Hidden City - The hunt for the Cheshire Cat

"You’re invited on an adventure in search of the Cheshire Cat. Follow the mischievous cat’s curious clues on a journey across the city into the strange, surreal and absurd. Weave through galleries in search of reflection, scour the literary archives for wares of Wonderland word and descend into cellar vaults to paws for drinks. Discover a darker side to the world of Wonderland. And perhaps to yourself, too."



This was my Good Friday adventures with my good friend Tracy who found the trail online and suggested it for a Easter Adventure. We started at the National Portrait gallery where we were given our first of just over a dozen clues. Despite the rain much of the first part of the trail was indoors and the weather just added to the fun if I am honest! 

Here are a few of our pictures from the day.

Totally worth the money and a great way to discover hidden places in London. We may have accidentally betrayed the Cheshire Cat to the Queen of Hearts and killed him along the way, but still a great day out!!

This one is a potential next trail I think https://www.inthehiddencity.com/london/shoreditch-street-art-trail

Book Club 52 13/52 Beware of the Past

Described as a gripping crime thriller with a huge twist this book was indeed that...GRIPPING!

I was enthralled with this book and could not have seen the twists coming and you certainly developed strong opinions of the characters as you read along. I did find it hard in places as the lead detective is haunted by a cold case unable to solve regarding a child murderer who targets boys the same age as my youngest. I had to detach myself from these parts of the book and I know it might put some off reading it but it truly was a captivating tale.

I did switch after this to a couple of lighthearted short stories to balance myself back out again (thanks to kindle unlimited I never feel guilty reading some escapism for free!) and next on my list is a book recommended by a friend who has just started a short book club. Totally not something I would probably chose to read myself but we will see.

Off on my travels >>>> Cardiff here we come!

Off for the weekend to Cardiff with my pal Tracy to the Prosecco and Fizz festival staying with the lovely welsh delegates from the ATDML retreat. Weekend will consist of much fizz and laughter AND i have been promised more than one CASTLE! What is a girl not to love?

Another destination ticked off in the UK that I have never previously visited. Beware, plenty photos to follow next week!!

March Scrapates

Lots of clustering with our travel themed kit for this month's crop. Apologies I meant to share last weekend but was super busy playing with paper :)

These papers are by Crate Paper from their Here and There collection and I can see me doing plenty more pages with this range as I LOVE it and it is so versatile. Lucky for me the map paper (after having bought it for MArch crop kits) was also included in my March MTS kit so another chance to scrap with that background for sure!

Mind the Scrap Cybercrop

Three days of prompts and challenges, 17 in total over the weekend, over 60 participants and a host of inspiration. This was last weekend for me in between a spot (bare minimum!) of housework and a visit with family. I got more done than I expected with the boys rugby cancelled due to the weather (more snow albeit not much but VERY cold!)

I was determined to use up items left over from other projects, plus I had March MTS kit to play with and my ATDML March design team kit as well! Here are a few of the pages I made

Lots of left overs from a ScrapMates class crop, plus stickers from the March MTS kit  (Crate Paper Here and There) and some stamping and doodling (lots of which appeared over the weekend!)

This one was old background paper from ages ago with envelope from old Studio Calico kit I believe houses cut from paper in March MTS kit plus stickers from same kits and off cuts of coordinating card. Inside envelope will hold the recipe when he writes it out as I wanted some of his handwriting remembered too.

This one uses my March DT kit from ATDML which was Cocoa Vanilla latest collections - This one Hello Sunshine I believe with beach themed tags from Little Yellow Bicycle and Bramblefox March subscription perspectives.

Another page using the same Cocoa Vanilla Hello Sunshine on a background of which card which I washed with diluted paints then flicked ink, and stamped and added infusion stains splats to hand drawn circles with more doodles and stamping.

Lots more to share later in the week including more with my ATDML kit.

Book Club 52 12/52 The Pants of Perspective

The Pants Of Perspective: One Woman's 3,000 kilometre running adventure through the wilds of New Zealand

by Anna McNuff

"When I ran, I ran for pleasure. I didn’t run for times, to win, to impress: I ran for me. When I ran my bum cheeks rubbed together, so much so that if I was going on a long run I’d have to ‘lube up’. I maintained that I was not a ‘real’ runner – I just liked to run so that I could eat cake."

Now how could you not want to read this book after that cover, that title and that description? And how could you not want to visit New Zealand after this and explore, well, just about anywhere after this book

It most definitely filled me with a huge sense of wanderlust and I immediately followed Anna on Instagram as soon as I finished the book. Describing herself as "Adventurer, Speaker, Mischief Maker " Anna has also cycled across all the states of America and did anther Canadian adventure early 2018 which I am hoping she writes a book about. 

Something completely different for me to read - not usually one for true stories in the sense that this book is but boy did I enjoy it. 

HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS! 

March ATDML Virtual Crop Day

Go check out the ATDML Blog today for three classes including one from me using fresh summary colours of Echo Park.

Link can be found HERE 

ATDML March Mood Board Challenge

Hello Scrappy friends (and others who read my random rambling anyway!)
It's the third weekend of the month again (swung around quickly if you ask me) which means it is time for the ATDML cybercrop weekend which always kick starts with a challenge. I love this board, the colours and the layout of the board itself and drew my inspiration from both aspects (but mostly the layout)

These are some of my favourite photos  from our New York trip last year. 

Hope you play along with this challenge too. 

Book Club 52 - Week 11/52 Behind her Eyes

A dark page turner with a corker of an ending they said...Oh this one did indeed have the promised twist at the end which you don't really have time to process when another is thrown at you!! Just fabulous and I struggled to put it down.

The synopsis of the book I don't think really does it justice - this is so much more than trying to get behind what is happening in the marriage, I felt the lucid dreaming aspect of the book fascinating.

It’s said that the only people who really know what goes on in a marriage are the couple themselves. But what if even they don’t know the truth?

David and Adele seem like the ideal pair. He’s a successful psychiatrist, she is his picture-perfect wife who adores him. But why is he so controlling? And why is she keeping things hidden?

Louise, David’s new secretary, is intrigued. But as Louise gets closer to each of them, instead of finding answers she uncovers more puzzling questions. The only thing that is crystal clear is that something in this marriage is very, very wrong. 

I was excited to read that this book is in development for television and I for one would tune in for that!

Book Club 52 - Week 10/52 SHELL

I have skipped sharing a couple of the books I have read this year to one of the most recent ones I finished at the end of February. The front cover drew me in as I slowly walked by the book section on my Tesco shop! I then read the back, was intrigued wondering if it would be similar to The Host or less supernatural? Again I find this book is aimed at Young Adults when I read the reviews on line (after I have read the book so there are no spoilers) but I wonder if perhaps it would be a little upsetting for them, could be wrong.

Amazon Synopsis: What if you thought you had died, only to wake up in someone else's body? When Lucy, a teen diagnosed with terminal cancer wakes up cancer-free, it should be a dream come true. But she is faced with a life she didn't choose and trapped in a new body that isn't hers.

Don't be put off but what appears to be a horrid subject matter of a teen dying, this part is over very quickly in the book and very little focus given to the illness. It is more about waking up having had a body transplant and the aftermath of that. The book is written so well and one I have found myself telling several friends they need to read! I think this would make a fantastic film as well and was very easily able to visualise the settings of the home, the clinic and even the school scenes.

Really like this book, great read.

February goals review

I had such a super productive scrapbooking month in February doing over 30 pages thanks to my ATDML design kit being utterly delicious new Kaisercraft papers, a new scrapbooking kit from Mind The Scrap and a month long alphabet challenge with them, plus my own crop pages, a couple of just because pages and mostly I think, due to having sorted out my craft room!!

I have sold off some old unused items and in doing so not only cleared some space but also raised enough funds to buy a second hand Silhouette Cameo die-cutting machine. It is going to get so much use for crop and my own pages of course and I am looking forward to being able to cut some nice 12x12 backgrounds and super-sized titles.

My goals for the month included decluttering which was started in the craft room and also we sorted all of my eldest son's room out too so I was able to make several trips to the Mind charity shop and help them raise funds to support individuals with Mental Health concerns and to raise awareness and help reduce the stigma associated with Mental Illness. There are several charity shops I could chose to receive my pre-loved items but this cause is close to my heart and the volunteers in the shop are so grateful and polite, plus I always get an email from the store manager thanking me for my donation and letting me know the good work they are doing. So win-win, house is less cluttered and I feel I have made a difference.

The first half of the month my making my own lunches for work and reducing my take-outs went well, not so much towards the end of the month but I am sticking with this goal for March too and hoping to improve. I want to make more of an effort to take care of me a little more and I feel like have had a perpetual battle with myself in this regard. I MUST make time and prepare!! 

Come on March then, I am ready for you!