Roadshow Demo Day come 'n' gone!

Well, the day arrived and it was great day!  Everything went very well on Saturday in Leicester, and my nerves stayed in check, hands didn't shake too much and I didn't lose any fingers!!!

The only thing that could have been better was that I could have had a slow motion button as the 15 minutes for each demo whizzed so fast and I wasn't able to show as much as I would of liked with regard the decoration of the items made, but there were finished samples so...............!

The 15 minutes diminished more because after each session Consultants hung around asking stuff and taking photos of all my samples - this really ate into the next 15 min session!! But it was lovely that they liked the stuff and wanted to chat about what I was doing, so not a bad problem really!!   I had a visit at the end from the main speaker of the Conference  to tell everyone to get their butts back into the Lecture Theatre for the rest of the show - whoops!!

The  demos I did were ' CD case'(inspired by the Scor-Pal project guide) , 'Photo Wallet Card'  ( adapted from the little stamped image wallets we all know and love, size adjusted to take photos) and ' Photo Squash Box' (Adapted from an 'explosion box' by the fab Dawn Griffiths) they were all well received, especially the little box. 

Feedback on the day was really fab, and I was so pleased, but I did not anticipate my name appearing on the Conference evaluation form.  So it appears I will be evaluated..........um........arghh...........OMG!! I did have a bit of a shock as I thought when I agreed to do the demonstration that it would be as it was last year, several people in a room doing their 'thing' while the Consultants all milled around............uh, nope -new format!!  2 people demoing, each in a separate seminar room and 50 people at a time in four sessions coming in sitting down and hanging on my every word - well sort of !!!!

Not sure if I knew that I would be on the evaluation form I would have maybe been a little more organised with my delivery as I went for the chatty relaxed style I would use at a class or shopping party! Wish I had been told all this before, but you live and learn!!

I normally hold my Workshops on Friday Evenings monthly, but due to Easter and my Son Sam's Birthday falling on a Friday it was a little tricky so I moved it to a Saturday (this wkend 25th) Afternoon 2-5pm so if there is anyone out there that lives near to Bristol and would like to come, I would love to see you!!  We are very close to the Mall at Cribbs Causeway, so you could shop til you drop in the morning and Scrap til you drop in the afternoon!!!!!  It is a Creative Memories Workshop, but there is absolutely NO restriction on what you bring and use at my Workshops!!  All my tools are available to use for the session, and I have a Canon Selphy Printer and Bigshot that will be there also!!  There is a £5 workshop fee that includes Tea/Coffee/Hot Chocolate and choccy (-very important) biccies  I do have a small stock of CM papers Albums, Pages & Protectors that you can rifle through if you so wish!!

Having read on Forums and Blogs there seems to be a bit of confusion and many misconceptions regarding Creative Memories, the image is that there is  a lot of restriction at events and that it's all a bit old fashioned and rigid, it could be your opportunity to have a look at the stuff use the tools check out the difference in the Albums and make your own mind up?! There really, really  is no hard sell- it is really not my thing!!!  If you are interested in more info about CM or want to find out about Saturday (venue etc) you can email me at belindaw@me.com

Belinda x

Little Donkey, Little Donkey (can I have a ride?)

What a gorgeous day it was today here in the West Country!  Neil, Livvy and me had a trip out this afternoon, and joined the many others in sunny Clevedon.  As soon as we had parked the car and jumped out, Livvy spotted Donkeys and decided she would like to have a ride.  She really is not the bravest child so somewhat surprised we said yes and headed towards them expecting her to change her mind when she got close - but she wasn't put off, climbed aboard a friendly brown donkey called Ben, and waited patiently for the other children to climb aboard their donkeys.  Off she went stroking Ben as she went.  She did wobble loads on Ben's back as she informed me 'Mummy I'm all wobbly on Ben!!!!' I asked if she liked being wobbly and she shouted back 'I'm having fun'.  This is her reply to anything that she doesn't want to stop doing, generally at bedtime when I say come on sweetie time for bed her usual reply ' But Mummy I'm having fun!'. The donkey ride was closely followed by a ride on the little red train that circles the field just by the sea wall.

We walked to the beautifully restored Clevedon Pier and decided to partake in a cake and coffee en route.  The pier was fascinating to Livvy who thought in order to look through the boards to see the water below, it was necessary to lie down on the floor and peep through the planks, much to the amusement of everyone else walking past her!!  

She truly is a one off - quite crazy!!!!

A lovely afternoon!

Belinda x

Hoppy Easter!

What a beautiful sunny day it was today, it so helps to lift the mood!  Had a lovely walk with Sam and Livvy this morning into the woods behind where we live to search for some twigs for our little Easter Tree.  Here is what it looked like when finished!!

I've been making a few Easter bits & pieces and some ordered cards but here is one made with some old and some new stuff.  The image was last years Pink Petticoat Easter chicks the dots are also PP, as is the background circle. The flowers are stamped with my new Elzybells  flowers background (in one of the new clear Easter stamp sets!)

It's a small card about 4'' square, I'm loving little cards at the moment!

Back soon with more easter stuff!

OMG I am in awe!!!!!!!!!!

Well, after talking to none other than Kirsty Wiseman last week on the blower (telephone!), I received Patti Picklicious and a lovely set of Doodlebug Baby stamps (I have wanted them for ever), from the uber talented Mrs Wiseman and can I just take a moment to say.........................wow!

Now I do like my downloads and I have a lot, but they are mainly soft pastel, or light colours - great, but sometimes you need some Zing if you know what I mean?!  Zing, ting, ting, Patti is soooooo full of fab pattern and colour!  There are image stamps, titles and sentiments too, at £15 incl post it's amazing value.  

Hey maybe now we are on speaking terms I should be asking for commission?!  

Big plug from me though, because if you love colour and you like something different you will love it too!!   Find Kirsty's Patti CD Blog here

I made this card as soon as I got it and that wasn't easy as I am a bit snowed under as I mentioned before, but, I was itching to get going with it so.............!

I used the 'Choc Fudge Sundae' papers from the CD and the baby carriage from the Doodlebug stamps.  paper pieced and I shrank the papers cos I fancied making a tiny card (loving mini cards at the mo!). to make the image smaller (I'm on Mac BTW) I opened the image in Preview (the Mac image browser) chose print and then selected to print more than 1 image on my A4 page, as I hate to waste paper & card I chose 4 to a page as I know I'll use it all, I love it so!  Did the same with both papers, to make a mini version!

I was so chuffed when I emailed it to Kirsty & she asked if she could pop it on her Patti Blog!!!

It is there in all it's glory and I am all warm and glowy inside!!!  I may be a wee bit of a saddo?! I'll let you decide!

Belinda x