Heavenly Crafts: September 2008

Sugar Shoppe blog train

0 comments Posted by Lynn at 9/30/2008 09:56:00 pm

Just to let you all know that the latest ADSdesigners blog train hits the internet tomorrow and here is a sneak preview of my part:

Make sure you stop by tomorrow to get it as I'll also have the links up to all the other kits too. And if you haven't already picked up the Cornocupia of Color kit, today is your last chance.

Saturday morning

0 comments Posted by Lynn at 9/27/2008 06:49:00 am

Well, I have so much work on at the moment, I am having to get up extra early to try and fit everything in......but somehow, I never seem to make any serious in roads into my "to do" list. I have several deadlines this coming week, so need to work most of the weekend, but I also need to sort out my computer, back up onto my new hard drive and get the my laptop to access my accounts data from the desktop direct! Sounds like a fun packed weekend either way, eh?!!

I'm having a look at designing courses right now. An amazing opportunity has come my way and I have the prospects of potentially being able to go on several online designing courses and then review the courses! Sounds like a dream come true, to be honest and I can't wait to get started!

In the meantime, however, I need to do our Church notices for tomorrow morning, and then try and reconcile a client's VAT with the accounts program he has been using. The notices will be fun though, as I get the chance to use Photoshop to make bible verse tags, which I really enjoy. And talking of which , did you see the video for the release of Photoshop 4? I would love a copy of that, especially the full all singing all dancing master edition, but no way can I afford that sort of money at the moment... guess I'll just have to put it on my wish list!

Despite all the work, I have managed to make a freebie, and here it is:

It's a set of four paper bits that can be used as photo frames or mats, or any way you want really. They are varying sizes, but can obviously be resized to suit. I created these from scratch, so they are for commercial use, personal use and scrap for hire. Feel free to use them as you will, just don't repackage and claim them as your own.

Download here or by clicking on the preview.

Oh, and before I forget, someone asked if I could do the cardboard set in primary colours. No problems, just give me some time to work on them!

Cardboard background paper frreebie

1 comments Posted by Lynn at 9/21/2008 04:07:00 pm

I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but it is a beautiful sunny day here in Shropshire. It makes a pleasant change to see the sun after all the cold, damp weather we have been having recently. I was tempted to take the children out for the afternoon, but unfortunately, I have to work.

However, I have managed to make the promised freebie despite having spent most of yesterday afternoon designing a poster for our church away day and in trying to keep apart two of my sons, who seemed determined to start World War 3 in our house. It got to the stage at one point where I took the power cable for the computer away from the elder son, and had to physically restrain the younger from kicking his brother to pieces!

Anyhow, here is the freebie, at last - a set of cardboard background papers. Feel free to download, but please note this is for personal use only due to the restrictions on the overlays, etc that I used to create these.

Download by clicking on the preview, or here. Let me know if you find these useful ;).

Go Ape was....

0 comments Posted by Lynn at 9/20/2008 07:10:00 am

....probably one of the most terrifying things I've ever done and it was an amazing experience that I would, I think (!), do again.

There were 5 separate sites in the forest, and the instructor was there for the first one, but then we were left on our own, although the instructors did patrol each site in case of problems. It involved going up rope ladders, across wires, ropes, cargo nets, swinging from trees, zip wires, wooden tunnels, and all sorts and my children loved it, although our daughter was, like me, terrified as well! The zip wires got longer and longer, but I was never able to manage to land facing forwards. Each time, I ended up arriving at the end facing backwards, digging my heels in and ending up flat on my back with bits of bark down my shirt, cramp in my legs and not being able to get up because I had stopped just short of the end and the ropes were too taut to allow any give!

And don't mention the cargo net! There were actually two of these - one in site 1 and the other, much bigger one, at the end. Fortunately for me, there was an alternative route to the larger cargo net, so I climbed through a wooden tunnel instead! The first cargo net, which was much smaller and nowhere near as high, was bad enough. I actually had trouble getting off the platform and swinging over to the net - we weren't very high up, but to actually let go and swing over about 10 feet top the net took a lot. I ended up sitting down on the edge of the platform before I actually had the nerve to let go!

Then of course, when I did, I swung, probably not ungracefully, into the cargo net, and grabbed on for all I was worth - or at least I tried to. what the instructors don't tell you is that when you reach the cargo net, having jumped off the platform (or slipped off as I did), you are travelling with some speed. This means that the cargo net, which is attached to the supporting trees at various points, moves with you, so if you don't grab on the first time you hit it, you start swinging backwards again......but then the force of gravity, centrifugal, centripetal forces and whatever kick in, and like Newton's balls, you start swinging back to the net again. Fortunately, I was able to grab onto the net at that point, but not do much else. It took a while for me to extricate my elbows and arms from the net (I had grabbed on with everything I could!) and start (very slowly) trying to work my way across and upwards to the next platform. And boy, was that hard work! The net was moving all the time, and it took strength to grab onto the ropes and move up. At one point, I thought the instructor was going to come to my rescue (and just how mortifying would that have been!) but I reckon all he did was hold onto the bottom of the net to steady it, so eventually, I managed to crawl onto the platform and hang on for dear life! Of course, my children though this was hilarious!

The zip wires were definitely the best (once I plucked up the courage to leave the platform!) and the last one was so long, it was awesome!

Definitely something to maybe do again when I have recovered, but if we never go again, at least I now have the certificate to prove I completed the course!

Anyhow, I haven't got a freebie yet but am hoping to have one later today or tomorrow so come back later to see what I have come up with!

Go ape and freebie!

0 comments Posted by Lynn at 9/12/2008 12:16:00 pm

Well, it's Friday lunchtime here and I'm trying to get some work done, but am really looking forward to the weekend, I think! My daughter has treated me and her brother to a session at Go Ape, in Delamere Forest in Cheshire. If you don't know what this is, then take a look at this:

I'm still not sure just how worried I should be having seen some of the videos on youtube taken by people who've taken part in this. I'm not convinced I won't come home with 2 broken legs (at the very least) but on the other hand, it would be so neat to be able to say I had done something like this! the one thing I am concerned about though, is the zipwire, which you can see below on the far right:

It seems awfully long! I'll let you know how I get on next week - assuming I'm still in one piece!

In the meantime, I've been having a play with overlays and stuff, and came up with this set of papers:

Feel free to download it by either clicking on the preview or here. Use it as you will, just don't repackage and claim as your own.

Have a lovely weekend!

ADSDesigners September QP challenge

0 comments Posted by Lynn at 9/10/2008 03:27:00 pm

I decided this month to take part in the ADSDesigners quick page/brag book challenge in which we have to design a mini kit, share it with others in ADSD and then create QP and brag book pages using all the kits. Well, I haven't had time as yet to do any QP's, but here is my minikit, if anyone is interested. Feel free to download it and use it as you will, just don't repackage and claim as your own.

Download by either clicking on the preview or here.

The sunflower was grown by my husband and was absolutely ginormous! I am waiting for it to all dry out now so I can get some seeds for it and then hopefully, plant these (or get hubbie to, since he's the one who does all the gardening;)) so next year we have a bumper crop of sunflowers!

Lake District

1 comments Posted by Lynn at 9/08/2008 09:32:00 am

I don't know how many of you have ever been to the Lake District here, but it is absolutely beautiful, even in the rain. This is a photo of Lake Windermere, on one of the few sunny days we had:

We had some good weather, one day when it rained after we went out so we ended up getting soaking wet (even the kagools couldn't keep out the rain, we were soaked right through!), another day when we couldn't go out at all and the rest of the time is was cloudy and overcast. All in all, typical British summertime weather! I took loads of photos, annoying my children in the process as they kept having to wait for me to catch them up when we were out walking, and we certainly did lots of walking. I had the aches and pains to prove it!

This is a view of Coniston water:

And was taken whilst walking from Coniston Jetty back into Coniston. Fortunately, it was not raining for us, although it definitely looks as if it is raining in the hills!

Anyhow, I thought you might like a couple of freebies, so here are some stock photos with one overlay (in colour and desaturated) freebie for you. the photos are from flowers in our garden, so you have my husband's green fingers to thank for these!

Feel free to use these as you will, commercial use and scrap for hire use is OK, just don't repackage and claim them as your own.

Download the stock photos here and the overlay here.