Scrapbooking catch-up

Ok, picture heavy, word light entry.

I haven't loaded up the last X or so layouts or projects I've done recently (and it feels like I've done loads) so I just thought I'd share.

I made a batch of Easter cards which was fun as I just played around and didn't try too hard - and I used my Cricut so that is always a good thing as I don't use it enough!

And then I used the scraps left on the table to whip up a few blank cards - new "resolution" to use up scraps before tidying up!

And then I made a few layouts using the "Sweet Hearted" kit I made up and featured here. I have to admit that I do NOT love these layouts, but it was fun to just play around with different colours and techniques.

And this one (again, one I do NOT love) is the only thing I managed to finish at the Bromsgrove crop in March (!!).  But it is an important story for me about when I first left the UK to go and live in the Phils. 

Part of yet another class I'm doing at the moment called Dimensional Details - love the techniques we are learning like layering, distressing, inking, misting, using multiple papers, loading up lots of products on a page, creating backgrounds etc etc. So much fun!

And then I entered another photo competition - none were picked, but I loved my entries and want to "show off" ;-)) a bit! Gotta adore that macro lens! I think I'm in love!

Just to repeat myself... The reason I was so exhausted last Wednesday was because of this...

Mmm, maybe the photo doesn't really do it justice! 

However, I had the wonderful opportunity of being part of a guided tour round a working coal-mine. 

Again, that might not inspire you completely but it was somewhat of an experience of a lifetime - and it is actually really difficult to get on a tour.

The area where I live is the industrial heartland of Germany. And just like similar areas all over the world, bit by bit the industry is closing and the factories are moving east leaving empty industrial buildings behind and with it, a (somewhat) forgotten history. 

Part of my feeling at home here is that I'm really interested in the area and the history and take any opportunity I can to increase my knowledge or understanding of it. And while Birmingham was also industrial in the past and has had to adapt to a new way of life once the factories started to close, mining has never been in my field of vision. But it's everywhere here. You see the shafthead frames seemingly around every corner and the landscape is full of areas of reclaimed land or hills created out of the excavated earth from the mines of the past. 

The Ruhr has converted many of these negelected industrial sites into interesting tourists sites, event centres or landscape parks as part of the "Industrial Culture Route" and I've been working my way through it over the years! Every visitor of ours gets taken to one or more of these places and I think it's a great way of resuing land and buildings in an interesting way to encourage tourism to a place which is trying to reinvent itself. One of the venues is the Bergbau Museum (mining museum) in Bochum and I've been there at least 5 or 6 times and thought it was fascinating - they have created an underground mine area with machines and information to give you an idea of what it's all about. But wow, the reality is so different!

 (My last trip to the Bochum Museum with Ted back in April 2009)

So off we went to the Auguste Victoria Shaft 8 mine here in Marl and experienced something really quite special.

We were given a short presentation on the history of the mining in this area before we went down and the numbers were amazing (though the details are missing of course now!). From hundreds of working mines during its peak 30 or so years ago to just a handful (6) now here in the Ruhr area. In 1978 178,000 people were employed in this region in the mining industry - today around the 25,000 mark.

(Photos courtesy of the RAG Deutsche Steinkohle website)

For our tour, we were fitted out in suitable clothing and safety equipment which seemed to weigh a ton and included everything - even some rather sexy (NOT) Y-front underpants!! As you can see, we were a somewhat motley lot once we were all kitted out!

(Thanks to Arno Specht at www.fotorevier.net for the photos of our adventure)

We went down in the shaft lift at about 35 kph to 1,140 metres underground (gulp!) and then travelled for about 20 minutes in a small suspended train thing until we reached a coal seam that is being worked on. I had seen these drilling/milling machines at the museum. Except this was real! 

We had to climb over piles of dirt, in and out of pipes, hydraulic supports, slipping though slimy puddles and even I had to keep my head down as the seam was about 1.60m (considered quite a decent height by the miners!)

Ok, take a look at this machine and hydraulic support system here

(photos of the mining museum)

and then imagine it in a real life situation - pipes are going everywhere, the noise in unbelievable, there is thick dust in the air, it's really dark, the ground is most certainly not at all even (opposite to the photos above!) and there are lumps of rock and coal all along the way, the ceiling is too low for you to stand properly, there are sirens going and radio messages mixing into the sound level and it's hot. I mean really hot. I'm not really sure how hot but I reckon high 20's. And you are standing there in your heavy, thick, uncomfortable, protective clothing - feeling exhausted from just walking there. Now imagine working - physically hard, for hours and hours. Makes you think.

(Photos courtesy of the RAG Deutsche Steinkohle website)

Of course, we were not allowed to take any photos underground but I think I will never forget the picture I have in my mind of this huge incredible milling machine tearing into the rock and coal and watching the glossy, black material crumbling onto the band that would take it away. You may find this a bit strange but I have to admit that I was quite emotional. This coal was 350 million years old and it was torn out of the ground in just a few seconds. And then it will just be burnt. Surely this can't be right! Of course, this isn't something you can really talk about with anyone here as it is one of the most important industries the region had/has but I did feel really sad about what we are doing to the earth and its resources.

We were underground for 3 hours and this is what we looked like when we hit the surface again (all clutching our pieces of souvenir coal that we picked up right where it was being dug out - 1100 metres underground!) ...

(photos courtesy of www.fotorevier.net)

I was amazed at just how exhausted I was at the end of the day - we had walked 4 or 5 kilometres underground - and have so much respect for the miners who work down there all day every day in such extreme circumstances. They must sleep well every night - I know I did!

(Photo courtesy of the RAG Deutsche Steinkohle website)

I can feel a scrapbook page (or two) coming on!

Good things

Remember this photo?

Good, old-fashioned, fun, green glitter?

What I didn't mention was that I do a LOT of blog hopping. One of my favourites is The Pioneer Woman - it's witty, clever, inspiring, full of wonderful photography, incredible looking recipes and just a good read.

Last week, PW announced a new photo assignment/competition featuring "green". There were thousands and thousands of incredible entries and I tried my luck with my glitter photo. I loved it and I figured there must be some other glitter lovers out there too! Well, PW selected it as one of her picks! Talk about thrilled! I couldn't stop grinning! She had more than 8,300 entries and chose 124 to highlight - and mine was one of them. My photo was there amongst some really astounding talent and I felt really honoured! I didn't make it to the final selection from which PW will chose the winner but hey, that wasn't really the point!

If you enjoy looking at great photography, check out the finalists she has chosen here, or pop over to the Flickr group here to lose yourself amongst a plethora of green!

And before I forget: The reason I was so exhausted on Wednesday was because of this...

Mmm, maybe the photo doesn't really do it justice!

More details to come - I am in the middle of writing up the blog post...

Happy April 1st!


Just a little something to help us believe that Spring is here/on the way!

So my teenie sister thinks I am off the scale as far as boring and untrendy goes (guess that word right there gives it away!!) and had done one of these list thingies on her blog and told me to do it to so that she could gauge just how bad I have it! Here goes:

Make-up

1. L'Oreal - Telescopic mascara and lipstick - 235 nude
2. Bobby Brown - Shimmer Wash eye shadow - rose gold/chocolat/bone
3. YSL - Touche Eclat
4. Chanel - Rouge Allure lipstick - rose blossom and all their nail varnishes
5. Esprit - twist and define eye liner - anthracite

Food

1. Roast vegetables with feta, couscous and balsamic vinegar
2. Crème brûlée
3. Scallops
4. Fresh white asparagus - the season is just around the corner - can't wait
5. Cadbury's chocolate

Drink

1. Champagne
2. Cosmopolitan (as mixed by my one and only)
3. G&T (again, as mixed by my one and only)
4. A good cuppa
5. Starbucks grande skinny latte

Stores

1. Gap
2. Roots
3. M&S
4. Chanel (in my dreams)
5. Any shop that sells scrapbooking stuff!

Places to eat

1. Anywhere where the food is prepared for me!
2. Lorenzo's - here in Recklinghausen
3. Goldener Anker - our favourite romantic restaurant
4. On our balcony (looking forward to opening the Balconia season)
5. Bofinger brasserie in Paris

Places to drink

1. Potions - my own personal cocktail bar
2. My own sofa
3. At a candlelit table
4. Starbucks
5. Sitting in bed, reading a good book

Movies

1. Gone With The Wind
2. It's A Wonderful Life
3. Holiday Inn
4. Grease
5. The Breakfast Club

Books

1. Gone With The Wind
2. The Twilight series
3. The Shopaholic series (just good fun reading!)
4. Jane Austen
5. Memoirs of a Geisha

What does this list say about me? I dread to think!

What is your top five list then?

Wednesday sparkle!

I have lots to update on. But I am feeling weak and most definitely watery!

I had such a dirty, grimy day (details to come in another post) that I think we all need some Wednesday sparkle in our life... or maybe I should have put ... Wednesday sparkle!

Here's hoping to brighten your day:

Been busy...

So, some weeks ago Deb wrote a blog post which featured a mobile phone photo someone had sent her of a gorgeous shop. It featured lacy white, blues, pinks and reds and Deb asked if anyone wanted to join her in using that as a new inspiration challenge. 

I loved the combination of colours and promised myself to make up my own kit based on this. I actually ended up changing it a bit using a more turquoise blue rather than the sky blue featured. And I fished out some "odd" products I have picked up on my travels and challenged myself to use them - a white, round, felt place mat and some silver transfers. The felt is really thin so I thought it would be ok to use on a page, but the circle was larger than 12" so I need to get clever with how to put it down. I had no idea what the silver transfers were (bathroom tile transfers maybe?) and I just figured I would work it out! Anyway, this kit is quite a bit smaller than the last "Pink Whisper" kit I made and I just need to come up with a name...

Because Deb also said not to forget the cupcakes and I don't have any cupcake products or photos or anything, maybe I will just call it "Sweet Hearted". Yes, that sounds quite nice. Here it is:

What's interesting is that I love the mix of products and colours and the feel of it, but so far, it's proving to be a bit difficult to use. I have played around a bit and started a couple of backgrounds which I will need to work on but so far, here is the only layout I have managed.

It features me (just for a change!!!) and a photo that is a few (5 1/2) years old and it makes me realise that I have to really "do" something about how I look at the moment! I have seriously gained weight over these years and I want to look like this photo again - maybe this can work as some sort of a motivational tool for me.

Moving on: yesterday was my once a year opportunity to go to a craft fair. It's the only one I know of at the moment anywhere near me. And this one is really near me - just a few kilometres down the road. Creativa is an all-inclusive crafting/hobby show which can be a real eye opener from my point of view. I'm always bemused by the hobby products that "rock" the Germans. There's not many scrapbooking stands but this year, there were a few new faces (mostly from Holland) and I got some great stash that I haven't found so far at my LSS in Kempen. As I have said before, scrapbooking is relatively new over here and so the main focus of the show is so NOT scrapbooking! There were 5 halls and only 30 stands I noted down. Of course, I approached this in typical Lisa way, searching through exhibitors for those stating they featured scrapbooking products. Then I noted the names and stand number and once there, I worked my way around each hall checking each one off the list, before moving onto the next. I looked a bit left and right but wanted to really focus my time there! And I shopped!!! I had both R and Libby sitting on my shoulder saying, "And that, and that, and what about that? Don't stop! Keep going!" It was fun!

Here are a few things that caught my eye.

** What a great way to showcase beads. There must have been millions there - so beautiful

** There was nothing on this stand I didn't love and I could have just taken the whole lot and put it directly into the flat. Not sure R would really appreciate the vintage, pink focus but isn't it gorgeous?

** The show's international partner this year was Korea and there was part of the exhibition featuring paper creations. Can you believe that this picture is made with paper? I loved it. I loved the idea of the nest and couldn't believe it was really paper until I got up close!

** This was a huge sculpture of a flower - maybe two metres diameter. Don't you love it?

** I kid you not, this was really made of paper. Not very practical perhaps but certainly interesting!

And what about my purchases? Drum roll please.......

(** and pat on the back to me as I stitched two photos together for the first time ever!)

I bought WAAAAY too much of course. I mean, I can't imagine using this all up even if I scrapbooked every single day of my life. In my defense, some of this will be shipped over to Libby. And I bought quite a lot of stuff that will be used over and over rather one use stuff - glimmer mists, a Martha Stewart punch, Cuttlebug embossing folders and a couple of Nestabilities for example.

I was really feeling the green again this time around and bought loads of different shades of standard, lime, sage and turquoise greens. Oh, and dots - lots and lots of dots. And I surprised myself with an urge to grab a selection of American Craft papers.

What do you think???

Birthdays, scrapping and oodles of hugs

Phew! Catch my breath. What a hectic couple of weeks I've had. Can't believe where the time has gone, but it has most definitely gone somewhere. But for once, I filled it up with all sorts of stuff.

First there was the LOAD challenge. And I did it! Yes, 28 layouts in 28 days! It was such a brilliant feeling to get to the end of the month and realise that I really had managed the whole month and my pile of layouts are sitting here, smiling at me, giving me a warm gooey feeling inside! I got a great sense of achievement and that is brilliant. At some point, I will do a review of what I learnt from this experience and see if any of my original strategy needs to be modified before the next session of LOAD in May! And yes, I'm already signed up for that. Imagine. Another 31 layouts. Enough for the rest of the year! (NOT!!!)

So without much delay, here are the remaining layouts from the month.

February 21st

February 22nd

February 23rd

February 24th

** a layout without a photo was a first for me, but I like it! It, of course, relates back to this post about my playlist for 2010.

February 25th

February 26th

** You may not believe me, but this layout was put together and completed whilst sitting at the airport on my way to the UK. I knew I wouldn't have time to do it any other time of the day, so I packed a box with the photos, some scraps of paper (remember, no scissors!), a glue runner, some bling, a ruler and a pen. I had an idea of what I wanted to put together and had written out the jornalling I wanted to include so while I was sitting there, I just put it together. You should have seen the looks from some of the people there! I felt quite self-conscious, but was determined to get it done and I did! 

February 27th

**This layout was one of the classes I did at the Scrapagogo day retreat. 

February 28th

One of the two reasons for my visit to the UK was a Scrapagogo day retreat which included 5 classes (4 layouts and a mini flag book) and a lot of fun. I was invited along by Libby and Deb and I had such a good time. It was lovely to spend time with other scrappers (remember that I am the ultimate Billy No Mates Scrapper) and laugh and create and shop. I was amazed that we actually completed all the classes which was such a bonus for me. I had expected to come home with five unfinished, never to be completed, projects which would sit on my desk until the next Stone Age. But we had enough time to finish each one and I even managed to fit in a bit of journalling onto them, too. The classes were really interesting with something "special" about each one and yet not so complicated that they dragged on. It was nice to do two male layouts as I do struggle with those a bit and even though the mini flag book was not my favourite, and the colours not really "me", I love the concept and will definitely be copying this in the future. It had looked so complicated but the instructions were so clear and concise that it proved a doddle to put together. 

I have to say that my favourite was the last class of the day by Sheena when I got the opportunity to use one of my favourite Yukon photos with some wonderfully autumnal papers. Libby proved a bit of a rebel in this last class and ever the follower, I copied! We made our wonderfully shimmery chipboard shapes to open up differently and feature small photos on the back rather than underneath. So sweet and such a lovely design. 

It was great to sit and be told what to do, to have all the products (often cut) all together with clear instruction and a very good handout to follow. While I like to sit here and create my own stuff, it was lovely to just follow the crowd and have fun creating. 

I did a bit (lot) of shopping and came home with a bag full of goodies. All in all, a super day and well worth every penny. I will definitely go along again (if I'm invited!) - thanks to the Scrapagogo team!

And of course, the second reason for going home for the week was mum's special birthday which she celebrated with a girls' afternoon tea extravaganza. Libby has also posted some of the photos (here) so I will just pop one or two here to mark the event. 

We all had a lovely time reminiscing about the past, sipping champagne, and scoffing the richest, most sparkly cupcakes I had ever seen!

** yes, we are related - honest!

My wonderfully talented school friend, Geraldine, came along too bringing with her one of the best cakes I have ever seen. She wowed everyone with her interpretation of mum from way back when! She tells us that she has a totally clear memory of mum wearing an outfit something like this at a party, complete with curly hair, sunglasses and copious amounts of alcohol! We have to agree that the likeness is scary!

I knew that Geraldine made specialty cakes, but this was amazing and there is more to be seen at her website - go over there and take a look - HERE!

And the oodles of cuddles? 

Well, they were provided mostly by adorable Isabella - the whole week! That's the thing with being an aunty who lives far away: you become a bit of a novelty. Now that Isabella has got over her coyness around me (there was a time when I was not allowed to make eye contact with her), she has become totally and utterly scrumptious to me. Maddie provided me with cuddles when requested, but I can tell how she is growing up now and let's face it, I'm not her favourite uncle. Just a hanger on! And as for Cameron - he puts up with me being around and is (un)willing to give me a peck on the cheek from time to time or even an arm round my neck, but that's about it. But what I lacked from the older two, I made up for with sweet Isabella! And I have no photos to prove it!

Well unless you count this one:

Just look at this cheeky face here:

And if this wasn't enough, in between all this excitement, Libby looked after me so well with delicious food, plenty of cups of tea, scrapping evenings (I managed to finish a total of three cards only!), a Saturday Bromsgrove Crop where I caught up with another school friend, Sarah (one double layout completed and I don't even like it!!!), shopping trips to numerous craft shops where we met up with Rachel and Deb, and countless lifts to and from Harborne - huge thanks to you Lib!

All up to date I think...

What have you been up to?