Art Class

This is a scrapbook page that is rather different to what I usually create. This is mainly due to the fact that there isn't a piece of white card in sight! Instead I've gone for this wacky, chevron-esque background paper which came free with a magazine last year. I feel that the bold pattern and bright colours helped to symbolise just how much fun the class was, and the bright bubbly people that were in it.

I've also tucked a tag into the layout so that I can write down my thoughts, without getting lost among the patterns and the picture.

I really like using bold letter stickers, but they're quite difficult to find around where I live. I feel that a good title can make a page completely. I'm also now thinking of having a completely separate scrapbook for school things, as I have so many photos from the past 13 years of being in school, and I'm feeling nostalgic now, having finished for good.

Have you scrapbooked any school things?



Leavers Dinner

I'm kind of in love with this page, but that may just be because I had the most wonderful night, and these are wonderful people, and I love these colours to death. Also, the colours reflect very nicely with my dress...

I don't do 12x12 pages often, as I find I don't have enough to fill them. However, I wanted this picture (of me and three of my friends before we left for our Leaver's Dinner) large, and it felt balanced when I put it together. It's still not completely finished as I'm looking for something sleek to write a title in, and perhaps to do some journaling in the white space... I'm still undecided, so I might leave it as it is for a while.

You see that black circle? Yeah, that's a piece of plastic that I stole from the DT department. It was perfect and shiny and I thought 'hmmm... that'll come in handy'.

I also really like how the sun caught one of the sparkles on the heart as I was taking the picture.

The paisley pattern on this paper is quite subtle, which adds another dimension to the page without overpowering the other elements

I think cascading embellishments have become a signature of mine - I just love how they look together. Do you have any scrapbooking signatures?

U6A

This picture probably wasn't the best photo ever taken (I didn't take it), as there are so many people that are either mid blink or they have their mouths open, and so on. But, it is a picture of the most wonderful form I ever had, so that of course means it deserves a 12x12 spread of its own. Yes, I am the one in the bright teal shirt.

I tucked a small tag underneath it so that I could do some writing and not spoil the overall image. I used a simple colour scheme that agreed with everybody in the image, and simple embellishments using a few pearls, and some letter stickers. I like this page because it is simple but effective, and it brings back such great memories.



Hogwarts

This is a 12x12 page that I made for my favourite picture of the Hogwarts model from my visit to the Harry Potter Studios. It was a gorgeous, magical moment that deserved its own big page, complete with glitter, gold and sparkles. It's still a little bit unfinished - I need some journaling and possibly a title, but the image really just speaks for itself.

Do you want to know a secret? The background paper is actually a paper bag that my local craft shop gave me when I bought some 12x12 paper. I thought that the pattern was too gorgeous to just throw away! So, I mounted it onto some white card for a bit of rigidity, et voila, a free piece of paper!



Gold

This is a page to document me and my friend Robyn winning a gold medal at our county science Olympiad. We were only little Year 7's back then...

I had struggled to get a decent image of my medal, before I had a brain wave - I photocopied my medal, and the image came out beautifully. I may have to do this with all of my other medals! I took the embellishment ideas from there, mainly, with the theme being gold-ish circles. It's unfinished as it still needs a title and some journaling, but it works well as a page.

Primary School 2

 

This is the second double page of my Primary School Class photos, this time in a different school (as evidenced by the change in sweatshirts and in curtains). I picked out the blue and cream from the photos and have kept it rather simple.

 

There is a tag for journaling behind the lower photo on this page, which I can use to record my general thoughts about these years.

 

I have started a separate scrapbook for school memories, as I have so many that they really deserve to be documented within their own right. This then leaves my other scrapbook for the more fun things such as parties and picnics and food...



Of the Night: Chapter Ten - Fanfiction Friday

Welcome back to Fanfiction Friday! I've started here with a set of drabble's, a drabble being a short story of 100 words exactly, no more, no less.

This story is called Of the Night, and can be read fully here. Each chapter is unrelated, and this story is continually growing. It is a Star Trek: Voyager story, and explores small moments that I believe could have occurred between Captain Kathryn Janeway and her First Officer, Commander Chakotay, if the show had decided to explore their relationship, rather than ignoring it as they did. They all take place either at night or in the early hours of waking. Enjoy!

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

“You woke us up for this?"

"Us, Sir?" Harry asked tentatively.

"The captain is a lighter sleeper than I am. If you wake me, you'll rouse her too." Chakotay chuckled as he watched the younger man flush red, stuttering and stammering. The sensors had detected an asteroid belt that would mean extending course by another five months. Harry hadn't wanted to make that decision alone. Chakotay patted the ensign on the back in amusement, before turning back to the turbolift.

"Divert course and we'll pretend that this conversation never happened."


"Aye, Sir." Harry sank back into the captain's chair, mortified.

Primary School 1

These are my Class Photos from my first Primary school. I remember only bits and pieces from these years, which is why they're so crammed together. There's a small journaling space that I still have to fill in. I took the colour scheme for this double page from the curtains in the background, which were made out of quite possibly the most hideous pattern this world has ever seen. That combined with the sheer number of faces, proved tricky to try and not overwhelm the page.

As I had very few embellishments to match that curtain,  I got a bit creative. Plain flowers I just about got away with, but I found that buttons are ideal. You can colour co-ordinate them with nearly anything, as they come in nearly every colour! I liked using the buttons on this page as it added texture, but didn't overpower the busy picture.

The pattern of the paper on the previous page is continued onto this one through the patterned button, tying the two pages together.

So, the way to cope with busy pictures is to keep the background and embellishments simple, and to link a double page spread subtly.

If anyone is able to guess correctly which child is me, well done indeed!



Of the Night: Chapter Nine - Fanfiction Friday

Welcome back to Fanfiction Friday! I've started here with a set of drabble's, a drabble being a short story of 100 words exactly, no more, no less.

This story is called Of the Night, and can be read fully here. Each chapter is unrelated, and this story is continually growing. It is a Star Trek: Voyager story, and explores small moments that I believe could have occurred between Captain Kathryn Janeway and her First Officer, Commander Chakotay, if the show had decided to explore their relationship, rather than ignoring it as they did. They all take place either at night or in the early hours of waking. Enjoy!

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

There isn’t much that beats waking to the smell of coffee, Kathryn thought as the bitter scent overwhelmed her. Blearily, she opened her eyes and accepted the mug being waved enticingly under her nose. She took a long, deep draught and sighed, slumping back against the headboard. As Chakotay slid back under the covers beside her he chuckled, drawing her attention.

“What?” she asked defensively.

“Sometimes I think you love coffee more than me.” With a smirk, she pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

“Nonsense, of course I love you more. You bringing me coffee, though, is a factor.”

Graphic (Nerdy) Nails

Now, I have never done a nail tutorial before but I am quite proud of how these turned out.

They look really neat and jazzy, and fantastic with the length of my nails at the moment. 

As this is a spur-of-the-moment sort of thing, I didn't take process shots, but I have made some rather helpful diagrams, to talk you through the process.

Step 1: Paint the nail a basic grey. I used a cheap, Natural Collection polish in the colour Winter Moon. Leave to dry.

Step 2: Mask off a triangle at the tip of the nail so that the point is central. I find using insulating/electrical tape the most effective, as it creates a good seal, but removes itself easily. Paint the exposed nail red; I used Sinful Colour's Sinful Colours 'Sugar Sugar', it has a subtle sparkle to it.

Step 3: Paint the lower two thirds of the nail black, leaving only a few triangles of colour exposed. This can be masked for a precise line as well, but I found it easier to paint this line freehand.I used Calvin Klein 'ebony hates chris-black' (it's the only one I have). 

Tada!

Now, for those of you who read the title - or you've been reading this for a while and you have grasped my obsession - you may have already guessed the nerd connotations to this nail pattern...

Yes, you guessed it! It's a Star Trek Voyager inspired nail pattern! Now, I know it's not entirely accurate, but the essence is there! Now all I need is to own some blue-y green and some yellow...

Can we just ignore that Seven of Nine exists? Pretty Please?

Also, I've just noticed how casual Tom Paris looks... just leaning in...)

Wendy House

Another 8x8 page this week, but this one is of little Rachel! This was a photo I found from when I was about 3 years old, and used to have imaginary tea parties. I'm quite impressed with my mother's photography here, as the view through the door of the wendy house is really quite creative!

I picked the colour scheme from the picture - predominately yellow, mainly for the reason of Winnie the Pooh! I was obsessed as a child (still am, really...)

I used some simple embellishments to top off this gorgeously simple page.



Of the Night: Chapter Eight - Fanfiction Friday

Welcome back to Fanfiction Friday! I've started here with a set of drabble's, a drabble being a short story of 100 words exactly, no more, no less.

This story is called Of the Night, and can be read fully here. Each chapter is unrelated, and this story is continually growing. It is a Star Trek: Voyager story, and explores small moments that I believe could have occurred between Captain Kathryn Janeway and her First Officer, Commander Chakotay, if the show had decided to explore their relationship, rather than ignoring it as they did. They all take place either at night or in the early hours of waking. Enjoy!

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Chakotay found two steaming mugs on the table when he entered his quarters, but, apart from her jacket draped over the back of a chair, there were no other signs of Kathryn. Ducking his head through the bedroom doors, he smiled at the sight of her sleeping, her legs still hanging off of the bed. Hers had been a long and difficult shift. Careful not to wake her, he removed her shoes, pips and communicator badge before tucking her under the covers. Chakotay collected his mug from the other room and settled beside her, stroking her hair as she slept.

Pink Blossom

 

This is an 8x8 page that I made to document a really pretty picture that I took as a part of a photography lesson that I had in the spring. Our school had one, beautiful blossom tree in the corner of the field, and I took this picture which I am really happy with.

 

I also really liked this patterned paper - the delicate floral tied in so well, acting as a neutral and as well as adding interest.

 

I also experimented some more with layering washi tape, and it works well with this whimsical subject.

 

Looking back at these pages, I can definitely begin to see my personal style developing - for one, I really like using doilies...



Of the Night: Chapter Seven - Fanfiction Friday

Welcome back to Fanfiction Friday! I've started here with a set of drabble's, a drabble being a short story of 100 words exactly, no more, no less.

This story is called Of the Night, and can be read fully here. Each chapter is unrelated, and this story is continually growing. It is a Star Trek: Voyager story, and explores small moments that I believe could have occurred between Captain Kathryn Janeway and her First Officer, Commander Chakotay, if the show had decided to explore their relationship, rather than ignoring it as they did. They all take place either at night or in the early hours of waking. Enjoy!

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

The away team would only be gone a few more hours. Sixteen hours and twenty two minutes more. Eight of which she should be sleeping.

Chakotay and the others had left for a routine survey of a binary star system. They had maintained full communication. There were no complications. But Kathryn couldn’t sleep without him - her usual stress now amplified. The bed felt empty.

Sixteen hours and twenty minutes.

She gathered his pillow to her chest, draping her limbs across it. It still smelt like him. It was a poor substitute, but for now it would have to do.

A Challenging Challenge

About a month ago, Claire from Claire's Craftroom set up a creative challenge, where she sent us each a picture and a colour and we had to make something inspired by the two. I got sent these:

Now, I struggled. I left it until the very last minute because it was out of my comfort zone - as a crafter I rarely use nature scenes to inspire, in fact I am, by definition, a nerd crafter usually. Or, at least, abstract novelties (such as my felt hearts) are more my thing.

But I couldn't do that this time.

So, I stuck to it as literally as I possibly could, and thanked goodness that I was half decent at painting.

I was very taken with the image of the gate though, so I chose to incorporate it into the painting. I used a piece of fabric in an attempt to incorporate the colour I was given. It gives the image a  more autumnal field. To try and make it more interesting, I frayed the edges to give the image some texture.

So while I found it challenging, I managed to get past it, and found it enjoyable despite it all, and I look forward to the possibility of joining in with subsequent challenges.

Blue Skies

 

This is a page made up of a selection of pictures that I'd taken on a dog walk, and I'd chosen to experiment with layering different embellishments.

 

I don't actually remember the day that clearly, as we've had so many walks like it, but it's good to document the countryside and a pastime that we do frequently.



Of the Night: Chapter Six - Fanfiction Friday

Welcome back to Fanfiction Friday! I've started here with a set of drabble's, a drabble being a short story of 100 words exactly, no more, no less.

This story is called Of the Night, and can be read fully here. Each chapter is unrelated, and this story is continually growing. It is a Star Trek: Voyager story, and explores small moments that I believe could have occurred between Captain Kathryn Janeway and her First Officer, Commander Chakotay, if the show had decided to explore their relationship, rather than ignoring it as they did. They all take place either at night or in the early hours of waking. Enjoy!

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

“Put them down.” Arms folded, Chakotay glared across at Kathryn, who was sat at her desk in her night gown.

“But B’Elanna-” He cut her off mid-speech, circling behind her chair.

“Will understand that her captain needs sleep, too. If she doesn’t, I’ll talk to her.” He placed a feather-light kiss at the crook of Kathryn’s neck, sending shivers down her spine. In her distraction, he pulled the padd from her grasp and deactivated the monitor. She sighed, but chose not to resist. He linked his fingers with hers, and guided her through to the other room.

“Computer: lights out.”

Snow Dog

 

This was a really simple page that I created documenting my dog, Bramble, in the snow last year. He loved to run about in it, and this picture of him with the snow in his ears is so precious to me, that I didn't want to overwhelm it. I kept the colours simple, and just let that little puppy face do all of the talking!



Of the Night: Chapter Five - Fanfiction Friday

Welcome back to Fanfiction Friday! I've started here with a set of drabble's, a drabble being a short story of 100 words exactly, no more, no less.

 

This story is called Of the Night, and can be read fully here. Each chapter is unrelated, and this story is continually growing. It is a Star Trek: Voyager story, and explores small moments that I believe could have occurred between Captain Kathryn Janeway and her First Officer, Commander Chakotay, if the show had decided to explore their relationship, rather than ignoring it as they did. They all take place either at night or in the early hours of waking. Enjoy!

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4

 

 

“Kathryn? What’s wrong?” With her back facing him, she could still have been sleeping.  But she wasn’t. He could tell she was crying. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Chakotay gently rolled Kathryn onto her back and gazed into her eyes, brushing away the tears.

“Kathryn?”

“It’s my fault, I sent you on that away mission,” was all she could manage before fresh tears tumbled down her cheeks.

“I’m alive, Kathryn.” Ignoring the pain in his chest that remained from the blast, he pulled her towards him, allowing the sound of his steady heartbeat to soothe her back to sleep.

50's Swing

 

Firstly, this picture has been smudged as it had an address on it.

 

This was the next pair of pages that I created, showing another Birthday party! It seems that that's all I seem to be doing in my scrapbooks, doesn't it? This one was a 50's themed party in a Village hall, and it was a great night.

 

I experimented a bit with tilting images, which I am ultimately not fond of, but with the white space and embellishments in the corner, I will admit that it does work in this context. The solid line of washi tape at the bottom of the page also helps to ground it.

 

This is a gorgeous silver charm that I found in my stash, and I think it works wonderfully as a part of the layout.

 

The second page is a photomontage of crazy people, as well as some journaling. I used the same washi tape and buttons in order to organise the grid, as some of the images were smaller/larger than others. These elements helped to level that out and cover up those little mistakes.

 

The colour scheme is actually taken from the dress I was wearing, which is going to be another page, but I haven't printed the picture out for that one yet... But, as a double page spread, these two pages work well to gether to convey what a lovely night it was



Good news!

Well, recently, this blog became three years old! I think that in itself is a great cause for celebration. However, there are so many other things I think that need to be mentioned as this has been a very happy week for me.

 

Firstly: my three years blogging. It's been varied and a weird mix of so many different styles, and it's honestly embarrassing to look back at some of those first posts, but three years is a great achievement. I love seeing how my craft techniques have evolved, even my photography, and the wide range of subjects and topics covered here.

 

Second: I achieved 30 followers on bloglovin! I was so happy. I know to some people that's not a lot, but it is to me, so I would like to take this chance to thank all of you who follow this blog, it does mean so much to me.

Third: I have 50 pinterest followers! I don't even know when that happened, I just noticed this morning. Thank you so much to everyone if you're following me on pinterest, it means a lot, especially seeing as so many of you allow my indulgences into Star Trek 'shipping!

 

Finally, but by no means least: I got into my first-choice University!!! I managed to pull out A-Level Results of AABB, including an A in History, which made me so delighted. I can't wait to go and study the past permanently! I am over the moon, and I've had a permanent smile on my face since I found out on Thursday morning.

 

So this has been a mighty good week! I hope to bring you more blog things in the near future, but who knows what this next year will bring - perhaps I'll go into a completely different branch of blogging all together? Who knows. I'm happy and that's all that matters.

Of the Night: Chapter Four - Fanfiction Friday

Welcome back to Fanfiction Friday! I've started here with a set of drabble's, a drabble being a short story of 100 words exactly, no more, no less.

This story is called Of the Night, and can be read fully here. Each chapter is unrelated, and this story is continually growing. It is a Star Trek: Voyager story, and explores small moments that I believe could have occurred between Captain Kathryn Janeway and her First Officer, Commander Chakotay, if the show had decided to explore their relationship, rather than ignoring it as they did. They all take place either at night or in the early hours of waking. Enjoy!

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3

Chakotay awoke sharply to a sudden, jabbing pain in his side.

“Did you just poke me?” He frowned down at the mass of tangled auburn hair beside him, amused as it stirred slightly.

“Stop snoring,” she mumbled blearily, tugging the covers with her as she rolled over. “I have the early shift in the morning.”

With a small chuckle, Chakotay pulled her slight frame towards him until her back was resting against his chest. Wrapping his arms around her waist and tangling his legs with hers, he brushed his lips across her neck and murmured in her ear;

“Aye, Captain.”

My TBR List

I'm really bad when it comes to books. I get given them, or I buy them in a charity shope, they end up on my shelf and then  forget to read them. Not anymore! This summer, I really want to start reading properly again. So here is by TBR (to be read) list:

 

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory: I am currently reading The White Queen, and I watched the BBC series in the Autumn. I love historical fiction, and when I found this in a charity shop for £1, I just couldn't resist. ( I also found The White Princess, but I want to read The Kingmaker's Daughter first).

 

The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory: In a similar vein, this is from Philippa Gregory's other historical series, The Tudor Court. This one follows Mary Queen of Scots in her imprisonment, which I think will be an interesting angle to look from.

 

Pompeii by Robert Harris: I tried to get into this one once when I was younger, but only got about 30 pages in for some reason. I'd like to try again as Pompeii is one of my favourite things to read up on, and has been since I was about eight years old.

Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James: I finally managed to read Pride and Prejudice earlier this year, and felt rather underwhelmed. I watched the BBC adaptation of this book, and enjoyed it more - I hope that that bodes well for this book.

 

Virals by Kathy Reichs: I've never read anything like this before, but my Grandma gave it to me because I like watching crime dramas, and as it has teenagers as its main characters, she thought I might be able to ease my way into crime reading... It looks a bit sinister to me, but I suppose that's sort of the point!

Labyrinth by Kate Mosse: I'm not entirely sure what this one is about, but it's another one that my Grandma gave to me. It's a chunky book, but the back looks interesting.

 

Heist Society by Ally Carter: I picked this up in a charity shop for 50p and don't really know what to expect. It looks like an easy read, which I will always appreciate in between heavier books. Plus, it's in pristine condition, the spine is unbroken and the pages still smell new. I couldn't resist.

 

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett: Despite being a fantasy nut for years, I have never read a single Pratchett book. I think that ought to change, so I bought the first book, and hope somewhere to start reading it.

 

Alanna by Tamora Pierce: I got given this entire series by a friend when I was about 13 and they have sat on by shelf taunting me. I tried to read this once, but got pulled away when a new book (I think it might have been Harry Potter) came out and was far more exciting. They're only small, and the font is quite large, so I should be able to get through them relatively quickly if I do start again.

 

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: I read the first two books last summer, yet I somehow have kept this one back. As a collection of short stories, it should be easy to dip in and out of, but I have yet to try. I love Sherlock Holmes, so this is one I'm looking forward to having time to read.

 

Magician: Apprentice by Raymond E. Feist: This was one of my Dad's books that I found on the shelf and thought looked interesting. I think bow I have built up the courage to read it, if I like it, I can inherit the entire series that we had downstairs!

 

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson: I bought this about 3 years ago as the cover and blurb enticed me. It's a long heavy book though, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to commit to it... It may be left unread for a little while longer...

 

A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin: Speaking of long, heavy books... I read A Game of Thrones last summer, just about, and while I enjoyed it, it did take an awful long time to complete! What I find funny though is that I was given both copies by a chaplain! I'd love to be able to read the entire series, but something tells me that it's going to be slow going.

 

The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore: One my sister's favourite series, she also has the fourth book that I also need to read. I find these Lorien Legacies books really interesting, and I was disappointed with myself that I didn't read them in keeping with when they were published. Well, I have time now to rectify that! 

 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: This is probably going to be my next book to read. When my sister read it, she shoved it at me completely and said 'it's you'. So, I'm going to read it.

 

So yeah, just a small TBR, but these have accumulated over about 5 years... I'm not sure a summer is going to be enough to slim it down! But I can try.

 

I am currently reading: The White Queen by Philippa Gregory and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (on Kindle).