scrap doctor

Love Day Giveaway

2012-02-14T11:46:00.001+11:00

So I promised you all some celebrations when I did my 500th post on here (quite a little while ago now.... sorry about that!) but with moving house and Munchy starting school for the first time and me changing jobs it's been a little hectic around here to say the least.

But Valentines Day seemed like a great time to share the love... so here it is... my Love Day Giveaway :-) This package full of romantic, frilly, flowery, glittery goodness could be making it's way to you just by leaving a comment on this post.

It contains:
- Prima leaves
- 2 x Kaisercraft Mini Paper Blooms
- pink glitter
- Kaisercraft Rhinestone flower
- quality red rubber unmounted angel stamp
- Sam and Lucy pink bling borders
- Maya Road chipboard alphas
- Kaisercraft Tiny alpha stickers
- lots of lace
- yards of thick pink ribbon

Don't you think it would be perfect for embellishing some Valentines Day layouts or cards?

So here's what to do:
Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win. Yes, it's open internationally! I'll draw a winner this time next week.
Leave a second comment if you're a follower of my blog. That'll give you a second chance to win!
If you post about this giveaway on your blog, Facebook or Twitter you'll get a third chance to win.

My love to you all
:-)

How Wonderful Life Is

2012-02-12T21:47:00.000+11:00

Don't you just love it when scrappy mistakes become creative opportunities that turn out even better than the idea you had in the first place? And how a new favourite layout is born in the process? Well... let me introduce you to my next page.....

So I started off strong.
I had this wonderful photo of my nephew with his piercing blue eyes and baby-smooth skin. And I had a rather wonderful new Studio Calico kit in my hands. Plus... even better than that.... I had an IDEA!!

Taking my cue from the Silhouette title I had cut I thought it would be cool to have some kind of image of the world filling a large area of my layout. And I foolishly thought I could get away with drawing/painting my own version as a way of unleashing the inner artist within me. I was wrong.... very wrong!

I kept adding to it, and 'improving' it, then painting over it (notice how warped the background paper is?) until I could take it no more. So I went to bed. And in the morning it came to me! That fabulous October Afternoon map paper I had been hoarding! Why hadn't I thought of it earlier?!!

I measured it out and cut little gaps into it so I could fit it around the embellishments I had already stuck into place (stupidly) and then doubly stitched it in so no one could accidentally reveal the 'artistic' mess it hides! Ta Da!!!

And that's how my new favourite layout was created :-)

Tickle my fancy

2012-02-08T21:16:00.000+11:00

Have I mentioned once or twice (or a thousand) times before how much I love Pinterest? So much inspiration to be found :-)

Like this amazing feather tutorial for example. I could NOT WAIT to make my own feathers thanks to this! And here's my first attempt....

Yes, maybe a little time consuming, but totally worth it I reckon! I gave this card out for a wedding... (are feathers wedding material? hhhhmmmmm..... not sure.... but I did it anyway) I did add glitter so I think that counts for something surely?

I got the most amazing scrappy new today... will share as soon as I can ;-) But that's why I'm in the mood for celebrations and congratulations!

Feeling Hot

2012-02-07T20:49:00.000+11:00

One of my favourite daily challenges at Scrapz.biz is the 'Fetch a Sketch' challenge. As you can guess, it's where the challenge is to build a page from a sketch..... which is nothing new right? But I think why it's so good for me is because if I'm completely honest... I find sketches really difficult!

Yes, I'm on the Design Team for one of the biggest sketch blogs going! Yes I've Guested for sketch challenges on fabulous sites like Two Peas in a Bucket and Pencil Lines! But YES... I usually find it hard to accomplish :-) But I'm constantly trying to improve my skills so getting stuck into not only building a page from a sketch, but designing the sketch in the first place is something I know will push me to my limits.

People often ask how do you go about doing it? Do you design the sketch and then create your page, or do you "cheat" and make a page first then base your sketch off that? For me the answer is 'both'! I actually design in a bit of a circle. What I mean is I start off drawing a quick rough sketch, then I create my page, then I formalise the sketch using my page to fill in the details.

As you can see I've managed to fit in lots of layers and embellishments and bright fun colours into this layout. Perfect for the summery beach theme don't you think? And more importantly for me - I've managed to also fit in a heap of journaling.

Now this particular sketch challenge that I designed finished at the end of last month, but at Scrapz.biz we've got a new challenge up every weekday, and Thursdays are the day for sketches if you're interested. But in the meantime we've got lots more inspiration, and this week it's my turn to host the 'Scrap a Rainbow' challenge, so maybe I'll see you over there?

Supplies:

Bazzill Zest	Echo Park Victoria Gardens Sunshine	October Afternoon Boarding Pass Venice	Cosmo Cricket Clementine Ada
Cosmo Cricket Clementine Ivy	Cosmo Cricket Salt Air Fish Tails	Cosmo Cricket Salt Air Elements	Chipboard Thickers Typo Mustard
October Afternoon Sidewalks Miscellany	Prima Say it in Crystals silver	Cosmo Cricket Salt Air Buttons	Studio Calico Brown-Grey Rubon Clouds
Crafters Workshop Punchinella	Studio Calico MIster Huey Lunch Tray

InLinkz.com

Baby's Got Blue Eyes

2012-02-05T15:40:00.001+11:00

Another share from my scrappy closets today...... this one was made a couple of months back when the Hambly call was on. 'Bout time it made it to the light of day I thought ;-)

Some of my favourite techniques can be found here. A combination of handwriting, Silhouette-cut and traditional alpha stickers for my title. Lots of messy stitching, and splashes of paint and mist. And a must for me... some meaningful journaling.

I almost got too truthful and vulnerable here in fact. It talks about how Moodles is lucky she still has these bright big blue eyes, because at least it gives strangers something to compliment her on after they've finished heaping praise on her sister for her beautiful curly hair.

Because I sometimes just glance this moment of disappointment on people's face when they say "oh, she's got such STRAIGHT hair" as though it's almost an insult! I certainly don't want her to feel like she's less special than her sister, or that she's not as attractive because we know that'll never be the case.

In fact, it annoys me that there has to be a comparison at all. Both of my girls are unique in their appearance and their personality. And they're both beautiful beyond measure.

My Day Job

2012-02-02T17:42:00.000+11:00

I did warn you hey? More kid art happening here!

This page was particularly relevant to share with you today. Today our world changes here in the Elphinstone household! This little Munchkin started her first day of school!! There were no tears here. It was all excitement and possibilities. I think this page captures some of her current ~~innocence~~ inquisitive nature.

Munchy is all about asking me how how my day was at work. And how many 'mummies did I help to have babies today' and 'what did they call them?' (and 'that's a ridiculous name!') She wants to know details too.... and I mean graphic details! She has a toy doctor kit and a doll and she asked me if I could show her how to 'cut a baby out of a mummy's tummy' as she handed me her plastic scalpel!

Which is probably why she knew just what to do when she came across this model pregnant abdomen when she visited me at work. And why she's able to draw pictures like this for me (that's me helping a lady have a baby in case you couldn't tell!)

And funny story.... when she went off to school today The Man said to her "well if you turn out to be a doctor like your Mummy then you'll be at school for the next 25 years" and she looked at him with incredulation on her face "25 years??? That's pretty much forever!"

Close Your Eyes and I'll Kiss You

2012-01-29T22:24:00.001+11:00

So I just found an unshared layout that I made a few months ago. Time to let it loose on the world I think :-)

Just a mish-mash of scraps and left overs from my last Kreatorville Kit. Don't you just love the mixture of bright cheerful colours against the kraft and gold? It was perfect for this beach shot of us on our winter holidays.

I've done up a little tutorial for the double emobossing technique I used for the gold roses (above) which I may or may not share ...... still deciding! But you know I do love a bit of texture on my layouts so this was a pretty neat trick.

And I reverted back to my trusty vintage typewriter for the journaling which I haven't done in a while. I guess I've been getting lazy and just scribbling all over my layouts with my own handwriting lately. Not that I think that's a bad thing... it's like another piece of me that will be captured for future generations. But I do love the typed text too.

And there's that Cosmo Cricket splash that I've used a few times since. Hey... when something works then there's no reason why you can't keep repeating it on more pages! See my other pages here and here.... I don't think they look overly similar despite their shared elements. Do you have a go-to technique lately?

It's a wonderful world..

2012-01-26T20:27:00.000+11:00

Moodles has well and truly entered that "why" stage. Although with her it's actually a "what's that" stage. She stares with wonderment and she points and reaches and asks in her squeaky high-pitched voice "whatsdat?" about a hundred times a day!

And as far as new and exciting places to explore is concerned, there's no better place than my parent's farm. It's full of discoveries... even simple things like this walnut tree that she's entranced by in the photos.

When I edited these photos I wanted to capture that feeling of excitement and fantasy so I added all the sparkles. Which then gave me the idea for the title ('cos I was feeling rather stuck by the time I got around to needing one at the end). That's something I tend to struggle with a lot - trying to think of inventive titles. Does anyone else get like that?

On my layout I tried to extend that same sparkly effect by sprinkling some glittery punched vellum shapes across it. I really like the end result - lots of embellishment and texture without heaps of bulk.

And I ended up adding the entire packet of Jillibean Soup label stickers because I liked the effect (and to be honest, I couldn't think of what else I might use them for since I'm most definitely NOT doing Project Life!! *LOL*)

I'm in the process of moving house again this coming week, so forgive me if it gets a little quiet around here won't you?

Soar Like Eagles

2012-01-22T16:08:00.000+11:00

I'm sorry - but the way I'm going lately, you're going to be seeing a lot of my kids art on my scrapbook pages. I like that it's preserving another aspect of our everyday lives, and I kinda see each page now as a collaborative effort.

I'm only using pictures they drew independently. I'm not going to direct them to draw something so I can include it on a layout, that's not the point. So when I found this drawing that Munchy had stencilled the words "They will soar on wings like eagles" on I knew it would be perfect to include on a page.

I'm still getting lots of inspiration from the Pretty Little Studio sketches, and this week's was no exception.

I turned Munchy's journaling into part of my title and I augmented it slightly by adding the colours with waterpaints.

I wanted to highlight the contrast between what the future holds for these kids (one day they will soar on wings like eagles) whilst savouring the childish things they do now. And this succession of silly photos did the trick nicely!

Supplies: Using up some Sassafras papers, and those cute felt clouds are from my friend Aga's ScrAp this! shop.

Maybe you had to be there

2012-01-19T19:35:00.000+11:00

I can't believe I caught this moment on camera. It doesn't look like much does it (and trust me, it wasn't)?! But this moment has recently entered our family folk-lore.

That's my brother on the left, talking to The Man on the right. We were at my cousin's wedding and the weather was just perfect for stepping outside onto the balcony for some refreshments and chit-chat whilst watching the sunset.

Now look, I don't know how the conversation came about or even how it evolved. I believe they were discussing novel solutions to the rabbit population that is plaguing our family farm. All I know is that by the end of it The Man was deeply curious to know what it would take to raise and breed goats. Goats? Huh!! That was the solution they came up with!! I believe that's a concept similar to 'lets swallow a spider to catch the fly'.......

And I wouldn't have thought too much of it if it was just a once-off conversation. But this was something that they discussed on numerous occasions over the next month. It even reached the point where The Man received a book on "Getting the Best from your Goat" for Christmas. Now this is getting ridiculous!

Possibly one day long in the future (when we may or may not be overrun with goats) I'll look back at these photos as capturing a moment in time that changed our lives forever. But my goodness..... I hope not!

One Little Word

2012-01-17T20:46:00.001+11:00

Have you played along at Once Upon a Sketch before? Because this is a new year, filled with new and exciting challenges, and more and more fabulous prizes.

And we couldn't have picked a more fitting challenge for January. The journaling criteria is to write about something you're looking forward to in 2012. Goals or resolutions? Achievements? New beginnings? Fresh adventures? Alternatively you're free to write about why you're glad 2011 is over.

And don't forget to combine it with this lovely sketch designed by my friend Nadia Cannizzo.

I took this opportunity to scrap a page about my One Little Word for 2012. My word "Embrace" is all about making the most of the opportunities that are coming my way this year. I took my journaling almost word for word from this blog post. That made it real easy :-)

And because my journaling ran long I ended up finishing it off on my photo.. which I quite like the look of actually! Happy mistakes!

And I dug into my stash of Imaginarium Designs chipboard for all these fabulous embellishments and titles. Lots of paint and glitter (some of my favourite things) to finish it off. I'm loving these dark and vibrant colours which is a bit of a change for me... but I'm rolling with it....

Supplies used:

Bazzill Cardstock Beetle Black	Crate Paper Random Modern	Crate Paper Random Pattern	Basic Grey Wander Turbulance
Crate Paper Random Accent Cuts	Crate Paper Random Alphabet Stickers	Crate Paper Neighbourhood eclectic buttons	Crate Paper Neighbourhood trims
Crafters Workshop Punchinella	Imaginarium Designs window with lattice	Imaginarium Designs capital letters	Imaginarium Designs numbers

InLinkz.com

Now what about those prizes I was talking about? For a start, you could win your own ginormous stash of chipboard from these wonderful people....

And then there's two whole paper collections from Feature Art..

Whilst the winner will recieve 60 days access to the classes at Miss Art's Papercrafting School. How exciting is that?! I see one of my fellow Aussies has a class coming up soon.. so you don't want to miss out of your chance at that!

Check out all the details about how to play along at Once Upon a Sketch.

It's 5 o'clock in the morning

2012-01-15T13:08:00.000+11:00

It's not really, but man I can't get that song out of my head now! Catchy isn't it?

Anyway.......
I've been playing with the Pretty Little Studio sketch again this week. It was so inspiring (even if I did end up taking in a slightly different direction). Check it out....

So instead of the long banners, I substituted it for four envelopes instead, including one just for journaling. And blocked them into a grid instead of along the page 'cos they just wouldn't fit that way!

And digging into my stash of older Studio Calico kits I managed to include more than 5 pieces of patterned paper (which just so happens to be one of the de-stashing challenges at Scrapz.biz Biggest Loser competition that's currently running!) so I'm feeling lighter already :-)

My kids would live at the park 24hours a day if I let them I reckon. I mean, look at the pure joy on Moodles face in this picture! And given we only live a short walk away from two of them we don't have much of an excuse not to walk there often.

They might be in for a bit of a playground withdrawal when we move next month. Not sure where the closest one is yet, or how often we'll get there since Munchy will be beginning school.

I haven't forgotten about my 500th celebration don't worry. It's coming!

Year in Review album... part two

2012-01-14T13:25:00.000+11:00

Guess what?
Yesterday's post marked the momentous occasion of 500 published posts on my blog! Whooooot! Celebrations will follow, I assure you.

But meanwhile I'll just keep the ball rolling with the rest of my Year in Review Album that I began sharing.

What I wanted to show you here was that all those Sassafras month labels are actually only stuck down on one side. There's plenty more journaling space on the back of them. Not because I wanted to keep it hidden.... I was just searching for more space!

And see all those handwritten titles? I cheated there I did! My handwriting isn't that lovely, so I used my Heidi Swapp stamps as a guide before painting and doodling over the top of them. It gives the appearance of my own writing because it's more freestyle than a perfectly stamped image. I love it.

This October spread was one of my favourites. I love this photo for a start, and the colours are just so bright and fun... perfect to capture this Spring moment.

Another thing this album brought to mind was how I didn't personally make it into any of these photos. I was much more conscious of that in 2011 and made sure to stand in front of the lens from time to time.

Because it's a bit of a shame really, and an easy trap to fall into. We're often too busy clicking the camera, than to smile and say cheese ourselves. And to have a Year in Review Album without a single appearance is a bit sad isn't it. Must make more effort!

And so now the question I'm asking myself is: should I hurry up and make a 2011 album while I'm on a roll? Or maybe I should make a 2012 album that just becomes a work in progress. (I do have my first Smash album on it's way to me as I speak!)

I've got some ideas about probably doing a bit of both of those. I am feeling very mini-excited right now!! So probably Watch This Space :-)

Year in Review Album..part one

2012-01-13T12:03:00.002+11:00

No this isn't a time warp. Yes you are reading that right.
We are in the year 2012........ and that is my 2010 year in review album that I've just finished :-)

Ummm..... so I'm a little behind ok!
But better late than never right?

At the start of last year I devised a very informal plan of making this album, and went searching back through my photos to find a suitable one from every month. I've had them printed out and ready to go for about the whole 12 months now.

Probably that's the problem with informal plans... they get overlooked for more 'important' projects.

But after recently finishing my December Daily that I started in 2010, I figured I might as well keep going with my unfinished projects from that year, and got all inspired to put this to paper.

By keeping the layout basics the same for every page this actually turned out to be a relatively quick project.

I turned to my trusty Sassafras stash, cutting papers from various collections - but all bright and colourful and fun. I added lots of paper whimsies, numbers and stickers, and swiped some gesso madly around.

Some of my photos captured important milestones in our year, whilst others were just everyday events. But they tell the story don't they? They define who we are and what we were doing at that moment in time.

Similarly with my journaling, I didn't necessarily always describe the events that happened (becuase let's be honest.... I couldn't remember them all!), but I went back through some of my blog posts from each month and tried to document some general themes that were happening.

That raised an important point for me though. If I can't remember all the events that happened even a year on, I really need to keep more up to date with this kind of thing. Not in a way that causes pressure or stress, but just in a 'lets be more conscious of this' way.

More coming!

As Long as We're Together

2012-01-11T14:02:00.000+11:00

Following on from my previous attempt to get more of my 2011 monthly family portraits scrapped, I managed to get my November photo down on paper.

I'm not really scrapping these in chronological order.... I gave up on that ages ago. I'm just scrapping what inspires me next. I thought the subtle pinks and reds in the photo was a nice contrast to the almost monotone blue/green layout I made.

This page was a combination of my Studio Calico Field Guide kit, plus some older Studio Calico shop items like all those Anthology journalling cards which made up my background. The Sassafras month card was something I was trying to keep consistent on my pages so when they're all done and albumed it will look a little more cohesive. (Yes, I think 'albumed' should be a word)

Have I mentioned I'm currently having a love affair with my gesso? The chalky white paint is making it's way onto all my layouts lately....... you may have noticed!

Now I haven't really been journaling the things we did each month, more about my thoughts and emotions. Because the November photo is taken outside our house here in the country (where I've been placed for the last 5 months) I journalled about our feelings on moving here, and what it's meant for us to uproot for this period.

I noticed that this page is a little flatter than my usual, so I wanted to leave you with a sneak of an upcoming layout that packs a bit more of punch in the dimension department. Looks a little Valentinesy doesn't it? Hint, hint! It's getting published soon, so I'll be able to share the whole layout after that.

I challenge you.....

2012-01-09T22:22:00.003+11:00

Firstly.. I invite you to lose some weight ....... from your stash!

It's the start of a new year which is a perfect time to make renewed commitments and new scrappy vows. But if you're anything like me you're probably lucky to be able to see your desk after all the Christmas craziness.
Come and join us at Scrapz.biz as we walk you through a variety of challenges to get you to organise your stash, toss your unwanted stash and use up the stash you've been hoarding. Tonnes of fun and PRIZES along the way!

But once you've done that then you might want to check out the fabulous sketch challenge with a great journaling prompt thrown in which is up at Once Upon a Sketch.

If you combine this sketch with your ideas about what the New Year means to you then you'll be in the running to win some fantastic prizes that just might include....

stamps from here:

paper collections from here:

and chipboard from here:

Wooo hooo!! So what are you waiting for?

Are you ready for this?

2012-01-08T16:59:00.000+11:00

I just recently came across Pretty Little Studio, have you heard of them before? Their logo states "Fresh Vintage, Whimsical Fun" which I think just sums up my style to a tee, so you can see why I was instantly smitten with their lovely product lines.

And whilst browsing through their blog I came across the most inspiring sketch challenge and I knew I would have to play along!

I simply rotated the sketch 90 degrees CCW and filled up the long column with my journaling instead of adding it at the top. Because you know me..... I had a lot to say :-)

I've decided that one of my scrappy goals for this year is to include more memorabilia on my pages, especially things like this - homemade cards, cute little drawings, notes of love. I'm often finding things like this around the house, or they're delivered into my hands because Munchy has a real passion for drawing and writing right now.

She's real keen to practice her letters and numbers, and can write her own name and a few simple words without prompting. And she's also getting more imaginiative with her creative drawing too. This cute little drawing is of me and The Man - as you can see we're made out of hearts. This drawing prompted this layout actually, as it made me realise I need to treasure these little pearls of love.

And what I journalled about was not only her writing and drawing abilities but how these are going to stand her in good stead now she's about to start school in a couple of weeks. Because it doesn't seem like it's a question of whether she's ready, I think it's more a question of whether I'm ready?!

Supplies Used:

Pink Paislee Office Lingo Cubicle	October Afternoon Sidewalks Marbles	Pink Paislee Nantucket Crab Cakes	Pink Paislee Nantucket Jumbo Shrimp
Jenni Bowlin Alpha Stickers Black Dot	October Afternoon Sidewalks Miscellany	Studio Calico Brown-Grey Rubon Clouds	Crafters Workshop Punchinella

InLinkz.com

Oh Snap

2012-01-07T10:44:00.000+11:00

Hello one very cute camera stamp!
This came from my Studio Calico Glee Club kit and I thought it deserved a project solely devoted to it :-)

Well that...... and I'm trying to boost my card stash at the moment. After a spate of celebrations late last year, and of course Christmas/New Year my ready supply of homemade cards isn't so ready. I'm trying to remedy that :-)

One thing I'm realising recently is that card-making doesn't have to be a separate and distinct entity to scrapbooking. Surely my go-to techniques, my tried-and-true embellishment choices, and my (recognisable?) style should apply to cards just the same as layouts.

But another thing I love about cards is that it gives you the opportunity to try out designs that work much better on the smaller scale. For the first time I've just realised the potential of my 6x6" paper pads! (And my somewhat neglected stamp draw) However, on the other hand - it's also a great opportunity to use up left over scraps and miscellaneous embellishments.

You can expect to see a lot more cards coming out of my craft room in 2012 I think!

What a Crazy Bunch

2012-01-06T12:27:00.000+11:00

I'm trying real hard to finish a bunch of pages for my 2011 family album. With good intentions of getting a family portrait taken every month I failed on a few occasions, and when that happened I checked back through all the photos I had taken that month and tried to find something that had at least most of us in it.

Unfortunately for the month of August it seems we barely took any photos at all, and this crazy selfie of The Man with Munchy and Moodles was the best I could get. Slim pickings as you can see!!

So with a crazy photo to scrap, the layout definitely called out for some crazy scrapping. Layers and layers of paper and packaging. Lots of gesso and paint splatters, and about half a packet of brads (all from my Handmade Studio Calico kit and add-on).

I think I am falling in love with this messy style of scrapping for the time-being. Watch for more pages like this coming your way!

Plus I've still got more family portraits to scrap from 2011. I better get going on them hey?

Embrace

2012-01-03T21:38:00.000+11:00

I'm excited about this year! Excited by the possibilities. Excited by the opportunities that haven't even been discovered yet. Excited by life!

Looking ahead I already know I'm going to face some challenges. After all, this year will see me moving house (again), changing jobs (twice), Munchy starting school (for the first time), preparing for exams (eeek!) and more I'm sure.

But I'm a glass-half-full kind of girl! I prefer to look at these things as opportunities rather than obstacles. I'll face them with arms wide open. That's why I'm going to make my One Little Word for 2012........"Embrace".........

What's yours?

Like a Weed

2012-01-01T15:45:00.000+11:00

I'm beginning to wonder if it was insensitive of me to title this layout "Growing Like a Weed" when it's about my beautiful Moodles? *LOL* I know it's an accepted saying, but weeds just have an implication of something uninvited and unwanted don't they?

But these photos just begged for a title such as this! I guess that's why I went on and added my subtitle "blossoming like a flower". That seemed to shift the balance a bit.

With the New Year it's time to look back over the past 12 months and reminisce. And being on holidays has allowed me to finish off another mini-album that's like a year in review that I'll be sharing soon. So I've been flicking through old photographs and gaining another sudden realisation of how quickly my little baby is growing up.

Another clarity also hits at this time of year. One which comes with some excitement (and a little guilt) ...... I've got a LOT of scrap supplies!!! In an effort to put more of a dent in my stash, I'm devising a little twist on my normal scrapping style. It's called layers! Why only have one layer of paper when you can have two? Why have white space when you can fill it with old embellishments? Hheee hee!

We shall see where this takes us................
What new scrapping resolutions are you making this year?

My Top 10 for 2011

2011-12-31T07:30:00.000+11:00

I find these type of posts interesting don't you? Looking back over the past year to see what you've created, to see how your art has evolved, to pick out common themes or techniques and to give evidence to help define what is "your style". Not to mention just to remember the events and the stories that have shaped your journey over the past year.

So these are the layouts I picked out for my Top 10

I started the year continuing to design for Handmade by Suzanne. Suzanne was aware of my style and preferred manufacturers and always gave me great "kits" to work with. On occasion she would throw in the odd challenge for me (like my attempts with Websters!) but it's always good to expand your horizons isn't it? "Surround Yourself" is one of my favourites from my time with HBS - a simple page by my normal standards but I love this celebration of two of my best friends.

One of my most favourite collections this year would have to be Starters from Sassafras - I almost went into grieving when they announced they were no longer going to operate as scrapbook manufacturers. This layout combines lots of fun techniques with some cute photos of my Moodles at the park - how could it not be included?

Out of my short-lived stint designing for Kreatorville Kraft I chose this page as my favourite. It features pretty much every single one of my go-to techniques: lots of paint, mist and ink; messy stitching; a long pretty title; clouds and sunbeams; and some Hipstamatic photos of my kids.

One of my personal scrapping challenges this year was to complete a layout of a family portrait taken every month. I was slack enough that I haven't even managed to take a family portrait every month, and I certainly haven't yet scrapped all the ones I do have..... it's a work in progress. But my "April Family Photo" cracks me up every time :-)

In June we took our first family holiday with the four of us to sunny Queensland. Of course I managed to take about a million photos of our exciting adventures and fun memories.... but there's nothing quite like coming home again is there?

In August I changed job location to a rural hospital which has allowed me to spend much more time with patients getting to know them and their stories which I think is fabulous. But it also means that when something goes wrong it tends to affect all of us so much more deeply. I made "Beauty For Ashes" to commemorate one ladies journey which had a heartbreaking ending. This is real life.

In October I began a new Design Team with Scrapz.biz. We've got daily challenges and an active forum which means I'm continually pushing myself to create in new ways as I set sketch challenges, colour combinations, journaling criteria, and blind crops among other things. "Scooter Love" was based on a sketch I drew but it still manages to incorporate all my recognisable elements.

As if I didn't have enough supplies already, I've kept my subscription to Studio Calico kits and am tempted to buy from their shop every month without fail. So in an effort to whittle down my stash a bit I managed to use pretty much a whole packet of their journaling tags on "Best in Show" - I adore these vintage colours :-)

December saw me resigning my position at From Screen 2 Scrap, not because of any problem, but just because after nearly two years it felt like it was time to move on. "Blessed Are The Curious" was one of my favourites I designed using all the criteria. Thanks Shazza for a wonderful time!

And in 10th position comes "Moo Shoe" - a funny layout about my gorgeous girl and her quirky habits. I just love to document the little details of life that might otherwise get forgotten in the future.

And there we have it. My Top 10 for 2011.
If you have a link to your own favourites I'd love to come by and see :-)
Happy New Year!!!

December Daily ...... part 2

2011-12-29T17:56:00.000+11:00

Hold on tight, here's the next instalment of my exciting adventure into a December Daily!

As you can see, for each day I printed out one normal size photo (6x4") and one photo collage. I think this is a great way of getting lots of photos into your album without overcrowding it.

And it also allows you to use those photos that aren't necessarily good quality or don't feature a prominent subject because it's all about telling the story. And you can tell by all my scribblings how much I love to tell the story!

I love how Studio Calico seal up their kits with these round stickers that consistently feature beautiful vintage colours and patterns. I'd been saving them up for months to get enough to use as a basis for my number labels. Maybe chalk that up to one more reason why it took me forever to finish this album!

As for the actual pages in my album I used a mixture of all the Christmas papers I have in my stash. A whole host of manufacturers and collections! Man it felt good to put a dent in that pile!!

Some pages were also made out of wrapping paper, brown paper bags, packaging material, Christmas cards, Munchy's drawings.... whatever I could find at the time. Just one way of adding more memorabilia into my album.

Another way was to incorporate any of the tidbits I had salvaged from last Christmas such as clothing tags, present labels and ribbon. I also threw in my leftover Tim's Tags as pretty embellishments.

Using some of the Christmas cards we received was a brilliant idea (if I do say so myself) because it served a triple purpose..... 1) it's pretty, 2) the memory of who sent it and what they wrote, and 3) heaps of space on the back for journaling!

So I guess the question is "would I do this again?" Well obviously I couldn't even bring myself to contemplate it this year, although in a way I still feel like I did given how much time I spent on this one!

But I think I would do it again. Certainly the idea of taking daily photographs, journaling it all down at the time and then assembling everything is pretty intensive. But you have to admit the end result is pretty fabulous for recording a set period in time in detail. In years to come I'm sure this will be a treasured piece of history. So maybe next year I'll attempt another version? I guess we'll see!

December Daily......... part one

2011-12-27T11:10:00.000+11:00

Oh my goodness do you understand how satisfying it is to finally finish my December Daily?

Yes, that's right.
I mean my December Daily from 2010!!

I couldn't even contemplate doing any form of December album this year when the weight of an unfinished DD from last year was still heavy on my conscience.

And it's not like it's been locked away in a cupboard forgotten about. I've had this thing hanging around since I started it.

With all the photos printed off and scribbled on the back what day they were. With all my journaling written up there on one of my blog pages. All neatly placed together with all the supplies I was going to use.

I've taken it with me on weekends away, thinking that I'll get some done ..... and never opening the box.

By January I had all the base pages cut to shape and assembled in some kind of order.

Around June I made a vow to finish a page every time I wanted to sit down and scrap, before I'd let myself work on anything else. I made it to page 8 before I forgot.

In August I packed it up and took it with me in the move - determined that I would get it done before the year was through.

In November I said to myself that this must be the first Christmas project I worked on before starting any other............. it wasn't.

By mid December I took the plunge and stuck all the photos in, along with the correct daily numbers. I'd been saving all my Studio Calico kit stickers to use as round base for all my labels.

Next I went through and added all the little embellishments and made sure there was enough space to write all my journaling in later. That meant I only had to take the actual album itself with me on my Christmas holidays.

In a quiet hour between celebrations I was able to sit and scrawl and finally..... FINALLY was able to say "It is done".

More pages to share coming up soon....

And to All a Good-Night

2011-12-25T21:01:00.000+11:00

Just popping in real quick here to share some super-speedy Christmas cards I had to whip up when I realised Munchy needed some to give to her Kindergarten teachers.

First up I stamped one big ol' sentiment, added some Fancy Pants rub-ons, sprinkle some Silver Maya mist et voila...... DONE!

And thank goodness for my Silhouette sketch pens! Add some blank cardstock, press a button and call it finished :-) That's the kind of quick card that's easy to impress with hey?

So from my Little Elphs to all of yours I wish you a Merry Christmas wherever you are and however you celebrate. Thank you for your ongoing support, your kind words of encouragement and your friendship.

I leave you with a little sneak peek into my December Daily that I plan to share with you over the next week. So happy to have undertaken this project. You'll understand my satisfaction even more when I show it to you......... :-)

(Five?) tags of Christmas

2011-12-20T18:56:00.000+11:00

Last year I wrote in my December Daily that I think doing Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas might just become a new tradition. Hhhhhmmmmmm....... so that lasted all of a year!

Don't get me wrong, I love and adore his tags, and I've thoroughly enjoyed doing them last year (here's a link) and the year before that (another link). Unfortunately working 50-60 hours a week doesn't leave much time for Tim's tags!

But presents still need to be wrapped and labelled, and there is a certain expectation from the family that I'll do something special, so it turned into some very quick and simple Tim-inspired tags this year.

Thank you kraft resist paper that already came with layers of design. And thank you Silhouette machine which made cutting multiple Christmas shapes a breeze!

Otherwise they're just topped off with some splatters of Glimmermist and some buttons, jewels or beads. I'm sure you can see my pattern developing here. Just imagine a few more which are variations on the theme :-)

Oh and speaking of December Dailies...... guess who is just about finished??!!!!
I'll share that one later!

Not a Creature was Stiring

2011-12-17T00:25:00.000+11:00

Didn't I just finish telling you how I wanted to document some of the Christmas traditions that are so important (and that just might be unique) to us as a family? And then comes along the new Once Upon a Sketch challenge which must have been reading my mind.

Because along with this marvellous sketch the journaling criteria just so happens to be to document the traditions of how you spend December 25th. Of course here in Australia that's Christmas Day, but I didn't realise that in other parts of the world Christmas is celebrated on different days.

So in our household we just try and make sure the kids don't get up before the sunrise, and then it's present time! As a Christian family we don't have Santa Claus bring our children presents, rather they receive their gifts from us directly. But the stocking still remains a rather convenient way of 'wrapping' them all!

Lots of little fun details on this layout I think. Like that Imaginarium Designs chipboard branch which I figured could pass as holly, and needed a bauble hung from it :-)

I'm in love with those alpha stickers from Fancy Pants and want them in every colour. Certainly teal is the perfect place to start.

And a sprinkling of star confetti on textured cardstock. How cute!

Now onto our fabulous sponsors for the current challenge, and a little insight into what you could win if you play along .......

Papiers de Pandore is a French manufacturer who are offering one lucky winner two complete paper lines!! You've got to go and check out how beautiful their blog is.

As is our custom, Imaginarium Designs will give away a prize package stacked to the gills with yummy chippies.

And then my good ol' favourite Handmade by Suzanne will send someone not one, but two Tim Holtz embossing folders!

Check out all the details on the Once Upon a Sketch blog here.

Supplies:

American Crafts scarlet	Coredinations Basic Grey Coconut Cream Mask	Fancy Pants St Nick Stockings	Fancy Pants St Nick Christmas Story
Cosmo Cricket Jolly be Golly Elements	Kaisercraft Christmas Carnival 6x6" pad	Fancy Pants St Nick Alpha Stickers	Fancy Pants Happy Holidays rubons
Imaginarium Designs Kerri Flourish

InLinkz.com

Fa La La La La

2011-12-15T10:27:00.000+11:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year! ........
(whoops, wrong Christmas carol)

This year I plan to document a lot of the traditions and celebrations, the decorations and the festivities that make our Christmas unique. Because I think we all do it a little differently, and I know that lots of us have our own specific traditions that we follow.

For example, my Mum started her own tradition of making us kids a personalised bauble for the Christmas tree. Then as we got married she added one for our partner's name as well. And then of course the grandkids got one, and well...... now we're at the point where there's too many for the tree to bear! So instead they've become a stand-alone decoration in their own right, hung from the ceiling like a colourful chandelier.

I took this photo last year of Munchy sitting on my brothers shoulders as she tries to find "her" bauble in amongst the mass.

So when I heard the theme this week at Scrapz.biz is "Deck The Halls" and my challenge to set was "Scrap Write Now" (which is where we focus on journaling) I thought I would challenge you all to dedicate a page to the stories behind our decorations. Is there a special ornament that means a lot to you? Or do you have a family tradition when it comes to decorating your home for Christmas? If so, share it with us in the Scrapz.biz gallery by the end of January (yes you read that right) and you'll enter the draw to win a scrappy voucher. Read all the details about my challenge here.

Supplies:

Cosmo Cricket Jolly be Golly Elements

American Crafts vanilla

Kaisercraft Christmas Carnival 6x6" pad

Fancy Pants Happy Holidays rubons

InLinkz.com

I'm Feeling Krafty!

2011-12-13T16:07:00.000+11:00

Wooooo hooooo for being on holidays!!
I managed to make it into my scrap room for long enough yesterday to whip up a page for the current challenge at Kraft it Up.

I haven't done so much Christmas scrapping in ages. In fact, I guess it's been about a year...... hmmm..... alright so I didn't think that through very well *LOL*

As per the challenge guidelines this page is about one of my favourite Christmas traditions, and that's the big Christmas lunch we have at our in-laws. Turkey, ham, cold chicken and plenty of roast vegetables, plus pavalova, cheesecake and Christmas pudding of course. All washed down with a few bubbles!

I took this photo at last year's Christmas lunch. It's Munchy with her great-grandparents. I just know this is going to be a treasured photo in years to come so I thought it vitally important to get it scrapped, along with the memories of the moment.

I'm just loving the non-traditional colours for my Christmas pages this year. I wanted to make this one very white and kraft because I'm really digging that combo lately, but I couldn't help but throw some pink into the mix as well. And I already had these accordian flowers sitting around from when I swiped them at my cousin's wedding last weekend. It sure made my page faster!!

Make Believe

2011-12-11T18:00:00.000+11:00

By some lucky intervention I was assigned the "Scrap a Rainbow" challenge twice in a row at Scrapz.biz (with the change of months you see). So this time around I came up with this........

The theme is "I'm Dreaming Of......." which I chose to interpret in my layout as a dreamy, breezy, soft and whimsical design about playing and using our imagination.

And as you can see, my colours are red, pink, cream and teal. That inspiration picture is gorgeous don't you think? It's straight from my Pinterest boards.

Lots of painty layers in the background. Gee I had fun with making a creative mess here :-) Those cute fuzzy clouds are from my friend Aga's shop - I've ordered about a million more! They add a great texture and became my main teal focus on this page.

Now I really wanted to use those Pink Paislee Woodshop alphas in my title, but I've already used up all my A's, so I substituted in an upside down V instead...... could you tell?!!! *LOL* Then there's just lots of other bits and pieces I found around my very unorganised scrap room.

I just loved this tree with blossoms and bird so much on this page that it's already inspired me to make a card version. I'll share that with you real soon (I haven't photographed it yet!). But in the meantime if you want to play along with my "Scrap a Rainbow" challenge then you've got until the end of January to join in to win a Scrapz.biz voucher. Read all the details about my challenge here.

Supplies:

Basic Grey Out of Print Newsflash	October Afternoon Sidewalks Ring Around the Rosie	October Afternoon Sidewalks Marbles	Pink Paislee Nantucket Crab Cakes
Cosmo Cricket Social Club Cocktail	Pink Paislee Wood Shop Alphabet Woodchip	October Afternoon Sidewalks Little Flyers	October Afternoon Sidewalks Journal Cards
ScrAp this! Fuzzy Felt Clouds	Glitz Design Scarlett Paper Layers	Prima Birdsong script	Crafters Workshop Mini Clouds stencil
Studio Calico MIster Huey Lunch Tray

InLinkz.com

Resigning my Screenwriting Position

2011-12-09T13:24:00.000+11:00

There is a season for everything, and everything has it's season. So this layout marks the end of my season of designing for "From Screen 2 Scrap" - my very last DT submission. I've been designing for Shazza for almost 2 years now, and whilst I've loved every minute of it I just thought it was time to step aside and let some fresh faces shine.

And I just loved this months challenge - a perfect way to finish my term. The movie poster for your inspiration for December is "White Christmas"

and the extra criteria is to include white cardstock, a two-coloured title, and Christmas hats. Pretty easy criteria to meet, and we all love to scrap Christmas photos I'm sure!

Now as much as I love traditional Christmas colours on a layout, I also love to mix it up a bit and went for more of a pink and green and kraft combination here along with my white cardstock (and I couldn't help but add a silver sparkle to my diecut overlay!)

I've used a lot of My Mind's Eye Lost and Found II Blush collection which I was lucky enough to receive from them when I won their sketch competition a little while ago. And I really wanted my title to be big and bold like the poster so I opted for this stamped and handcut title combination. I'm really happy with how this turned out. Prepare to see more of this!

So if you want to join with me in my very last "From Screen 2 Scrap" challenge then head over to the blog here and check out all the details. I'll be back with more Christmas scrapping soon!

Coffee anyone?

2011-12-05T14:03:00.000+11:00

When I heard that one of the weekly themes for November at Scrapz.biz was going to be "Wild About...." I just knew that was the perfect opportunity to scrap this recent photo I took of my coffee cup!! (surely that's only slightly crazy right?)

The challenge I was assigned to go along with the "Wild About.." theme was the Scrap a Rainbow challenge which is essentially a colour combo along with an inspiration pic.

Inspiration image via Pinterest.

I have to admit, I worked a little backwards on this one. As I said, I chose the picture I wanted to scrap first, then I worked out what papers I wanted to use, then I went searching (via Pinterest) for an inspiration picture that would work!! Now that's not usually the way I would do it, but I was so determined to scrap my coffee cup :-)

You see, coffee most certainly is one of the things I am "Wild About" and I do believe a good coffee cup goes a long way towards your enjoyment of that coffee. I mean, everyone has their favourites right? When we recently moved to the country for 6 months we knew that the house was already coming furnished, so I packed up all my old mugs and put them into storage for the time.

But when we arrived and I found out that 'furnished' just meant they it came with a few odds and ends from the hospital pantry from the looks of things, I immediately had to go out and find a new cup! It's funny how little things like that can make all the difference right?

And so that's the story of why I'm Wild About my Coffee Mug. You can click on my supplies to be taken to the Scrapz.biz store to check them out yourself. Lots of lovely Studio Calico Countryside and State Fair here, and some gorgeous Prima bling.

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Feeling Sharky

2011-12-01T12:28:00.000+11:00

More wildlife petting photos to scrap!! This time it's all about feeding the sharks whilst we were on our aquarium tour on holidays recently.

The girls were able to pick up and pat these cute little baby shark, which I thought they may be a little afraid of, even though they were tiny - but they both just loved it.

In fact, if you look closely at the photo of Moodles, she has her little tongue out like she wants to give it a little kiss and a lick (which is a bit of a running joke in our family)!!

I made this little paper quilt pattern at the bottom here because it kinda reminds me of shark teeth don't you think?

Now forgive me but I do have a few more holiday snaps that have made their way onto layouts that I am yet to post, so that's coming up soon. But I do also have some Christmas pages for a couple of upcoming challenges that I am excited about sharing with you..... I just love Christmas time, so it's about to get a little festive around here :-)

Birthday Boy

2011-11-27T21:35:00.000+11:00

I love making my girly layouts for my girly girls :-) But how fun is it to branch out once in a while and do something quite different with your scrapbooking style (which for me means making a boy layout!)

Luckily I've got an obliging nephew who's well used to being behind the camera, and of course a family celebration for his 1st birthday means plenty of photos taken that require scrapping!

I'm really digging the challenges over at Scrap-it-Lah recently... they're just my style. Take the current one for instance which says I must include 'at least 6 layers, stamping and journal tags'. Well that could describe pretty much any of my layouts lately! But I'm entering this one :-)

Love the idea of using at least 6 layers, especially when I'm trying to use up my stash! So there's lots of bits and bobs on here from the Studio Calico Boardwalk kit. I've stamped the 'toilet man' in the top right as well as those round frames on the Pink Paislee mistables. And tucked in some American Crafts journal spots around the place as well.

HHHhhhmmmm.... makes me want to do more boy-scrapping!

Pet Starfish?

2011-11-24T17:27:00.000+11:00

We recently had a wonderful time on a family holiday. We caught up with friends, we strolled on the beach, we played in the park and made lots of happy memories.

One of the highlights was a trip out to Daydream Island (yes it's as good as it sounds!!) where we were lucky enough to have a private tour of the biggest outdoor aquarium in the Southern Hemisphere.

Now when I say we had a private tour I don't mean that we arranged it that way or paid any kind of big bucks for it! I just mean we were lucky enough to organise it when no one else was around so we just happened to be the only ones!!! :-)

But it meant that the kids were given special treatment to be able to 'handle' the wildlife. They picked up baby sharks (there's a layout on that coming up soon!!) and stroked the stingrays, they fed the fish and held these amazing giant starfish..... which is obviously what this page is about.

The girls absolutely loved it. I thought perhaps they might be a bit shy or scared, but no, they couldn't get enough. In fact, I almost had to prise this starfish out of Moodles hands at the end of it otherwise it might have been coming home with us :-)

Have you had any exciting adventures lately?

The one with Nadia's verse, a Guest DT spot and a Rainbow challenge!

2011-11-21T17:33:00.000+11:00

A little while ago now a dear scrappy friend of mine suffered a family tragedy and needed some extra love and support. In true scrapping style a bunch of us rallied around and decided to put together a "Golden Album" for her. We each made a page of hope and encouragement (in preference to sympathy) so she can sit back and flick though it when she's feeling a little down. This is the page I made for her, featuring the all new Picadilly collection from Basic Grey.

In other news, I'm totally chuffed about being featured as a Guest Designer for Imaginarium Designs! Wooo hoo! Their chipboard totally rocks - it's great quality; intricately cut without getting all that black stuff all over you, and there's about a MILLION designs to chose from :-)

Here's some sneaks of their chipbaord in action on some recent pages......

but you can check out the whole feature on me here!
You can also browse through what's on offer through their blog or shop. They're currently holding a DT call at the moment too which would be totatlly worth applying for... trust me ;-)

Inspiration image via Pinterest.

And lastly, I've been put in charge of this weeks Scrap a Rainbow challenge at Scrapz.biz! I decided on this dreamy colour combo of grey, pink, green and blue and made my layout using Studio Calico's Countryside and State Fair collections. See my full page and all the challenge details over here.

Gonna Trouble the Water.........(and a giveaway!!)

2011-11-18T17:28:00.000+11:00

I'm dutifully still scrapping away a pile of photos from our beach holiday back in June. I think when I printed them all off I had ideas of using a lot of them in a mini-album about the trip. But I found I've used most of them up by now on pages!

My challenge last week at Scrapz.biz was a "Fetch a Sketch" so I tested my photoshop skills to the limit as I designed this sketch. When in doubt.... always go with a grid I say :-)

Except I had to find some interesting spots to include all the journaling I wanted to add..... so around the periphery and spilling over onto the photo it went!

The theme is "Wet 'n' Wild" so I challenge you to not only follow the sketch but to include some kind of 'splashing' onto your page. I used the fussy-cut paper splash, and of course my usual splatter of mists along with the photos of Moodles splashing around (rather tentively) in the water.

I used the happy bright vintage colours in Cosmo Cricket's Salt Air collection - it matched my photos perfectly. The sketch challenge doesn't end until November 30th so there's still plenty of time to enter. Find all the details here.

Supplies Used:

Cosmo Cricket Salt Air Colour Picks Sea/Ivory	Cosmo Cricket Salt Air Elements	Cosmo Cricket Salt Air Fish Tails	Cosmo Cricket Salt Air Sea Garden
Cosmo Cricket Salt Air Coral Bloom	Pink Paislee Nantucket Lasercut Woodchip Shapes	Cosmo Cricket Salt Air Buttons	Studio Calico Mister Huey Calico White
Studio Calico MIster Huey Lunch Tray

InLinkz.com

Now, onto a totally different (but equally gorgeous) colour scheme is the delightful kit that we're offering as a GIVEAWAY on the Once Upon a Sketch blog. It looks a little something like this.....

To enter is simple. Find out all the details on how you can get your hands on these delicious Melissa Francis goodies check out the blog post here.

About a Girl

2011-11-16T16:18:00.000+11:00

November 15th saw a new challenge go up at "Once Upon a Sketch"

The trick is to incorporate our journaling criteria with our beautiful sketch, which is 'to journal about what is the best thing about being a woman'. Is being a mum? Is the shopping?! Make up and pretty clothes?

When I sat down to do my page for it I realised that I didn't have any photos of myself printed out, but lucky for me the criteria says that I can alternatively do my page about any of the special females in my life, and I sure have plenty of photos of my precious girls :-)

So I delved into my generous stash of Imaginarium Designs chipboard and found some perfect pieces such as the delicate butterfly, and the word 'girl' which was part of a larger title which read "Our little girl"

And along with an old Studio Calico kit I managed to quickly put this layout together about how much of a girly-girl Munchy is. She's very into playing dress-ups and tea-parties and dancing and what-not. Certainly much more than I ever was (or am!)

If you want to play along with this challenge there is still heaps of time left, and there's some plenty good prizes on offer such as your own haul of Imaginarium Designs chipboard.......

A fabulous bright and whimsical embellishment pack from our sponsor and Guest Designer Leeann Pearce from her Chip Chop Shop......

or a collection of Basic Grey "Jovial" products just in time for Christmas....

You can catch all the details about the challenge over on the Once Upon a Sketch blog here. Happy scrapping!

Daily Juice

2011-11-12T15:35:00.000+11:00

Have I mentioned before (once or twice or 200 or so) how awesome it is that we have DAILY challenges happening over at Scrapz.biz? You'll never be without inspiration to get scrapping if you join us over there!

However, I am just a little behind in sharing some of my pages here on my blog though, so how about I catch up a bit?

First up is my 'Scrap Write Now' challenge which is all about focusing on the journalling, or the story behind the photos. The theme is "Pretty Wild" and so I challenge you to scrap about something 'wild' you or your kids (or whoever!) did once.

This is my page about a night out on the town in the heart of Melbourne. Fun times! Read all about it, and the rest of the challenge details right here.

Supplies List:

InLinkz.com

Before that though was last months 'Scrap it Blind' challenge where I gave a set of instructions on how to put a page together but without you seeing my finished product. Until now.......

I kept the instructions fairly simple to follow along (because it actually gets quite hard to follow written instructions alone sometimes!) but the end result is still something special.

For a start I was able to add so much detail and texture to my page just with these Prima canvas shapes. I went to town with my Glimmermists - using them just like waterpaints to paint and shade these flowers. So effective don't you think?

And a new favourite of mine - the handcut title! Love the look of these for adding a shabby and handmade touch. And it means I can customise it to fit my space perfectly.

Supplies List:

InLinkz.com

And lastly, here's a sneak peek into my challenge that was revealed this week. It's for 'Fetch a Sketch' which means you need to follow this sketch I designed.....

and add some "splashes" to your page (ie. paint, mist,water photos....) to keep with the theme of "Wet 'n' Wild". Once again I splashed around some Glimmermist, added some handcut waves and plenty more. You can see my whole page, and get all the details on the challenge here.

Phew! That might do for now hey? Plenty to keep you busy for a little while :-)

Now She's 5

2011-11-06T16:44:00.000+11:00

It's birthday season around here - first Munchy, now me (tomorrow..... and it's a big one.... shhhhh!!!) and then Moodles in another week or so.

This was one of those layouts that I had been imagining in my head for the longest time and then when it actually came to translating it to paper it just.... well...... didn't!! *LOL*

Oh well! The birthday essence is still there - with the colourful flags and ephemera and misting/splattering fun. And the idea of capturing a moment in time is still there. I did a mini-interview with Munchy about all her favourite things right at the moment and tried to include as many of them as possible in my journaling.

I even had the courage to let her write her own name up in the corner on my almost finished layout. It went a bit crooked hey? But adds to the charm I think :-)

So there's a few birthday celebrations going on around here and I might not have a chance to get near the computer for a few days for which I apologise in advance. But don't worry because I've been scrapping up a storm lately and have quite the backlog of projects to share when I get back!

News Flash

2011-11-04T13:52:00.000+11:00

Munchy turned 5 recently. I think she's rather clever - she knows all her letters and numbers, and can write her own name. But she's determined to do more before school starts next year. She's actually requested that we help her learn to read and write!

And when I suggested to her the concept of making some flash cards to help her do this, she was SUPER-excited! I mean, the idea of mixing patterned paper and embellishments with learning to read is mighty attractive right?!

So whilst she was out one day I got out some old kits and leftover scraps of paper and set to work making some quick and easy (and oh-so-pretty) flashcards.

Knowing that they were going to be handled a bit (I hope!) I was afraid all those letter stickers might fall off, so I ran the whole bunch through my sewing machine to keep them in place. Then I realised I had ended up with flash-card-bunting and strung it up to surprise her when she came home!

After squealing with delight and promptly ripping the whole thing down we cut it apart again and started practicing her words. Perfect solution :-)

In other fabulous news: the new sketch is up at Once Upon a Sketch, and this time the journaling criteria is a little easier! *LOL* You need to journal at least 2 sentences on when you started scrapping and why?

And the prizes are just fabulous (as always!!). Apart from gaining a spot as a Guest Designer in an upcoming challenge you can also win this amazing October kit from our sponsor Swirlydoos kit club.

We are super lucky to have Leeann Pearce as our Guest Designer this month (another one of my longstanding scrappy crushes!!) and she's offered up this exciting embellishment pack for a lucky winner from her Chip Chop Shop.

AND..... another lucky winner will receive this entire Ladies and Gents collection by Webster's Pages.
There's plenty of time to enter, so go over to Once Upon a Sketch and check out all the details :-)

The Wonder Years

2011-11-02T20:24:00.000+11:00

Little Moodles is in the midst of a growth spurt. Physically of course .... she's almost changing right before our eyes. But she's growing emotionally as well.

We've challenged her recently with a few things. Firstly with taking away her dummy. That one was a little hard! Just like with Munchy, we simply threw away her dummy one morning so she had to go cold-turkey. The first night was pretty tough work.

After crying for more than two hours she finally went to sleep. But not before Munchy had her own breakdown and begged us to give it back to her :-( But the next night was easier... and it only got better from there.

Once she conquered that challenge, the next step was to take away her cot sides so now she effectively sleeps in a bed. After only one night-time wander around the house she settled down and probably goes to bed easier now than before.

I'm so proud of my growing girl. Facing life head-on and overcoming :-)

Having a Flutter

2011-10-30T12:23:00.000+11:00

The Melbourne Cup. It's called the 'Race That Stops the Nation' and I'm usually lucky enough as a Melbournite to even get a public holiday. For a horse race!! Crazy right?!

Over at Scrapz.biz we're celebrating the occasion in true scrappy style by hosting a competition. It's like a layout sweepstake. All you have to do is upload a layout to our Melbourne Cup Flutter gallery using the sketch and colour inspiration (all the instructions are here) and you'll be assigned a random horse that's running in the Cup.

Should your horse place in the Melbourne Cup - then you win a lovely scrappy voucher!! There's even a prize for lucky last! But you better hop to it if you want to enter because the race is on Tuesday which means you need your entries in before that :-)

My layout tells the story about Moodle's obsession with my iPhone. She's not even two years old yet, she can barely talk, but she's taught herself how to play Angry Birds!! Whenever she sees me with my phone she starts calling out "Eagle? EAGLE!" or simply "Game?" which is her way of saying she wants to play.... now.

Kids hey? By the time they're as old as me they'll probably know how to fly their own hover-cars and communicate via telepathy or whatever it is that Star Trek tells us the future holds :-)

Reducing my Footprint

2011-10-28T13:36:00.000+11:00

Last week's weekly theme at Scrapz.biz was "Footprints" and I hosted the Noteworthy challenge which is about making cards.

The first thing that challenged me was trying to figure out how to incorporate the "Footprints" theme into a card. As you can see, my first idea was to actually include some footprints, but I thought that might be a bit hard :-)

But you know what it reminded me of? All this talk these days about reducing our 'carbon footprint' to lessen our impact on the environment. So the challenge I'm setting is for you to "Reduce, Reuse or Recycle" something on your card!! You can interpret that any way you like!

I chose the "Reduce" option which meant I tried to limit the amount of supplies I used on these cards. Can you believe I only used one piece of patterned paper to make both these cards? And all I added was some scraps of twine, some left-over pieces from my Thickers and a splash of mist :-)

Other ways you might like to interpret the challenge would be to 'Reuse' something that was intended for a different purpose such as clothing tags, kitchen supplies etc. Or try your hand at the 'Recycled' option and include materials that might otherwise end up in the bin such as junk-mail or packaging.

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Or if you're looking for more challenges.......here's a sneak of my new Scrap it Blind challenge that's just gone up today....

Happy scrapping!

Sweet Spring

2011-10-23T20:54:00.000+11:00

It was a beautiful spring day here today. How about for you?

The town we're currently living in seems to have an abundance of cherry trees! Everywhere I look I see cherry blossoms, I see them scatter their petals in the soft breeze, and smell their delicate fragrance.

Yes I do get a little sentimental about cherry blossoms :-) It's because it reminds me of afternoons as a child at my Grandmother's house. Playing in her garden, young and innocent and free.

So I scrapped the memory :-) I really must do more of this sort of thing. It's like passing down an inheritance to my children. I used up the last scraps of my very first Studio Calico kit 'Partly Sunny'.... it seemed appropriate. And finally I can call myself a kit-killer!! I've only been subscribing for the last 16 months!

I just had to mix in a little Pink Paislee and some yummy woodgrain Hambly that I've been hoarding :-) And splash some paint around of course. I love Spring scrapping!!!

For My Dear Friend Nadia

2011-10-20T17:14:00.000+11:00

I love my job. There's nothing quite like being present at the birth of a baby. The screams, the joy, the tears, the relief, the happiness. Being able to share that special moment with new mums and dads every day is an extreme privilege.

But it's not always like that. There's not always a happy ending, and when this job gets sad - it gets heartbreakingly sad. I like to think that if I can help my patients through what might be the toughest thing they've ever had to do and make it even just the smallest bit better or easier then my job is done.

I've had patients hug me after their miscarriage and thank me for my kindness. I've had people send me thankyou gifts for helping them deliver their stillborn baby because I've shown them compassion. And whilst that brings me to tears, it's still very rewarding because hopefully it means that I've done my job well.

I believe in scrapping the everyday moments of life.... and they're not always parties and laughter. I couldn't help but snap this photo of a recent thankyou gift I received from a patient. For a start, this chocolate bouquet was exquisite! But mainly because this patient and her story is going to remain in my memory forever. You see, I had only just days earlier helped her deliver her twin girls. Stillborn. At 23 weeks.

So I'm sorry to get all deep and meaningful on you today, but my heart is heavy with compassion for my dear friend Nadia who is also suffering a similar grief at the moment. She's just recently started scrapping again to help her deal with the pain, and it would be great if you went and left her some love.

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

100 Years.... and a winner!!

2011-10-18T13:43:00.000+11:00

Can I tell you a little secret? It's something I don't usually admit to very freely....
Once upon a time I entered a showgirl competition.
And won!

It was something I entered in order to support my friend who was entered, she didn't want to feel alone. I never thought I would actually win! And even though this was 12 years ago, it still came back to "haunt" me this year when they celebrated their 100year anniversary and invited all the past showgirls back for the party.

We had a parade through town, we got to feel like royalty as we sat on the back of a float and waved to people watching. Hheeee!! My family came to watch of course. The girls squealed when they say their Mummy on the back of a truck :-)

You might recognise this sneak peak that I revealed during the Scrapz.biz blog hop? This is the full reveal of the page I made for the "What's Cooking" challenge that I hosted last week

Lots of mix and match of products here for this page. You can click on each thumbnail to be taken directly to the Scrapz.biz store to purchase the same supplies if you like.

Supplies Used:

InLinkz.com

and now, the moment you've been waiting for.. The winner of my candy from last week's Scrapz.biz blog hop is......

MELANIE H. !!!!

Melanie, please contact me either by email (address is on the right there) or PM me on the Scrapz forum to let me know your postal address and I'll get your goodies in the mail ASAP.

I'll be back to post the sneak of my next challenge later.

Peace and Quiet?

2011-10-16T11:06:00.000+11:00

When I first saw the journaling criteria at Once Upon a Sketch this time around I was a little bit stumped for a moment. You see, the challenge says "journal at least 2 sentences on an embarrassing / awkward / uncomfortable moment. A moment you remember for all the wrong reasons!" and I'm a pretty easy going kind of girl - I don't embarrass too easily.

But then I remembered this awkward moment that I experienced a little while ago.....

I was performing an emergency Caesarian late one night and being on-call I had my phone in my pocket (on silent of course!) Now usually once the baby is out and the mother is cuddling it it's pretty quiet in the operating theatre whilst we finish the rest of the operation. But all of a sudden I hear a voice.... the voice of my husband!..... and it's coming out of my pocket!!

I hear him saying "Natalie... Natalie? hello? Why have you called me?"
It seems I had leant against the table and not only managed to speed-dial his number - but put him on speaker phone too!! If the whole theatre didn't hear him in the first place they certainly figured out what was going on as I awkwardly tried to lean down and speak firmly into my pocket "Hang up the phone!!"

Oh dear! Not my most professional moment :-)

So if you've got an embarrassing story to tell - why not scrap about it? It's very therapeutic :-) Along with the journaling criteria you also need to use this beautiful sketch. You can go and catch all the details on the challenge at the OUAS blog here.

We've got a fabulous line-up of Guest Designers for this challenge including my very favourite scrappy-crush Julie Fei Fan Balzer! And the mother-load in prizes including a chipboard-lovers dream package of Imaginarium Designs chippies. Not to mention you get to check out everyone else's funny stories too!

Scooter Love

2011-10-13T10:21:00.000+11:00

My eldest daughter recently just turned 5. Isn't it just ridiculous how fast they grow up? For her birthday gifts this year we really had to sit down and think about what we were going to get her. But eventually we decided on a scooter.

And not just any scooter mind you..... a pink Dora scooter! She loved it as we knew she would, and immediately took it out for a spin around the lake.

I made this page to capture these memories, but also for my 'Fetch a Sketch' challenge at Scrapz.biz. This challenge runs all month now, so there's plenty of time to enter to win some incredible store vouchers. You can find out all the details here.

And while we're on the topic of Scrapz.biz and amazing prizes.... have you joined in on the blog hop yet? If not, you really should because it's a bunch of fun and there are a tonne of prizes to be given away! See my blog-hop post below for all the details, and to start your journey.

Supplies Used

InLinkz.com

Scrapz.Biz Blog Hop

2011-10-10T07:00:00.000+11:00

Hi and welcome to the the very first Scrapz.biz blog hop! I'm the first stop along your journey so I just want to wave a giant hello to everyone!!

Can I tell you how excited I am to be joining this Design Team? SUPER-EXCITED! I'm joining some other incredibly talented girls who you'll get to meet along the way. But just in case you don't even know who Scrapz.biz is then let me fill you in.....

We're an Australian online scrapbooking and craft store stocking all the latest ranges. See something you like? We'll ship it all to you for a flat rate of $5.95. Don't see what you're after? Then ask our friendly boss-lady Heike and she's sure to help you out.

We're also the home of the Ticklez kitz. Every month a new kit is released featuring a bunch of the newest papers and a huge assortment of gorgeous embellishments. And if it's inspiration you're after then look no further than our brimming gallery, or hang out in our friendly forum. We offer plenty of free tutorials for fun new techniques to try, or simply spend the day chatting away to our regulars.

At Scrapz.biz we love a good challenge, so not only do we have regular competitions but now we're pleased to offer you a new challenge every day of the week (well.... Monday to Friday at least!) Weekly challenges are something that have been around for a while, but we're shaking it up a bit by adding fresh and exciting new concepts and the chance to win even bigger prizes! Starting from October, everyone who enters one of our daily challenges will go into the draw to win a great big voucher (or two) at the end of the month. The more challenges you enter, the more chances you've got of winning. Simple right?

To get you in the mood, here's a little sneak of today's challenge that I've designed.

This is for the "What's Cooking" challenge where I give you a list of 'ingredients' that you need to include on your page. This week's challenge theme is "Driving Force" and for today's challenge the ingredients are:
* something travel themed (interpret that as you like!)
* part of your title or some journaling on a tag
* something fussy-cut (like my clouds in the sneak above)

To find out how to join this challenge and all the daily challenges, follow the link here.

Now onto the details of how you can win just for joining us on our blog hop. All you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post as well as the other blogs along the way. You'll also need to leave a comment on our Facebook page. We don't want to tire you out so we'll just be hopping along one stop a day to correspond with this week's daily challenges. Here's the schedule in case you get lost...

Monday 10th Natalie's blog with her "What's Cooking" challenge (you are here!)
Tuesday 11th Sheree's blog and her "Scrap a Rainbow" challenge
Wednesday 12th Aga's blog with her "Fetch a Sketch" challenge
Thursday 13th Shell's blog and her "Scrap Right Now" challenge
Friday 14th Chloe's blog and her "Noteworthy" challenge

So once you've finished the blog hop and left a comment on each stop along the way, make sure you go over and 'Like' us on Facebook and leave a comment there telling us what you thought of the journey. Then you'll automatically be entered into the drawing to win a $20 voucher to the store.

AND..... if you're a follower of my blog (or even if you just became one) please let me know, because I'll enter you into a separate draw to win some very yummy blog candy.

Tomorrow you'll be off to Sheree's blog to see her "Scrap a Rainbow" challenge. Happy hopping!
The blog hop closes on Monday 17th October so don't forget to come back and check if you're a winner!

In the Beginning

2011-10-08T10:56:00.000+11:00

I'm constantly amazed at the way my children's minds work. They surprise me with saying the funniest things as they try and figure out the way the world works.

I'm not sure if it's because Munchy thinks her Daddy is really old (!!) or if she was getting confused about the Creation stroy, or where she got this idea from, but out of nowhere she asks him, "When did God make you? Were you the first person God made?" What a funny little Munchkin she is :-)

I cracked open my Boardwork kit from Studio Calico and made this layout to document these crazy everyday moments. I made sure to add some book paper, fussy cutting and hand-stitching with embroidery thread because that's the criteria for this month's Scrap-it-Lah challenge.

You know I always add sewing to my layouts - if for nothing else I feel more confident that my pages will hold together! And whilst I love the look of hand-stitching on pages I'm generally too lazy to do it myself. So thanks to this challenge for pushing me in the right direction :-)

And I couldn't resist this happy smiling bright and fun photo of Munchy which captures her personality perfectly. Yes, I'm still working my way through a bunch of holiday snaps! More coming soon I promise.

Come back on Monday for a real treat. Scapz.biz is holding thier very first blog hop and I'm up first!! There'll be plenty of inspiration and a tonne of prizes along the way so make sure to mark it on your calander.

Mid-Week Sneak

2011-10-05T20:44:00.001+11:00

I told you how we're starting to do daily challenges now at Scrapz.biz rather than weekly right? So today was my first day of setting the rules! Yeeeeee!!! And the first challenge for me was 'Fetch a Sketch' which of course involves supplying a sketch......

.... and a page to inspire you. I also get to choose added criteria to go along with the theme which is "On Your Bike" this week. This doesn't mean you have to scrap bike pictures though, and instead I've got some recent photos of Munchy's new scooter which she received for her birthday. My added criteria is to include something on your layout which has a sense of movement.

If you're a little confused, or just curious then you can check out my full challenge and page along with some ideas on what 'a sense of movement' means over here :-) Every challenge entry goes into the draw to win one of the monthly store vouchers. Whooop!

And speaking of sketches......
The October 1st challenge is up at Once Upon a Sketch. The journaling challenge is to WRITE 2 noteworthy (to you anyway) events of the past week. Your journalling can be as long as you wish. There is NO limit to how much journalling you include but in order to qualify as a winner for this challenge, we must see AT LEAST 1 SENTENCE of journalling on WHY each event was noteworthy.
It's to go along with this sketch

And apart from just checking out the challenge you really need to go over to the blog and see everything that's happening. For a start we've got Julie Fei Fan Balzer as our Guest DT this month!!! EEeeekkkkK!!!! One of my all-time scrappy idols! Then there's all the new DT announcements! And of course, all the information about the prizes on offer this month, including this prize pack from Nikki Silvils (among many others!)

So plenty of things to keep you occupied right?

World Card Making Day

2011-10-02T19:46:00.001+11:00

was yesterday as most of the scrapping world would already know, so of course I celebrated the occasion by whipping up a few cards.

This first one was just an interesting way of using up some odd bits and pieces in all the colours of the rainbow :-)

And then of course I couldn't help but play along with some of the fun WCMD challenges happening at Scrapz.biz this weekend. This one is for Heike's 3D challenge and I'm using the delightful Clementine collection by Cosmo Cricket (get ready to see more of this in the near future.... I loveit!!)

InLinkz.com

And this is for Kerryn's stamped tag challenge. I altered my tag with stamps, rubons, Glimmermist and Tim Holtz Distress Stains. I made a beautiful mess! But loved every step of it :-)

Did you make any cards this weekend?
Don't worry, you've still got time to enter the challenges at Scrapz.biz and be in the running to win some fabulous 6x6" paper pads. See all the details here.

Excitement.biz

2011-10-01T18:14:00.000+10:00

I am super-excited to be able to announce that I am now a Design Team member for Scrapz.biz!! Wooo hoo! They're a fabulous online store with a great community on the forum, inspiring weekly challenges, monthly tutorials and a talented new Design Team (can I say that? Hhmmmmm)

Now I didn't have any newly created projects to show you to celebrate this occasion (don't panic, I've got lots up my sleeve, just none that I can show you yet!) so instead I'm sharing a bunch of older layouts which just haven't made it on my blog before.

And whilst you're browsing here let me tell you about some of the exciting things happening at Scrapz.biz so you can anticipate what's going to be popping up on my blog in the near future.

Right now as we speak we're celebrating World Card Making Day! There are 6 card-making challenges to inspire you with the chance to win some fabulous 6x6" paper pads by Crate Paper, My Mind's Eye and Fancy Pants. And to help you get in the mood, there's also 20% off all stamps, inks, embossing powders and acrylic blocks. You can find the coupon code for the sale by checking out The Buzz (which is our newsletter).

And starting on Monday we'll be hoping to inspire you with a different challenge every day of the week (Monday to Friday). A weekly challenge is nothing new to Scrapz.biz but the Design Team have decided to shake it up a bit and there's going to be fresh challenges and a different format which I'm really looking forward to. And everyone who completes a challenge will go into the draw for the monthly prizes of some very generous vouchers.

So much news hey? Why don't you sign up to the Scrapz.biz Facebook page to keep up-to-date?

PS. Did you notice how many of these pages I just shared incorporated the word 'Sunshine'? Ha!! I didn't realise how much I love and scrap this theme until I saw them all here like this! It seems I'm a little predictable hey? :-)

Good Dress Sense

2011-09-30T17:12:00.000+10:00

Munchy keeps telling me ideas of what she wants to do when she grows up. Sometimes it's in relation to whatever TV show she just watched.... like the other day when she wanted to become an Octonaut. Or it's to do with her favourite products... like when she wanted to work in a Peanut Butter factory.

But on this day when I came home from work she was talking about persuing her interests in the hospital system. I said to her "perhaps you would like to do what Mummy does?" (she's always very interested in hearing my tales of 'helping ladies have babies')

"No" she said, "I don't want to be a doctor, I want to be a nurse". Ok, that's fine I thought. But what's the disctintion in her beautiful little mind I wondered?

"Because the nurses have a better uniform" she answered!!
Well! ..................... I can't argue with that :-)

So here's that discussion in layout-form using a mixture of Lawn Party and Into the Woods by Studio Calico. A bright rainbow of colours and some whimsical photos to complete the lighthearted theme of this page. Do you like to dedicate layouts to conversations held? I love the idea of capturing a disctint moment in time like this. Too precious to forget :-)

Things To Do on a Friday Afternoon

2011-09-30T13:04:00.002+10:00

* Once Upon a Sketch
has mixed it up this month and are putting a twist on the normal process of picking a winner..... we want you to do it!! Just to remind you, the current challenge was to use this sketch:

and to journal 2 lines directly onto your photo.
Make sure you pop over to the OUAS blog and check out the amazing 75(!!) entries and vote for your favourite. You've only got until midnight tonight to cast your vote :-)

* Kreatorville Kraft
are giving away this amazing truckload of goodies to one lucky winner. Or as Keandra puts it.... "It's like an extra loaded baked potato up in there!!!"

But again, you've only got the rest of the day to get your comments in to be in the draw. See all the details on the KK blog here.

* One Scrappy Doctor (that's me!)
will be coming back later today with another layout share, and returning again tomorrow with some exciting scrappy news!

Not to mention.... did you see this on the My Mind's Eye blog? Yay!!!

Septober GIVEAWAY!!

2011-09-27T20:36:00.000+10:00

I don't know if you've tried to visit the Kreatorville blog in the last month but Keandra was having the hardest time trying to keep it online through a change of web-hosts. Anyway, the good news is that we are back up and running and to celebrate we are giving away a HUGE stash of goodies!!!

If you're the winner you'll receive over 200 sheets of patterned paper from brands like American Crafts, Basic Grey, Webster's Pages, Sassafras, Pink Paislee, Crate Paper, Fancy Pants, Making Memories and MANY more! There's a BUNCH of alphas,rub ons, rubber stamps, ribbons and other scrap yummies inside:

All you have to do to be in the running for this amazing prize is go and leave a comment on this post, and sign up as a follower of the Kreatorville blog. Easy hey?

And whilst you're there just check out the other new surprises and announcements we've got too. Like the soon-to-be-revealed Septober kit. Yes I said Septober! It's going to be a mix of the September kit which unfortunately got missed while the blog was down (and let me tell you that this has been one of my most favourite kits to work with.... you will gasp when you see how beautiful it is!) plus some of the best bits of the upcoming October kit. Also we're about to release a new embellishment add-on for even more extra goodies to play with. And if that's not enough we've got the amazing Amy Kingsford guest designing this month so there'll be a tonne of eye-candy to inspire you :-) Well, what are you waiting for?!

An ever fixed mark

2011-09-26T19:05:00.001+10:00

Monday, Monday.... can't trust that day.
Sometimes it's just so hard to get back into the swing of work again on a Monday isn't it? Especially if you've had a wonderful weekend off, scrapping to your heart's content.

And perhaps in my case it's made even that little bit more difficult because my work life and scrappy love-affair are quite different from one another. One is very black-and-white and governed by rules whilst the other is all about creative expression.

So I tried to convey that very feeling onto this layout, directly inspired by this pin which I'm sure you've seen if you've been around Pinterest for long enough!

I filled the right hand side of my page with the lovely bold and bright colours of my Candy Shoppe kit from Studio Calico, and generally got messy splashing around some paint and ink. This of course, represents my artistic side, my right-brain dominant personality. The other side of my page was left monochrome and I stamped on some numbers to represent my left-brain dominating. Not too sure which half of the page should be bigger?

Tell me, there must be more of you science/maths/engineering/physics type out there in the scrappy world? How do you balance the two? Is there an overlap in how you approach the two, or are they quite separate entities?

More thoughts later..... perhaps...
:-)

PS. If you want to win yourself a truck load of goodies then check this out!

True Story

2011-09-23T15:21:00.002+10:00

Sometimes I'm a bit conservative when it comes to chosing new scrapbook supplies and I tend to stick to my tried-and-true brands - often buying large chunks of the same collection so I can be assured my layouts will be coordinated.

But yay! I purchased and used two new-to-me brands on this page here. Both the Simple Stories 'Happy Day' collection and Bo Bunny's 'Et Cetera' have been on my radar since thier release at the last CHA and I'm pleased to see how well they work together.

The direct inspiration for the woodgrain design I painted onto the background came from this book cover I pinned on Pinterest. I love that place... so much eye-candy!

The journaling tickets I picked up from BubblyShnooks etsy store. Gorgeous hey?! And another great place to go for inspiration.

I'm so happy I managed to get another monthly layout done.... this is our June family photo, which we took whilst on holidays in Queensland.

So tell me, what are some of your favourite brands for scrapping with? Because I'm thinking maybe I need to expand my horizons a bit :-)

Spare a minute?

2011-09-19T18:53:00.004+10:00

Another day..... another challenge blog entry! And this one was right up my alley (pun intended!!)

My fellow DT'er from Once Upon a Sketch Helen Tilbury is a Guest Designer at Scrap-It-Lah this month and she has issued the best challenge :-)

Create your own mixed media background, using printed paper as a base. Be sure to include at least 3 different paint colours in whatever effects you fancy. Also ensure that you have at least twelve words on your layout, which can include the title, date and the journaling. How fun hey? The challenge ends September 30th and they have a gorgeous Studio Calico RAK up for grabs so I thought it was only fitting that I use up a few more of my old SC kit bits and pieces for this page.

Of course I just revelled in the idea of creating my own background and went to town with a whole rainbow of colours and a Pink Paislee stencil. Then added more drips and splats and....... general fun-ness!!

Then I cracked open the typewriter and started typing my thoughts until all the space was filled. I didn't really want to make this a page just about bowling - there's only so much you can write about that hey? So instead I made it a letter to Munchy about facing obstacles head on and such things.

I'm actually enjoying this page so much I'm thinking of scraplifting myself. Have you ever done that? I just picked up the Tim Holtz Picket Fence distress stain so I might try experimenting with that :-)

She Found Joy

2011-09-17T12:16:00.000+10:00

I'm enjoying the time to create for challenge blogs again, and it's been absolutely ages since I joined in at Kraft It Up which is a shame. But when I saw that their challenge this month is to use a kraft base and then incorporate fabric and stitching I jumped at the chance to make a page for it!

Except.......
then I realised all my fabric is packed away in storage!

So I had to go hunting through the supplies I bought with me to find something, anything made with fabric that I could incorporate to meet the criteria. And this is what I came up with: a fabric word from Prima, lace stickers from Basic Grey, fabric paper from American Crafts, and some gauze (which may or may not have come from the hospital)! Hopefully that counts for something :-)

The stitching part of it was no trouble since I sew on all my pages anyway. In fact, it was so 'normal' to me that I had to go quite overboard with my sewing to make me feel like I was challenged!

The journaling is about Moodles lack of fear to experience new things which I think is a great quality (to some extent!!) On our recent beach holiday she just loved the novelty of all the places we went and things we saw. She loved the touch of the sand beneath her feet, and dipping her toes in the water and playing among the rock pools. Pure joy for her :-)

Photo Journaling

2011-09-15T21:29:00.000+10:00

It was really hard to wait and show you the new Once Upon a Sketch challenge because it was just soooo much fun :-) But it's gone live and so now I can reveal the page I made for it....

As always the challenge comes with Journalling Criteria: This time you need to journal 2 lines directly on your photo. You can write on your photo, you can print your writing on your photo, you can use journalling strips on your photo etc. There is no theme this time, just a journalling technique criteria.

You must also use this sketch:

I played around with adding my journaling to my photo on journaling stickers, or my old favourite of typewritten strips. But in the end I went with the raw and organic form of simply writing it on. I think it suits the style of my page much better.

I stuck with the supplies out of my April Studio Calico kit 'Singing in the Rain' to make my paper and embellishment choices easier.... not to mention that I'm trying super-hard at the moment to kill some kits!! I have to admit, I still haven't succeeded with that, but I'm getting pretty close now with some ;-)

I interpreted all those horizontal strips into a set of wavy ones instead - attempting to make it look like the wavy sea that Munchy is overlooking in the photo. I have to say that girl is getting more creative every day. I was fiddling around with this layout and not very happy with it, and so I asked her what she thought I should do with it. That clever little just-turned-five-year-old of mine answered "well... just keep adding more things until it looks good........ how about some glitter?"

I didn't quite take her advice on the glitter, but I did keep going until I was satisfied.

Now..... let's talk prizes!!
The winner of this challenge will walk away with a newly released collection pack from our sponsor 3ndypapir. Here's a sneak peak of what that will look like:

And two more winners will win collection packs by Sassafras including 'Count Me In' and my absolute favourite 'Mix and Mend'.

Don't forget, this is an international challenge blog so anyone in the world can enter. Find out all the details over on the OUAS blog. I'll see you over there!

Easy Like Sunday Morning

2011-09-14T20:39:00.000+10:00

Here's another monthly page that I'm only just getting around to doing! This one's for March. Ooopps!

My March family portrait was taken on a Sundary afternoon after church and was filled with many different colours, so I had to choose some fun papers to match.

I ended up using Echo Park's new Victoria Gardens collection because they just worked perfectly to reflect the grey and green and pink in my photo. I have to admit - I never would have thought of that colour combo for myself! Works even better with some yellow highlights too :-)

Not only will this album tell the visual story of how our family has grown and changed over the months but I'm also using this opportunity to show little snippets into our life. I'm not necessarily journaling about what we did each month, but more about who we are.

So here I journalled about our weekly ritual of going to church every Sunday. For us it's more than just tradition, it's a chance to celebrate our relationship with a living God with the people whom we share a special bond. It's our second family, a place we feel equally at home in, and a place we're missing dearly at the moment as we spend this 6 months in the country. However, we are back again this weekend to get Moodles dedicated. Can't wait!

Cool Cats

2011-09-10T20:35:00.000+10:00

One of the highlights of our recent holiday away in Queensland was catching up and spending quality time with some old friends who have moved up there.

One of the activities we always used to enjoy together was playing board games (or card games too) and an old favourite is the game 'Cranium'. Sometimes it's a bit of a thinking game so it's not everyone's cup of tea..... but we always end up laughing ourselves silly whenever we play it.

I took this week's sketch from the Basic Grey blog as my starting point for making this page to record our recent happy memories playing Cranium.

I've had some of the yummy (pun intended!) Nook and Pantry collection in my stash for the longest time now so I was really eager to bust it out and use it up on something pretty!

Our friends have bought a house up there and are in the midst of renovating it. The vintage feel and worn appeal of these papers really reminded me of them as we stayed in their house, so it was just perfect for this page even though it's not about any kind of food :-)

I found some fabric that matched and ruffled it up under my photos before sewing it on. I think it adds to the home-made rough-and-tumble warmth that this page brings me. What do you think?

As simple as 'ABC'

2011-09-09T17:47:00.000+10:00

I like to find the positive side of life. I'm a glass-half-full kind of girl. So if there's one good thing to say about letting go of some of my DT comittments then it has to be that it allows me more time to play along with challenges, and to get through some of my accumulating stash :-)

I was instantly drawn to the current challenge on the My Mind's Eye blog this month. I'm sure you can see why. Here's the sketch.......

Look at all that room for journaling!!! Wooo hoo! I love telling the stories of life on my pages - the daily happenings, the funny quotes from my kids, my thoughts and emotions, the things I'll want to remember later on. Rather than just the date and place the photo was taken.

Along with the sketch, the journaling prompt was "Back to _______"
I pondered on that one a bit until I came up with this page which records my thoughts on Munchy needing speech therapy classes. I didn't plan any of my journaling ahead of time. When it came to adding it, I just picked up my pen and started writing.

I called it 'Back to Basics' because that's what we're really focusng on with her speech. We're practicing her pronounciation and phonetics of speech. Lots of guidance and 'repeat after me' exercises, encouraging her to shape her mouth and where to place her tongue..... that sort of thing. And it's working! She's making great gains, and is sooooo diligent for a 4 year old. She hardly ever complains about the practice, and is very proud of herself when she learns how to say a new word properly.

Of course, I used lots of My Mind's Eye products here. A mix and match jumble of some of their older lines like So Sophie and Alphabet Soup papers, with some newer brads and stickers from Stella and Rose.

Happy days :-)

Little Things

2011-09-08T16:22:00.000+10:00

Who said October Afternoon's Rocket Age collection should be just for boy pages?! Here I've been able to take it totally out of context and not only use it for a girl page, but a girly Easter page!...... Not that you can tell of course. I don't usually do 'theme' pages, I just like to tell a story.

On my last visit to the farm I took with me my June Paper Moon kit from Studio Calico and whipped up this page purely with the kit contents. Thaat's why you can't even spot my signature stitching anywhere (which makes me quite paranoid about it all falling to pieces!)

I tried to go all Julie FF. Balzer on this and hand-painted my title. I love the look of messy handwriting in comparison to the straight lines of the October Afternoon mini-alphs. Must do this again :-)

Ever since we were kids ourselves we've had a tradition at Easter of an egg-hunt - which continued even when we became 'grown-ups'! We've got even more excuse to keep this up now that my girls are old enough to participate too. This year was Moodles first time where she could actually go looking for the eggs herself.

The photos are of her and Poppy egg-hunting together. I think they both had as good a time as each other :-)

Watch a Movie

2011-09-04T13:29:00.003+10:00

I made a realisation this week... I work well under pressure!
Maybe that shouldn't have come as a surprise given the line of work I'm in. My favourite part of my job is managing the labour ward after all :-)

But when it comes to my scrapping, in particular my 'assignments' for my DT commitments, I'm usually very organised and have it done well in advance. But what with the moving towns and starting a new job and all this month, can I be completely honest with you and tell you I just plain forgot about this month's From Screen 2 Scrap submission until the day before it was due?!! Oooppss!

Lucky for me the poster is a really easy one to work with, and the extra criteria is definitely do-able. It includes:

For an extra 6 bonus points :)

1) One word title = 1 pt
2) Use Blue, Yellow and Red Cardstock = 2 pts
3) Add a Bird = 3 pts

So with my new-found ability to scrap when the pressure's on I was able to whip up this page in next to no time! And I have to say I was pretty pleased with the results :-) The only dilemma was that to photograph it in natural light (and with me working 10 hour shifts) I had to convince The Man to photograph it for me! He dutifully obliged. Heeee!

I was inspired by the movie poster to document Moodles love for adventure. She's not one to shy away from a new experience. I added a large bird wing (instead of a full bird) and some butterflies too to represent adventure and freedom and fun. My one word title is "Blessed" and together with the subtitle reads "Blessed are the Curious, for They Shall Have Adventure" which is quote I pinned here on Pinterest.

I'm trying very hard lately to break more into my Studio Calico kits as I seem to have an abundance of 'left-overs' and I'm not confident to say I've killed a kit yet in the 18 months or so that I've been subscribing. This layout is made with the November Napa Valley kit and features the Basic Grey Wander paper which was just perfect for my theme. As I said... I'm so happy with how this layout turned out. Hope to see you over at From Screen 2 Scrap.

And speaking of Basic Grey......
I was lucky enough to be featured on their blog today!! Eeekk! I'm so honoured! Go over and check it out here.