A scrappy Sunday

Oooh, look at that...March was nearly running away with me. The last few weeks have been ever so busy with birthdays, holidays, and not least Mindy opening her new shop. She's had a corner of Mum's shop for a few years but as her business has grown both she and Mum needed space. I am so proud of Mindy for having the courage to step out and do something like this. Go Mindy!

This is probably the quickest that I have ever scrapbooked an event. Seriously, it's less than a week since I took these photos. I'm using a real mix of supplies at the moment. Some of them are like the white background cardstock...it's been in my stash for a long time. The brads and chipboard letters have been around for a while as well. The patterned paper is new from the Amy Tangerine Yes, Please line. I have updated my paper collection with a few 6x6 pads from different manufacturers, and this is one of them. I love the bright spring colours and watercolour effect. I also love that the 6x6 pad has two cut-apart sheets which have small scale journalling and embellishment cards on - the 'hello adventure' and pink label on the right are both from this. A great way to add little embellishments without breaking the bank.

I have been a follower of Scrappyjedi (Melissa Stinson) for a while and though I love her style I have never managed to incorporate it into my pages. In my bid to expand my own style, I went with smaller photos and mounted them on vellum. Genius! Why didn't I think of this before? I love the subtlety of it and the way it creates another layer without making it too heavy on the page.

I am still practising. At the moment each new page is my *favourite* and I like it that way!

Golden

I love autumn. The colours are beautiful, the air feels fresh, and it's the season of my birthday. What more could I ask for?

I've spent the last four days in beautiful Gloucestershire with Mindy. Nothing fancy or complicated, just four days away from all the stress and worries of home. Some shopping, some sightseeing. Lots of coffee and cake. Some humour (no, vegetarians don't eat bacon), some assertiveness (if I say this meal is too spicy, then it is, ok?) and some terrifying moments (did you know you can fit a car through the gap in the pedestrian barrier in the Ikea car park? Well you can.)

One of the best things about the weekend was the number of independent shops, artists and craftspeople that we found. Cheltenham was hosting By Local, a brilliant collection of art and craft from local people, occupying a shop that would otherwise be empty. We spent ages in there admiring the work, and couldn't leave without a souvenir or two. In Cirencester we found M.A.D.E., which I think might just be the prettiest shop in the world. It's thrilling to see somewhere so packed with handmade goodies. In fact, Cirencester was a lovely town altogether. Beautiful old buildings, some lovely cafes, independent retailers...and not a Primark in sight.

I took my sketchbook away with me and I didn't draw a thing. Instead of working on completing projects I have come back feeling inspired with new ideas, colours and textures. The previously mentioned trip to Ikea has brought me some new storage and I finally feel totally comfortable in my craft room. Maybe I should start calling it a studio now? I have so many ideas flying around now that I can't wait to get started on making some of them a reality. Autumn might be a season of endings, as the year draws to a close and nature packs itself away, but I feel like it's the start of something big.