Handmade (with love) - 365+1

Template - by Sine, Designs by Dydyge - For all you are, DSD by Athena - Noteworthy

The prompt of 'Handmade' certainly gave me a dilemma, I have so many things I could show that I have made myself.  However, I think the horseshoe and presentation 'book' that I made for my son and DIL's wedding is one that I am most proud of.

Digital Scrapbook Designs by Athena - New Kit

There's a new kit out from DSD by Athena, available at Digital Design Den and Inspiration Lane.

When I saw the muted mauve colours I immediately thought of my Mum's fabulous, big, pink hat, which she wore to my son's wedding. 

Live life in colour

Yes, you are right!  I have gone digi-scrapping crazy, probably because I CAN get to the computer but I CAN'T get near my craft desk.  We are still in the process of decorating our den and all the furniture is piled up at the craft desk end of the room.

Back to the photograph and layout...there are some photos that draw you to scrap them again and again, and this is one of them.  I have always been fascinated by my parent's wedding photo and the multicoloured dresses of the bridesmaids and flowergirls, it is unusual now and probably even more unusual in the 1950s. 

Credits: MGL - Awakening, Cottage Crafts, Prairie Woman Designs, DSD by Athena, Font - Lucida sans Typewriter.

Are you fed up of the wedding photos yet?

Another wedding layout using the Back to Basics Kit from DSD by Athena available at the Digital Design Den.  The photograph has been converted to a pencil sketch using instructions from the, sadly now defunct, Digital Scrapbooking Magazine.

Whispers

The Theme for the Soartful Challenge this week is 'Whisper'.  I used this lovely kit called Lavender Time by Ninie Designs to create my layout.

Brand New Digital Forum - Digital Design Den!

I've joined a new Digital Forum, the DDD or Digital Design Den.  I haven't been digi-scrapping much recently but was invited to join by Traci who used to be part of the Digital Craft Cottage, which closed earlier this year.

There are some good challenges at the Den so I have been making some LOs.

This lovely Black & White Kit is 'Back to Basics' by Designs by Athena Gray and came as part of a great bargain Grab Bag. As soon as I saw it I knew it was perfect for the wedding photos of my B&W outfit.

This challenge was a historical one, to post an event that happened in  your country in July between 1600 and 1900.  I did a bit of Googling and found that Robert Burns died in July 1796.  The paper and elements are from 'Outside my Window' kit by Snickerdoodle Designs.

The last LO also uses the Outside my Window Kit and is a triple scraplift i.e. you had to take inspiration from three different LOs and use them to create a new layout.  Photo is from my holiday, including the cut tree.

Wedding Cake Recipe

Wedding Cake Recipe
1/2 lb good looks
1lb sweet temper
1lb butter of youth
1lb blindness of faults
1lb of wit
1lb good humour
2lb of sweet argument
1 pint of rippling laughter
1 wine glass of common sense
a dash of modesty

Put the love good looks and a sweet temper into a well furnished house.
Beat the butter of youth into a cream,
and mix well together with the blindness of faults.
Stir the wit and good humour into the sweet argument
then add the rippling laughter and common sense.
Work the whole thing together until everything is well mixed,
and bake gently forever.

The Colour of my Love

The Colour of My Love

David Foster, Arthur Janov

I'll paint a sun to warm your heart
Knowing that we'll never part.
I'll draw the years all passing by
So much to learn, so much to try.

I'll paint my mood in a shadow blue,
Paint my soul to be with you.
I'll sketch your lips in shaded tones,
Draw your mouth to my own.

I'll trace a hand to wipe your tears
And trace a look to calm your fears.
A silhouette of dark and light
To hold each other oh so tight.

I'll paint the stars in the evening sky,
Draw the light into your eyes,
A touch of love, a touch of grace,
To softly fall on your moonlit face.

And with this ring our lives will start,
Let nothing keep our love apart.
I'll take your hand to hold in mine,
And be together through all time.

This was one of the readings that Steven and Shona chose for their wedding ceremony.  Digital page and elements from Mon Petit Jardin by Maelia Designs, digital mask from Pton Designs.

Family Wedding

Cutting the Cake

With Steven's grandmothers

With Steven's Aunts

With the Bride's Family

With this ring...

My elder son, Steven, married Shona yesterday and I thought I'd share some photographs with you.

Here they are signing the register, with Shona's sister Melissa, chief Bridesmaid, and Steven's best friend Will who was Best Man.

The groom and all the men in the bridal party wore kilts, as did many of the guests.  The couple were piped to and from the wedding ceremony.

It was a very wet day, but there was a brief respite in the weather and we got some photographs taken outside,  here I am with my husband Brian.

I loved my hat!

My younger son, Andrew and his girlfriend, Hazel.

and my best friend, Avril with Hazel.

I'll post more family wedding photos tomorrow, hope you are enjoying them as much as we enjoyed the wedding.

To have and to hold...

Remember I showed you this picture of the Tando Creative horseshoe that I made for my son's wedding?  Well now I am going to show you the book that I altered to present it in.

This also features a piece of Tando Creative Chipboard, the lovely branch of leaves which I combined with Wild Orchid flowers to match those on the horseshoe.  The papers are Websters and also some K& Co.  I've smudged the date in the photo deliberately.

 It fastens at the side with velcro and ribbon.

When you open it the horseshoe is inside as well as an appropriate poem.

I hope you enjoyed seeing this as much as I enjoyed making it.

I thought I would also show you what the 'book' was made from, it was a Christmas present from my other son and his girlfriend, I'm on my last bottle of shower gel, but I hope the book will be treasured for a little bit longer.

Happy ever after.

It's Friday Photo Flashback time again, join Alicia at More than Words to post your own flashback or visit some of the 'flashers'!!!!

Still thinking about weddings.  I might have posted this before but here is a photograph of my Mum and Dad's wedding in 1954, the bridesmaids in green and coral are my aunts.

Bride to be!

Yesterday evening, I was out in town for my daughter-in-law-to-be's 'Hen Night', a gathering of girlfriends and family to toast the bride to be.  It was a fairly low key affair involving a few glasses of wine and a meal out, nothing too raucous, but it was fun and a good way to get to know more of Shona's family.

Photo above is Shona and her sister, and chief bridesmaid, Melissa.  Photo below is of the 'Mothers'. Me and Shona's mum (also called Shona!)

Wedding Horseshoe

I'm entering this for this month's Tando Creative competition.  This is the horseshoe that I am making for my son and future daughter-in-law's wedding in a couple of weeks.  There is a 'book' for it to go in, but that is not yet finished, but  I thought I'd post this for the competition. Flowers are by Wild Orchid.

Another wedding photo

Here is another photo from the wedding transformed into a digi LO. All of us 'girls' worked with Mhairi (the bride) before she left to run the haulage company with her fiance. The four of us in the middle have worked together since 1999.

All papers and embellishments are from Digital Craft Cottage, Designer Gift a Day May Kit. The Journalling 'stamp' is by Traci, Junior Designer at DCC and the font is Calligraph.

I've been baked!

I went for my very first 'Fake Bake' fake tan today. It is looking okay, not too brown and certainly not orange (my worst fear) Had my nails done too, all in preparation for the wedding on Saturday, I am getting really excited now. I get my hair coloured and cut on Saturday morning and the wedding is at 3.30pm, it is even looking like the weather could be good - keep your fingers crossed for me. Below is the church where the wedding will take place. It is in the grounds of the Crichton Royal Hosptial and part of the beautiful estate where I work and where the bride used to work too.