Welcome and happy DSD weekend everyone! Can you believe that we are already at that time of the year! Wow what a crazy time its been, 2020 sure has been an experience like no other so far. Its been a tricky one for everyone and I think we could all do with some fun in our scrappy lives (and I mean scrapbook lives not that our lives are scrappy although it might feel like it sometimes hehe). DSD this year brings lots of exciting new ventures over at Sweet Shoppe Designs. We are now offering Commercial Use product! I know right, this is flippen fantastic. It’s such a big step and a really awesome one for SSD. We can now offer CU goodies to designers and scrappers alike who might be looking for that extra nifty something to elevate their products or pages. Sooooo as you can imagine I have been busy and I mean really busy these past few weeks putting together lots of new and exciting goodies for you not just CU but collections and templates too. So many that they should keep you busy for weeks to come! Lets have a look at them now! I have released a heap of my old CU and about 15 new packs including stamps & brushes, textured overlays, frames and plenty of ephemera including tickets, vintage cards, mixed elements and tonnes more. I’m also excited to be sharing my SOLO collection for this DSD. Its a re-release called GUNCKEL’S APOTHECARY! It really needed some fleshing out so I added lots of extra goodies into the kit including papers and elements. I also added a whole pack of Curios and extra word art to the Bits & Bobs pack. Here’s its description to help you get inspired. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but beware it might be poisoned! Lurking in this collection are creepy crawlies, and curios of a bygone era. Pharmaceuticals, naturopathy and medicinal concoctions ready for you to blend and swill. With a hauntingly beautiful mix of found objects some of which you might unearth on an urban exploring expedition or found hidden away in grandmas attic. Scrap those sick days, the med student or that mad scientist in your family. With this dark moody palette you’ll be creating heritage pages or if you choose step over to the dark side and explore the realm of Halloween! My next collection is this super duper cute Autumn/Fall collaboration I did with Jen from Simple Pleasure Designs called BREATHE! I love working with Jen and this one is just the ticket for a play in nature. When did you last take a deep breath & be still? To feel the sun on your face and the fresh air on your cheeks, is like sweet candy. Taking some time out to walk in nature, to jump in a pile of crunchy leaves and maybe even meet some forest friends along the way are all so good for the soul. In our chaotic lives we forget to take time out from the daily pressures to re-group. Thats why every now and then we could all do with a little nudge toward self care. Breathe in positivity then smile, cherish that stolen moment that enriches your day and watch yourself sparkle & shine. I also collated 3 years worth of templates that were once offered as freebies a few years back! These were for the challenge site Color, Stories & Inspiration which I was the sketch designer for. You can now purchase all 9 packs separately or alternatively buy the bundle & save $$$. The bundle includes all 36 unique templates compiled together which is perfect for those of you looking for sets to create and print memory books. I have given these a re-fresh too, including a change of element design so its less specific to the CSI theme, a palette update and added some dimensional shadowing to give a more realistic feel to your shadows. They can easily be turned off in the layers palette if you prefer to customise your own shadows. (Check your stash as you may have these already in there.) How awesome were all those CT pages combining the collections and the templates. Oh be still my beating heart! Well everyone have a fantastic DSD. Ooh and before you head off, grab the the freebies below there are plenty to celebrate DSD and two that coordinate with my new collection releases. Come and join me over at the DSD Challenge forum at Sweet Shoppe Designs where I’m hosting a Template Challenge this month using this template which you can grab from the forum HERE. And last but not least if you love a blog train and templates then you have to travel this months ALFLT BLOG TRAIN. You can grab my freebie Page Draft from HERE Hope you have enjoyed seeing all the nifty products and found some inspiration from the nifty gals and the sugar babes. Have a sensational and safe weekend everyone and if you are planning on shopping DSD I hope you find plenty of great bargains!
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I made these vases last night in about an hour. You can likely make them with things that you have lying around in your home already and it would be a fun project to do with kids, too. I’m excited to use them on our Thanksgiving table as I think they are simple and rustic,...
Lake Miedwie, located in the North West of Poland, is the fifth largest lake in the county. Because of the great wind conditions, the lake is very popular for windsurfing, kite-surfing and sailing. It also attracts lots of people who come for a walk at the lake and enjoy the views. With a surface area of 35 km², Lake Miedwie is the main reservoir of drinking water for the 400 000 inhabitants of Szczecin. View location in Stargard Szczeciński, Poland.
It’s not really difficult to make a dreamcatcher once you have it figured out, but bear with me on this very long post because there are a lot of steps. As always, you can click on any pictu…
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Welcome and happy DSD weekend everyone! Can you believe that we are already at that time of the year! Wow what a crazy time its been, 2020 sure has been an experience like no other so far. Its been a tricky one for everyone and I think we could all do with some fun in our scrappy lives (and I mean scrapbook lives not that our lives are scrappy although it might feel like it sometimes hehe). DSD this year brings lots of exciting new ventures over at Sweet Shoppe Designs. We are now offering Commercial Use product! I know right, this is flippen fantastic. It’s such a big step and a really awesome one for SSD. We can now offer CU goodies to designers and scrappers alike who might be looking for that extra nifty something to elevate their products or pages. Sooooo as you can imagine I have been busy and I mean really busy these past few weeks putting together lots of new and exciting goodies for you not just CU but collections and templates too. So many that they should keep you busy for weeks to come! Lets have a look at them now! I have released a heap of my old CU and about 15 new packs including stamps & brushes, textured overlays, frames and plenty of ephemera including tickets, vintage cards, mixed elements and tonnes more. I’m also excited to be sharing my SOLO collection for this DSD. Its a re-release called GUNCKEL’S APOTHECARY! It really needed some fleshing out so I added lots of extra goodies into the kit including papers and elements. I also added a whole pack of Curios and extra word art to the Bits & Bobs pack. Here’s its description to help you get inspired. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but beware it might be poisoned! Lurking in this collection are creepy crawlies, and curios of a bygone era. Pharmaceuticals, naturopathy and medicinal concoctions ready for you to blend and swill. With a hauntingly beautiful mix of found objects some of which you might unearth on an urban exploring expedition or found hidden away in grandmas attic. Scrap those sick days, the med student or that mad scientist in your family. With this dark moody palette you’ll be creating heritage pages or if you choose step over to the dark side and explore the realm of Halloween! My next collection is this super duper cute Autumn/Fall collaboration I did with Jen from Simple Pleasure Designs called BREATHE! I love working with Jen and this one is just the ticket for a play in nature. When did you last take a deep breath & be still? To feel the sun on your face and the fresh air on your cheeks, is like sweet candy. Taking some time out to walk in nature, to jump in a pile of crunchy leaves and maybe even meet some forest friends along the way are all so good for the soul. In our chaotic lives we forget to take time out from the daily pressures to re-group. Thats why every now and then we could all do with a little nudge toward self care. Breathe in positivity then smile, cherish that stolen moment that enriches your day and watch yourself sparkle & shine. I also collated 3 years worth of templates that were once offered as freebies a few years back! These were for the challenge site Color, Stories & Inspiration which I was the sketch designer for. You can now purchase all 9 packs separately or alternatively buy the bundle & save $$$. The bundle includes all 36 unique templates compiled together which is perfect for those of you looking for sets to create and print memory books. I have given these a re-fresh too, including a change of element design so its less specific to the CSI theme, a palette update and added some dimensional shadowing to give a more realistic feel to your shadows. They can easily be turned off in the layers palette if you prefer to customise your own shadows. (Check your stash as you may have these already in there.) How awesome were all those CT pages combining the collections and the templates. Oh be still my beating heart! Well everyone have a fantastic DSD. Ooh and before you head off, grab the the freebies below there are plenty to celebrate DSD and two that coordinate with my new collection releases. Come and join me over at the DSD Challenge forum at Sweet Shoppe Designs where I’m hosting a Template Challenge this month using this template which you can grab from the forum HERE. And last but not least if you love a blog train and templates then you have to travel this months ALFLT BLOG TRAIN. You can grab my freebie Page Draft from HERE Hope you have enjoyed seeing all the nifty products and found some inspiration from the nifty gals and the sugar babes. Have a sensational and safe weekend everyone and if you are planning on shopping DSD I hope you find plenty of great bargains!
Hey everyone, this weekend is a huge one over at Sweet Shoppe Designs. It's our Fall CU Extravaganza event and that means we have tonnes of brand new commercial use resources in the shoppe and of course we have a 2022 CU CANDY BAG offer which you can see at the end of this post! But before I tell you all about my new and nifty CU goodies I really want to share a new collection that I had so much fun creating. ADVENTURE WALK came about after one of my sweet nifty gals requested a hiking inspired collection! I loved Char’s ideas so I ran with this one and think ADVENTURE WALK is the perfect collection for all those outdoorsy adventures, days hiking extraordinary places or for capturing leisurely ambles through the woodland, fossicking and collecting natures treasures along the way! Of course I created a coordinating set of ADVENTURE WALK PAGE DRAFTS to help you capture those moments in a fun designed layout. All the nifty gals created amazing pages but I had to share Charlene’s samples below since this collection was for her! Now for all the Nifty CU goodies I have for you. These are all on sale along with the older releases at 40% off this weekend. These packs are not just for designers they are great resources for all your scrapbooking projects so be sure to check them out. I have CU EPHEMERA | BUTTERFLIES V.2 another set of CU EPHEMERA | TICKETS V.7 & CU EPHEMERA | VICTORIAN ROSES V.2. A fun set of CU REALISTIC ELEMENTS | LIGHTBULBS. I have a second set of CU REALISTIC ELEMENTS | MESH PIECES V.2 because V.1 were hugely popular. Two new sets of CU REALISTIC ELEMENTS| METAL FLOWERS V.2 & V.3. and a set of CU REALISTIC ELEMENTS | DOILIES. A set of machine CU REALISTIC ELEMENTS | STITCHING V.1. CU BRUSH & STAMPS| ROSE ETCHINGS V.2. I have a nifty and fun set of CU STAMPED ALPHA | UNITYPE and lastly a new set of CU TEXTURED OVERLAYS | PAINT FUSIONS V.5. We also have a special offer this weekend, when you spend $20 on CU PRODUCTS you’ll find this fun filled 2022 CU CANDY BAG of mixed goodies in your cart! If you love creating pages using my goodies I'd love for you to join me over in the Nifty Friends Group on Facebook and share your nifty creations with me and our little community. Incase you haven’t already joined here is an invitation, it would be awesome to see you there! Thanks for stopping by, have a fantastic weekend everyone and happy scrapping!
I was playing around with some leftover bits and bobs on my stamping desk and came up with this layout. I'm having fun with these carrots, and surprised with how much I've done with the Day
We made hammered flower print cards to send the grandparents. I came across this idea while reading a magazine in a waiting room recently. I think it was Family Fun, but I can't really remember. Anyway, I thought this would be fun to try. Supplies Fresh flowers (we used pansies) Watercolor paper Hammer or mallet Safety goggles Paper towel Arrange your flowers on the watercolor paper face down. Then, cover them with a paper towel. Don safety glasses and gently hammer over the paper towel. The flowers fell apart and stuck to the paper a little. We just gently brushed them away and found a pretty flower print remained. Using card stock, we turned them into cards that we will send to the grandparents filled with some pictures of our fall outings. Linking to: Red Ted Art's Blog, Fun For Kids Friday, Link and Learn
As someone who loves cooking and experimenting with ingredients at hand, I have always been fascinated by the Wartime kitchens and rationing. I won't say that I wish I had gone through that, but sometimes I wonder if we are just too used to having everything at our fingertips, to having life be so easy that we have become lazy. As with everything else that I go into, I like to research and read and watch as much as I can about certain periods in time, different eras, different ways of doing things. Why? Because I yearn for a simpler time, for a time where we may not have had everything readily available, but family came first, neighbors helped each other and really opened their homes to everyone around them. Unfortunately nowadays, and I'm speaking from my own personal experience, I've noticed that it's every man for themselves and how can we make a quick buck with the least work possible. Honestly, it seems that if there was a robot that could do everything for us, many would jump on that bandwagon pretty quick. But back to the topic at hand. The Wartime Kitchen, rationing and surviving through it. Rationing was introduced in England on January 8, 1940. Here is a little info about it: At the beginning of World War II, the UK imported 55 million tons of foodstuffs per year (70%), including more than 50% of its meat, 70% of its cheese and sugar, nearly 80% of fruits and about 90% of cereals and fats. It was one of the principal strategies of the Axis to attack shipping bound for the UK, restricting British industry and potentially starving the nation into submission. Each person would register with their local shops, and was provided with a ration book containing coupons. The shopkeeper was then provided with enough food for his or her registered customers. When purchasing goods, the purchaser had to give the shopkeeper a coupon as well as money. Rations were the fairest way to ensure people had enough to eat, and many poorer families had the healthiest diet they ever had. Children benefited greatly from this. For example, the number of children in Scotland who died before they reached 1 year of age fell by 27 per cent between 1939 and 1945. In Glasgow, the average height of 13 year olds increased by almost 2 inches (5 cm) by the end of the war. Weekly ration for 1 adult Bacon & Ham 4 oz Meat to the value of 1 shilling and sixpence (around about 1/2 lb minced beef) Butter 2 oz Cheese 2 oz Margarine 4 oz Cooking fat 4 oz Milk 3 pints Sugar 8 oz Preserves 1 lb every 2 months Tea 2 oz Eggs 1 fresh egg per week Sweets/Candy 12 oz every 4 weeks In addition to this a points system was put in place which limited your purchase of tinned or imported goods. 16 points were available in your ration book for every 4 weeks and that 16 points would enable you to purchase for instance, 1 can of tinned fish or 2lbs of dried fruit or 8 lbs of split peas. Here is the Food Minister talking about the food rationing in 1939.... He explains what the Ration books are and how to use them. Women really had to become inventive, they had to learn to make do with the little they got and food was stretched as far as it would go. Aside from the ingredients, there were ways to save on fuel as well while cooking, things like "cooking two at a time", which meant covering a cooking pan with a biscuit tin lid then standing a second pan on top. I don't know how safe that would be or how well the food would turn out, but I think in those days and time, it was a matter of survival. From 1942, there was no more white flour available, so that meant that everyone was consuming the National Wholemeal Bread. There were no supermarkets, so shopping for groceries would mean going to different stores, such as the butcher, grocer etc. Actually, growing up I remember that is the way we did food shopping too, we went to the butcher, we went to the market and the bakery etc. Eggs were extremely hard to come by, so most people used powdered eggs. One packet would be equal to 12 eggs and those had to last you at least 8 weeks, as even the powdered eggs were rationed. One of the items not rationed and available probably most of the time, were potatoes. The Government even came up with a "Dig for Victory" campaign, encouraging everyone to grow vegetables in their gardens or on any spare piece of land they could find. The Ministry of Food organized local cookery classes and demonstrations to teach people how to cook with what they had and how to use the vegetables they grew in meals. It was hard to come by food. Once you registered with a certain shop, you couldn't really go anywhere else to get your rations, so it usually meant standing in long lines for a very long time just to get your food. It was about this time that the Black Market came into play, and even though if you were caught you were punished with huge fines, people still risked it in order to get butter, sugar and even cigarettes and often times at exuberant prices. Rationing officially ended July 4, 1954. I've often thought about trying to cook just Wartime recipes for a pay period, and seeing how we do. I think the only thing that has held me back from trying, is the family, I'm not sure my husband and children would be interested in this sort of experiment. I may just come up with a menu anyway and introduce a few meals here and there, might be easier to do it that way than shock them into it LOL When it comes to wartime cooking and depression recipes, there are a few places online you can go to. I think one of my favorite YouTube Channels is the Great Depression Cooking with Clara. Love it :) Great Depression Cooking with Clara Season 1 Another great one to watch is Granny Doris, though I've only found 3 episodes so far. Here is a PDF booklet with some recipes for you.... Home Front Recipes You can find many on Clara's videos and by googling for wartime recipes. I think if anything, after all the reading and the video watching I've done, it's taught me that I need to be more flexible in the kitchen, to really push myself to use what I have on hand and not just ignore the ingredient because it doesn't fit into a specific dish or recipe. I don't know about you all, but I will admit that I have stuff in the freezer, refrigerator and pantry that tends to just sit there and not get used, and yes, I've even had to throw something out because it's past it's due date. In a day and time where everything is getting so expensive, I want to be able to use what I have available and not be wasteful. Will I succeed every step of the way? Probably not. But I am determined to give it a good try. I'm going to continue researching, applying what I have learned and strive towards a more self sustainable way of life. Growing some of my own vegetables is definitely a step in the right direction. I do hope you have found some of this information interesting, matter of fact I'm using it with my kids for homeschooling and they find it just as fascinating as I do. Though with them, we're not just concentrating on the cooking side of the wartime and depression eras, but on everything else too.....the war itself, air raids, etc. I'm off to watch The Wartime Kitchen and Garden. It is quite an old series that unfortunately was never made into DVD or sold to the public (much to my chagrin). I managed to find a few episodes on YouTube so you can watch too if you would like :) Episode 2 Episode 3 Hope you enjoy it :) Images found online through BBC. Videos from YouTube
Hi Everyone, This week I have two new releases and I'm so excited to be sharing them with you. I have my first solo collection at Sweet Shoppe Designs called SNAP HAPPY. This bundle is made with the photographer in mind. You know the person I'm talking about? Yep, YOU...the memory keeper in the family, the one that is snap happy and if you’re anything like me you probably also take 50,000 photos of every event or family moment. Honestly its a problem and something I'm trying to curb because I‘m quickly filling up my 4th EHD arghhh, but you get it right?! The Bundle includes 80 unique elements, 24 patterned papers, 10 solid papers plus an alpha in two versions a solid paper and a sticker style. I also wanted to include some fun elements so I made a pack of 10 Photo booth props and a nifty pack of 9 camera lens inspired frames and wordart to help you dress up and frame all those amazing photographs. I also did a set of pocket fillers and of course no collection is complete without a pack of mixed media goodness, so you’ll find plenty of overlays, textures, paint and bits and bobs in that pack to embellish your artworks. SNAP HAPPY will definitely help you create some bold striking pages of all those photos still waiting to shine! I’m also releasing this set of page drafts called TRY-ANGLES. If you’re looking for something cool and different to show case your memories then these are for you. They are also nifty because one of this months Passport challenges asks you to use triangles in a page, so you see what I did there hey! You can grab these page drafts on sale this weekend along with my new collection SNAP HAPPY. Ooh and also don’t forget to join the Nifty Pixel Fans and Friends Group on FB. It would be wonderful to see more of you awesome scrappers sharing over there, so pop in say hello. Before you go I have a freebie for you, this nifty cluster frame to kick start some snap happy pages! Have a great weekend everyone, stay safe and keep on scrapping!
