Tuesday 3 July 2012

Project Life 2012: June part 4

I will be doing the usual link up with The Mom Creative on Project Life Tuesday. Great place to meet other PLers and get some inspiration and encouragement.
This week's page was one of those super-quick pages, that I put together in under an hour. It was made much easier with the Cathy Zielske labelled photo templates (so cute) and some new black polka dot washi tape to bring together some of the journal cards. Fun and simple and DONE, just what I love about PL.

Apologies for the photos this week - very dull here, so it's been difficult trying to capture the page. Just take my word for it - it looks much better and brighter in real life!

So here's the usual page view

First up was The Proclaimers gig at a local venue. Dad wanted to go so Mum bought tickets for them to go, but she later decided she didn't want to go, so I stepped in. Very happily, too, because I love The Proclaimers and it was an awesome gig. The whole audience was on their feet singing and dancing along to classic tracks such as (I''m Gonna Be) 500 miles, Sunshine on Leith, Let's Get Married, Letter from America, and Life with you. It was a great night.




Next was a mini trip Chloe and I took to Edinburgh for the day. We're lucky that it's quite close to us Edinburgh is very special place - it has a wonderful history and scenery with the castle, the Royal Mile in the Old Town and beautiful park and gardens right in the heart of the city; and in the New Town there are a huge selection of shops including a small district of designer stores such as Louis Vuitton (Chloe's favourite), Armani, Mulberry and Harvey Nichols.

For this visit, Chloe and I decided we'd shop. Or at least window shop! We started with a late breakfast at the Chocolate Lounge on the top floor of Harvey Nicks. Think a sushi bar, but with chocolate, cupcakes, champers, desserts, and candy rather than fish. Heaven! Chloe had a very scrummy chocolate fondue while I enjoyed some pancakes with tablet (very sweet Scottish candy concoction) ice cream and a chocolate shot. Not exactly the most nutritious breakfast, but it was a very decadent treat.

Then we headed over to the Louis Vuitton store where Chloe gleefully gazed at the bags she'd like to have on her arm. The assistants were very sweet to her and let her hold some of the bags and try them on for size. She was soooooo happy. Her current favourite is the LV Neverfull.

While we didn't buy in LV, she did get to carry home one bag as we bought her the kenee-length black Converse she has had her eye on for quite some time. I also got some goodies - in the form of stationery bits from Paperchase, including the black polka dot washi tape used on this layout. After a meal at the Hard Rock Cafe, we headed home. In the rain. We hope to go back again soon, when it's not raining, and we'll do the more cultural & scenic activities!





Lastly, Chloe's friend posted some photos of them on facebook, so I did a collage of them and popped it in. I love that I can get these photos of them having fun, even when I'm not there!

A fab week! Hope yours has been just as much fun.




Monday 25 June 2012

Project Life 2012: June part 3

I will be doing the usual link up with The Mom Creative on Project Life Tuesday. Great place to meet other PLers and get some inspiration and encouragement.

This week is very short and sweet. Not only was it a quiet week, but I kept forgetting to take my camera with me. So we're definitely photo-light this week. But I didn't want to make that an excuse not to get at least a page done. So, with very few photos but a lot of love, I give you this week's page:


And the close ups:







I am happy that even though it was a quiet week, I still managed to record some snippets of our week. It may not be the most exciting or creative week, but we have lots of them, so it's important I work them in there!

Wishing you a happy and fulfilled week ahead, friends.

Sunday 17 June 2012

Project Life 2012: June part 2

I will be doing the usual link up with The Mom Creative on Project Life Tuesday. Great place to meet other PLers and get some inspiration and encouragement.

This week's page is all about one very special evening in our week. Chloe and I got tickets to go to the Scottish Fashion Awards show which was held in the Clyde Auditorium (known locally as the Armadillo because of its unique architecture - see below) in Glasgow.


An annual event, this show celebrates the best of Scottish fashion and design, and this is the first year the public have been able to attend. With Miss C aspiring to a career in fashion or design related work one day, this was an opportunity I'm glad we were able to take advantage of.

This year's awards show was hosted by Alexa Chung, with lots of fashiony types and celebs present. I was very excited that Christopher Kane was there, but being a total Whovian, I was most happy to see Karen Gillan, who played Amy Pond in Dr Who, win the award for fashion icon of the year. She is my total girl crush!

The best part of the whole thing though was seeing Chloe get so excited and also so dressed up. This is probably the first 'grown up' event she had ever been to - and it had a red carpet! She looked so glam and grown up!

Also cute was the photobooth you could go in and get some branded photos. PLer's dream addition at any event huh? Chloe got a couple of strips, and she let me have one to put in the book.

Anyway, here's the full page:


And the close ups:







All in all, a fab nite. And I'm happy that I was able to document it like this, so we'll be able to look back on it for years to come!

Have a Project Life-tastic week ahead, all.

Sunday 10 June 2012

Project Life 2012: June part 1

I will be linking up with The Mom Creative for Project Life Tuesday, as always. If you've hopped here from there, a big welcome; and if you haven't visited yet, drop by for inspiration and lots of fun stuff.
The beginning of June was all about the Jubilee, celebrating 60 years since Queen Elizabeth II became our Queen. I'm not a huge royalist, but I do admire the work ethic of someone who has been carrying out her job for 60 years, and who, at 86, still spends whole days devoted to service. To never have a moment to yourself, when everyone is looking at you, to not have freedom to walk to the local shop without bodyguards and security; well her life may be pampered, but it's not easy. The woman literally lives for her country.

At any rate, it's a great reason to party! And party the UK did. There were lots of officially organised events, including the grand parade through London, the Thames Pageant where boats and crafts of all kinds sailed down the Thames, passing by Her Majesty the Queen who acknowledged them all, and the amazing concert outside Buckingham palace with a celebrity line up with artists representing every era of the Queen's reign.

Many people across the UK also organised events in their town, including lots of street parties and informal get togethers with a Jubilee theme.

This unique weekend was one worth commemorating, so my layout is all about that (oh with one quick pic of my very own Princess!)










Next post will see return to normal non-Jubilee service! In the meantime, hope all is well with you, wherever you are!





Monday 4 June 2012

Project Life 2012: May part 3

I will be linking up with The Mom Creative for Project Life Tuesday, as always. If you've hopped here from there, a big welcome; and if you haven't visited yet, drop by for inspiration and lots of fun stuff.

It's been a while, huh? But my blog-silence has been for a very good reason - I found a job, hurrah! Ok, it's only a short term contract, just for 6 weeks, but it may lead to other things, and it's so rewarding to be back in the workforce once more. So I have been busy getting to grips with the new job and the office and the people and, well you've been there,  it's like new girl on first day of school!

So, after the birthday extravaganza of my last PL entry, this one is much more everyday. It's bits and pieces of what happened in the rest of May.

Here's the whole page:

I was very proud of myself for making this yummy looking pavlova. I had a craving one day, and my friend sent me this foolproof recipe from Delia Smith, so I put on my apron and got to work. This was the rather delicious result of what seemed like hours of old school whisking by hand (I think meringues taste betterand have a better texture hand whisked):

Chloe's love of all things Instagram continues. This is her latest profile pic on facebook. I know I am biased, but how gorgeous does she look?


A little mini story about my return to working life:

Scotland had a very rare mini heatwave the week after Miss C's birthday. My parents thought it was a good reason to BBQ. Chloe took this photo of my dad getting all alpha male with the BBQ:

We are so very lucky to live so close to Glasgow. Chloe and I love nothing more than a girls' day out in town. Usually that revolves round shopping and eating, but we do try to find something different to throw into the mix. This time it was a visit to GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art) which is in the centre of town, unlike the other galleries which are on the outskirts. Miss C, my budding artist, was very taken with the Karla Black exhibition. This piece on the ground floor is huge in scale, and quite something to experience. Outside GOMA is the Duke of Wellington statue, which is capped with a traffic cone! This is a long-standing tradition in Glasgow, and has become something of an attraction in itself.

While in town, we also saw these drummers and pipers taking some contemporary and well known songs and giving them the Highland fling treatmeant. Their rendition of We Will Rock You complete with dancing was fabulous. Obviously, it was for the tourists really (we don't all wear kilts and play the bagpipes) but as a proud Scots lassie, I can't help but feel a patriotic stirring when I hear the pipes.

Lastly, a little card documenting my love of the deli opposite work. Noodles to go at lunchtime, mmmm.

And that is pretty much that! This weekend (2-6 June) is a weekend of celebration in the UK and Commonwealth. Celebrating 60 years since the coronation of Queen Elizabeth to the throne, there have been events all weekend. Street parties in some places. And we have been given extra public holidays, so we are off today (Monday) as I write this, as well as Tuesday. Thank you, ma'am. I'll be sure to include some royal touches in next week's layout.

Till then, have a fabulous week, all

Monday 21 May 2012

Project Life 2012: May part 2 Chloe turns 15

I will be linking up with The Mom Creative for Project Life Tuesday, as always. If you've hopped here from there, a big welcome; and if you haven't visited yet, drop by for inspiration and lots of fun stuff.

After a break last week, I'm back! Rather than a regular PL page, I have a spread all about one very special occasion - the celebration of my amazing daughter Chloe turning 15! I'm finding it quite hard to believe she is actually 15 now, as it really does seem like just yesterday that she was a toddler and following me around everywhere! However, she is turning into one fabulous young lady, and I'm privileged to be her mother.

Chloe's birthday fell on Sunday but it was a whole weekend of celebration - friends came to stay - one on Friday and two on Saturday, we went out to eat on Saturday evening at our local Chiquito's and the girls chilled on Sunday after Chloe had opened her cards and gifts. It was all about the fun, food, moustaches, bubbles, giggles and more fun! Oh and Adam, there was a lot of Adam, especially when he tweeted her happy birthday. She hasn't stopped talking about that.

Rather than my usual talk around the photos, I'm pretty much going to let the photographs speak for themselves this week. I used a mix of digital templates (wonderful Cathy Z tiny templates are much in evidence here, Simple Stories Happy Day range, Echo Park This & That and Charming range, as well as lots and lots of photos.

The double page spread:



The left side:


The right side:



Left side close ups:






Right side close ups:







Looking back, it was a busy old weekend. That would explain why I am feeling a little sleepy right now!

Till next time.