NSD is Coming!

National Scrapbook Day is fast approaching, and the web is filling up with teasers and sneak peeks. Will you be taking part? I'll mostly be hanging out in the Facebook group For the Love of Pretty Paper where we're running our third NSD online crop. I've been involved in the last two, and this one looks set to be bigger and better than ever, with twelve challenges and our first blog hop.

The fun kicks off on Friday at 4pm and runs until Sunday at 2pm (BST), because just one day isn't enough. Hope to see you there ...

Tea at The Ritz

This is the third page from one of my friend's birthday last year and it's a double for Afternoon Tea at the Ritz Hotel. We had a fabulous day out in London and you can see two other pages from the day earlier on my blog (Cheers and In the Sky Garden). 

I used one of my favourite double page sketches (from the now defunct Sketch Support) for my page, one that's really versatile and I have to limit its use. 

On this occasion, I swapped the positions of the title and journalling, and squeezed an extra photo onto the left page. On the right, I turned one of my paper layers into a pocket for the menu and swapped the larger and smaller landscape photos over to help with the layering over the pocket.

Somehow I have managed to run out of cream cardstock, so I used white for the background and chalked the edges to make it a beige/pink colour instead. I based my embellishment on circles and stars to contrast with all the rectangles of paper, and finally found the perfect place for a Shimelle sticker with the wording 'drink tea + eat cake'.

Supplies
Cardstock - Chartwell Studio
Paper - Studio Calico Heyday, Studio Calico Sundrifter
Letters - American Crafts
Circle Stickers - Anita's Glitterations
Doily Sticker - My Mind's Eye
Word Stickers - American Crafts/Shimelle, Crate Paper/Maggie Holmes, My Mind's Eye
Stars/Gems/Flowers - from Stash
Washi Tape - Dovecraft
Chalk - Studio G
Ink/Mist - Docrafts

Tools
Big Shot & X-Cut Ticket Stubs Die

In the Sky Garden

One of my friends celebrated a landmark birthday last year, and our day out in London runs to four scrapbook pages. I made and shared the first one last month, and this is the second, from the Sky Garden at 20 Fenchurch Street, aka the Walkie Talkie.

I picked four photos and worked with uneven quadrants on the page, using two 6x6 papers on the diagonal and filling in the other two corners with smaller pieces. Clouds seems like an appropriate embellishment, so I used all that I had along with hearts, stars and gold word stickers.

The third and fourth pages from the day are coming shortly - a double for the main event, Tea at The Ritz.

Supplies
Paper - Studio Calico Heyday
Letters - American Crafts
Die-Cut Clouds - Studio Calico
Word Stickers - Crate Paper/Maggie Holmes
Enamel Hearts - American Crafts/Shimelle
Gems - ZVA Creative
Ink/Mist - Docrafts

Tools
Fiskars Apron Lace Border Punch

A Hexagons 'Starting Point'

Now that I've practically finished my Norwegian cruise album, I have a small stack of coordinating scraps left over, and I've put some of them to use on a 'starting point' page. These are pages that I start without a photo in mind, and then complete at a later date.

For this one, I pulled out all the scraps from the My Mind's Eye Follow Your Heart pad and used my Big Shot with a small hexagon die to cut as many as I could. A lot of the scraps were 2x6 (where I'd cut a 6x6 paper down to fit a 4x6 pocket) and I could get 4 per piece from them, using both sides for different patterns where both would work. Having arranged them all on the page, I took a quick reference photo and then removed them all so that I could liven up the white cardstock with a liberal spattering of mist. Once it was dry, I settled down to ink all the hexagons and stick them in place. I then added a few pieces of photo strip washi tape and a couple of leftover enamel dots. I've actually taken this page a little further than I normally would for a starting point, but it felt right to do it.

Supplies
Cardstock - Bazzill
Paper - My Mind's Eye Follow Your Heart
Washi Tape - Ebay
Enamel Dots - Echo Park
Ink - Docrafts
Mist - Mister Huey's, Cosmic Shimmer

Tools
Big Shot & X-Cut Hexagon Die

The Last Leg

Nothing to do with the TV programme, these are the last two pages from our Norwegian cruise, covering the two sea days en route back to Southampton. I've been using divided page protectors and 6x6 pads for this album, and I'm down to scraps now, perfect timing though I had to piece together the papers for a few of the pockets.

The front starts with a title card and then a couple of pictures of the signts of the North Sea (ships and oil rigs). The middle row has photos from the final Formal Night and the Baked Alaska parade. The bottom row has some from the crew show and the final pocket has a few stats about the food and drink consumed this cruise.

On the back we start with some journalling, a photo of the helicopter used for a medical evacuation and then the White Cliffs of Dover as we passed. The second row has a photo (cut in two) from when the Cruise Director interviewed the Captain and then the Farewell Show. The final row has the refuelling ship in Southampton, a few stats and a postcard with all the company's ships, to which I added the words 'Where Next?'

So, all finished? No, not quite. I missed part of a page earlier in the album where I became stuck and I now have some ideas of how to finish that one. Also, it's been three and a half years since I started this album so I want to go back, review all the pages and add more embellishment to some of the earlier ones where I started using things part way through.

Supplies
Paper - Pink Paislee Indigo Bleu, Pink Paislee Portfolio, My Mind's Eye Follow Your Heart
Letters/Numbers - American Crafts, Basic Grey, Jenni Bowlin
Chipboard - My Mind's Eye Lost & Found 3
Stickers - Studio Calico
Washi Tape - October Afternoon, American Crafts
Enamel Dots - My Mind's Eye
Pearls - Scrapberry's
Star Gems - Papermania

Tools
Big Shot & X-Cut Ticket Stubs Die
Woodware Scalloped Circle Punch

Getting Up Close

I'm nearly at the end of my Norwegian cruise album now, and I have two pages today from when we sailed through the islands at the mouth of the Nordfjord. Larger ships would have to sail straight out of the fjord, but our ship was small enough to manouvre through the more interesting route. 

I thought this would need one side of the divided page protectors that I am using, but it spread across two. I started on the front with a title pocket, three photos, a map and lots of journalling. The photos are of a tiny island that we passed, the start of sunset and the waterfalls on a larger island.

and continued on the back with five more photos - the islands we passed, Mt Hornelen and the receding coast as we left Norway behind - with even more journalling.

Supplies
Paper - My Mind's Eye Follow Your Heart
Letters - American Crafts, Basic Grey
Label Stickers - 7Gypsies
Die Cut Arrow - Pink Paislee Portfolio
Wood Veneer - Studio Calico
Star Gems - Papermania
Washi Tape - Unknown

On the Bridge

The bridge of a cruise ship is normally out of bounds to passengers, but the Kids' Club tend to get invited to visit. Presumably children aren't considered to be a security risk. I made sure my daughter had a camera and tasked her with taking photos for this page in the scrapbook. 

Four of these are hers, showing different areas of the bridge, the view through the front 'window' and the lifeboats from the bridge wing. I have a photo of the tenders in the last pocket and I've repeated the technique of cropping and matting this photo to separate it slightly from the others as it wasn't taken from the bridge, but from the promenade deck, lower down the ship.

I used a lot of this hexagon patterned paper earlier in the album but almost ran out. I've included the last few pieces here as well as scraps of map vellum from an earlier page.

Supplies
Paper - My Mind's Eye Follow Your Heart, 
Vellum - Websters Pages Hello World
Letters - Freckled Fawn, Basic Grey
Stickers - Studio Calico
Washi Tape - American Crafts, October Afternoon
Wood Veneer - Studio Calico
Enamel Dots - My Mind's Eye, Doodlebug
Star Gems - Papermania
Ink - Ranger

Tools
Big Shot & Little B Arrows Die

Old & New

I'm still in Olden, the last port of call from our 2013 Norwegian cruise, for this page. Olden has two churches - the 'old' one was built in 1759 but has no heating or electricity so, in 1934, the villagers built the 'new' church so that the old one could be preserved in its original state.

We visited both churches so this page has 4x6 photos of the outsides and insides of each. The last pocket has smaller photos of the altar from the old church and the stained glass from the new.

Supplies
Paper - Pink Paislee Indigo Bleu, Pink Paislee Portfolio, My Mind's Eye Lost & Found 3
Letters - Anita's Glitterations
Numbers - KaiserCraft
Enamel Dots - Papermania, Marianne Designs

Olden

Back to my Norwegian cruise album now; Olden was our last port of call, so the end is in sight. I'm sharing three pages in this post and I have a couple more coming up soon.

I've started this page as I've started every new destination - title, map and journalling about the village. This was a tender port (which means we anchored offshore and used the ship's lifeboats (also known as tenders) to go ashore) so I have a photo of one of the boats being lowered to the water. The pocket headed 'Plan B' is about a change of plan for the day. Olden is close to the Briksdal glacier which we had planned to visit via local bus rather than on the vastly overpriced ship's tour. Unfortunately that bus (the only one) was already full when it reached us so we had to re-think our day.

We decided to explore the valley south of Olden, where a waterfall and lake were marked on our map. The second page is taken up with pictures of the walk along the river and then the waterfall. 

We continued along the river above the waterfall as far as Lake Floen, a beautiful glacial lake with perfect reflections of the surrounding scenery. My husband walked right round the lake, but the rest of us returned to Olden along the main road. The buildings in the last pocket were on the road, not by the lake, so I cropped and matted the photo to separate it from the others.

Supplies
Paper - My Mind's Eye Follow Your Heart, MME Lost & Found 3, Pink Paislee Indigo Bleu, Pink Paislee Portfolio
Letters - American Crafts, Basic Grey, Anita's Glitterations
Label Stickers - 7Gypsies
Washi Tape - October Afternoon, American Crafts, Trimcraft, Ebay
Enamel Dots/Stars - American Crafts/Shimelle, My Mind's Eye, Doodlebug, Papermania
Pearls - Scrapberry's
Star Gems - Papermania

Tools
Woodware Scalloped Circle Punch
X-Cut Small Circle Punch

Capital Ring 3 - New Beckenham to West Norwood

The Capital Ring is a 78 mile orbital walk through London's suburbs. I started walking it last year, but then it fell to the sidelines and I'm embarrassed to admit that it's been ten long months since I last walked a section (and I never did blog it; I'll try to remedy that soon). 

The official guide for the walk has 15 sections, but I'm trying to do it in a few less. I did two walks last year and I had reached New Beckenham, roughly the middle of section three.

Just as spring started, I caught three trains back to New Beckenham and paused to get my bearings. The path passes directly under the railway here and I was wondering how best to rejoin it when I spotted a sign:

I set out along Lennard Road (remember that name) and immediate diverted left, and into Cator Park

for the first of today's finger signposts 

and a cheerful robin, who seemed willing to pose for me rather than fly away.

It was a pleasant enough place for a stroll in the sunshine, but the route was clearly an exercise in including as much green space as possible because I walked three sides of a square which put me back on Lennard Road. A little further and I was diverted again, along a fenced path across playing fields

and into another park, the Alexandra Recreation Ground.

It's named after the wife of Edward VII, but the park would appear to be older judging by this water fountain

erected by public subscription in 1877.

Having completed another three-sides-of-a-square, I came back to Lennard Road again, crossed the railway at Penge East, walked along the High Street and past Penge West station.

This brought me to Crystal Palace Park, by far the highlight of the walk. Despite growing up in a neighbouring borough, I'd never visited before and I wanted to make a thorough exploration of the park. The Capital Ring has two alternative routes here, one round the northern perimeter and one through the dinosaur park, but I combined bits of both.

Round the north of the park first, past the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Trophy, which commemorates the officers and men in the Great War,

past the fishing lake, 

and the Concert Bowl.

This brought me to The Terraces, Grade II listed and all that remains of the Crystal Palace, which burnt down in 1936.

The BBC's Crystal Palace transmitter had been in sight since East Penge, but this was the best place to see it in full,

close to the Central Steps, the grand staircase that once lead up to the Palace.

Climbing up them took me to another level of The Terraces, with four red Sphinxes, two each side of the central staircase.

Heading down again, I passed the bust of Joseph Paxton (creator of the Crystal Palace) looking away from the site of his creation

and walked along the Grand Central Walk, between the National Sports Centre and the Athletics Stadium

en route to the infamous Dinosaur Court, with its sculptures of prehistoric animals.

Megaloceros or Irish Elk

Mosasaurus

Megalosaurus

Iguanodons

Plesiosaurs

Ichthyosaurs

Teleosaurs (and another Plesiosaur)

From there I walked across the southern side of the park, past the opposite side of the Athletics Stadium

and out of the gate near the station.

I briefly pondered stopping here (the end of Section 3) but I needed to get a couple more miles under my belt in order to divide the walk into roughly equal parts so I pressed on. A plod through residential streets took me up Belvedere Road, one of the steepest roads I've walked up in a long time; I could see surprisingly far at the top.

There's a blue plaque on number 22, former home of Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, the creator of the Crystal Palace dinosaurs.

Into Westow Park next, where I lost all the height I'd previously gained.

Another Capital Ring signpost showed my start point, 18.5 miles ago, and I realised that I'd done almost a quarter.

From Westow Park, I headed into Upper Norwood Recreation Ground, a small patch of trees and a lot of playing fields,

with another water fountain; this one was presented by S. Tufnell Southgate in 1891.

From there it was back to plodding the streets until my legs gave out and I caught the bus to West Norwood, then three trains home.