Capturing my Christmas - December 16th

The way we use the space in our house has changed over the year. Since I now craft most days I have set up a crafting area in the main sitting room. I love the light in there and being part of whatever is going on. Its great to have everything on hand and to be able to just sit down and create.

However over Christmas we need the space back in the living room so I spent today re-arranging the book room so that it could double as a space to craft in. I have had to leave lots in the cupboards down stairs but it’s now a working space! 

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

Capturing my Christmas - December 15th

This evening I went out for a meal with these lovely ladies. We had a fantastic evening chatting, laughing and eating over a very nice meal.

When I look back over this year one of the highlights has been some of the wonderful friends I have made, especially these ladies (and J who could not join us for the meal). Most weeks we spend an evening together aiming to craft, but sometimes just chatting! With them I made my first ever 12x12 layout (the page just seemed so big!), several mini books, several more 12x12 layouts, lots of cards and much more!

They are all amazingly creative and have both inspired me and given me the courage to try new things. They have all made me very welcome and I truly value their friendship. Thank you all.

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

Capturing my Christmas - December 14th

I have never really understood why I dislike Christmas Shopping but I do.  I love finding the perfect gift for people and I love to see their faces when they unwrap it and I have found them something that thrills them. The shopping is however another matter, maybe it’s the crowds, maybe it’s the pressure or maybe it’s the changes in what the shops stock.

Today was Christmas Shopping Day, I had hoped that Milton Keynes would not be too busy but there were plenty of people with the same idea as me. Armed with the list off I went. I was disappointed with the decorations in the shopping centre, basically there were almost none so they did nothing to get me in the mood. The trip was reasonably successful and I made good progress through the to buy list, there is still however lots on the to make list!

This was my favourite part of the trip

On the way home I called into Boarders, I am so sad it is closing down. My first ever Boarders visit was in Seattle and I remember clearly how clearly thrilled I was when the Oxford store opened. It was one of my favourite places to go on a Sunday afternoon. The one in Milton Keynes has also been a regular hang out and I will miss not only the books but also the great coffee and conversations I have shared there.

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

Capturing my Christmas - December 13th

Its becoming something of a tradition that the winner of the X Factor will have the Christmas Number 1 and tonight we found out who that winner is. I actually thought both the final two acts were OK and it will be interesting to see if either of them last, I cant say however that I liked the song they have been given, but no doubt it will be played everywhere for weeks to come.

As a teenager I remember the radio charts countdowns well, each week I would go to my room and eagerly listen to the new chart being announced. What would this week’s top 3 be and who would be number one. Music was something I had to save for so I did not own very much on either tape or record and listening to the Chart Show and watching Top of the Pops were weekly highlights for me. At Christmas the race for the top spot was even more intense and I loved the hype behind it all. That having been said I am not sure I can remember any of the Christmas Number ones from those years!

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

PS - yes I had to go and find out so to save you having to google, you can find a list of Christmas Number 1's from the UK here

Capturing my Christmas - December 12th

Guess who came to stay today!

Joe collected Chloe on his way home from rehearsals and as ever nothing was accomplished once she was here. She has a bit of a cold so was quite grouchy. This little girl can stay awake much later than I can too!


Thanks for stopping by
 
Bekka

Capturing my Christmas - December 11th

Tonight Joe, Ed and I went to see St Andrew’s Players production of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. I loved that book as a child and the story still thrills me. Joe and I saw the RSC do the fist production of this adaptation what feels like a lifetime ago now. I was so unwell that evening that I don’t remember many details of the show and Joe had to drive me home from Stratford.


It was lovely to see some of our friends and some people I have directed in leading roles. Beth was fantastic as Lucy and has grown so much as an actress since we did Palin’s The Weekend. Jo was lovely as Susan and Francis made a wonderful Mrs Beaver. Yes Joe and Ed did snigger at the inadvertent Beaver jokes. Beth T did a good job as MD and she and the band were certainly kept very busy. This probably was not the best production I have seen recently, the staging was disappointing as was some of the direction and at times it lacked energy and pace, but there were some lovely performances and it was good to reconnect with a favourite story from my childhood. 

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

Capturing my Christmas - December 10th

Today was spent cutting card, making gifts and taking messages. Unfortunately most of the messages were from people who were ill so who could not come to tonight’s Passionettes Meeting. Yes today was the southern meeting and it was lovely to see Monica and the girlies again. It is fascinating how different the two meetings felt, its more fun with more people. I was disappointed more people could not come and benefit from Monica’s experience. I did however get to meet some lovely new people and I had a wonderful evening. I forgot to take a picture of the cute candy cane gifts I made everyone but I will be making more again soon so will do better!

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

Capturing my Christmas - December 9th

Sam is 21 today – and she is growing up to be an amazing young woman. She has had a lot to deal with this year and it has been a privilege to be there with her through it. We went for a family meal at our favourite restaurant, had a lovely meal and Sam was suitably spoilt.

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

Capturing my Christmas - December 8th

Today I headed north, to join Monica and the Northern Passionettes for this months Team Meeting. It was a very grey day spent on grey roads. I arrived in time to explore a little which was nice and to get myself something to eat before the meeting – a riot of colour and fun. It was great to see Monica and some friends again as well as to meet some new ones. Even though not everyone I hoped to see was there it was well worth the trip. Monica persuaded me to stay over and we then talked the night away. Blissful and just what Christmas should be all about.

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

Capturing my Christmas - December 7th

Today's prompt is all about making to do lists.  Well I am good at lists and used the suggestion of having a planner for the lists as an excuse for some crafting procrastination - and made a book for my lists.  Photo to follow!

I did then get round to making my lists and while it is many many pages long it does feel better to have written the list as I can now quantify how far behind I am!

Thanks for stoping by

Bekka

Capturing my Christmas - December 6th

Today I found myself thinking about my Grandparents house today, and how much I still miss them especially at Christmas. I remember the excitement each time we visited, whatever the time of year. The house was full of beautiful things and always smelt wonderful. At Christmas the powerful pull of expectation and a full house was added. I love that I have some of their furniture at my house still. It makes me sad that this year S&A are going to experience that deep feeling of loss at Christmas for the first time and I wish they did not have to.

Capturing my Christmas - December 5th

Today was card class day – I love doing the classes and feel lucky to have such a lovely group of ladies who come to them. Since everyone is so busy at this time of year it was just a select group this month. Today’s theme was last moment Christmas preparations. I felt a bit of a fraud as I am so not ready. I have not finished making my Cards (well there are 200+ to make!), not done any present shopping, not made all the gifts I want to make or even finalised where I am going to be and when! There are lots of projects I had planned (like a countdown calendar) which just are not going to happen now – its going to be enough of a challenge just to get the minimums done.

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

Capturing My Christmas - December 4th

There seems to be a constant push to make Christmas perfect – we seem to be surrounded by pressures telling us what perfection is and how important it is to create a perfect Christmas. But what is perfection? Does it stay the same? Is creating the perfect Christmas a realistic aim? Is this striving for perfection what creates the stress that stops so many of us, myself included, from enjoying the season?

I want to try and accept this season on its own merit and let it define perfection for this year.

Will you join me?

Bekka

Capturing my Christmas - December 3rd

Today I am working on my Christmas Cards – every year I tell myself that I will get them made and written before December, or at least made. Every year December appears and I have hardly started. Every year the list is longer than the year before. Maybe this will be the first last for this year – leaving card making until the last possible moment!

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

Capturing my Christmas - December 2nd

When I think about Christmas I imagine a wonderful layer of magical snow. I don’t know why as I am not sure I have ever experienced a Christmas like that, so I guess it’s just wishful thinking. It seems to be a collective memory harking back to Dickensian times when we really were in the middle of a mini ice age and Christmas really was snowy.

In reality now the weather if often mild, often damp and generally not too extreme, mind you that is probably a good thing since I usually end up driving for at least a couple of hours! Today the cold snap that started yesterday reverted to rain and lots of it. There has been a lot of rain in the UK recently and many unfortunate people still suffering as the rest of us get ready for Christmas. Looking at the weather forecasts it looks like we are set for a wet December too.

Thanks for stopping by
 
Bekka

Capturing my Christmas - December 1st

Well its here - December and that means its time to Journal My Christmas.  Its a very special project for me as I made my first every mini book for this class about three years ago.  This year I hope to make my book as I go and as well as Shimelle's wonderful prompts I will be taking in ideas from other places too.  You can see my journal on the previous post.  My diary is already looking quite full and I want to make sure I have more than just a regular journal to remember it by.

So here is my 1st December entry

2009 has been a year of many changes and of many transitions.  This December I will keep this daily journal to document where we are now, how we are celebrating, and our traditions both old and new.  There will be some highs, some lows, some firsts and some what may become lasts.  I want to remember this Christmas as I claim back some small level of control.

December has definitely arrived and the weather has turned cold with it.  I woke this morning to a layer of frost adding its sparkle to the day.

Thank you for stopping by and I look forward to sharing this journey with you

Bekka

Capture Christmas

Today I am going to share with some something I am a little over excited about! I am so excited about it for a number of reasons. To start with it is my First Tutorial for the Craft Academy. If you have not yet checked the Craft Academy I would like to suggest you do – just click here for the blog and here for the website. The Craft Academy is a new venture which aims to make learning fun. I am both thrilled and humbled to be one of the tutors there. Each month there will be a class which you can download or you can purchase a kit with all the card etc you need to complete the project. If you are a craft tutor or Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator you will also be able to purchase class instructions and kits that you can use with your classes or workshops.

The next reason I am excited is because this project is going to be a lot of fun and a lot of help to me personally. December is going to be action packed round here, not only do we have the usual whirl of Christmas to contend with but we also have a 21st Birthday (not mine but I can wish!), a 60th Birthday party (not mine either – cheeky!) preparations for a 50th birthday (nope not mine either) and a Baby’s First Christmas. I want to make sure I take lots of photos and remember what we did this festive season so I have created this quick and easy album to do it in.

If you are a fan of Shimelle’s Journal Your Christmas, Ali Edwards December Daily, Jessica Sprague’s Holiday’s in Hand or any other similar projects then this album may be the solution you are looking for.

Full instructions are at the Craft Academy. Hop on over there it is free to join and this class being my first is free too. There will also be a prize for one person who downloads this tutorial in the next two weeks

I look forward to seeing you there and to seeing what you make with this tutorial.

I will try and show you the pictures and journalling that I put into this album - bring on December!
 Thanks for stopping by


Happy Craftin

Bekka

LSNED September

I have loved doing this project this month and there are some more general lessons I have learnt too, ones that cant be tied to a specific day. Here are a few

1. How amazing Joe's kids are and how much they have grown up. They have had a lot to deal with recently and I am very proud of them
2. I dont yet have a routine that works for me and my sleep suffers
3. I am still excited about new adventures
4. I dont have any great autumn pictures
5. I need to spend more time with my firends

I am also pleased to say that my daily entries in my album are all done - I just need to decorate the covers and do a title page. I think I will also add these more general lessons as I have a few pages spare.

Thank you for sharing this journey with me. I hope you have enjoyed it, I certainly did even if there were some way less than enjoyable days along the way.

Bekka

LSNED 30 September

Today I learnt that Communicating Doors got a good review!

I know the audiences loved the play but I did not think it would be the reviewers cup of tea. She even complimented me on my set design!

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 29 September

Today I learnt that I need to be more organised

I feel that I am constantly panicing and struggling to get everything done and I dont like that feeling so I need to change it.

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 28 September

Today I learnt that Panto is going to be a rollercoaster ride this year - a lot of fun but a lot of hard work too!

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 27 September

Today I learnt that I am not as young as I used to be! Maybe partying until 4.30am is not something I should do too often!

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 26 September

Today I learnt that I would like my contribution to be recognised.

I am very hurt that all the work I put in to ensure some one elses success was not noticed and not appreciated at all. It was still the right thing to do and what hurts is the fact that the person concerned, who for good reasons needed me to do the work, could not find just a moment to say thank you, yet could find the time to tell everyone how brilliantly they had done. I dont like it when life is not fair. I dont want to be the one who is at the front but I do want my contribution to be appreciated. I did not know how much that mattered to me.

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSED 25 September

Today I learnt that Joe's cold is just not going away! He is still full of it and coughing and snooring all night. I hope he gets better soon

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 24 September

Today I learnt that I need to schedule some quiet days on my own too, especially when it is not easy to find the time!

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 23 September

Today I learnt that I am blessed with some amazing friends. They are fantastic and when I really needed support they were there for me. Thank you so much.

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 22 September

Today I learnt that you really should enjoy the sunsets - you never know how many more of them you will see

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 21 September

Today I learnt that I really needed an afternoon nap! I seem to be exhausted at the moment.

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 20 September

Today I learnt that sitting down and waiting is not always the best option.

This was a lesson on two levels. The picture is of a mirrored chair with a pin throw that was next to my stall at Make. Not the kind of chair you would be comfortable sitting in.

Less literally I also noticed if I sat behind my stall waiting people did not stop, but if I stood up it was easire to engage people in conversation. A timely lesson in not sitting back in life and waiting but seizing the initiative and making things happen.

Thanks for stopping by (either literally or more metaphorically)

Bekka

LSNED 19 September

Today I learnt how enjoyable it is when you remember to listen to people even when you are rushing around.

Today was run at 100 miles an hour with lots going on in the sidelines. I had to really work hard to stay focused on the present and not follow the distractions my mind was creating. I did manage to listen to people and enjoyed my day as a result. Thank you everyone I saw today.

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 18 September

Today I learnt to trust that it will come together in the end

It was the opening night of the latest play and I really was not sure it would all be ready in time - but it did come together and was a great opening night. I cont have any show pictures yet so may change this picture in time

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 17 September

Today I learnt that a to do list really can help you get more done.

I feel a bit like a swan - calm on the surface but swimming like mad under the water

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 16 September

Today I learnt how to top up a mobile pay as you go phone! I have only had contract phones before, and now I have the Rep Box Office Phone too which is a pay as you go mobile. It really was very easy!

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 15 September

Today I learnt the value of really getting to know someone and not to stick with my first / early impressions of them. It is worth discovering the details!

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 14 September

Today I learnt how noisy these ladies are now they have had their calves.

These cows and their calves are now in the field next door to me and woke me very early this morning when they were giving their vocal chords an exceptionally good work out. Not helpful to my plans to get more sleep.

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 13 September

Today I leant that I need more sleep – I feel exhausted

Bekka

LSNED 12 September

Today I learnt that I need to get out more.

Recently I have been feeling stressed about going to see people or going to parties - when I get there I always seem to have fun and come back feeling better, so I should do it more!

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 11 September

Today I learnt that I am not the only one who feels lost sometimes.

Thank you to all of you who have been so open with me in recent days - sharing your stories and how you are feeling. I really appreciate your trust and help.

Thank you for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 10 September

Today I learnt that sometimes plays are rather too close to home for comfort, but when this happens it helps give a new perspective which is positive

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 9 September

Today I learnt how easily and happily distracted I am at the moment.

I love days when I have peace and quiet to get on with things but I also like when the day is full of interruptions like today.

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 8 September

Today I learnt that I still over commit myself and this still stresses me out.

I got to go - I need to make a list and prioritise to get some feeling of control back and so I can sleep tonight.

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 7 September

Today I learnt that my Tax Disk has expired so I am house bound! Sometimes I miss having a company car - new Tax Disks just appeared in those days ...

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 6 September

Today I learnt that I live with an award winning actor!

Joe won the NODA award for best performance in a play, for his portrail of Inspector Drake. I am very proud of him.

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 5 September

Today I learnt that for the next few months I am going to have to be very strong. OH and his kids will need a lot of support and love.

Thanks for stopping by

Bekka

LSNED 4 September

Today I learned that I may be able to make the box office software work for us.

I have been struggling for almost a week to get this new piece of software to do what I need it to do and today I finally can see it working in time for the show.

Happy Crafting

Bekka

LSNED 3 September

Today I learned not to put off phone calls becasue I think they are going to be difficult - make the call, it will be OK!

Thanks for stopping by

Happy Crafting

Bekka

Learn Something New

I love taking the Learn Something New Every Day Class from Shimelle for lots of reasons, but mostly as it encourages me to stop, reflect and notice what is going on around me. Starting the year before last I keep a ‘What I learnt today’ journal for about 18 months and only stopped when I was going through major changes with work and started capturing that huge journey differently. I have missed it and now that just over a year has passed since the big changes took place for me I am ready to start noticing what I am learning again.

I kind of have three major lessons across the two days of September so far. The first is that I am no better at keeping up with the creative side of this despite this being my third year! I do have a cunning plan for this though and hope that by the weekend I will have put it into place. I am going to print out some photos at a standard size – more than I will use. I will then cut some papers in standard sizes and work out different ways of combining them. Then all I will need to do each day is select a photo and papers, stick and journal. So expect a lot of clean lines in my journal this year!

Now for a bit of a catch up

September 1

Today I learnt that late night conversations can lead to exciting ideas and difficulty sleeping.

September 2
Today I learnt that one year on there are still new paths opening up all the time and this still excites me.

I wonder what leasons tomorrow will bring!

Thanks for stopping by

Happy Crafting

Bekka