sweet sixteen

This is a very moody and grainy photo of Elaine and I aged 16. She included it in a BIA book she made for my birthday. I was going to write about how life seemed very straight forward for me at that age. My brother had got married the year before following leaving college to become a teacher. Here I was just about to start my A level and go on to be a teacher ( training at the same college). I expected I would leave college and get married, I expected to live the sort of life my parents and the rest of my family lead. I didn't expect it to happen the next day but I just presumed it would all happen.
However much I could at that point, imagine Elaine and I still being friends and creating a design business that included us both, I don't think I could imagine being as old as I am now, and probably as old as my parents are in the picture ( I have edited them out).
Just as I logged on to blogger to add this post, my son came upstairs and popped into my office to see what I was up to, it came as shock to realise he is just months away from being the age I was here. Having teenage children didn't come into my imagined life either, I guess I always wanted children but who sets out in life to have teenagers?
Having said that I have a son I am very proud of and if anything he is the grown up in our relationship. I do have trouble accepting how responsible he is, but if I think how I was in this picture, on this holiday I guess he is grown up now.

I guess in the long term we are best not knowing what the future has in store for us but if only we knew some of it.

Like many people since I took up scrapbooking I want to re run my life and get some photos for the scrapbooks, but perhaps it is just as well!! Oh and Elaine not many more photos to go now, Did I tell you I have bought a slide scanner so I may have a new stock soon!

old passions

Those who have known me any length of time will know one of my early passions was volleyball. I see this sport as the ulitmate sport for all, we play indoors in the winter and outdoors in the summer, all ages and sexes can play on the same court if the competition isn't too serious.

I began playing on caravan rallies in the early 70's and went on to play at college and after when I first started teaching. I qualified as a referre in 1976 and subsequently reffed matched up to divison one, and lined or scored at over 40 international matches.

I kept playing in various forms until we opened our first shop, At that point I was 42 and playing against people half my age, that said more about the team I played in than me, my husband still plays this glorious game and last night I turned out to watch their first game of the season. As chairman of this newly formed club, I thought I should turn out in case I was needed to score etc.

I did my usual diplomacy bit greeting the away team and liasing with the refs, until the game started when I found myself on the bench shouting out advice!! hopefully I didn't upset our young stars too much. It was an untidy game but our team won and we went to the pub to "bond". more matches to come this season and I am not sure what my role will be but it has awaken my old feeling for this marvellous game which gave me a social life for years and found me my husband....another long story

Here is a picture of me from them old days taken in 1975. Elaine and I are on the front row far right. We were playing for Nottinghamshire in a final against North Lancs. The guy immediately behind us is called Paul. He lives in Essex but Elaine and I bump into him most spring bank holidays at the same event. We came second by the way, which I think was the way of things for many years.

whoopse!!!

Papercraft Essentials hit the news stand yesterday, with a free stamping supplement....and there I am on page 16!

the story behind this whole page is quite a long one, so here are a few edited highlights. I after struggling to decide if to do Christmas or something more general, I went with floral frames as they are very versatile, only to discover very late the booklet had a Christmas theme and had re submit on a very short time frame. I had to send the advertising copy three times not change to the words just a bit more on the image side,

I got two proofs back weeks later with only a day or so to return and I looked at the new layouts and thought great.

Imagine how sick I felt when I proudly showed Martin the project in print for him to tell the advert has the wrong website address!!!

So if you know anyone trying to find us at apollo-studio.....PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD the items can be bought at http://www.apollo-office.co.uk/

For those of you interested in the technical details I created the co ordinating papers using glimmer mists, in olive green and hollyberry red. You could use two paper from a Christmas collection or you could paint your parcels.

Who am I?

I ask this question in the vain hope of starting some sort of debate.
In the world of craft how easy is it to draw a line between the crafters and the suppliers, Especially those people in the front line of craft.
On Holiday I will visit craft shops everywhere and always find some thing I want to buy, because I when not at work I craft...among other things. At shows I always seem to buy, and judging by the people who come to our stand so do other exhibitors. Many Crafters also sell a few cards or spilt supplies with friends.

Since I finished working a shop I have spent more time looking at and joining in on the forums. They are now my main contact with the crafters out there. I enjoy being able to pass on the help and advice we gave freely in the shop to people on line. In doing so am I advertising? well probably just a bit, but it is not noticeable in how much money we take. I probably spend far too much of my time surfing the forums and posting replies, which would give a better return concentrating on the huge list of jobs I have, but I like the contact, to know what people are thinking about which are the best shows to attend and what the food is like when we get there.

At shows I have a number of friends who have helped get through the day, helped unload the van and set up, done a bit of demoing whilst I go the loo or have a drink. Not for money just to support a friend and be involved in a hobby we all love. Are they to be considered part of a shop??

should I only post cards I have made with other peoples stamps?
When you have made a card with a new stamp or new technique to do you want to show others what you have done? I certainly do, and when I have had the idea for the stamp, drawn it, electronically "cleaned" that image, finally got Andy to make it the right size to emboss and not loose definition, do I want to shout and show people, do I feel some sense of pride? you bet I do!
So should I be embarassed to say this what I do on a forum, or just asking forum friends to look what I made?
On this blog I tell you about what we products we have coming out, can you imagine how much work goes in get new stamps or other products to the market, how long it takes from idea to saying here it is because we are selling it is it wrong to shout about what we have achieved? I was talking to someone who sells products on one of the TV channels last month and they said it took 12 months to get a recent product ready to take to TV so it not just me.
This week I have had to spend my evenings designing (making) boxes and other packaging.
So am I a Crafter?? or just a shop? am I shop at all? is the blog a shop?

Your comments PLEASE!!

Craft Shows this weekend

We are going to be at Artstamps Wales this Saturday at Wrexham. we have also decided at late notice to support the Show in Hull at KC stadium. If you need details of the hull show they are here

The show is open from 10am till 4pm
Free parking ,disabled friendly
And refreshments available£4 adults £3 conn
Many stands from all over the country
Make and takes plus Workshops
And a free prize draw for a goodie bag worth over £50

Hope to see and speak to as many people there as possible

Lynnda

My Holiday

A few of you will know I was planning to get away with the family and some friends over the Bank Holiday, I had a couple of days out the week before and I got home on the Tuesday afternoon all peaceful and relaxed ready to start packing in ernest to be greeted by Martin saying the holiday was cancelled and could I get hold our friends who were already camping in teh Lake District to let them know.
A quick chat with Martin and we realised that we should invite our friend sto come to our house instead. We duely rang Elaine and her family and told them the news and made the offer and gave them time to think about it.
So there I was Wednesday morning instead of having two days to sort out and pack teh caravan, I had two days to sort out the house and clear a space in the graden for their caravan. Now I keep telling people how bad the house is at the moment and they all smile but I am not sure they realise how much it has been at the bottom of my list
So here I was no excuses it had to be done and it had to be done now! everyone pitched in and we got there or at least we got done what we needed to do.
We had a great few days together and I got a good start to catching up with the house. But now I have to get back down to some work!
Ben is back to school tomorrow and I have promised myself a day in the office sat in my chair crossing jobs off. Then we have to get packed to go to Wrexham on Saturday to the Artstamps show
If you are going to be there please say hello

Christmas!!!

I have been back to thinking about Christmas, someone asked me on Monday how I could think about Christmas designs at this time, I made the usual jokes about about putting carols on and breaking out the mince pies. I didn't even try to explain that actually I felt like I had done Christmas and busy trying to get my head round Mothers Day. I think I am just going to have to tell myself there are two events that share the same name, Christmas for designing and making samples and a Christmas to enjoy with the family. This is when we get our main break from work.
Like most women I am going through the usual guilt of school holidays, do I get on on with works so much to do, despite clearing the decks, a few unexpected opportunities have come my way. Do I catch up with Housework, (highly unlikely). Do I spend quality time with my son (15) or do I just rest?? I usually mange to all these things in some part but not enough to feel I have done some thing useful. I guess this year is worse than ever because my timetable is so flexible. So now I have to decide what to do and when.

We have booked some shows for the Autumn so that is going to be hectic. Wrexham and Alexandra Palace to kick off September.

Well off now to play at doing housework and then of to the warehouse to look in boxes for some things I can no longer locate. Maybe I can make some cards later.

Lynnda