An hour a week is all it takes

When I first started helping out at Guides, posters advertising for new leaders claimed that all you needed to find was an hour a week.  "An hour a week my arse" is how a fellow leader put it after a particularly harrowing evening :D  

Fair enough, it takes up a lot more of my time, but I get to spend fab time with lovely people, our loopy nut-job muppets - that's the Guides - and doing activities that I ought to have grown out of but actually haven't.  And probably won't.  

Anyway, I've completed my 60 hours for my Queen's Guide Award service now.  At an hour a week, that should have been over a year.  It's taken less than three months.*  60 hours very well spent, I reckon!

I'm working on pages to go in my Guiding album, partly because of Shimelle's class Cover to Cover, partly so I'll have something to show for it at the end of the Queen's Guide award, and partly because it's fun to put together pages about something I've not scrapped very much about.

This page came together with stuff from the Studio Calico kit 35mm, and was assembled in part at the weekend.  I figured what the heck, and tried out a few new things on this page.  I thought the numbers stamp would reflect the counting of hours quite nicely, and I like how it blurs in and out.  I also had a bash with the letter stickers; you mist them and then the letter resists so you wipe over the top and your word is revealed.  I'm honestly not 100% convinced by them, but I'll give them a shot.

Loving the arrow-style paper clips though.  Classy!  Also the wooden buttons.  And note to self: get one of those pin-badge makers and make zillions of dinky pin badges, because I LOVE them.

Anyway, that's enough obsessing about stash.  Now to play with some more!

Kisses xxx

P.S. My Upper 6th Mechanics class has now left the school to go on study leave and then off to university.  They all wrote in a card for me which was lovely, but my favourite comment had to be:

"Thanks for being so... erm...weird.  Great times!"

As long as it was great, then.

P.P.S. A page of mine totally popped up on Amy Tangerine's blog.  It's like being famous :D

*Doesn't include meetings, planning, preparation, cleaning up, emails, GOLD, etc...

Trefoil by Night

When we're on camp, it helps if we can take the Guides out at night to run off the cake they had after dinner.  It   means they have room for their bedtime cake.  They love to play making torch pictures, but being muppets, aren;t very good at it.  After a frustrating 20 minutes trying to convince them that writing has to be backwards to them to be forwards to me, or that to make smiley-face eyes you have to switch the torch on and off, Laura stepped up and executed a perfect trefoil.  Score!

And that's the first page finished from my scrapping with my new kit.  It's only taken all weekend.  And a bit of tonight.  Hmmm.  Actually, there are other bits and pieces on the go too.  What's next?

Kisses xxx

P.S. Glitter normally not my thing at all, but I make an exception for these lovely Thickers by Amy Tangerine.  

Work in Progress

The kit is in progress.

I'm putting together pages for my Guiding album at the moment.  Again, trying something new as I normally just scrap whatever photo comes to hand, but I am inspired my Shimelle's class Cover to Cover to think in terms of an album.  I have so few Guiding pages and I definitely want to change this :D

Actually, it was easy to do when I flicked through my Guiding photos and realised how many stories I really have to share!

Kisses xxx

P.S. This picture is as of yesterday afternoon.  More progress updates to follow throughout the week!

Making some scrapping time

It's be too busy lately and that means doing lots to scrap about, which is good, but not doing much scrapping which is sad.  So I'm taking today to scrap.  I popped to the Post Office this morning to pick up my latest Studio Calico kit, which I LOVE and I've added a few essential tools and whatnot.

Inspired by the National Scrapbooking Day video by Shimelle, I'm going to take today and see how much I can make from this kit.  Actually, I ordered an Add-On kit as well as I had a Studio Calico voucher to spend, but these are the things I will be working with!

I don't normally work like this - I just grab whatever's around and see what happens.  But as I said, the video inspired me and I wanted to give it a shot!  I'll update with my progress later.

I'm a slow scrapper.  Actually, I prefer to think of myself as a detailed scrapper.  I like taking a long time arranging little bits and bobs.  So don't expect 8 pages before bed.  One page will make this a good day!

Kisses xxx

P.S. Actually, I haven't got all day because the friends are coming round tonight for DVDs and things.  But sometimes, it is more important to live life than to scrapbook about it.

P.P.S. Can't believe I just wrote that.

Come Fly With Me

Our flights to Armenia are all booked!  We even got some decidedly non-stupid-o'-clock times.  And of all the GOLD teams, ours was the first to be booked.  It turns out that there was a little competition between each GOLD team leader to get their team's details in first, and Team Armenia were totally in there!  We were therefore dutifully awarded a prize: a little jacket for our team mascot to wear.  To help keep her warm in the 45 degree HEAT!!!!

I should point out that our team mascot is a bear and therefore perfectly happy to submit to such treatment.

I went for lots of cool, calming colours with this page, and the red/white/blue airmail theme seemed to fit the subject.  I LOVE the airmail twine too, and the Jenni Bowlin Alphabet stencil helped add a bit of focus and interest to the background.

Thought I'd try something a bit new for the journalling, although the jury's out as to whether I adore it or am underwhelmed by it.  We'll see.

And now, I shall return to the scrapbooking.  I helped out of a school Duke of Edinburgh expedition this weekend and as a consequence, my face is a giant, sunburned blister.  At this point, if my face doesn't fall off, it will be a bonus.  I am walking lesson as to the dangers of ignoring suncream.  Pointed this out to my students today. 

In my defense, I did pack lots of waterproofs and warm clothes after hearing a somewhat dubious weather forecast.  But not a drop of rain did we have - just relentless sunny times and no shade.  Hence the burning.  I also don't think it is fair that I should both be sunburned and have to wake up with a film of ice over my tent that fell through the tentflap first thing in the morning when I peeked out to check the students were still there.  One or the other, ice, or sunburn, but both?

That's probably enough about the weather, but I am NEVER going anywhere without suncream again.

Kisses xxx

P.S. The photo is obviously, not us in a plane, but the best shot I got of the Red Arrows flying in formation years ago.  They kept moving and wouldn't stay in the camera frame, and I took it back in the day when I had a compact digital camera that took the photo about 4 seconds after you clicked the shutter.  Good times :D

Cupcakes at Peggy Porschen

What better place to catch up with a friend that in a tea shop with Banoffee cupcakes.  Banana and Chocolate chip sponge, caramel, banana jam, banana frosting and banana chips on top.  We eavesdropped on the owner and she was telling someone about how she supplies fruitcake for Fortnum and Mason at Christmas.  Sadly we were so full from all the catching up over lunch that we had to share one.

Peggy Porschen is London tea shop find - another one ticked off from the Tea and Cake London book!  And I'm going to try and make pages about each one I visit!  For this page, I layered up some paint lines and confetti punched in grey, pink and yellow.  I love how the little punched shapes stand out against the darker woodgrain.  I sewed down some vellum behind the photo to wash out the colours a little and provide a mat for the photo.

I went for journalling on strips for this page and raised the middle of each strip up on a foam pad.  I just like the dimension.  And sorted - story captured!  I'm really loving scrapping these little Instax prints at the moment.  I have to remind myself that it's not very economical to print all my pictures this way :D

Kisses xxx

P.S. I'm also taking Shimelle's class Cover to Cover at the moment.  I'm totally excited to sit down and start putting albums together!

Storytelling Sunday: School Stories

It's Storytelling Sunday over at Sian's blog, From High in the Sky.  You can go there to find a treasure trove of stories to read.  Do pop by to read them, and let people know your thoughts in the comments.  But first, stay for a story from school.  (Names changed for reasons of anonymity and whatnot).

*****

Ben raised his hand and I braced myself.  It's an automatic reaction that is necessary for survival with certain students, and this one rarely fails to disappoint.

"Miss, why would you put beans in your boots?"

"I'm sorry?" I asked.  Clearly this one was going to take some untangling.

"In Question 7, it says we have to estimate how many baked beans you'd need to fill a pair of wellies.  Why would you want to put beans in your wellies?"

I leaned over to read the question over his shoulder and read the question.  They were working on estimating and doing arithmetical calculations in their heads.  I shook my head.

"I'm not sure I understand, Ben"

"But miss, you don't put beans in boots"

"I'm sorry, but I'm still not with you."  I replied sadly.  "Are you trying to be funny?"

"No miss!" he asserted.  Slightly untruthfully I felt as he now had the attention of the class, which was almost certainly what he wanted.  "Look, it really says it-"

"I can see that, Ben"

"-And that's really gross!"

I took a deep breath. "But everyone keeps their beans in their wellies.  Are you trying to tell me that you don't?"

He grinned.  "I put my feet in my boots."

"GROSS!" I made a face.  "Why would you put your feet in your beans?"

"Wha---!"

"Do you put your feet in all your food?" I interrupted.

"No miss, I-"

"Just your beans then."

"I don't put beans in my boots!"

"I don't get it" I replied, shrugging.  "I thought everyone kept their beans in their boots.  Right gents?"  I appealed to the class who were, for once, listening with rapt attention.  True to form, as one man, they nodded their agreement, chorusing "Yes miss!"

Ben wasn't going down that easily.  "But I don't put my feet in my beans.  I eat them."

"You eat your feet???!!!" I exclaimed.  "That's really bad for your health you know, Ben."

"No! The beans!"

I raised my arms in mock despair. "You eat your beans after you've put your feet in them?"

"Not the beans, the boots"

"I wouldn't eat your boots if I were you." I advised.  Pretty good advice and I stand by it. "Plus, if you eat your boots, where do you put your beans?"

Ben spluttered. "Miss..."

"I'm sorry Ben, I'm going have to discuss this with your parents at parents evening tomorrow night.  Do they know your put your feet in beans and then eat them?"

"I don't, miss."

I frowned at him. "You said you did.  So either you lied before or you're lying now.  Something else I'm going to have to tell your parents."

Ben wasn't giving up that easy. "But miss-"

This was as far as I was prepared to let him get through that sentence.  Enough time messing about, time to carry on with some actual learning.

"Actually, lots of people have quite smelly feet".  I mused out loud.

"Cheesy feet!" piped up Elliot.

I grinned.  "Exactly.  Cheesy feet.  And I don't know about you, but I don't fancy cheesy feet beans on toast for lunch.  So either you pack it in now, or that's exactly what I serve you all at lunchtime.  In detention."  I smirked at Ben and he knew himself defeated.  Score: Miss Smith 1.

******

Kisses xxx

P.S. For those who were wondering, it takes about 15 tins of beans to fill a pair of adult wellies.  This troubled Elliot somewhat as he'd put 2000, but he'd worked out the number of beans, instead of the number of tins, as requested in the question.  For purposes of thoroughness, we worked it out and you actually need about 6000 beans.  Delicious!