Well that was an experience if ever there was one.

When I entered into the whole ‘Cybercrop’ thing I never for a minute expected it to be quite as hectic as it turned out. I thought I would just prep for as many classes as I fancied and take it all as it came lol!! Who was I kidding?

I shopped and prepared for 11 classes in total. Thinking I may get half done and have projects left over to keep me going. I had over 500 photographs printed that I was really pleased with, including some large prints that I really wanted for specific projects.

I had finally got around to messing with Photoshop and worked out how to do the ‘black and white with a bit of colour’ thing, loved the outcome and had some of those printed too.

This one is my favorite.

This little boy is one of thee best things ever to enter my life. He walks on water for me and there will never be enough photographs in the world to do him justice!

My goal for the CC weekend was to scrap a LO of every member of my family, including me. Granted my chosen photo was of my feet haha! But it was still me. Mission was accomplished.

My youngest daughter is such a poser and wears such great colours she seemed to ’star’ in many of the LO’s as she matched the theme and papers.

Maggie’s class was the one earmarked for my eldest son and that worked really well. He is not so easy to photograph and there seem to be less scrapable pics of him around. I was really pleased with the result.

The page I am most please with was made from the mystery kit that I bought beforehand. This took such a lot of thought and time to complete. I cut one of the sheets of paper into CM wide strips and weaved it across one corner of the cardstock. The opposite corner was home to a triangular photograph of my eldest daughter which I had distressed. This photograph was printed numerous times until I got the size right. The embellishments that came with the kit included a two part jewel and silver base. I decided to use each part separately and using alcohol inks and glossy accents made what I thought were rather unusual but great embellishments on their own.

The most time consuming part was making up the circular embossed embellishments. All of these were cut and layered from card and board included in the kit. Layer upon layer of UTEE and distressing to get the end results. I did not want shiny 3D disc’s so the last thing I did was rub each one over with alcohol blending solution and bent them so that the glaze cracked.

I liked the results very much but what makes me giggle now is that this LO has less comments (although did get some votes in the gallery) than others I more or less coped hahahah! Its all about personal choice and I am acutely aware that no one can really know how much of yourself you put into a LO or how long it took you. Photographs never do your work real justice!

This photograph of my daughter was taken in June 2005 when she (and the rest of her Brownie pack) were all dressed up in 60’s fashions to take part in our local Gala Day parade. They all look fabulous!

Other cybercrop success are too many to mention but I really enjoyed so many of the classes and the resulting pages. I also completed a fun Mini book in Tree’s class and decorating a paint can, although I thought very bizarre at first, was great fun too!

More than anything I enjoyed being part of a team and appreciated the chance to get to ‘know’ other members of UKS. So far we have stayed in touch and that’s great. I miss being part of the team as it was the first time I felt like I really belonged on site. Now I am looking out for a place in a house team that suits me.

When I joined in the cybercrop I did not really know what was coming, the extra challenges were a surprise but one I tried to join in with as best I could. I truly thought I was not in it for the points but found myself trying to do as much as I could for the team lol!

I was not aware of the prize giving other than the raffle which I had been given a number for. To sit in the chat room on Sunday evening, exhausted and starved, was a revelation. My party box won the team vote, what a shocker haha! and then to top it all off I became Rumba Krewe Princess *blush* What a lovely surprise and a great way to round off a fantastic weekend.

I have to say I am very fortunate that my husband, Andrew, was home all weekend or very little would have been achieved. Despite him inconveniently having a birthday on the Saturday LOL! where I had to step back for a bit, it was all about the crop. He looked after and fed everyone, much to his credit. He was a STAR!

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