Checking In

Not really much to report tonight, except that it is great to be back at Tuesday Club! For those that are not familiar, we meet at the Stirlling Street Arts Centre in Bunbury every Tuesaday in the school term. There are classes for everything from teddy bear making to mosiacs to (yep you guessed it! lol) scrapbooking. The kids go to the creche, and we mums get to play for three whole hours every week. It is fab.

Today I actually managed to complete a LO from start to finish. How exciting! Only I am unable to share, as it is for Jenny at RJR. I will just have to wait until they get put up on her blog.

So Let's see I can can find a pic worth sharing . . . back in a sec . . . . .

Here's a NO MORE PHOTOS MUM shot of Henry I took the other day. Just love the look on his face. I was trying to get a good shot to take to Kindy the next day (pert of their book list). I had both kids stuffing around and failing light . . . you know how it goes.

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And here is the one we went with - apologiies for the blown out nature, but I think it is pretty cute none the less.

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And, as my Grandma used to say, "there is no show without punch". So, not to be outdone here is one of Grace mucky post-dinner-pre-bath face LOL.






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That's all for now. I have found a couple of incredibly cute photos in the archives, so I think I might post a "This time last year" pic in my next post. CU Soon

Project Share

I forgot to mention that Jenny at RJR has posted our DT work on the blog, so I can now share. I went with the idea "FULL COLOUR" this month. What do you think?

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We had gorgeous girly ribbons and felt this month. I had a great time experimenting with the felt most of all. I think my favourite technique is using JAK paper to adhere the felt to some thin chipboard and running it through the cuttlebug (Tiny Dancer alphas). Such a great result.

That's all for now. Catch ya!

For Art's Sake

I have been turned on to the world of ATC's. I was one of those people that poo-pooed this art form as a waste of time. "What is it's purpose?" I would say/ "What a waste of time" I would say. But most of all as the puritanical scrapbooker that I am "What;s the point - I mean it's not like you are documenting your family hisotry or anything". I know, I know not very nice.

So what has changed my mind I here you ask? The girls on the Scrappin Bitz group were organising an ATC swap (which I had initially opted out of), but in interest clicked on a couple of the info links that were being passed around. One of which was the blog of one Kelsey O'Mullane. OMG, what an inspiring blog. If you are looking for something to freshen your outlook, and give your eyes a treat, check it out.

I then decided that I would order a couple of supplies from Scraptivate havingg been to the store (before my conversion) and seen all of the ATC paraphenalia. I placed a call to ask a couple of questions and who should answer the call, but Kelsey herself! She was so very helpful and I was totally inspired.

I know now (for me at least) that ATC's are about technique and about creating art for art's sake. And what is wrong with that? And then being able to share your art with like minded souls. It is a very special process.

So here is 1 of 5 . . . my very first ATC.




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And on a side note, here is some gorgeous Prima lace that I also ordered from Scraptivate. Isn't it delicious?



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And on a side note, here is some gorgeous Prima lace that I also ordered from Scraptivate. Isn't it delicious?!

So that's it for tonight. I think I will go and do a little scrapping tonight. Take care

Enough's Enough

I have just confirmed my long held belief that I am in fact the world's worst (or best depending on your take) procastinator! Have you seen the date on my last post? What a disgrace. I am sure if I were to look back on the other posts in this blog, every second one would start with me berating myself for being a total slacko!

So I hereby turn over a new leaf. Even if I feel I have nothing of value to say, I will post a quote (possibly one of the many pearls that pop out of the kids mouths LOL) or SOMETHING. And what is the first rule of Goal Setting? Be specific - no more ambiguty here folks. No more "I will post more regularly" What does that mean? Specifically: I WILL POST AT LEAST THREE TIME A WEEK.

Right, I feel much better now. So on with the news :)

A couple of developments - I am no longer an AVON rep. It has been just over a year now and I am starting to lose my motivation. And thanks to DH for his astounding vote of confidence when I announced this decision to him: "Oh well, it lasted longer than I thought it would". Gee thanks babe! Still love the products, but I am going to find it difficult to pay full price again. LOL. Same thing happened when I gave up hairdressing actually. I still hate paying to get my hair done.

I have also come to the realisation that I am going to have to go back to work. I am still completely confused and hurt as to how this has come about. How can it be? I am going to go on a rant now, but please bear with me. We have a mortgage that is less than $200k, own both of our cars, have no credit card or personal debt, DH is 4 year university trained, almost at the top of his profession (and believe me we do not lead an extavegant lifestyle). . . and yet we are stuggling to come through each and every pay cycle? Oh that's right, DH is a Teacher. If this wasnt our second home (in that we have equity) we would be one paycheck away from homeless. . .

Believe me this is not about careless money management. We budget for bills so that they are expected and covered when they arrive. We do have a few luxuries of course - Internet, foxtel (which I might add was paid in advance by some extra responsibilities that DH took on)

The cost of living here in WA (and I expect elswhere in Australia) is rising it seems by the day. And yet our treasured teachers are hacving to beg the government to give them a payrise that JUST meets the CPI. I bet that those working in the resources sector are not having to ddo this - or the MP's making the decisions for that matter. "We feel like a 12% pay rise so we shall jolly well have one". Don't you think that our MP's should be petitioning us, their employers, next time they want a pay rise?

Well that is my rant, and you know what . . . I'm not sorry :)

Check back soon

Pippa

Time To Share

OK, I know I promised to share the Masters Projects but I have been totally slack and haven't re-photographed them. I will do that as soon as I leave the computer - PROMISE!

But I do have something else to share that I am a bit excited about. This is a chipboard mini album for a 2 Devils class. I have actually made it for my mum for her 5oth birthday (which was actually last week), but mum will get to keep it when the classes have finished. IYKWIM.

I am just so pleased with how this has turned out. If you happen to be in the Bunbury area at 12:30 on the 18th of January (not really likely I know) but I would love to see you!

I have also completed a LO and a canvas for the Kids School Holiday classes. But they needed the finishing touches so I didn't want to photograph them - I NEED A CUTTLEBUG!!! :( Oh well, there is always Mother's Day lol.
That's all for today folks, I will share again soon

Happy New Year . . . . What a Ride!

How was your Christmas and new year? Hopefully a little more relaxed than ours. It was probably one of the busiest we have ever had - and I am including the one where we moved from Sydney to Perth - LOL. In the week leading up to Christmas we had a trip to Perth (2 hours) to do the Christmas Shopping, Grace's Party, Grace's Birthday and A funeral (in Perth). Then Christmas Day a Boxing day Scorcher (40 degrees), and on the Saturday after Christmas yet another trip to Perth for my Mum's Birthday! Yikes - that looks even busier when you type it all out - LOL!


In that time though I actually managed to get some scrapping done (belive it or not!). I actually made a canvas for each of the grandmothers for Christmas presents. I am really happy with how they turned out.

This is the one I made for my mum. The one for my MIL was the same, but the title was "Adore". This was the first time in ages that I was able to scrp just for myself - no DT, no class prototype, just for me. It felt great.

Not that I am able to rest on my laurels though. I have a tonne class work to get through for 2D's and my DT Pack from Jennr at RJR has arrived. Can't wait to get stuck in to that little ripper!


So in other exciting news - I HAVE FINALLY BEEN PUBLISHED!!!! Yes it actually happened. You may remember some months back that I entered into the Scrapbooking Memories Masters, I am not sure if I blogged that I had made it to the top 100, but there you go! The Mag came out on Friday, ant there was a LO from little old me in the Honourable Mentions Gallery! I'm stoked! and thatnks to girls from the Scrppin' Bitz Yahoo Group for pointing it out. I'd have had no idea otherwise. But what that means is that I am finally able to share my masters projects . . . in my next update :) You see I have just gone to upload the photos to share, and realised that they were taken in rather a hurry, so I need to tweak them before they are ready to upload - tomorrow I promise!

Introducing Welly Boot

I'm not sure if I have ever mentioned this before, but Dave's folks have a little (12oo tree lol)Olive Grove Just outside of Donnybrook here in WA. The trees are now three or four years old and we had our second harvest earlier this year. Last year we managed about 22 litres of extra virgin olive oil - which was hardly enough for our personal use! This year we harvested over 200 litres, which has given us a few bottles to sell.

Anyway, long story short, this weekend was our first festival peddling our wares. The outlaws and I made the two hour treck to Manjimup for the Cherry Harmony Festival. We had oil and Dukka (dipping concoction made from nuts, seeds and spices), to sell to the masses. The Dukka in particular seemed to go down a treat - we sold out just after lunch.

My MIL Pat, Me and Ed

The highlight of the day though was meeting "Fast" Ed from Better Homes and Gardens. Firstly we decided he could not possibly be serious using cheap supermarket brand oil for his cooking demos, so I convinced my MIL to give him a bottle of Welly Boot before someone else got in - which I might add, he used for the remainder of the day. So it can't be too bad then. He was also very complimentary about our oil and Dukka. I made a bitl of a gooses of myself though. Ed was tasting the Dukka and asked if I had ever tried Nigella. Thinking of Domestic Goddess Nigella Lawson I said "Of course, I watch her all the time". He politely smiled and said "Oh, not the chef - I mean the spice Nigella - It's black cumin". He then went on to expound upon the delights of this most exotic spice, chivalrously ignoring the rising colour in my cheeks. I'm over it now - almost.ROFL

Another Pic

Here is another pic of my cuties that I took yesterday at nana's. Couldn't help myself. Hope you're not getting bored looking at my kids. Too bad if you are really!ROFL.

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I should have some scrapping stuff to share soon. I am hoping to get some done while the kids are napping today. Fingers crossed.

Photo Share

So you know I can't resist now that the camera is back. Here are the kids enjoying a summertime tradition. Watermelon in the back yard - You didn't expect I would let the messy little b***ers eat it inside now did you?LOL.

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That's it for now. Take care

My Baby's Back

Yes after three excruciatingly long weeks, I have my camera back! And the best news of all is that we only had to pay for the postage. What a relief. So how did I choose to celebrate the return of my precious angel? Why I took a photo of the kids . . . while still in Camera House!LOL! So here it is in it's unedited state (blown out flash and all). And you know what? I don't care, I'm just so happy to have it back.

And the next thing I photographed? Scrapping projects! I'm so predictable.lol. So I can share a sneak peak of the christmas projects I have now completed for Jenny at Really Just Ribbons.

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Peaked your interest? Check back on Jenny's RJR Blog for mine and the other very talented DT Members Christmas Projects.

In other scrapping news, I have two school holiday kids class prototypes to do for 2 Devils, as well as two OTP projects and a LO waiting in the wings for "grown ups" classes too. I seriously can't wait to get started on those. Too fun!

Well, I can't sit around to chat. I need to get a good night's sleep for a full day of house cleaning tomorrow. JOY! (Note the sarcastic tone.lol.)

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I can attest to that, and so with my love affair with my camera rekindled, no doubt I will have more pics to share very soon. Stay Tuned!

Update

I have spent today cleaning the house. Feels good to be more organised, things were a bit out of control for a while, but I think we are back on top now. I always feel like I have "earned" my scrap time when the house is clean and tidy.

Good news on the camera front. It seems that it could be a fault with that particular model so *fingers crossed* NIKON are going to fix it free of charge. What a relief. Part of me is slightly disappointed though as I was thinking we might get a new digital SLR. Oh well, swings and roundabouts I guess.

I have been scrapping like a mad woman this weekend. I did my stitching scraps class at 2D's on friday, and the girls (in the class) wanted something else to do for this week. We quickly put a pack together and I will be teaching again this Friday. While I was there though, Jody threw a few things my way, and we decided to do an altered canvas class in November. I just couldn't wait though, so this is what I came up with

(So in the absence of a camera, the following images have been scanned, flipped, stitched etc. Apologies for the quality, but it is definately better than nothing.)





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I want to add a large page dresser/flourish to the bottom left hand corner that will reach up to the flower, and also a title. But I will have to plead my case with the girls at 2D's.lol

Now, if anyone from the S4L forum is reading this - Yes I cheated!!! I used this for my "Metal Embellishment" challenge too. Hey! There's nothing wrong with multi-tasking. Is there????

Speaking of which we had our own "Cyber Retreat" this weekend at S4L while the girls were at the real retreat in Redland Bay. We had a great time doing the challenges. Here are my other offerings:





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This one feels like it needs more somehow, but I just can't put my finger on it. Any suggestions?





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And this one I absolutely love!
Little Gracie asleep on the office chair watching the Wiggles. The papers are Cosmo Cricket (from Scrappin' Bitz), and even more gorgeous than they appear in the pic.

I have also completed a project for Rochelle at Embellishbits since my last post. Here is a pic, and the kits are on sale now.



So now it is on to my DT project for RJR. I was blown ayay by how much stuff we received! Great Kaiser products and some of the most gorgeous Christmas ribbon I have ever had my hands on. Thanks Jenny!

Well, still a bit of washing to do and then dinner.

Take Care

Fancy a Chuckle?

Here is a clip I found on Emily Falconbriges blog. What a crack up. I was so impressed by Mick's (I mean David Attenborough's) knowledge of all the proper terminoligy. That's Emily's Hubby btw. And what an amazing space. I was overjoyed to see that her scrap area is almost bigger than the kitchen. That's the way it ought to be!



Thanks for letting us into your home Falcos - and for the laugh.

TRAGEDY!!!!!

So I went to my girlfriend Kelly's place on Friday morning to take some pics of their four week old twin baby boys. And would you believe it MY CAMERA IS STUFFED!!!! I tried to call NIKON in Sydney, to seee if it was someting that could be fixed over the phone, but kept getting a voicemail.

I am not hopeful though, as it seems fairly serious. When you look through the viewfinder it is just totally black -as though the lens cap is on, only it's not . . . .

Why do these things always happen on the weekend?

I am totally devestated. Can't shoot, can't upload! UUUuuuuuggghh! My life is over!

Not sure what our next move is here. There is no NIKON service centre here in Bunbury, so we will have to take it to Perth. That could be weeks from now. I am trying not to cry.

So here are some pics from Thursday:

The dogs had their summer clips on Tuesday. That's ^BANJO ^. Always big smiles from him for the camera.And here's ^MOLLY^. I think I caught her pre-woof!lol. Cos she looks like she is about to kiss the camera!

Alright, I am off to mope some more about the camera.

Take care

No Promises!

I'm on a roll, but I can't promise to regularly make two posts in the space of a week. I just had to share my latest project for 2 Devils. This one is for a "next step" or techniques class rather than beginners. SO I have gone for the good old trusty Stitching Scraps technique. A bit wierd ripping up brand new paper for this as it is supposed to be a way to use up your little scraps - but heaps of fun all the same.

Here is a close up of the flower embellishments. I am wrapped with how these turned out. They are just collections chipboard flowers with a coat of MM paint. Then I have used a clear embossing powder to give the glossy finish. The brads are Queen & Co.I rarely use embellishments that are different colours to what is in the PP, but I am really happy with the way the burnt orange looks.

My next project is for Rochelle at Embellishbits. A Christmassy themed one, so stay tuned for some sneak peeks.

And finally - Here is what happens when you turn on the shower and don't undress your two-year-old before taking the three-year-old to the toilet! She had heaps of fun though!

Take Care

Yeah . . . I know

So I'll get all the cliches out of the way first. Where has the time gone? I've just beeen so busy. I kept meaning to update my blog. I can't belive how fast this month has gone, can you belive it has been 38 days since my last post? Have I missed any?lol.

Right, that's done now onto the sharing. I have been a pretty busy little scrapper this month. Fistly I had three kids classes at 2 Devils during the school holidays. It was actually a lot of fun and the kids were great. Here are the projects we did.

A couple of things I have learned from the kids classes:

• Adults should ALWAYS apply glue - children then stick the element in place!
• There is a HUGE difference between a 7 year old's and my opinion of "a little bit of ink"!
• It is a BAD idea to place a bowl of lollies on the table!
• And finally - Kids a really sweet (I received three handmade cards 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 AAaawwww)

Next! Here is a LO I did for Rochelle at Embellishbits using the Buzz & Bloom callouts.

If I am honest I really didn't have any idea of what to do with them at firs, but I remembered that I had a very chatty 21 month old. And so it just seemed to fit that I did a LO of all the words she was saying at the time (80+ by the way - and I am sure she has added about 80 more in the last month).

I have finally got around to joining in the challenges at Scrappin' Bitz again. It seems like an eternity! SO here is my latest offering for the kit cahallenge.

It's a bit of a departure from my usual style, but I seemed to fit the one small photo vs 12x12.

Then of course there is my Really Just Ribbons DT work. What a joy this was. Some fanatastic "not ribbon" stuff came with our goodie this time. Check these out!

The Ribbon (of course) bling, big white flowers and adhhesive tape for these projects were all from Jenny. Oooh what fun!

Now my S4L stuff. Here is my September project. It is a mini-album that I made for Grace I have laminated the pages, so she can actually play with it.

And I have saved the best for last. It was my turn to do the Monthly Scrap Pack for S4L this month. Now, as the Newsletter hasn't come out yet, I can only give a sneak peek. Here it is:

Can't wait to share the rest of the projects. I will have to wait until the beginning of Novemeber though. So looking back at all this work, I think I am going to give myself a break for not blogging as regulalry as I could have . . . . I'm exhausted!

Take Care

Someone is Smiling on Me

I can't believe it is nearly two weeks since my last post! I must be keeping busy. Ain't that the truth?


After Tuesday Club last week, I went into a brand new LSS (only open two weeks) to get some supplies for this week's class. Got chatting to the girls and they offered me a job teaching! I am stoked, I can't think of anything better! So I teach my first class on the 21st of this month. I can't wait! Here is a pic of the LO we will be doing. It is a beginners class, so I have tried to cover a few techniques:


I have borrowed Ruth's Cuttlebug while she is in Tassie (that's why I am doing the Tuesday Club classes). What an incredible little contraption! Those felt letters were done on it. A tip though - they are very fiddly, so I suggest mounting the felt on a thin piece of chippy before running through the Cuttlebug.

I will share the TC LO when it is finished. I have a couple of steps that I am actually going to do in the class. It is a BOY LO though which was fun. I seem to have been doing a lot of girly stuff lately.

So on with the busy story. I applied for a nightfill position at our local Coles Supermarket a couple of months back. Just wanted a bit of fun money and the hours are perfect. Anyway, they called on on Tuesday to arrange an intervew for Thursday. Long story short - I got that position too. It will take a few weeks with the lengthy induction process. Suits me though as I can organise my life! Not sure how I will go with the physical work and late nights, but I am looking forward to the challenge.

I have also been doing some scrapping for RJR and expecting my Monthly Scrap Pack from S4L any minute now. Busy, busy, busy! Just the way I like it.

Forgot to Share . . .

I knew I forgot something! Here is the last LO I did. It is for a beginners class I am teaching on Tuesday. I am pretty happy with it, though I would have adde machine stitching inking and a few more embellishments, but I thought it best to keep it simple. The colours are a little different for me too.

I'm Baaaack!

I started writing this post 8 days ago, so I thought I had better get on with it. I have a couple of things I can share now. Here is the finished product from the class with gorgeous and talented Maxine Hazebroek. Isn't it beautiful?! I can't stop looking at it!

I am so inspred by the use of the cuttlebug in this class that:

A} I am going to buy one! and

B} While I am waiting for finances and delivery, I am going to borrow a friend's for my October Monthly Scrap Pack at Scrapbooking 4 Less. Oooh I can't wait to get my hands on it!


OK, then ther is my stuff from the Really Just Ribbons DT for August (I know, it's a bit late!). But here it is anyway. We got to have a play with Ribbon Stiff. What a great product! I should mention that it also has uses as a paper stiffner (not sure if you can make out the butterflies in the MH mini album, but I used Ribbon Stiff for those too) And for adding body to paper flowers (such as prima)! Very versatile!

Drama Queen Double LO

Peekaboo

Family Frame

Well, that's about it. I will have some Scrapbooking 4 Less stuff I can share really soon.

See ya round!

Bad Blogger . . . BAD!

Yes . . . I know . . . I have been very slack! What is the reason for my long absence? Simply put - Creative Constipation! I know it sounds crass and terrible, but I really have been all blocked up LOL.

I think there have been a few factors. Just dealing with all the day-to-day doldrums of family life - it was getting to me. Washing, cleaning, paying bills and bills and bills. It is hard to feel creative when you have a negative scrapbooking budget!
Maybe the weather too - I love the rain, but with little kids inside all day I think I tend to get "Cabin Fever".

Then there is the feeling of having to get creative. When you have a deadline pushing you and you want to create something you will be proud of. It can be a bit tough. Now don't get me wrong. I am definately not complaining! I love the positions that I hold for S4L & RJR.

So anyway, I have come out the other end (pardon the pun ROFLOL) of rather a dark patch - creatively speaking and am looking forward to a whole new day. I wonder if the sunshine outside has anything to do with it?

Or it could be the fact that I am heading to Perth tomorrow with a couple of my scrap-buddies for a class with Maxine Hazebroek? I think so. I am so excited. Here is a sneak peek of what we will be making. Should mention that I have taken this pic from the Scraptivate site.

Isn't it beautiful. I can't wait!

We have a new challenge set up at S4L. It is a Monthly DT Pack Challenge. Basically you need to buy a DT Pack from the online shop. Do a Layout/OTP project and upload a pic to the album. There will be a public vote, and the winner will receive their next month's pack for free! Click Here for all the details.

I really feel I have my Mojo back and I can't wait to get cracking on a new project.

It's A Kinda Magic

I went to ground this weekend . . . what with the release of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, I just could not tear myself away. I don't consider myself to be a fast reader, but I started reading the book on Saturday morning around 10:00am, and had it finished by 11:00am Monday. I could not put it down. Well, except for my S4L DT class of course! lol.

That was great too. I had a ball. I was teaching the Advent Calendar Class for S4L. The ladies in that group are just awesome, and very talented too. They had some great results. So, of course I can now reveal the finished product. Tah Daaah!


If anyone still wants to make one, I think that Shelley only has one kit left in the online shop. But she may be able to get more in.

Yesterday I also received my Secret Santa Swap gift, and my RJR July DT kit. I am going to be busy!

Grace has just woken up, so I will upload some more pics later (when I have taken them!lol!)