January 11th

Have any of you tried wordle yet.

Its a fab site that mixes up the words from your blog.I had a play and it came up with this for me.I would love to print a bright colourful one off for my new scrapbook room and frame it.

You can make one just from the words you want,as well,

Wouldn’t this make a great framed present.

My latest scrapping project.

I took this photo of Tasmin last Christmas.The outside border and some of the embellishments come from a sheet by Webster's.I bought them off Sue at Crafty Stash at the end of a crop.Its not like me to get my money out,but I couldn’t resist the sheet of very varied  sticker embellishments.I knew they would work a treat on lots of layouts.Some of them I have mounted onto card and used 3D foam to give them a bit of lift.

I use 3D foam on nearly every layout I do.I like my layouts to have a bit of depth to them.Which is a shame when they get put into an album as the effect often gets lost.

In my new scrapbook room I would like to have a wall which acts as a gallery for my layouts.Along with some cartoons my Dad  drew for my children.He included all of us in the cartoons,along with where we used to live.One was about the time we had a photo shoot at our old house for the magazine- 25 Beautiful Homes.

I even have a book of sketches he did,preparing his characters.In fact I could frame some of my Mums old pastel portraits(if I can find them?)

My parents were very talented artists.But interestingly my Dad could only draw imaginary people and my Mum had to draw real life.I always found Art extremely hard at school.I am too much of a perfectionists to feel my work is any good.

My teacher wrote on my school report 1980

“Karen is one of the most able girls in her year,but at the same time she is one of the most difficult to teach.She needs constant cajoling and pushing,and minute by minute reminders that she has talent and her work could be excellent.Grade A”

Nothings changed much since then?

I took this photo of my art room.Why do all art teachers have beards ???Even the lady ones?

In fact I just had a look through my old school reports.The lowest mark I ever got in all my years at secondary school was  in 1981 for Needlework B- !!!!!!

Bloody needlework (how Victorian)

I often think about that Mrs Davies.I bet I am the only person from that whole year who makes her own bloody curtains,cushions.knits,crochets and can generally “make “anything.

She wrote”Karen works quite well and has ability ,but she does not like to be corrected B- 81%.

81%!!!!!! The other people in my class couldn’t even thread a needle.Because of her comment I got called into to see the Headmaster.With bloody 81% in the exam!

It was all because I said I didn’t want  to put button holes on my “Granddad”shirt I was making.I just couldn’t be bothered to be frank and she knew it.

Why do people lie and say to kids “school days are the best days of your life.”They obviously didn’t go to school in a tough Stevenage comprehensive school,where even the teachers were scared of the kids.

Maybe I should scrapbook some of my blurry school photos?