Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Almost Too Much Excitement!

What a Bad Blogger I've been! Bad Blog-hopper too, for that matter but I'm going to make some time to ahve a good old mooch around my favourite places asap.

Soooo much excitement around here in just a few days!
First of all last Wednesday a man came to clean the ovens. hob and extractor hood - what, you don't think that's exciting? lol You would if you'd seen the state of it before and after! haha

Then on Thursday two men came to tame the conifer hedge at the back of the garden. It was last done just before we bought the house, and by the look of it they'd actually got some butchers in to do the job. No offence to any butchers who may be reading this, but butchers deal with meat, and tree surgeons deal with trees. Or that's the way it should be.
It's taken the 3 years we've lived here for the trees to green up again, and apparently we were very lucky that they did.
Knowing that the guy who was coming to do the job didn't use ladders for work like this, hubby left me with the camera all fitted with a big lens so that I could take photos from the upstairs window to mark the occasion.
Picture 1: Man and chainsaw disappear into trees
Picture 2: Man's head pops out at top of trees
Picture 3: Man gets to work with chainsaw
Picture 4: Man stands nonchalantly on newly cut tree stump, presumably contemplating next cut.
The wood frame you can see at the bottom of the photo is a pergola that I can't reach the top of which should give you some idea how high up Tree-Man was!
Having cut all along the top, they then trimmed the face of the trees so now our hedge is neat and tidy - and thankfully, still nice and green.

Excitement no 3 came on Sunday, when I met up for the first time with forum friends Tracey and Rosie to go to a scrapbooking workshop. It was great to meet them and we had a lovely gossipy time. Rosie of course already does scrapbooking and really just came along for the waffle! Not sure if Tracey has done any before, but I certainly haven't, my only scrapbook efforts have been 8x8 and only about five of them!

So you've got to be gentle with me, OK?

I've got two photos of my very first 12x12 LO to show - because I don't know whether to add the photo corner permanently or not - please feel free to add your tuppenceworth to the debate - I'd really like to know what you think about the photo corner - and also whether you think it needs anything else. I'm not confident enough after just one LO to make any decisions at all!




Anyway, I was so exhausted after all that excitement that I was in bed with a drinking chocolate by 9,30 on Sunday evening - I know, I'm pathetic, aren't I? lol

Last for this time is a birthday card for Youngest Nephew Adam, who'll be 7 in a week or two (one of the many family birthdays we have in May)

It's a variation on a design I did for Nephew Dan's birthday last year. I used my pirate ship Robo template again, and the same ribbon, but I didn't have a ready made chippie skull and crossbones so had to Robo cut this one several times then stick them all together to get the chip effect I wanted. I need to alter that template though as the eye socket and mouth bit aren't really big enough.

If you made it right through to the end - Well Done!
You'll be glad to know that that's the lot for this time/
Hope to catch up with everyone really soon,
Thanks for popping by

13 comments:

Angelnorth said...

I vote for adding the photo corner - it's amazing how much more finished it makes it look and how much it contributes to pulling your eye to the photo.

Maybe you shouldn't publish comments just yet so nobody is influenced by what anybody else has said ;o)

Creative Treasures said...

I love the pirate ship. Well done on finishing your first LO, you will be on a slippery slope now, :)i think i prefer the LO without the photo corner, im not really sure why though.

Tracy
x

Karen said...

WOOOO well done on your first LO. My vote goes to the photo corner Kathy! As Joanne says it draws the eye more to the lovely photograph, which should always be the focal point. OMG now I sound like I do soooo much scrapping hehe . Its a beautiful LO and all the colours tie in and nothing dtracts from the pic. XXX

cookcreateread said...

Oooh lovely :) I like it WITH the photo corner! Great pirate card too, and fab tree cutting photos!

Unknown said...

Hmmm... I'd say remove the photo corner personally. I've seen that piccie in real life and I love it!!! I wouldn't detract from it's simplistic beauty.

xx

Janice said...

I like it without the corner, but I'm a bit of a 'simple' girl lol Tracey said you were a 'natural' I think she was right!

Traceyr said...

You added flowers then? lol I knew you would.

As you know I am not a scrapbooker and I still haven't finished my layouts yet but I feel it is best with the corner. :)

Kaz said...

I vote for the photo corner too Kathy, even though I don't scrapbook at all either.

Love the card.

OMG to the man in the tree with no safety harness!!

Lisa H said...

Keep the corner!!

First of many LO's I hope!

Lisa x

Caroline said...

I would vote to keep the photo corner Kathy - but then I do like lots of layers on a layout. I think its just adds extra interest to the page...x

Esther said...

Thanks for your concern Kathy, very mindful of a my blog neglection... but just dont seem to get on the computer long enough to get my blog in order, and not at my crafting table as much as I was, other things creeping in! will be back soon- I HOPE! I personally think without the photo corner, think may be if it was less bulky it could workl, and you have enough things on the layout to draw the eye to the picture, especially with the 3 layers ;)

Keryn Campbell said...

The pirate ship is gorgeous. I like the LO best without the photo corner but reading your other comments I don't think we're going to help much seeing we all have differing opinions.

SueH said...

Oh my Kathy, it sounds like you had one hell of a week there!

Congrats on your first 12 x 12 LO. I still struggle doing them which is why you don’t see many from me but you’ve done a wonderful job. I personally like the one with the photo corner…..but what do I know. Lol!

I love your pirate ship card too, especially all the doodling around the edges….it’s fab!