture class). It's gorgeous.<br />
I know from past experience that a 'planner' is not going to work for me as an alternative to a whole PL but in googling that little beauty I came across some pictures of Heidi's Memory Planner (from last year I think) and some beautiful work people had done with it.<br />
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My brain started working on how I really wanted to document things and came up with something based on the memory planner/planners in general but mixed with PL. I think it will be a bit more monthly based - so I can be more selective about what I put in.<br />
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I'm making plans - it's got to be ring bound so that I can add/change pages and its got to fit some project life pockets - I like the tallways 3x4, but I probably need more than 4 a week (like in a 6x8)<br />
maybe 6 like the memory planner and tabs like a filofax.<br />
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To the drawing board!ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-40250535167428024972015-01-24T12:00:00.000+00:002015-10-14T14:25:25.012+01:00Adventure planning: Brussels <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sWh1KzfvBv4/Vh5W7KBlmnI/AAAAAAAACXQ/Nlv9dH9JhtI/s1600/IMG_2394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sWh1KzfvBv4/Vh5W7KBlmnI/AAAAAAAACXQ/Nlv9dH9JhtI/IMG_2394.JPG" width="380" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Isn't it odd sometimes the way things turn out? Like that quote 'Life is what happens when you're making other plans' (I'm not sure who said it originally there seems to be some attribution decay <a href="http://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/05/06/other-plans/">see here</a>). Last year I hadn't planned on going anywhere travel-wise. But as time went on I got severe wanderlust and ended up going to Paris. <br />
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This year I am going to visit Belgium.<br />
I'm actually not sure if I've been to Belgium before. I thought I had on a school day trip to France, but I asked the friend I went with and she didn't seem to think we did. This was the days before digital cameras, so I probably didn't take any photos.<br />
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But that's not why I'm going. We decided to surprise my Dad with the trip as a Christmas gift, he is interested in Napoleonic era military history and this year is the 200th anniversary of the battle of Waterloo, which is, it turns out*, 15km south of Brussels.<br />
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After the success of the Paris trip I am using the AirBnB service again. I'm a little more apprehensive taking the whole family, but it should be good. We'll have a whole house to ourselves.<br />
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I've started <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/ra_life/brussels/">a board on Pinterest</a> with some things to do. Have you been to Brussels? Any recommendations?<br />
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*Isn't it shocking I didn't know that Waterloo was near Brussels?ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-14723541580771224462015-01-17T18:13:00.001+00:002015-04-03T18:19:29.839+01:00Print your own binder This looks cool. Today I was perusing some planners and binders online and came across <a href="http://www.averybrandandprint.co.uk/presentation-branding/ring-binders.html#%21binder_size=171">this page on the Avery website</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WOO-kUtMTFQ/VLJeQPG8CDI/AAAAAAAACOY/jgatmHEAdcM/s1600/avery_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WOO-kUtMTFQ/VLJeQPG8CDI/AAAAAAAACOY/jgatmHEAdcM/s1600/avery_web.jpg" height="288" width="400" /></a></div>
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You can get a personalised folder printed and sent to you. There is only the choice of A4 or A5 - but a nicely personalised A5 folder could be a great gift. You could set the inside up with any kind of custom pages - a week in the life set, a holiday journal or an easy to complete December Daily style project. I'd like to design my own, but you could use printable templates from someone like <a href="https://aliedwards.com/shop/layered-templates/week-in-the-life-6x8-layered-templates">Ali Edwards</a>, <a href="http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/supplies/index.php/cPath/74_234">Cathy Zielske</a> or there are tonnes on Etsy - <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/208076069/printable-daily-planner-pastel-daily-to?ref=sr_gallery_39&ga_search_query=printable+planner+pages&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery">like these from Printable Possibility</a> (I've not tried these by the way - it's just an example).<br />
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A note on A5 though, you'd have to use custom paper sizes if you wanted to include tabs. That's the issue I found with my <a href="http://www.paperchase.co.uk/kraft-a5-ring-binder.html">Paperchase files</a>. They are made to for exactly A5 paper so anything else, like page protectors, are too big because of the hole punched section. Also whilst we're on the topic of Paperchase - their 6x4 pockets don't fit a 6x4 photo, they are smidge too small, which is fine for crafty projects but a nightmare if you want to slot a bunch of photos in.<br />
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<br />ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-70596217535931678582015-01-10T17:00:00.000+00:002015-04-03T18:14:15.272+01:00'Five minute a day' bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-etLT8RLZbFs/VPTSnktm4-I/AAAAAAAACRs/fRzsekG8DVQ/s1600/oa_fivemin_bread_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-etLT8RLZbFs/VPTSnktm4-I/AAAAAAAACRs/fRzsekG8DVQ/s1600/oa_fivemin_bread_01.jpg" height="196" width="400" /></a><br />
I've made a start.<br />
As part of wanting to eat more 'real' food I've decided to try making my own bread. I don't want to give up bread entirely, although that would probably be good for me - I'd like to eat stuff without additional chemicals and I want it to taste like bread.<br />
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I've noticed that the (admittedly sometimes comforting) sliced white bread we buy tastes of not much. Over christmas we bought a loaf of real bread with cranberries and seeds and it was delicious. Really worth eating. I'd like to eat things that are worth eating. Less but better.<br />
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I've made bread before, but I find it extremely annoying. I know, you don't have to do anything whilst it rises, but it still takes that amount of time. I've never been prepared enough to do it in advance. I've tried this <a href="http://craftykin.blogspot.co.uk/2008/10/back-as-promised-with-some-finished.html">no-rise bread from Crafty Kin</a>, maybe I did it wrong but I found it very doughy.<br />
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I had checked out the <a href="http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/">Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day</a> website before looking for faster ways of making breads. Now I've finally got to a point where I want to try and have it ready in advance. I got the book for Christmas and it is rising as I write this.<br />
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I mixed the dough. Looks gross, but super easy.<br />
Let it rise. Looks even grosser, but you don't have to watch it.<br />
Left it in the fridge.<br />
Cut off a 'lump'. I say lump. Slurrrb is more like it. And managed to form it with a bit of extra flour.<br />
Left it out to 'rise'.<br />
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How easy is it?<br />
It's not difficult, but the squishy dough is tricky.<br />
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The real test - how does it taste? <br />
It tastes like real bread! It's quite chewy and you know you've eaten it.<br />
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There is enough for another boule in the fridge. I'd like to try the pizza next. If we can make Italian style thin pizza I will be extremely pleased. Our trip to Venice has rather ruined any other kind for me ;)ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-13250801522755130602014-12-27T20:13:00.000+00:002015-04-03T18:11:16.420+01:00Extending my December Daily 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've decided to extend my December album to the full month. You must be mad I hear you cry.<br />
Stick with me for a moment on this one - do you do project life as well as a December album? Generally? And what about in December?<br />
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This is the second year I've done a full 12x12 project life album. Last year I had some trouble sorting out December as I'd put eveything in the Daily and I didn't want to print it out again. Then it finished. I had to put Boxing day - New years eve in the Project life. It was weird.<br />
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I've pretty much ended my Project life this year at the end of November, I've realised that if I put all of Decmeber in its own album, I don't have to worry about completeing both.<br />
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Plus I did some Christmas-y things after the 25th I wanted to include and another major reason - its snowed on the 26th! yay! Christmas snow pictures. They belong in the December Daily.<br />
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I've learned some things this year doing this project.<br />
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Firstly you don't need a lot of 'stuff'. I didn't buy anything because <a href="http://www.otheramusements.com/2014/11/december-daily-2014-plans.html">I decided to use things I already had</a>. I used a few scraps and a nice little paper pad to do my journalling on, but not loads of bits and pieces.<br />
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I don't like working with the small horizontal pockets and large vertical. It's all wrong. 3x4 is awesome for me and I like to add Instagrams and write under them not at the side. It's been a bit uncomfortable with this layout, but worth the challenge and I do love the end product.<br />
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When it gets near the end of the season just get it finished. Do the minimum that will finish off a page if you know you won't look at it again for another year!<br />
<br />ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-21280723273519005142014-12-25T09:00:00.000+00:002015-04-03T16:58:36.007+01:00Merry Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! x</div>
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ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-22935149777408039542014-12-13T10:00:00.000+00:002015-10-14T11:42:40.864+01:0010 Ways to keep up with your December album<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cwILesdL0gs/VPNYPekESNI/AAAAAAAACQE/xSdiU9L3vLQ/s1600/oa_keep_up_with_dd_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cwILesdL0gs/VPNYPekESNI/AAAAAAAACQE/xSdiU9L3vLQ/s1600/oa_keep_up_with_dd_02.jpg" width="380" /></a></div>
Isn't December just flying by? Every year I forget how fast it goes once you're into the month. Case in point - the other day I watched<br />
Polar Express as I didn't want to watch one of my real favourite Christmas films as it's not near enough to Christmas. This is silly. I'll never have time to watch them all. I should start in November. (I always watch the full set of Harry Potter in November). Or just get on with it.<br />
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This is how I now deal with my December Daily. Just get on with it. I try not to worry too much if something better is going to happen or if there will be a better place for a certain card or embellishment.<br />
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'Keeping up' with it seems to be the main reason for people not completing their albums, not enjoying it or not doing it again. How do you 'keep up' during the madness? Here are some ideas.<br />
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<b>1. Don't do as many pages</b><br />
Have you seen Wilna Furstenburg's album this year? <a href="http://www.wilnafurstenberg.com/2014/11/december-mini-album-foundation-pages.html">It's lovely</a>. She only does 12 days, and not in a row, she choses to do every few days. This way she has less work to do and can spend a bit more time on the Christmas -y stories without having to find 'filler' (some days are just not festive right?).<br />
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<b>2. Use pocket pages</b><br />
This year I've found it super fast. Photo, photo, photo, write some words, done.<br />
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<b>3. Print your photos at home</b><br />
This might not be an option for you, but if you have a Selphy (or similar) get it set up with plenty of paper and send your photos to print at the end of the day. I like to edit mine (on the iphone) with <a href="http://pictapgo.com/">PicTapGo</a>, put the layouts together with <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/picframe/id433398108?mt=8">PicFrame (pro)</a> and them print wirelessly with the Cannon app.<br />
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<b>4. Make a small album</b><br />
I wasn't very well last year. I didn't have much energy to spare but I wanted to record the season. (Not that I did much, but I wanted to keep the magic). So <a href="http://www.otheramusements.com/2014/01/december-daily-2013.html">I made an album</a> that would take one Instagram photo a day and one one 3x4 journalling card.<br />
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<b>5. Choose a more journal based idea</b><br />
<a href="http://www.shimelle.com/paper/2047/join-in-with-journal-your-christmas-2014/">Shimelle's Journal your Christmas</a> is less about craft and more about magic. You could write a few words in bed each night or first thing if you're that way inclined (I am not).<br />
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<b>6. Be SUPER prepared</b><br />
If you love love love Christmas and get excited way before December this might be the option for you - get everything set up for each day with the number etc and leave a gap to stick in the picture/words whatever you like to add.<br />
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<b>7. Be not prepared at all</b><br />
Leave it to total randomness. Pick a card with your eyes shut or let your budgie chose. Less choices means less stress and more time for other things.<br />
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<b>8. Set aside a block of time</b><br />
If you do want to do pages daily - finding a regular time you can work on it is useful. Do you want to get up 20 minutes early? Do you want to use your lunch hour? Can you do it whilst your dinner cooks? Only you know when you <i>really</i> have time. I know I can print photos at night, but I won't have time to put a page together - especially if I've been out.<br />
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<b>9. Make a planner instead</b><br />
Try recording what you are planning to do. If you are busy I bet you've got a calendar already. Leave enough room for a photo and voila! December is recorded. Check out the <a href="http://www.bulletjournal.com/">bullet journal system</a>.<br />
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<b>10. Do you even want to keep up?</b><br />
It's not obligatory! You could do a few days at a time or sit down after christmas and put the pictures in if thats when you have spare time. Between Christmas and New Year is usually a bit quieter for us so I try and finish it then. Otherwise I'll print the pictures and decorate it next year when I feel festive again!<br />
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Merry Christmas album everyone! <br />
<br />ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-23045883447256900962014-11-15T14:00:00.000+00:002015-04-03T16:42:33.320+01:00December Daily 2014 - Starting points <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bv-jC_G6m9g/VPNQpwjewkI/AAAAAAAACPs/GFhbnniWrE8/s1600/oa_DD2014_binder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bv-jC_G6m9g/VPNQpwjewkI/AAAAAAAACPs/GFhbnniWrE8/s1600/oa_DD2014_binder.jpg" height="351" width="400" /></a></div>
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I made my binder and I've cut up some more page protectors. I've also gathered together a box of supplies that I have already. <a href="http://www.otheramusements.com/2014/11/december-daily-2014-plans.html">My decision to not buy anything new</a> seems like a good one: I've got plenty. I've even got some nice festive papers left from last year as I ordered Shimelle's Christmas selection and it was huge.<br />
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I did get some fabric for the cover. I know, I know, that wasn't the deal, but at John Lewis you can buy fabric by the 10cm. I normally only need 20 - 30cm to cover something like this so it cost about £2. I'm glad I did, it inspires me to actually want to work on it. I'll finish the cover at some point. I might paint the reindeer, I wonder if gold would be too much with the title holder do-dad being brassy?<br />
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The paper on the inside is from the My Mind's Eye collection called '<a href="http://mymindseye.com/CTB/Collectable.asp">Collectable</a>'. Its a bit vintage-y for me, but I got a bunch of things from the set at TK Maxx really cheap a little while ago. (I love finding scrapbook stuff there.)<br />
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I've put a couple of cards in from last year's SNAP collection (Simple Stories). Unfortunately most of these are 3x4 shaped and most of my pockets are 4x3. The 4x6 ones work well though.<br />
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I think it's going to be fun.<br />
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ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-60233960360234441842014-11-08T17:35:00.000+00:002015-04-03T16:25:17.116+01:00December Daily 2014 - Plans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vYlKjOyUG94/VPNNzlf8jvI/AAAAAAAACPE/7b4Kz-Z8xjc/s1600/IMG_0281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vYlKjOyUG94/VPNNzlf8jvI/AAAAAAAACPE/7b4Kz-Z8xjc/s1600/IMG_0281.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">It's December Daily season again! Otherwise known as November, for many scrapbookers it's time to start thinking about documenting December, obviously depending on what festivals you celebrate, this could mean different things. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">I'm in the UK and once Halloween, Bonfire night and Remembrance Sunday are gone for me it's a slippery slope to Christmas. (Which I love).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">This will be my third year making a December album. I call it December Daily as I was inspired by <a href="http://aliedwards.com/projects/december-daily">Ali Edwards' concept</a> and I like to give her a shout out every time. Especially since m</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">y first album really got me into scrapbooking. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">I was ahead of the trend a bit - using a 6x8 folder. You can see some of it here: <a href="http://www.otheramusements.com/2013/01/december-daily.html">December Daily 2012</a>. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">Last year I did something a little different and was accidentally ahead of the curve again with a little 4x4 album! It was before the WRMK ones came out so I made it myself. You can see some of that one here: <a href="http://www.otheramusements.com/2014/01/december-daily-2013.html">December Daily 2013</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">This year, as a challenge to myself I've decided to make the whole project with things I already have. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">I'm also going to use page protectors this time, which will hopefully make it a little faster to put together. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">Did you ever get the giant project life variety pack? Mine has lasted a year and a half so far and there are plenty left. Unfortunately they are layouts I don't really care for. Mainly the ones based on portrait 6x4 photographs. Like B and D and I'm not a big fan of the one with four 6x6 pockets either. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">Cue scissors. I've cut them up. Now I have a bunch of 8x6 layouts and a few 6x6s. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">For the actual book, I'm creating a ring binder using the Tim Holtz mechanisms and some thick boards. These are from the back of sketch pads. (I always keep them.) Joining it together will be similar to how I made my kindle cover (</span><a href="http://www.otheramusements.com/2014/04/make-you-own-nexus-7-or-kindle-case.html" style="line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">see my tutorial here)</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">Fabric is going to be a bit more tricky for this one though. Hopefully there is something good in my sewing box. There is definitely white cotton. Plan B will be to make it plain and decorate it.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">Wish me luck! Check back soon to see how it goes.</span></span>ra_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-52436543697192646002014-10-31T16:00:00.000+00:002015-04-03T16:13:01.081+01:00Happy HalloweenHappy Halloween! Are you doing anything fun this year? I'm quite pleased that Halloween has fallen on a Friday this year. It means that we can give out sweets to Trick or Treat-ers and watch 'Halloween' like usual, and then go to a party on Saturday night. Best of both worlds!<br />
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On top of that, today is just perfect weather. The last couple of years it has absolutely chucked it down and even if kids are happy to tramp about in the rain, their parents are not!<br />
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Onwards.<br />
Check out my pumpkin design for this year:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-efquUIZzNM0/VPYkUTO4tqI/AAAAAAAACS0/U4IFRaqFHvA/s1600/oa_pumpkin_2014_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-efquUIZzNM0/VPYkUTO4tqI/AAAAAAAACS0/U4IFRaqFHvA/s1600/oa_pumpkin_2014_01.jpg" height="316" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's based on one in the film Trick 'r' treat.<br />
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Bonus - his and hers:<br />
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Have fun out there - whatever you are! bwhahahahhh hahhara_lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06641025177545773913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459041570663295924.post-57312064472514216702014-10-11T21:32:00.000+01:002015-04-03T16:10:57.526+01:00Paris scrapbook - in progress <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_LawjSkUqUg/VPOQsiuoHlI/AAAAAAAACRY/OZ9an5R0JSc/s1600/oa_paris_mini_pages.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_LawjSkUqUg/VPOQsiuoHlI/AAAAAAAACRY/OZ9an5R0JSc/s1600/oa_paris_mini_pages.png" height="273" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">More about Paris today I'm afraid. I've been craving pain au chocolat like mad, but I know they can never live up to the awesomeness of Pierre Herme's! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">I've been working on a Paris mini album. It's not so mini actually. Considering that <a href="http://www.otheramusements.com/2013/11/berlin-travel-scrapbookjournal.html">I made a tiny notebook when we went to Berlin</a> for a similar time period... </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">A funny thing happened. I got the colour scheme way wrong. I always put most of my travel journals together before I go (<a href="http://www.otheramusements.com/2014/09/paris-travel-journal-preparation.html">here is a post about the Paris one</a>) and I choose colours and textures to go with what I feel the trip will be like. I chose some really modern colours and styles this time, but it just doesn't work. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">Everything was more beige and brown. I was trying to avoid all the papers and stickers that have the vintage letter/postcard look: turns out they had it right. Ack. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">I had to change it up a bit. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">I ended up using the 6x4 kraft cards as the base for about half the pages and some of the 3x4 cards for interactive sections. But I've not used the other colours. I decided to make this a bound book rather than use book rings so each page is attached to the spine using an accordion fold method <a href="http://g45papers.typepad.com/graphic45/2013/10/graphic-45-sneak-peeks-day-8-sweet-sentiments.html">like this one from the Graphic 45 blog</a> (scroll down to the bottom of the post).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">I've done most of the pages, however I can't finish it completely until I have the perfect fabric for the covers. Where will you find the perfect fabric? I hear you cry! Well, I'm going to work on my <a href="http://www.otheramusements.com/2014/08/paris-sketching.html">Paris street illustration</a> and get it printed up specially for the job. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">When I finally get round to it.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">It will be ace.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">Watch this space for the finished book. In the mean time here are some more of the spreads from inside:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.2999992370605px;">These pages are about the area we stayed in. I made a pull out section with photos of our lovely apartment.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This one is about the flea market we visited - I used a kind of bunting/washing line effect to hang lots of little bits of photos of things we saw. It's all jumbled up like the stalls.</span></div>
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