One Wedding and a Scrapbooking Crop!!

Well, Friday was finally Lee's cousin Gareth and his fiancee Katherine's wedding day. It really was a wonderful day - the Bride looked stunning, as did their little boys kitted out in their tiny suits just like their Daddy's. It was a highly emotional affair - not a dry eye was left in the house after Katherine's step dad made his heart felt speech, and Gareth read out a poem he'd written especially for her to celebrate their marriage :)
Lee and I turned out in our Sunday Best (despite it being Friday lol!) and I must say we looked darn spanky - especially Lee in his suit!! I for one certainly enjoyed the bubbly on offer, and in true Nat-style, returned home at 2.30am to be drunkenly horrified that I'd lost my expensive hair ornament. A dribbly and slurred call to the taxi company who dropped us off followed, and the poor harassed-looking cab driver came back and returned me to the Reception where, by some stroke of luck, my hair ornament was sitting on the drive where the taxi stopped, as the building was now locked up. However, further drunken horror ensued when I realised I was bare foot and thought my lovely new shoes were locked inside too!! Thankfully, I found them thrown off in the hallway when I got home!

Barely six hours later, I was up again, with a very sore head and breath that stunk not unlike a Russian vodka distillery, picking up Gems and her sister for the South Wales Crop in Newport! It was a great day as usual, even if I did have to take an hour out for a nap in the car!! And the oh-so clever Gems won a prize in the challenge with her beautiful summer themed layout, clever girly that she is :) Hope it will be on her blog soon for us all to goggle at!

When I was not napping in the car, rehydrating myself with water or spending money in either of the fab crop shops, I spent my time working on this page, A Fit of the Giggles, for my Book Of Me. I used some yummy Crate Papers, Angel Kisses, rikrak, brads, rub-ons by SEI and Tesco (of all places) and a MM Clearly Defined sticker. Of course, not many of my pages are complete without the sewing machine treatment, so I added some stitching this morning to finish it off. Be sure to view it in full size and admire my funky Wombles T-shirt - it would appear that I have always been the lady of style and taste that you all know and love today :)The journaling reads:
I wonder what on earth could have given my 3-year-old-self such a fit of the giggles? Had mummy tickled me? Had Grandpa offered me some Maltesers? Had Nanny sang a silly song? What ever it was discovering these photos has reminded me of the importance of a good giggle! Despite people perceive me as fun and easy going, all too often I take life far too seriously and it doesn't half get me into some emotional pickles!!
So now I hope that I can recapture some of my spirit I see in these pictures! The infectious giggle, the twinkle in my eye and not a care in the world! Note to self: Lighten Up!!

I was pretty shocked when Chrissie asked me if I could teach a class at one of the upcoming South Wales crops!!! Surely I'm not worthy?!! It will be very daunting standing in front of a hall of 40 talented and seasoned scrapbookers and coming up with something that will interest them enough to want to take part, but (possibly being the silly sausage I am) I've agreed to the challenge!

Some other good news I have to share with you is that, on the back of winning the BOB competition, I'm going to be bringing some new blood into the scrapbooking fold and teaching some beginners classes in September. The first class will be based on the "secret" LO I made of my sister a couple of weeks ago when she came over for a day of crafting. Although far less daunting than the thought of teaching at the South Wales Crop (it will be for a maximum of ten beginners, thank goodness) I'm still rather pooping myself over it!! I just hope that I can win them over with my lovely charm (ahem!) and inspire and encourage them enough to take up this art for both themselves and their families :)

So that's the latest from here anyway! Thanks blogeroonies, be back soon with another thrilling installment I'm sure xxxxx