Stand tall

I seem to have gotten most of these bits out of swaps or swaks in the post, didn't realise until I had uploaded it. Nice!!

Quick Bind it All Album

We had a pretty rough hospital stay in April when Eil had the first of his big operations, didn't help the situation when my Granny died on the same day of his surgery. He took a bad reaction when we got home from Dublin and spent another week in Castlebar Hospital. Pretty crappy time all in all but using my 365 photos that I had to take on my phone I decided to make an album with them. I wanted something simple just to focus on the photos so not much embellishments and I used my new Little Hero's Waltzing Mouse add on set. Of course the set made me cry because it was just perfect for this. A great release for me to make this, helps me to process it in my own head and have it recorded for Eli when he wants to know about his story later on.

This took me about 1 and half hours using kraft card as the background and an American crafts paper pack I got in TK MAXX recently. Quick bind with the bind it all and even I was impressed with the speed of it!

Front cover

Waltzing Mouse stamp at top of page says - once upon a time there was a boy

and he was very brave

After surgery and he was in a morphine induced sleep, I added a filter to it because it was so blurry and out of focus but I think it adds to the effect of it

He was so nervous before he went down, they gave him a premed. He acted like he was so drunk, giggling and falling over himself. Made it easier bringing him down to surgery as he sang twinkle twinkle putting the gas mask on but I cried as I came back up. It's not an easy thing bringing your child to an operating room and leaving his life in a team of surgeons hands. The stamp says- and I was so proud of him (how fitting for this photo)

We got home late Saturday night but were back in hopsital the next day...twice

Not easy being confined when you love outside

Never seen him as sick and it was heartbreaking seeing him in such panic and pain. It didn't help the situation when I got the gastro bug from the hospital and passed out, cutting up my face. I looked like I had gone a few rounds in a boxing ring

First smile I had seen in over a week

I was so happy we were released when we were.... I thought Eli was getting Munchausen syndrome!

Last stamp- and he could do anything

And I truly believe he can, 1 surgery down 4 more to go....

So i'm just going to clean my scrap table I say....

four layouts later he comes and asks if I am finished cleaning it. Ummm yah I say, peering over a mountain of  paper packs and boxes.... I can't seem to do anything when he's not around I need him there just in case Eli kicks off so I can have dedicated

 time all to scrap. Selfish, yes I know....

Happy Chatterbox

I'm still doing my monthly photos of Eli where I journal his achievements that month on it. It's a great way of keeping track, in Feb he just exploded out with words. He can say Daddy, Diablo, There you go, I love you, Bub bye, moon and no. And with all this he can't say Mama yet or I think the evil little ball of cuteness is just holding back. 

The paper I used is a mixture of Echo Park and Amy Tangerine. The top ten is from a smashbook pad and I never know really what to do with them, one especially really puts me off "I wish you would..." and a list. Like how could you put that nicely in a scrapbook 1. I wish you would pick your socks up off the floor 2. I wish you would stop picking your nose....no I couldn't see that going well at all!

Those who move mountains...

It's been a whole since I scrapped so I used one of my 365 photos. Once I saw the quote I knew it was perfect- those who move mountains start by moving small stones. I used my new chicken wire and hexagon stencils with distress inks, a prima script stamp and those dinky little craft stamper stamps from the April edition.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Photo's to haunt my child with

He will think it's normal to be papped in the bath but what's worse now is he plays up to it!

A bit of stamping and cut outs, but it satisfied itchy crafty fingers for 10 minutes

Really need to print up some new photos

Just a few quick layouts

This photo was in a frame & I took it out to replace it so I snipped it up instead! Few bits of stamping and a quick layout finished!

 

 

I love this photo & poem, looking back on it we were all so worried Eli would never walk. I used my new white marker from Anne to accent the page & sprayed (when will I learn you just can't randomly spray on a layout) and highlighted with a spoldge stamp

 

Posted with Blogsy

Altered canvas tutorial- Cherish

My handsome (if not a biased opinion) toddler after his surgery getting a bath, he was stinkie as he would say himself!

This was a cheapie canvas I bought today and I gessoed it fo prime it...funnily enough I did that in the car but that's another story! I gave it a layer of medium and shredded a 12x12 sheet (it was double sided) fitting them in like a jigsaw. 

While it was still wet I added a thin layer of gesso again, not covering completely but taking the colour out of it. I just want to add some texture to the canvas.

Then using a stencil I added medium paste in a few different areas, I LOVE this affect and it holds the colour so much more vivid than paper. You can stamp into it or use stencils but feel it's so versatile I would recommend it to anyone!

Using sprays I sprayed all over using a blue, green and black. I let dry and then finished it with the heat gun to make sure I could stamp on it. Using some TH background stamps I dabbled a little and added the word cherish which I covered in shimmer, then glossy accents. You can't see here but it's the more amazing cobalt blue/black colour.

I sprayed some binding and ruffled it along the edge of the photo, added an E embellishment and think that was enough. I finished the edges with a strip of wasabi tape as I call it. It's on my wall already and I love it!

Few layouts

Have a few photos that I had to scrap but lack of time prohibited me! I just went hell for leather today determined to do something! I used my new times & seasons echo park pack for this layout

 

And a few scraps left around for this. I really want to get a bracket stamp, I always think I have one until I need it!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Ducka Walks

Ducka Walks is what we call our trip to the woods, it usually consists of Eli sitting on this tree trunk and grinning like a loon before trying to jump in after the ducks. Never a dull day in the Fufu house.

One does ponder

 

One does ponder... About ways how he can make us laugh. He's a funny guy always throwing himself about or insulting people by calling them smelly, I think he think its how you say hello. The other day I was at my craft corner, did I mention I got my craft corner *sigh and I heard his snorty laugh. He came running out and pointed at the telly laughing that he had seen something funny and wanted me to laugh too. Reminds me of the time when he came home from hospital after 3 months & Amy wanted to know when he would get humour because he didn't find her funny. Well... The two of them just scream laughing at each other now, funny how something so small can make you forget the bad.

 

Close up, with faux stitching, my gorgeous washi tape and without distressing because Eli hid my distress tool, somehow think its in D's shoe. Well we will find out soon enough!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Cheer up grumpy britches

Just watch..and don't let the moment pass. PTI clouds and sun die and stamp, dylusions ABC stencil and scraps of paper just fitted into each other

Cheer up grumpy britches... is what I say to a face like this but in all fairness he was mid air when I took the photo after Phil threw him up!

Smash*ing fun

What's another way to spend my money & torment myself for not having enough time to do it? Smash* books ticked all that criteria. Really haven't a clue what I'm doing but it's fun to smush everything in :) I did a swap recently with Aideen who was very generous starting me off my smash stash. I decided the theme of the book should be a time capsule do I'm taking a capture of the fufu's in 2012!

 

Posted with Blogsy

The pain of scrapbooking

To say that cutting out so many circles with a crappy I brad hole puncher in 3 different sizes was so difficult is an understatement....as I mash the iPad with my hands because my fingers no longer work I just hope my pain paid off :) inspired by pinterest I made about 8 cards along with this, I love the spectrum of colours!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Ohhh new scrap stash!

The whole window shopping online is very dangerous when all you have to do is push confirm to buy...a few drinks saturday night and I bought a little (if Derek can't see this, I bought a lot!) I got a chance to scrap in peace & actually enough it for the first time in ages.

Paper is echo park & I got a huge stash of coloured card stock by Papermania. My hexagon stamp is pti ( my stamping is so fricking bad!) and a few hand made embellishments such as the banner, flag & ribboned buttons

 

Posted with Blogsy