Some distressed and altered tags.

These tags have all been cut from cardboard packaging, which is always much too good to throw away! I have distressed them using Tim Holtz inks in some of the new colours, wild honey, broken glass, victorian velvet, crushed sage and rusty hinge. The names alone sound yummy! Then they have been stamped, and some partly embossed with plants, a skull, flourishes, flowers etc. Some of them have been brushed with perfect pearls in interference blue, which has a lovely sheen like oil on water. Some of the motives have been varnished with crackle varnish and /or decorated with stickles. Added some textile flowers, some transparent butterflies, some dragonfly die-cuts. The ones with the skull and cross-bones have been decorated with little skull charms, as in the style of the *memento mori* paintings, which I always love looking at.. Thanks for looking!

Fat Book Pages and *tin* album from Lesley AKA Dragonlady

Yesterday I received these wonderful works of art from Lesley, after they had been in the post for 4 weeks. I know we have had bad weather, but perhaps somebody could explain why an airmail letter in the year 2010 needs 4 weeks to get from England to Germany. Now I know why it is called *snail-mail*. Lesley's pages speak for themselves, they are the most beautiful pages I have ever received. Thank you, Lesley!

A baby album in a satchel for Pia.

Made this little album so that Pia`s Mum can put lots of the new baby photos into it. The *satchel* is made of cardboard, covered with pretty paper from the *Sascha Collection* by Anna Griffin for Prima. The concertina album has been covered with a coordinating paper from the same collection. I punched eyelets it the front part of the bag, and threaded a pink ribbon through so it is done up like a bodice. Added a butterfly gromlet to the top of the flap, sewed a button to the bottom part so that it can be closed quickly by winding the ribbon round it. Used more pink ribbon for the straps, and added a bunny wrist-rattle. Used some foam alphas for the name, and some peel offs for the first page of the concertine album. Was fun making something for a baby (who`s one week old now). This was definately something different for me, neither distressed nor stamped with skulls and crossbones, but sometimes we have to leave our *comfortable* paths....

Distressed valentine mini-book

Aftrer TH had taken leave of us on Saturday, we had a little workshop at Bettypepper with Wendy Morris, a lovely gal from Alabama. She gave us a wonderful selection of papers from Graphics 45 and lots of ephemera and embellishments to go with it. we didn't have enough time to finish it there, but I managed to get it done the past 2 evenings at home, adding a few photos and bits and bobs that I have here in my various *treasure* tins. Was fun making it, distressing the papers, stamping the tags etc. As nobody loves me - big sob, please - I have decided to keep the album myself! Was fun making it, thanks for looking!

Meet & Greet with Tim Holtz by *Bettypepper" Düsseldorf, Feb, 6th 2010

Today was THE BIG DAY. Tim Holtz was in Düsseldorf and visited our Scrapbook Laden *Bettypepper* Well done Betty on getting such a big fish hooked! We had a meet and greet, we each got a copy ot Tim's yummy new book , *A Compendium of Curiosities*, signed by the Master himself, and were able to chat to him, take pics, watch him work etc. It was quite expensive getting into the *Location*, but my best friend B bought me a ticket and enabled me a wonderful day. Took lots of pics, and gave Tim an album I had made, he even said he liked it! Then we had a group pic of the shop team with Tim, and he took some of his own of everyone who was there. His one complaint about Germany was that aren't enough *Starbucks* coffee shops!! But it was a day to remember for me!

Narnia Revisited....

While I was driving past snowy fields, trees and frozen ponds in the past few days I had to think of Narnia, the land where it was always winter and never Christmas. I grew up with the *Chronicles of Narnia*, that cold and magical world where you go through the wardrobe to get to Lantern Waste, part of a frozen world where time seems to stand still. I think I wouldn't have been surprised to have been overtaken by Jadis, the White Witch of the North on her sleigh, with her gang of nasty dwarves - sorry, I know that expressions like that are not politically correct today, so let's say with her troop of vertically challenged, bearded activists - or to see the gentle Mr Tumnus out and about with his shopping basket over his arm. But no, nothing so romantic crossed my path, and I was overtaken just by the usual hell-bent lorry drivers and BMW and Mercedes drivers who believe that they have a right to push you into the ditch when they are in a hurry. Neither did I see Mr and Mrs Badger, nor talking trees and stones. But if there are any Lucys or Peters or Edmunds out there - take courage! Go through that wardrobe, find Aslan, and then Jadis will have to retire to the High North with her winter, and spring will be just around the corner.

Another Family Layout

This shows a picture of my Great Grandmother Rachel, taken in 1920, when she was 50 years old. She was born in Kiew in the Ukraine, but moved to London to give her family a beter chance in life. She was a very resolute lady, who brought her children up with an iron, but loving hand.
For this LO I used coordinating papers from the *Bridgeport* Stack by SEI again. The flourishes have all been cut by hand, the edging paper has been cut into strips to make 2 straight and 2 zig-zag borders. I used the same paper for the matting behid the photo, making a space for some hidden journaling. Used some *Prima* flowers and half pearls for decoration.