Cat's out of the bag...

... so I can blab!!

For 3 months I have had a big secret... a very exciting secret, that I wasn't allowed to share until the August Edition of For Keeps is out... do you realise just how HARD that is!!

Well it's out... a few of you who know me well will have worked it out for yourselves anyway... but...

I was one of the very lucky winners of the Everyday Moments Competition! I'm a tad bit excited to be able to share with everyone!

Plus I am now hanging for FK to get to WA so I can see who else won!!

I won $1000 of delicious scrap goodies... of which I've not doubled up on on stuff I already had {awesome hey}, plus the LO's in the mag {which I'm yet to see} and the enormous satisfaction that comes with it all! So thank you ForKeeps and Aussie Scrap Source... you made my decade!!

Hiya!!

Long time no blog... tough!! Nah... just haven't done a lot to write about. But this last weekend I scrapped up a storm... did 2 CyberCrops! One at ScrapWitch and one at Scrapping Around {where Karen DT's}. Popped in there and had a lovely time and met so many faces I've known years ago... small world hey!! ScrapWitch was a hoot as always...

Anyway... the layouts!!

This one... had to use ink in 5 different ways. So I have distressed the edges pad to paper, distressed the tag via sponge applicator, stamped with ink, written with ink pen, coloured in in ink. {I didn't take this pic... my friend Julie took it from her back verandah in Esperance... I had to scrap it!}


This one I just did for fun... had to play with these yummy papers! They're in the shop if you want them - the papers, not the LO!


This is my first LO I did for Scrapping Around CC... was a numbers one. 1 PP, 2 Cardstock, 3 photos, 4 words and 5 Embies... I quite like how this one turned out!


This was also for SA... a cute 6x12! What a fun size. Fine... took me hardly any time but you don't know how hard it was to choose the right arrow LOL, but it works and that's all that matters. Thanks Monique... I enjoyed trying something new!! Great way to use up those big offcuts as well!


This was for the Witch... not too sure how I feel about this one, loved the challenge though. It was to use ribbon in 5 different ways, while scraplifting one of the members layouts or technique. So I chose Penny Hackney, I love her freehand style and find it such a challenge! So this is it... I am obviously not the next Penny! Oh btw... congrats Penny on getting this months Scrapbooking Memories FRONT COVER... wooohooo girl!!


Alrighty.. this one, use the phrase "Bloom where you are planted" somewhere, somehow. I soooo had something totally different in mind... but am happy with this, simple but effective I think!


And this one {yep... was a busy girl}, use the song title "because of you" on your layout... and here we go, another simple LO. Oh well... this is what I'm liking doing atm... just can't quite do the full on fill the page ones right now... next stage of the scrap journey I guess!!


So that's the layouts...

Went to see Harry Potter on Saturday... it was awesome! I am soooo enjoying these movies! Will get the books when she finishes the series... no way am I hanging out for months {years} like I did for Stephen Kings Dark Tower Series again!!

Got some more acceptances for FK... been a while since I've been subbing so submitted a couple {about 20... lol} and got some!! So will have layouts in Issue 57 {this month} and Issue 60.

What else... not a lot! Kel is going a bit stir crazy stuck at home on the holidays, loves not being at school... but they're not doing much here. Next holidays I'll have to take time off so at least he and I get out of the house. They did go to Darren's mum's today to help in the garden though, so that's good and Kel loves hanging out at grandma's.

So all's quiet on the home front... that's why I got so many LO's done! No guests, no visitors... just us doing our own thing, as much as I love seeing, doing and going... it's nice to just be at home and do nothing!

So that's all for me... until next time, take care of you!!

I had a great time at the Austism Crop in all aspects... fun, scrapping and luck wise!! I scrapped 3 layouts for the FK Awards for Excellence thingy, I can't show them yet but I think they're good, they're 'me' and that's what matters... one has 3 hours of hand sewn beadwork on it... but it was so worth it!! Had fun chattering and won a real treasure which I will adore for years to come... I was the lucky duck who won the special album. I nearly fell over and I sooooo wanted it {although I guess everyone did}. It's full of stunning layouts done by some very talented ladies and will not only serve to be a gorgeous album when I get pics into it, it will also be a great source of inspiration to further my own scrapping style.

So this weekend, instead of doing all the paperwork for end of year and BAS etc, I decided to scrap, as you do when procrastinating. And then as you do while doing said procrastinating sat here most of the day doing nothing... packed the kits up ready to go out, sorted out my Bazzill racks and worked out what needs to be reordered... moved some paper around in the racks... drooled over all the flowers in the shop... eventually I got my circle journal started for the SnC group and then about 7:00pm finally decided I should do that scrapping after KarenM decided I needed to give her a sketch. Nes told me about the CISters Stylish Sketches, so I found them via KarenB's blog, sent one over to Kazz and then was promptly told I can do it as well... so created this:


It's pretty much just as the sketch as I didn't have a lot of oomphf to be deviating away from it!!

And then I created this... got this one done nice and quick... again the use of sketches helped, this time the ever reliable Becky Fleck came to my rescue...


Now can someone tell me why on earth I do this... use flowers on a boys LO... and then finally get a girl to scrap and use none!? I do it all the time... ok, so I'm weird!!

Last weekend I created the start of my coffee filter circle journal with some of the girls from ScrapWitch... now this was fun!! I can't wait to get it back, should be a quick one as well as the groups are small and we're working on a 2 week turnaround!! So this is my Cover and my pages on what Happiness Is. I've done a LO similar in the past, its one of my fave LO's so I thought I'd adapt it for this little journal.



Other than that... not a heck of a lot happening! Have more yummies for the shop {at least the shop is always a happening thing!!}... am a month ahead of myself for the kits... just have to get the newsletter done and sent... not to mention get the new yummies into the shop!! That would help a tad.
Been very tired all week ... am getting sick of hearing myself say "I'm so tired", it's pathetic to hear it again and again... but I am, and at least I know I'm a sad case!! I should just sleep the weekend away... but I hate to think I'm missing out on something!!

Last night we had dinner at Chelle's {thanks again Chelle}... it was divine! Beef and Pork roast on the weber, lasagne... heaps of veggies... and a bottle of yummo Watershed Unoaked Chardonnay all for me! Darren was driving so for once I could drink... and I did!! But had no hangover this morning... bonus!! Was great to catch up with the girls with the hubbies in tow as well, must do it more often!!

So... tomorrow... paperwork and BAS, it's a must do!! Woohooo... NOT!!

Until next time... take care of you!!

Hi!!

Have had myself a busy week. Our friend Julie and god-daughter Courtney came up from Esperance for a few days, creating glorious turmoil in their wake! We have known Julie for 12 years and she is part of us, part of our family... when they are here our lives just feel that little more complete. Sounds weird but it's true!

They left this morning and I have lots of fun photos... did this LO today of the Kookaburra's at one of our favourite picnic spots. Was sooo cold in the wind but we got a table that was sheltered from the brunt of the wind and had a wonderful 3 hours relaxing!!


So the house feels a little empty... Kellan is exhausted but missing Courtney already... Darren is at a loss as he always is when they leave... I'm glad to have had time to chat with other friends, but miss the comfortable friendship Julie and I have together. Well... there's always Christmas Break!!

Scrapped this one as well today... simple but I like it! Was for one of Jill's Cyber Crop Challenge's @ ScrapWitch, everything had to be in 3's. Kel spends hours re-designing his Bionicles so I had to take some pics of his latest inventions, he was pretty happy about that so set them up in the long grass for 'battle action shots"! The title {white words} were cut with my new Silhouette Craft Cutter... what a COOL toy to have!!What a weekend I missed in my part of the social scrap world though... Cyber Crops at ScrapWitch, Chelle's Scrap'n'Crazy and Scrapping Around {where Tassie Karen DT's}. I pretty much missed them all, just not enough energy to fit them all into one day! Well there's always next time... and hopefully next time they won't all be on the same weekend, or on a weekend when I actually get a social life happening!

Probably just as well I didn't go hell for leather scrapping today... we have the Autism Crop next weekend and I need to conserve they photos I do have!! I have 2 circle journals to get started on and a gift to make... so at least I have projects to start. And the BEST thing {well aside from the crop itself} is that it's on a Saturday... which means I'll have Sunday to use up the rest of the mojo I find while at the crop!!

MaDscraps is going well... never seen products walk out the door like some of the new ones out at the moment, My Little Shoebox and Jenni Bowlin Studios for instance... although I can see why, it's stunning stuff!!

Home front... we're all good. I mean yeah, we're all good... great stuff hey! Hopefully Darren will be right to look for some school hours part-time work soon, or a couple of nights somewhere... the extra $ will be great but part-time will still have him at home for Kellan... and me, it's made all our lives so much easier having someone home and I don't want Darren going back downhill.

So that's about it... a lot a waffle on about not much! Got an exciting few months of ahead of me I think... can feel it in the bones... good things are going to happen!!

Until I rabble on again... take care of you!!

Scrapped this for a friend... we both needed serious mojo so we swapped photos for an opportunity to scrap something different! It worked, had a ball doing this last night. Photoshopped the pics and blurred the background so they focussed on Karen and Michael, had fun with yummy brushes and ended up with this gorgeous dreamy effect! I'm pleased with them! And it's a 12x12 double... haven't done many of these over the last few years... once upon a time everything I did was a double!!


Weekend has been good. Went shopping for clothes for Kel yesterday. He's grown out of everything! Thank goodness for BigW and Best'n'Less... fabulous for casual kids clothes when you have to shop on a budget! All the trousers are too long for him though... unfortunately he seems to be growing out instead of up at the moment! So long as he starts growing upwards from now on though he'll be fine... and then these clothes will last a while!! He does look like a dude though... he wears them well, with attitude!

Moved my scrap room/shop area around yesterday... bookcase is still a mess of albums, mags and not done OTP idea. One day I'll get to that! But everything else is fitting in much better. I love playing in my 'shop', I so love scrap supplies!!

Other than that we're just doing the usual household chores, Darren is great but there are still things that need to be done on the weekends... it's easier doing housework when you both do it I guess. I do enjoy that he cooks through the week and I do the weekends, having to cook everyday started making it a bore... but now its just the weekends I have more time to cook yummy meals, well they're all yummy but I have the time to make more complicated ones if you know what I mean!

We have the Austism Crop Day on the 23rd June... I am really looking forward to this. Haven't scrapped with the girls since the beginning of April! Should be a big turn out as well so I'm looking forward to meeting lots of new people... if I can manage to get over my stupid awkward shyness first!! Now to get my a into g and find take some pics so I have something to scrap!!

Tag Time

The lovely Miss Karen B tagged me...

Three things that scare me:
Same as Karen - Cockroaches, paedophiles, injections.

The daggiest thing in my music collection:
Very likely the 80’s mega mix I have… very daggy… very sad.. but oh so cool!!

My three favourite clothing items:
Jeans, shawl, jammies.

My partner's most annoying habit:
Going on about the conspiracy theories of the world… again and again… and dumping his clothes next to the bed!

What stresses me out:
HTML coding!!

If I could change the world I would:.
Promote tolerance, respect and understanding.

My favourite household chore:
How does favourite & chore go in the one sentence? If I had to choose… making the beds.

If I had fifty bucks to spend at Target I would head for which section:
Crockery... need some nice coffee mugs!!

In my next life I would like to come back as:
Someone wiser to the world than I am… or a pampered cat!

My least favourite celebrity:
I don’t really pay attention to them… unless BB counts and as such EMMA… but would hate to have her be called a celebrity!!

OK... I tag Lisa, Chelle and Linda

Finally finding something that resembles my scrap mojo! This LO is based on a Sketch Challenge that Jill from ScrapWitch set us. I'm trying to let loose and do some freestylin'... not working! This is about as close as I think I can go! But it's growing on me... blue isn't a colour I use a lot either, so had to throw some red in there!!


This I had fun doing... spent hours trying to get it right and then it just fell into place while I was on the phone with a friend, probably because I wasn't thinking and analysing, was just 'doing'! This one is about Jacqui's little boy Jack and the 2 Red Truck conversations he and I had all weekend! He's such a cutey and it was great fun to be lost in a 2yo's world again. It's only a 8x8 double because I thought that would be fun to do for my Melbourne photos.

Scenic Route and I are getting along quite fine now, I love it's simple designs and bold colours... and I finally got my hands on this scalloped edged Creative Imaginations paper. At $3.95 a sheet I now know why everyone uses bits of it instead of the whole sheet... but isn't it wonderful!!

Melbourne was... in a nutshell... GREAT! I had the best time and got to meet lots of gorgeous people! I'm not in a very descriptive chatty mood atm so will ramble about it all later... but in the meantime here's some piccies!!

This is Jacqui, Me, Kerryn and Sam! Sam, thanks so much for welcoming me into your home, you made me feel right at home... I don't usually walk in and take over the kitchen as I did... honest!!



This is little Jack, out the back of Sam's house... now is he not the cutest looking little cool dude!!


This is Andy... he is gorgeous... look at those eyes, they've come up a bit greener in the pic here as I had to lighten the rest of it, but he's got big hunky green eyes IRL... this one's going to be a lady killer when he grows up for sure! Hugs cutey... Auny Mi-la will see you again one day!


OK... maybe boring for some... but through the haze of a migraine I spotted this olive tree in the street with olives on it... thought it was one of the most beautiful things!


And this is me being really bored on the way home taking pics of the sky, wing and clouds... like I said - I was bored!! Taken somewhere over the Great Aussie Bight.

Been a bit quiet of late... mainly because life has been insanely busy. Work has me run of my feet {well fingers moreso, feet don't go far!} and then Darren decided to organise a life for us on the weekends and we're never home, or if we are we're entertaining... which is all good!! 'Cept the work bit, that sucks!

But I'm off to Melbourne on Wednesday! Yayyyy!! A mini break is soooo what I need. Then I get home Saturday... get the newsletter and all the new yummies {have HEAPS of new yummies sitting here atm} ready for the 1st and then go back to work on Thursday.

I played at the ScrapWitch Cyber Crop on the weekend, although wasn't there much as we were 'entertaining' all weekend! Managed to get a whole one LO done!
Also Alli Paterson asked me to do a LO for the book they are putting together for the Autism Early Intervention Centre Fundraiser... OMG, I honestly nearly fell over and was soooo flattered! So I have created this for it. I hope the winner enjoys it... it was so hard scrapping for some-one I don't know!!


I made this as a gift for Jac for Mothers Day, her partner isn't exactly the most thoughtful of men and I knew she'd be disappointed, so I wanted to send her something to let her know some-one was thinking of her, as she does everyone else. These are her 2 boys - aren't they the most gorgeous kids!!


These ones are more of the SW Alpha Challenge LO's.

Y - so I've used Yellow Ink, Yellow Tones, Yellow Floral, Pics of Yellow flowers and "Yellow" in the Title.


G - Green Tones, Gem, Glitter, Great Photo {LOL}, G Words for Title


This one is A - so I've done Arrows, Aqua, Title with and "A" word, oh and Darren reckons the orange colour could be called "agrum"... hmmm jury's still out on that one!!


I just have to do "C" now and I'm up to date!!

So that's my scrapping... I keep thinking I don't do many LO's anymore but last month I counted 14 I'd done! I think that's pretty good for some-one who hasn't done a lot of scrapping of late!! I have the recipe swap LO's to be done before I go to Melbourne on Wednesday... and am obviously procrastinating as I'm writing on my blog!! But am going to hand deliver them to Jill when I meet her! We're meeting up at SamJ's house and I'm going to meet Kerryn as well... can't wait to meet all these fabulous women!!

So I think that's about all from me... will share all about Melbourne when I get back, until then... take care of you!

LO's and Rabbling...

OK... some LO's to share... just so's this page isn't so boring to look at!!

Did this at the SnC Cyber Crop last weekend. This one is based on a sketch especially done for SnC by the ever so talented Becky Fleck I changed the feel of the sketch as I do... but the placement of elements is the same.


This also from SnC CC - a progressive LO hosted by Lisa, I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out!


And this is the last one I managed to complete for the SnC - a LO based on M. Yep sorry me again, but we had to use a photo of ourselves... I'm sicking of seeing myself as well!!


This one I did today when my friends Nes and Peta from ScrapWitch came over to my house to scrap! Was a great day... I feel as comfy with them IRL as I do online!
This one of Darren I was hesitant to do... Darren has had a rough year, fighting a breakdown & depression caused by stresses at work. He's still fighting it by himself as he is hypersensitive to the medications available... but since giving up work to be a SAHD, the Darren I knew is coming back. But he loved this LO and is glad I have done it for him. I guess it's good to show to future generations that life isn't always perfect... hopefully it will help others down the track with coping when it's not.


And this simple one... took over 3 hours to do because I was too busy talking! I have fun with the simple ones. This is Kel and his cousin Jess, definately a Digi Duo these two!!


It has been a busy weekend this one. Went to Chelle's for drinks on Friday night and had a lot of laughs as we all do. Although I couldn't do much drinking, I was so lucky as to have to work on Saturday, so didn't want to be hungover... but at least it solved the how to get home issue!! I was surprised with a b'day gift... which I honestly had forgotten all about! Was so exciting! I got one of those oh so cute AMM Mini Tote's... way cool. It was filled with what must be the whole Q&Co Kissy Fit Range of embies... so yummy!! Guess I have some LO's that need doing... oooh but I have the perfect papers coming soon that will match ever so well!!

So then Saturday I worked until 2:00, came home with a boomer of a headache most likely because I actually had to use my brain there for once, knocked myself out with my "best friend Mersyndol" {yeah giggle girls... I know exactly the ones who will be!!} and went to bed early.

But today it was gone most of the day and as I mentioned earlier I scrapped with Nes and Peta all day, relaxed and had fun. They are such tidy scrappers... like no mess anywhere! How do people scrap so neatly!?! I thought I was tidy... but even I end up with paint from one end of the table to the other... not to mention what happens when let loose with glue!

Soooo... work tomorrow. I'm getting towards wits end, hoping it calms down before I have to admit defeat to the GM. It's just getting sooo busy on a permanent basis... oh well, maybe this week.

Alrighty... that's all for now. Darren keeps talking at me and I can't concentrate on this or him when he does that! Poor boy, lucky for him he still wins out...