Time For A Change.....

I have been blogging sporadically here on Furry Little Monster for a few years but for some reason I have never been inspired to post regularly as I could never think what to write about. For a while now I've been thinking about my relationship with this blog and I’ve decided it’s time for a change, to me it has always been a purely scrapbooking blog and I’ve felt quite constricted as to what I should publish here, I kinda feel like I’ve grown out of it but I’ve also realized that I do have things I want to share with you all that up until now I haven't.

Over the last couple of months I have quietly been working on something new, on something that reflects me as much as possible and it’s finally time for me to reveal my new creativity and lifestyle blog Life, Love and Other Treasures which is being launched today!

I have a weekly blogging schedule in place and I will be posting at least 3 times a week: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with extra posts some in between some weeks. I have planned posts about a mixture of my everyday life, scrapbooking and things I love, everything from art and films, to thrifting and my collections, but most importantly I will still be talking a lot about scrapbooking. In fact I have a whole range of inspirational posts planned and waiting to be shared, including ways to beat scrappers block, challenges and ideas for saving money by making the most of your stash.

So please come and join me in my new home, you might just like it there!

Secret World 1 - 25

In July we went to an open day at Secret World Wildlife Rescue centre in Somerset with my parents, Paul's mum and our nieces, it was a really nice day out, definitely a good family day trip because the under 10s would just love it. Our nieces were in their very early teens, so maybe not quite so much, but they still showed an interest. It was just nice to have a relaxed day out just wandering around, sharing some lunch and meeting some of the animals.

01. This cute, but massive cat was just lounging around on all the picnic benches.

02. This tortoise was huge, it lived in a gated area open to the public.....

03. .....and it kept trying to escape out of the gate, one of the keepers had to keep hauling it around.  

04. This lady gave a talk about the foxes, sadly they were rather shy....

05. .....until it was dinner time, boy did they stink though!

06. This hare was about the size of our dog!

07. I think these were tortoises too, just a different variety, correct me if I'm wrong.

08. This goose was soooo loud, you could hear it right across the wildlife centre.

09. The ponies were really sweet, they loved all the attention.

10. The ponies were also giving rides to the kids, and my two nieces had a go.

11. Two of the keepers gave a talk about caring for hedgehogs in your garden.

12. I loved the albino one, I wanted to cuddle it, but obviously they're way too spiky for that.

13. It was hard to get a close up of the brown one as there was such a crowd, it was pretty cute as well.

14. Ferrets.

15. Umm, baby seagulls. You want them to be cute, but they're a bit too big for cute I think.

16. Barn owl.

17. Can't-remember-the-species owl, Paul loves owls.

18. We took a big picnic to share between the 7 of us.

19. Paul and I.

20. This dog was so bolshy at begging for food that he would go under the table and pretty much put his head in your lap!

21. More little tortoise type things.

22. Bees. I was very happy they were the other side of glass because normally I am terrified of them!

23. These goats were awesome, the white one looked really cool with it's big horns, but wasn't very friendly.

24. This brown one was a bit too friendly, especially if you had food for it. What made me laugh with this one was we were feeding it big long grass, just like it had on the other side of the fence, yet it was only interested in the grass we were giving it! I think it would have carried on eating all day. I guess the grass is really greener on the other side of the fence. ; )

25. This cockatoo was very noisy, such an attention seeker.

PS: Just in case you were wondering, there aren't any photos of my parents because they don't like their photos being put on the internet and I have to respect their wishes.

Have you been on any fun day trips recently (or not so recently)?

Layout To Share: Posers

Today's layout is based on Shimelle's Sketch Of The Week for 26/1/2011. These American Crafts papers have been sat in my stash for such a long time, which was such a shame because I actually really like them, especially the pink woodgrain and the blue flower-like things. I've already used up most of my American Crafts paper and these were just odd sheets, I didn't really have anything else from any other manufacturers that I though would work, but it finally hit me that they would actually work well together.

Supplies: Cardstock: Bazill, The Paper Company, Papermania. Patterned Paper: American Crafts. Alpha's: Pink Paislee. Die-cutting: Slice: Noteworthy Design Card. Brads: American Crafts. Ink Pads: VersaColor, Impress. Ribbon. Buttons. Staples.

These photos are old-ish ones taken at arms length in the back of a car, they didn't really have a story behind them but I still wanted to scrapbook them, luckily the zebra print in my top matched the black and white zebra paper perfectly! The white and blue ribbons are actually hanging tags from my clothes, I almost always cut them off unless the clothing won't stay on a hanger without them of course.

I've amassed a nice little collection of these awesome brads because Hobbycraft was selling them off a while ago for about £1 a pack, which I was so excited about that I bought a pack in every colour and style I could find. These should definitely keep me going for a while.



Testing

Testing Testing

5 TV Shows I'm Loving Right Now

1. True Blood
I am so happy they're showing series 3 on TV in the UK (a Tuesday night favourite). I was a bit of a latecomer to this show, we don't have all the Sky channels on our TV so I miss most of the shows when they air in the US. Hubby Paul actually bought me series 1 on DVD last Christmas and we watched it together, now we both really love this show. I also have a major thing for Eric Northman, played by Alexander Skarsgard, he is just so gorgeous, tall and well-built, yum!

2. The Inbetweeners
I really didn't want to like this show, I avoided it the entire time it was on TV. Then, about a month ago I was bored and just wanted to watch something on 4OD, so I saw the Inbetweeners, and I thought why not. I watched the first episode and basically laughed my head off, which is pretty unusual for me, normally I find comedy shows amusing, but full on laughter is pretty much unheard of. Where as Paul will laugh at an-y-thing, really! I think the local phrase is "he'll laugh at a cat's arse on fire," although if he saw a cat on fire he definitely would not laugh, he'd help the cat, but never mind.
When I made Paul watch the first episode he found it so funny he was in hysterics!

(couldn't find a trailer)

3. Peep Show
This is a great show, but I must admit I only find it amusing, not laugh out loud funny. Again this is one I missed on normal TV, that I have been catching up on with 4OD (just finished series 2). Paul's been trying to persuade me to watch it for a while and I finally succumbed. Now I think I'm a little bit addicted to it, good thing I've got another five series of it to watch yet.

(couldn't find a trailer)

4. Gok's Clothes Roadshow: Get The Look For Less
The second series started last night on Chanel 4 making Tuesday nights my favourite for TV. I've been a fan of Gok Wan since he first came on TV and I will watch anything he's in. I think he's a great stylist who's budget friendly and really into customising. When I've lost my weight I'd love for him to style me, although I wouldn't want to be on TV particularly.
This series is going to be even better because he's creating outfits for £50, that's definitely more my budget for clothes especially these days.

Source. (couldn't find a trailer)

5. The Body Farm
I read a book last year called The Body Farm by Patricia Cornwell which was a really good read, I don't think there's any connection between the new TV series and the book because the book is set in the US and the TV programme is set in the UK and the characters are different but both are medical crime thrillers and both are brilliant. Another Tuesday night favourite, I just find this one fascinating.

Source. (couldn't find a trailer)

What are your favourite shows?

Gorilla Invasion Now Over

All summer, Bristol has had some very special guests in the form of 61 amazing gorilla sculptures sponsored by local businesses and schools, then decorated by regional artists. This public art display has been arranged in celebration of Bristol Zoo Gardens 175th birthday. Many of us Bristolians have therefore spent the entire summer trying to find and photograph all 61, I am proud to say I have photographed two! Yes, how amazing, I hear you cry! OK so I didn't really try that hard, I photographed the ones I came across, but that's it. To check out all of the gorilla photos taken by the public, have a look here on Flickr.

Apparently the gorillas have just had some maintenance and tomorrow they'll be appearing at the Zoo for the public to view until 28th September at the Goodbye Gorillas event, 20 of the gorillas have also visited London up until yesterday, 22nd September.
On 29 September Bristol Zoo Gardens will auction the gorillas to raise money for gorilla conservation work and for the local Bristol charity Wallace and Gromit's Grand Appeal.







I really want to go and see them all, but I don't think I'll have time, because my day off work is after the 28th, ho hum.
For more info go here.

What's been going on in your hometown this summer?

A - Z Of Me

A. Age: 29
B. Bed size: Double.
C. Chore that you hate: Ironing, I don't buy anything that has to be ironed and don't iron things that should be ironed.
D. Dogs: Love dogs and cats, but cats just win by a little bit cos they're a bit more clever.
E. Essential start to your day: I'm useless before I have a shower.
F. Favorite color: Any bright colour really, but I always say purple.
G. Gold or Silver:  Always silver, or white gold because it looks like silver.
H. Height: 5’5 1/2”
I. Instruments you play: None, I'm terrible. I always wanted to learn the guitar though.
J. Job title: Watch technician.
K. Kids: None. Probably someday.
L. Live: Bristol, England.
M. Mother’s name: Margaret.
N. Nicknames: Sunflower, Little Bear, Sweet Pea among others from hubby, he always seems to come up with new ones.
O. Overnight hospital stays: None sine I was a baby, I was born with a dislocated hip.
P. Pet peeves: Mispronouncing words and bad grammar. I'm a serial corrector. Ironically I can't say my 'th's properly, so 'Thor' sounds like 'Four.' I don't know why, I've just never been able to.
Q. Quote from a movie: I think I have too many favourites, can't think of any specifics other than Jim Carey stuff.
R. Right or left handed: Right.
S. Siblings: Only child.
T. Time you wake up: 7am, 8am or 9am on weekends or days off (I work weekends too). Otherwise I feel like I've wasted the day asleep.
U. Underwear: Shorts style and bras. I can't understand how thongs can possibly be comfortable!
V. Vegetable you hate: Beetroots, love the colour, but they taste rank.
W. What makes you run late:  Other people, I hate being late, it doesn't usually happen.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Hips when I was a kid, every year from what I remember, also my chest more recently.
Y. Yummy food that you make: Healthy paprika chips, other than that I'm not a patient cook.
Z. Zoo animal: Penguins and flamingos are my favourite animals ever, they're awesome.

My Birthday

My 29th birthday on saturday was quiet, but nice. We had some family around for homemade chilli with rice and nachos, with homemade rice pudding for afters (does anyone else call dessert 'afters'?).

After lunch we had an iced sponge cake - with a jam and blue buttercream centre  - made by one of our neighbours, which was lovely and so kind of them to go to all the effort.

In the evening, Paul, our friends and I met up so I could finally watch the last Harry Potter film, it was brilliant, I even cried in a few places, definitely worth the wait. If you haven't already seen it I highly recomend it. We then went for a few drinks at TGI Friday's before heading home.

 

So, over all, a pretty relaxed birthday.

Sunshine And Carousels Are Having A Giveaway

Erin from Sunshine and Carousels blog is having an awesome giveaway of a mustard yellow Holga toy camera, it's beautiful, I so want one. I really want to start collecting toy cameras, but due to lack of funds I won't be able to yet.
Anyway, go and check it out, and comment to win. Deadline September 11th at midnight (US central time).

For more info on toy cameras check out Elsie's Toy Camera Guide and Kaylah's amazing camera collection.

It's My Birthday!

29 today! I'm getting way too close to 30 for my liking (photo taken in the car in case you're wondering).

Shimelle's Hot Pink Hoopla

Shimelle's next challenge is to make a layout inspired by this one. I took inspiration from the colour, I used a 7"x7" square and I took inspiration from the sketch, but flipped it.

This layout's about my mother-in-law, the photo was taken new year's eve 2009.

Shimelle's Bingo Cards And Butterflies

Shimelle's next challenge was to "create something inspired by the video. It can be very similar to the page if you like, or you can take inspiration from any element you like – the colours, the photo placement, any technique – whatever takes your fancy."

I took inspiration from the Bingo card and the butterflies, and worked in a similar warm colour scheme for my layout.

As you've probably gathered by now I'm sticking to a limited selection from my supplies and then trying to use up the scraps on the next layout. 

Shimelle's Go Retro Challenge

The next challenge I completed was Shimelle's Go Retro Challenge:  "For this challenge you have to scrapbook a photo from before 2011. No current pictures allowed. If you can, embrace the idea and scrap something a bit retro or something from your childhood, but I totally understand not everyone has pictures like that at the ready. So anything that is not 2011 will be acceptable!"

By the way, the hearts over the faces of my mum and Grandma are for their privacy, well my mum's. My Grandma passed away a few years ago now, but still.

This photo was taken in Bath while I was at uni, over 7 years ago now, so I think this qualifies as before 2011! I love the colours in these My Mind's Eye papers (Andrea Victoria), gorgeous.

Shimelle's A Stickery Challenge

The next challenge from Shimelle is sticker related: "Create a project using stickers from more than one collection. (The stickers can be the same manufacturer or different manufacturers, but not the same paper collection – make sense?)"

Believe it or not, that's me on the left, yes I had Sid Viscious hair when I was in college.

The stickers I used are American Crafts, some from the Teen range and some from the Buddy range.

Shimelle's Half The Page Challenge

The next challenge that has been set by Shimelle is to:

"Create a layout that only uses half the page. It can be whatever half you would like, but somewhere around half the page space needs to be breathing room!"



Shimelle's 3 Is A Magic Number Challenge

This challenge from Shimelle is all about 3's:

"Create a project (layout, card, etc) that includes a group of three in the embellishment. It can be three kinds of flowers like I used, but that’s not a requirement – you could use three squares, three butterflies, three things that are red, three apples, three hedgehogs… whatever group of three takes your fancy!"

I've used two groups of three, the patterned paper and the Cork embellishments.



Shimelle's From The Heart Challenge

Shimelle's next challenge From The Heart, is to "create a layout with I love… or I heart… as your title." This photo was from my wedding, Ive had it for ages, and I love it but wasn't sure what to do with it, now it is ready to go in my wedding album.

Shimelle's Colour Challenge

Shimelle's Colour Challenge is to create a project in red, white and aqua. This one was fun, although the cardstock I have used is more orange-red than I would have liked, at least the thickers are very red.

Shimelle's Grid It Up Challenge

Shimelle's Grid It Up challenge was to create a project with a grid as a design element.

I'd had these hideous passport photos from last year and being a scrapbooker I couldn't bear not scrapbooking them and this was the perfect challenge for them.

Shimelle's Chop Your Paper Up Challenge

The next challenge from Shimelle (here) is to embellish a layout with patterned paper only, well i couldn't resist a bit of texture on this layout, but I did die-cut the title and use a patterned paper pinwheel that i'd won ages ago, so I think that makes up for it.