Build-A-BBQ

When we bought a new bbq last month my niece who is two insisted on helping her mum put it together.

 

Uses the Echo Park Springtime collection and an Allison Davies sketch.

 

Shanna.

Beastly

 

So I just went to the cinema with my mum and sister to see Beastly. It was pretty good a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast.  Figuring out it’s what is on the inside that makes a person beautiful is always a good thing to remind people.

For anyone who has seen it does any think that Alex Pettyer looks better like this…

 

Or is it just me?

 

Shanna

Folly Farm.

I know today was the big wedding but we wanted to get my niece and nephew away from it all so we took them to Folly Farm for the day. (I have watched the wedding. I did tape all the coverage and fastforwarded it until the good bits. BTW I love her dress.)

 

Anyway we had a great time seeing all the animals and enjoyed the vintage fun fair.  Here are some pictures….

 

 

Shanna

Finding Photo Freedom…

First of all I want to say a big thank you to all of you who stopped by yesterday and to all of those who left comments. I still haven’t figured out how to reply to comments. But for those of you who asked yes I enjoyed my book, I’ve finished it and 8 others this week. (I started reading the Women’s Murder Club series by James Patterson on Sunday and I am on number 9 right now and will definitely have it finished by the time number 10 comes out on Monday.)

In other news I have signed up for Stacey Julian’s Finding Photo Freedom class.

I’ve had her book for years  and have been intrigued by the system, I have my digital photos sort in the general principle system but I always thought I could do with taking the class to help me really appreciate the system and how it can work for me.  However the last few years I thought that it was a little out of my budget especially given the time of year it was run. This year however it is only $79 which Paypal informs me is £48.59.  That seems a lot more reasonable.

So I’ve signed up class starts June 2nd, I’ve got some prep work to do but I’m really looking forward to class beginning.

 

Also tomorrow is Will and Kate’s wedding and since the whole of the UK gets the day off (got to love that it’s a bank holiday on monday so we get a four day weekend) but I’m not going to watch. We’re taking my niece and nephew to the zoo.  Hopefully I’ll have some pictures to share.

 

Shanna.

xx

A Day In Pictures

AKA finally putting clothes in my wardrobe after 2 years of it being empty.

For more days click here.

Shanna xx

Tomboy Princess

 

I found these pictures of my niece while I was looking for a photos to use with this months one page sketch from Sketch Support. I used the Echo Park Little Girl collection and the flowers I think are from A Walk In the Park.

 

Shanna.

3x Birthday.

Last week was my sister, my mum and my step-dads birthdays all within four days of each other. We went out for dinner to celebrate I made this layout.

It’s based on an Allison Davies sketch using the Echo Park Life is Good collection.

 

The pictures I took weren’t the best (don’t you hate the fact that restaurants have lousy lighting) and I couldn’t get the colours to balance while editing them so I thought I would turn them all black and white. But considering 3/4 of the layout is pictures it look wrong. So I turned the sepia.  I’m still not sure I like but it’s another layout done, another story told. I guess that’s what’s important.

 

Shanna.

St Michaels

St Michael’s (sometimes St Michael’s and All Angels) is the church in Shute was started in around 1205 when Lucas de la Shute was given the land by King John and built the Church and Manor.  It has had several extensions over the years.

 

It is the place where my Aunt and Uncle were married

 

It is the place where my parents were married.

It is the place where I was christened, my sister and my brother.

 

It was the place where we did school plays as our school was across the street, it was the place where we went to carol services and christingles.  It was the place that was presided over by Reverend Mosley.  It was the place that I walked by every day on the way to Primary School.

 

based on Becky Higgins sketch,  Echo Park Life is Good 

Shanna.

Shute Beacon.

Shute Beacon has always been one of my favourite places. I remember lots of school trips back when it was rubble, how when we were a part of getting it rebuilt. The view has always been spectacular, but when were getting it rebuilt we planted thousands of trees which had started to block the view.

 

     

This is the layout I made when I first started digital scrapbooking back in 2007. This was one of my first attempts. I love the journaling although I think it needs more of the story about our role in rebuilding it that’s why I’ve decided to redo it.

 

In 1588 the Spanish Armada approached Britain, but the British were prepared they had set up a series of beacons each with their own beacon house on of the hills along the south coast of Britain to quickly pass the message to London. Very few beacon houses remain.

Over four hundred years later the children of Shute County Primary School go the one is Shute repaired. It now stands proudly overlooking the valley surround by the trees that were planted.

 

So here is my new layout. It much better tells the story.

In 1588 the Spanish Armada approached Britain, but the British were prepared they had set up a series of beacons each with their own beacon house on of the hills along the south coast of Britain to quickly pass the message to London. Very few beacon houses remain; this is one of only two in Devon.

Local rumour has it that the actual beacon basket is buried in a ditch at the bottom of the hill. The purpose of the Beacon House was for a lone man, without even a dog for company, to sit waiting for the moment when it would become his turn to be a part of history and light the beacon fire.

Every British school child knows the story of how Sir Francis Drake was playing bowls when the Armada was sighted off the coast when began the process of the beacon fires being lit.

In 1993 Shute Beacon House was only partially still standing, the remains of this building which played an important part in British history which had stood for over four hundred years was in danger of being condemned.

Our teacher Miss Templar I remember was very big on local history and through her efforts the school got involved in have it rebuilt. I remember numerous visits as it was being reconstructed and spending Saturdays planting lots of trees, which are now obscuring the view as far as Axmouth five miles away.

The Beacon as us locals call it is one of my favourite places not only for it’s beautiful, it’s peacefulness but for playing a big part in my childhood.

 

Shanna xx

P.S My new blog header shows part of the view.

Home

I’m originally from a small village in Devon called Shute (well I lived a few miles away in Whitford for the first four years of my life but if any one asks I’m from Shute.)

 

Technically I lived in this ex-council estate.

 

 

Shute has a few claims to fame. It is home of Shute Barton with it’s gatehouse (which is haunted by Lady Jane Grey)

It has one of only two remaining Beacon houses from the Spanish Armada in Devon (which in primary school we got helped rebuilt)

It has the school I went to one which we were on Blue Peter, the local news and in the Times when we met Maggie Thatcher.

 

I’ll show you some more pictures over the next few days.

 

Shanna.