BOOK REVIEW - KISS OF THE ROSE

Kiss of the Rose by Kate Pearce

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


WOW WOW WOW! First off let me tell you I was drawn in far before cracking this book. Any author that can smash together two of my fave reading preferences is an A++ in my books!



I couldn't put this book down! I loved that there was reference made of Tudor history but that the non fiction aspect didn't dominate the book. I loved how the paranormal story was weaved into the history! Kate Pearce was extremely creative with storyline, and captured the true nature to King Henry VIII and the angst that Queen Katherine, while making me swoon over the hot chemistry between Rosalind and Christopher. I have to tell you I love the best friend Rhys and can't wait to read more about him!



I have immediately dived into the sequel Blood of the Rose (Anne Boleyn is my absolute fave Queen), and I am already completely captivated!







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Some Scrappy Fun and a CHALLENGE FOR YOU!!

Hi ya readers! :)  So I am battling another cold or whatever it is going to evolve into!  I had been nursing my youngest this past weekend so it was inevitable!  Started with a sour tummy .. but I took some meds and went to bed early last night .. wasn't up pukey so it worked!  Will rest as best as I can today, push the fluids and see if I can nip this in the bud!  WINK!

So I had a fabo Saturday with my scrappy friends at the Box.  Love the laughs and giggles, got to go out to lunch with one of my besties, and just bask in the estrogen fever!  LMAO

I did manage to create a couple of LOs ... which is amazing for me as I had lost my scrapbook mojo (damn art journalling .. lol) and I have tons of scrap stash and pics begging to be toyed with.  I indeed TOYED! :)

So the first LO was the one that was featured yesturday!  And the other LO was one I had done with some OLD STASH!  Remember Scenic Route Sumner?  Here is a pic to remind you .. it was a few years ago that it was released!

Here is the LO I created with it! :)  Thank you Tojo for the die cut flowers .. they were perfect for this LO!

On another note .. I was a DT Feature on the Hello Cutie Challenge Blog the weekend before last!  I did a mini interview, and shared my all time FAVE LO EVER! :)  Have a read here!  Here is a pic of that LO!

You can read all about my fellow DT team member CASS there too!

While trying to decide which LO I wanted to share as my Fave .. I had the chance to go back into my blog and see older posts and the work I use to create!  It really inspired me to go back to my multi layered roots!  I wanted to post a few of my other faves!  Then perhaps ... post a challenge for YOU!

This was a LO that I had made for a white space challenge!  I had NOT USED ANY PP .. only white cardstock and of course the embellies!  Doesn't hurt that the pic is kinda sweet too!  LOL

This was my first attempt at an ATC .. I creates a pocket so I could insert a journal card!

Recent project ... a series of Picture Frames for my parents mantle.  Went a little Prima crazy here! :)

This LO won me my BAD GIRL KITS swarovski crystal apron .. but the bigger prize .... I DID NIP THAT GROSS HABIT!!!!  Over 6 months and counting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  WOOT WOOT!

If memory serves correct this was a lift from Heidi Swapp ... I think .. been years!  My hunky hubby and a few words that make me think of him! :)

I am not a journaller .. and it is something I really need to work on!  This was a LO that I went crazy on the journalling .. maybe because it there was such a wonderful story to tell!  This is my boy Cody when he was a baby! :)

A LO of my beautiful girls and I!  I have to remember and go back and do another quote with the bigillion mini letter stickers I own!  LOL

I love that tree .. I had flocked it and stickled it ... Xacto knifed the PP ... I just remember this being really fun to make!

OMG .... I chuckled putting this LO together!  I love that it is a pictureless LO (as is my ciggy one)!  Sometimes it's just fun to play with your stash!!!!  :)

This LO went from A to B while I laughed my arse off!  The products were just so young and playful .. so the Lo went in that direction as well!  A whole lot of crazy going on here! :)

So a little self indulging there .. but hey IT'S MY BLOG .. and I'LL INDULGE IF I WANT TOO!  BAHAHAHAH!

THE CHALLENGE!  SCRAPLIFT ME!!!!!!!  Have a look at the LO's I have posted and lift one of them!  That easy!  I will RAK EVERYONE WHO PLAYS!  If you know me .. my RAKs ... WELL WORTH IT!  WINK!  I will give this till next Sunday night .. meaning have your LO completed by midnight on Sunday night (all times work .. will not be getting to this till Monday morning)!

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HELLO CUTIE CHALLENGE #2

Hello Cutie Challenge blog Challenge #2  is live! :)  The challenge was to find some kind of inspiration in a photo and do your interpretation of it be it an element of the pic .. the colours .. the layout of it!  :)

So here is the pic

and here is my interpretation ...

THE BUTTERFLIES  .... they jumped right out at me!  I chose an old sheet of PP and went nutso cutting all the flowers and leaves out!  I then took the new Maya Road butterfly chipboard pieces and inked then .. layered them and stickled them!  The smaller butterflies are Jenni Bowlin Stickers that I inked and folded and stickled as well!

Have a look and see what my fellow team members made! :)  Turns out the butterflies jumped out at most of the as well!  LOVE IT!  It gave me the idea though to give this challenge another go and see how different I can make it ... I think that'll be fun :)

THE DUE DATE IS 02 APR .. so bang those crafties out .. and let's see what ya got! :)

MMMMMMMWWWWWAAAAAA!

Just me and my girls

Just a few pics of me and my girls taken this past weekend!  We had such a GREAT WEEKEND!  OuT for lunch at Jack Astors, and then went and say RANGO at the theatres!  Great movie!

Thanks for looking!

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HELLO CUTIE CHALLENGE BLOG - WE HAVE LIFT OFF!

BIG NEWS!

A couple weeks ago I was contacted from a friend of mine I knew from my Bad Girls days.  Miss "OH SNAP" Lizzie Oakley (AKA ... OAKLES ... LMAO).  Seems Miss L was starting up a challenge blog and had asked me to be a DT member.  I was honoured and accepted happily!

The blog is called HELLO CUTIE CHALLENGES and will feature TWO AWESOME CHALLENGES A MONTH that will be available on the FIRST and THIRD SUNDAY of the month.  Fancy that .... today is the first Sunday of March ... LOL  WINK!

 So REVEAL/PREMIERE Day consisted of a COLOUR CHALLENGE (one of my faves) and I decided to make a mini for the occasion.

I must admit I was a little thrown off by brown in here as I tend to gravitate towards a soft black when I work with brighter colours.  So that in itself was a challenge!

I have had these CUTE pics of my Angelina graduating from senior kindergarten for a while now, and thought these would be the perfect pics to use for this colour palette.

TITLE PAGE

Do you know those white inserts you get when you buy a new album, well I decided to use them up and make my own mini out of them!  I took a KI lace PP as a mask and had me fun with some LIME GREEN and ELECTRIC BLUE Glimmer Mist.  I then snagged a wack of enbellies and papers that matched the colour combos and went to town.

PAGE 1

I used some gesso on left side to white out a place to journal on.  I love the way my dear friend Katie journals on her pages and I lifted that idea for this mini .. I just may do this more often! :)

PAGE 2

I loved watching Angie sign her dilpoma.  It really struck me that day that she had reached a huge milestone in her life ... hard letting go of my baby!

PAGE 3

I found some old Daisy D cardstock stickers in my stash, and as part of this "use my stash" promise to myself, I thought they went perfectly here.  I found some K & Company chipboard stickers that I have been hoarding as well .. time to use them up too!  LOL

PAGE 4

This was such a sweet moment between dad and little girl.  John couldn't make her graduation due to work, but came home with Angelina's first ever bouquet of flowers.  Another big girl moment!  Nothing melts your heart more than seeing a big strong daddy melt at the sight of his little girl ... SIGH!

BACK

This is the back of the album.  I wanted to show a close up of the glimmer misting without all the added pics, papers and embellishments.  I wish that the shimmer was so apparent here as it is IRL! 

So there it is ... HERE is the link to the challenge and all the delicious work my fellow DT members did as well.  The challenge is due 26 MAR 11 by midnight .. details are on the challenge blog!

Oh and as an added bonus .. I am offering my own giveaway here to .. leave me a comment and I will randomly select one winner of a little stash of colour combo related goodies! :)  Will leave this open for a couple of days! :)

MMMMMMWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!