Liquid Metals in moody reds...

Well since we've now got just two weeks until Valentine's day, I've been wondering if I could do something around that theme...so I thought why not start by adding some moody reds to the liquid metals series...whadya think?



If you like them, you can get them here:

Belanna's Liquid Metals (Red)

Geekie gadgets for scrappers....

Okay, so I'm a bit of a gadget girl at heart (I get that from my Dad!), so I saw this and thought 'Coooool' and had to share it with you.



I have to laugh that it's described as a 'Men's digital photo wallet'!! Really??? I'ved used a wallet in preference for a purse since I first started work (i.e. since I first had real paper money of my own lol!). But if you really prefer it they do a 'purse' version as well lol! Anyhow, my only complaint is that the screen could have been an incy bit bigger (but I reckon you could still get a layout on it!), and I love the fact that photo section is removable, so you can carry it separately if you like.

Anyway, if you fancy a peek, you'll find it here: Digital Photo Wallet, along with some other cool gadgets that you can display your digital photos on ... like a Christmas bauble and a little clear frame you can pop your memory card straight into...cor, I love gadgets me la! (That's a Guernsey expression lol!)

Anyway I'm working on some new papers, but I'll try to get the furs online later. And I'm really trying very hard to come up with ideas for elements, so hopefully I'll have more to show you soon!

We interrupt our scheduled programming....

Not so much interrupt as a change of plan. I was gonna release the funky furs, but Deedee has asked for the Pattern Peeks I showed earlier this month, so why not? Here's a reminder of the preview, with a close-up of one page in each pack...you can tell I'm loving these little animated previews eh?

And here are the links:
Belanna's Pattern Peeks (Earth)
Belanna's Pattern Peeks (Rich)
Belanna's Peek-a-Boos (DSO Colour Challenge)

The last was posted already, but thought I'd add it in just in case y'all missed it!

Many thanks & more liquid metals...

So, firstly a word of thanks. I've just taken some time to peek at the comments on 4shared and here and just wanted to say a big thank-you for letting me know that you like my experiments so far! I know a lot of people get very disheartened about the tiny percentage of people who comment compared to the number of downloads, but I promised myself I wouldn't. In actual fact I'm rather pleased and surprised that so many people have taken the time to download and say they like my first little offerings when there are so many talented people out there designing, that we're really all spoiled for choice!

So moving on, here are the final three packs of Liquid Metals, and in many ways my favourites - Bronze, Copper & Red Gold. Here's a little reminder of what they look like, and you can also scroll down to see the preview of all nine packs I posted previously.

And here are the links:
Belanna's Liquid Metals (Bronze)
Belanna's Liquid Metals (Rose Gold)
Belanna's Liquid Metals (Copper)

Again, if you use any of these in your scrapping, please send me a link because I'd love to see what you create!

So what now? I may do some more frames, since the first two sets were better received than I thought they'd be (lol!) but I think I might also release the second set of papers I played with, the Fun Furs, which I rather liked, so here's a peek:



So apart from figuring out more about how my software works, which is great, what have I learned so far? Well, I've learned that I really do prefer the earthy colour spectrum...chocolate, copper, bronze, gold, rust etc ... and that I like rich, vibrant finishes ... and that I love playing with papers lol!!!

But I'm really struggling with elements, because I actually don't use very many when I'm scrapping. Even when I see something I love, it's difficult to bring myself to put it on a page unless it's justified somehow by the content...frames being the most obvious example. So I guess I'm struggling with what to try next in terms of 'playing' with elements, so if anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears....

Fancy some Liquid Metal Hearts???

I'm not normally a 'hearts and frills' sort, but I started playing with this shape and liked it, so here goes:



They're based on the liquid metals papers (but with a red tint) and most of them are simply bevelled, but there are three glass-styles as well which I kinda like. Might come in handy next month eh? If you like em, here's the link:
Belanna's Liquid Frames (Hearts)

I'll get the rest of the papers uploaded soon.

Experimenting with Liquid Metal Frames

Ho hum, I've had a play and I'm not sure what I think of these really, click the picture for a bigger view...



I was deliberately going for simple but maybe they're just too boring? Oh well, back to the drawing board!

ETA: Just in case you like them here's the link:
Belanna's Liquid Frames (Purple)

More Liquid Metals...

Ready for the next lot of Liquid Metals? Well here they are, hope you like them....

Belanna's Liquid Metals (Purple)
Belanna's Liquid Metals (Peach)
Belanna's Liquid Metals (Gold)

(Scroll down for the first three links and the preview of all nine packs. And don't forget, if you use them, I'd love to see the results!)

Hmm, I've started playing with making some frames from these, which will be my first attempt at making elements, hoping to have a preview up later...

Liquid Metals Freebie (or three...)

When I started playing with papers a little while ago, this was the first set I actually created...I shared them in a couple of forums but never thought to put them on here duh! Anyway, tidying up my files today and I saw them and thought, why not? You'll either like 'em or you won't.

Anyway, there are nine colour sets so that makes 72 papers in total (I think lol!). The preview is at a lower resolution, but you'll get the idea:

Links to the first three packs:
Belanna's Liquid Metals (Green)
Belanna's Liquid Metals (Blue)
Belanna's Liquid Metals (Pink)

I've yet to zip and upload the rest, but I'll try to get them up in the next day or so. Hope you like them, if so let me know...and if you use any I'd love to see!

Express yourself...with a kleenex?

This is just too cool not to mention...but be warned, it may cost you!

I always have a box of tissues on my desk (currently it's a chess-themed cube) and while I know that what a box of tissues looks like should be bottom of my list of priorities, I've lately noticed that I'm spending time choosing box patterns when I'm shopping....not that it has to be a work of art (like that's gonna happen lol!) but just so that it doesn't distract and generally annoy me (like some of the retro-sixties patterns really boggle the eye, kwim???)


Anyhow, I've just chanced across this site which allows you to design your own oval shaped box of kleenex...how cool is that? There's a little design tool to use, that has some backgrounds and clip art, but the really great part is you can upload photos...which means you can import your own backgrounds, layouts, whatever you fancy basically. You can even just use a single panoramic photo as wraparound. What a boon for scrappers...and what a neat little gift when someone you know is under the weather.

It gives you the chance to preview your finished design before you order it, which is great...I tried it with some of my sphere papers and it looked fab (or at least I thought so!).

I know what you're thinking, what has life come to if I can get this psyched about something so silly...sniff...pass the tissues lol!

I am very rarely speechless...

... but just minutes ago I was struck dumb (but you can tell it didn't last for long lol!). I posted my Floating Spheres papers as a members freebie at GDS a few days ago and just got a pm from harley3 to say she'd used a couple in a layout.

Wanna see? Then go here to see it in the GDS gallery or here to visit her blog and leave some love!!!!!!!!

Thank you thank you thank you harley3! I love your page and how you've created the frames, you've really made my day

Injecting some colour with a bit of a challenge...

So I thought it was time I challenged myself to do something new, thought I'm not sure how successful I've been.

I've been watching KimB's Color Challenge at DSO for the last month or two and wondering if I could get up the nerve to submit something. The thing is I can colour things, but I'm not sure how to get the colours to match a specific palette, but I thought I'd give it a go...and I'm still not sure if I've got it right, but this is the result:



Counting left to right, the first five papers are the actual colours (or as close as I can get) and the last three are variations (for no reason other than I've decided the ideal pack size is 8, so it needed three more lol!)

If you like it, you can get it here

Didn't do much for my birthday yesterday...I had decided to buy a cake (which I rarely do) but then didn't get the chance. My better half wanted to take me out for dinner, which I tried really hard to be in the mood for, but then ruined anyway. I don't know why he puts up with me!!! We then proceeded into a really lousy, depressing evening, pretty much all of which was my fault...ho-hum. Better luck next year...

Sorry...but I couldn't resist...

Having figured out how to create animated previews, I suddenly thought why don't I just do the same with the photos so I can show you more of them...yes, I hear you groaning, but it won't take long...lol!

Obviously I've had to reduce the quality of these to create the gif, but you'll get the idea. So here we are ascending above Gatwick to infinity and beyond...or at least into the clouds...

These are some of the fabulous sunrise (not sunset lol!) shots I mentioned....

And a whole host of mountain views...

Couldn't believe what a great job our little camera did...like I said it kept me sane by giving me something to focus on...if you'll pardon the pun!!!!

Into the final stretch...

Yep, for those of you who've slogged through the epic saga of our trip, fear not, the end is nigh. Go into the light children...

Where was I? Oh yeah, so don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I'm a bit of a flaky flier. Put me in a twin-engine or a crop-duster with a gung ho pilot and I'm ecstatic, but big long-haul scheduled passenger flights give me the heeby-jeebies. My doc recommended valium washed down with liberal doses of gin (I really like her!) but then asked me not to tell anyone she said that, ooops! I substituted JD and champers for the gin (separately silly!) but even that didn't help me sleep, so the only thing that kept me sane this trip was taking pictures. I didn't really expect them to come out particularly well, but I was actually quite pleased with the results. This was shortly after take-off from Gatwick...


As you can see, I was keeping a beady eye on the monitor...


Then we got above the cloud so there wasn't much to see until the sun started to set...I got some really spectacular sunset shots, but I'm saving them to scrap with, so I'll just tease you with this fairly crummy one lol!


I really was keeping a close eye on the monitor, literally ticking off the miles as we travelled, couldn't wait to be back on the ground...


So you can imagine how thrilled I was thrilled when we finally caught sight of the Cascades...I was puzzled at first by the patterns until I realised I was looking at the results of the logging...



When we finally touched down at YVR I was cranky, hyper and not at all pleasant to be with, which just proves what a gentleman my better half is that he kindly overlooked it. We overnighted in Vancouver (and added a second night) before catching the ferry home...and it was so good to be home!!!!

Now what have I got for you after your mega holiday snaps ordeal? Well, firstly, a long awaited coffee for Amanda, hope you like it frothy!


Seems a bit mean, just coffee, eh? So I whipped up a bumper afternoon tea with finger sarnies and yummie pastries....


And at Kristi's suggestion, and because no get-together is complete without a bit of naughtiness, help yourself to a cocktail too....



Thanks for stopping by, see y'all soon!!!

Homeward bound...and yet more photos....

Can you believe there are yet more photos of our trip that I haven't shared yet??? Well, you're in luck (lol!) coz there are!!!!

We drove back from Dublin (actually there was a ferry involved too!) to our favourite chill-out spot for a couple of nights to erm...chill-out before the long haul flight home. We stayed at the Hotel Seattle in Brighton, where we've spent many a happy weekend (mostly in the bar hic!) since we discovered it a few years ago. This is one seriously hip and trendy hotel in what has become a seriously hip and trendy town, and we (as you may have guessed) are sadly lacking in the hipness and trendiness departments - and yet we love it and recommend it highly.

It's located on the Boardwalk (actually it pretty much IS the Boardwalk) and so has some great views. Like this, from our balcony...



And I just love watching boats bob in the marina...also from the balcony...



And even when the sky turns dour, it's lovely to watch....



And the sea has such an unreal quality there...



(You can click any of these photos for a better view, but I really recommend that you click the last one, you can almost feel the tide swell when you look out at the ocean, one of my better shots!)

Now, if you ever find yourself in the general vicinity of Brighton, you just have to stay there. And once you're checked in, ask for directions to the 'secret' Black & White bar (it's really well hidden amongst the guest rooms) and once you get there ask for an English Orchard cocktail, sip, sigh and chill.....it's bliss!

Speechless....

Well...almost! I'm so chuffed I've just figured out how to make an animated preview in PSE...cool or what? Yes I have been playing when I shouldn't have been... the upshot of which is some seven packs of papers (yes, that's right, SEVEN!) and I was trying to figure out the easiest way to show them to you. And suddenly it just clicked... y'know a real 'Aha!' moment.

Anyway, enough yammering, here it is....(cue the applause)

Erm, yes...they are all based on the same pattern...but it's such a cute pattern, someone's bound to want 56 variations of it, aren't they? Well, let me know if you do!

And there's still three days to go....

(Edited so that now it shows a full paper from each pack...it's addictive!)

No! Really? Another post already?????

Yep, I must be on a roll or something, cause here I am back again, with a little more evidence that I've been playing instead of doing the million and one other things I should be doing, ho hum, never mind.

So whadya think?




Are these cute or just plain weird? I can't tell you what they remind me of, cause that would make it seem even weirder, but I do love this peek-a-boo pattern. Let me know what you think and if you'd like them.

Only three days left til my birthday...doodly do!

A Room with a View, an Alien, self-propelled bath fittings and lousy service

So, here are some photos my Dad took while we were in Dublin. This first one is a view from the balcony of the hotel where we stayed at in Portmarnock...and the best thing about that hotel was definitely the view!



And here it is at night....



And the rather questionable art above the bed in each room, which reminded me of something from Alien...



And a view of Malahide across the bay from Oscars pub and restaurant, where we stopped for lunch with my sister and her family...



We searched long and hard for the right hotel in Dublin. We wanted somewhere that was both comfortable and a bit special, somewhere that would be a treat for my Mom & Dad since we wanted them to have a bit of a break while we were visiting. We actually chose a brand new hotel, the Ritz Carlton at Powerscourt, and then discovered they were full for one night in the middle of our short stay because of some celebrity wedding. Harumph!

So we found the Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links, which was supposedly 4 star and looked pretty darn good. But pretty much from the moment we arrived, things went badly. And when my parents checked in the next day, it went downhill rapidly thanks to bathroom fixtures that weren't 'fixed' (taps and handles kept falling off the wall!) and a restaurant manager with an attitude the Nazis would have been proud of...

Thankfully my parents had checked out before the final night....when the fire alarm went off and we were left in the pouring freezing rain for over 30 minutes only to discover that the alarm had malfunctioned and the rest of the hotel weren't even aware of it, and...after another half hour searching for anyone who cared we were told to go back to our room and the alarm would be switched off until someone came to fix it. Very reassuring....and what if there happens to be a fire? Oh, that almost never happens, they said unconvincingly.

We met with the customer relations manager the following morning before we checked out who promised a letter of apology to my parents for how appallingingly they'd been treated, and an email to us after they'd investigated the rest of the shambles...neither of which ever arrived. All I can say is, if you ever find yourself looking for accommodation in Ireland...don't ever go here.

Remember these???

Well, because I'm feeling a bit down, I thought I'd share them with you. There are two packs of eight papers, and this is the first, so if you'd like the other pack, just say so. And if you actually use any, send me a link cause I'd love to see it.



You can get them here

Did I mention it's my birthday in like, 4 days? So consider this an early birthday pressie from me to you, and don't say I never give you anything!

Back from the pit...and more photos

I feel like I dropped of the edge of the planet (well it is flat, y'know!) and it's taken me an age to climb back on...but finally here I am. We (that is me and my very much better half) have been ill over Christmas...or more accurately, since we came back from holiday in November, so it's been a pretty miserable festive season...and New Year went off with a rather damp squib. But ho hum, we soldier on.

Thought it was about time I posted some more pics of our trip, so finally here they are. My gran passed away shortly before we travelled, and despite having missed the funeral, I wanted to visit the cemetary while we were in Dublin...but it was a little surreal. It's not a cemetary I ever remember having visited before, but my parents assure me it's changed a lot. It used to be surrounded by fields and roads, now (land being so scarce for development), it's actually inside a housing development. So you drive in through the gates of the development before you get to the gates of the cemetary, and once you're there you're surrounded by apartments overlooking the walls. All I can say, is it's a really weird view to have from your balcony. Anyway, the grave was still piled high with flowers from the funeral, as you can see...



We were only in Dublin for a very short time, but while there my dad took us to the Phoenix Park (where we used to picnic when I was a kid) and we saw a very pretty restored tower...I would have read the details on the placque but they were in Irish, and I've never been that fluent lol!



Right next to it there's a well-manicured hedge maze, which my better half threatened to lose me in ... so I pointed out it was only about two feet high, and he said, 'Yeah, that's about right' and was swiftly kicked...I know I'm short but really!



Next time I'll post some pics my Dad took from the hotel...which if you ever find yourself travelling to Ireland, I can strongly recommend...that you avoid it like the plague!!!!