Sunday 29 January 2012

Project Life: Week 4 plus some changes

I got quite a shock when I put this weeks page together… and so did Mikayla!  We had no idea that we’d done so much during the week… that’s another good thing about this project :)

Here’s my full spread for the week:Full_1

If you’d seen the lounge and dining room last Sunday you would have been SHOCKED!!  I know Mum was!  With daughters moving in and moving out again… things left behind and some of my own school stuff here the place had turned into a real TIP!!  On Monday morning I asked Mikayla to help me clean up and bribed her with dinner out somewhere. 

We both got REALLY motivated and did so much including Mikayla getting under the house to move the aerial cord for the TV… I did it last time.  After taking a VERY full car to the landfill the place looked amazingly different…. and then we were too tired to go out for dinner so we had KFC for dinner instead :)

Here’s a look at the start of our week:Left_1

Mr Toby is a real poser for the camera!  All he has to hear is the familiar little sound it makes when it turns on and he comes running.  But on Tuesday I’m absolutely positive that he WINKED at me!!  Here’s a close up so you can see for yourself:Toby winking

On Tuesday my friend Sheree came over from Katikati and we did some digital scrapbooking stuff but I forgot to get the camera out… NEXT time Sheree!!! LOL

The second half of the week has been just as busy… Mr Toby has totally DESTROYED one of my books… thank goodness it wasn’t a library book!  We’ve been to Holden’s Bay for a play and then on Thursday the brand new (and quite expensive) ‘Toby House’ arrived.  Mr Toby has made it quite clear that HE’S not going in it!!Right_1

On Friday I had my Teacher Only day and Mikayla was working so we put Toby outside much to his disgust.  It started POURING with rain after lunch and when I got home was he in the Toby House???  Ah… NO!!!  He was sitting on the back door step (about 1 metre away from the Toby House) absolutely DRENCHED!!!  Silly Boy!

For now Toby is having his breakfast and dinner in the Toby House and he really stretches his body to reach his food without having to go in.  The photos of him IN the house we’re done on ‘sports mode’ which was lucky because he only stayed in there about 15 seconds!!

All is not lost though because Miss Brandy has decided that it’s the PURR-FECT place for her to sleep and best of all she knows that Toby isn’t going to bother her there!

For my ‘creative’ piece this week I used some Tim Holtz Kraft Resist and inked it up before layering it with some cardstock.  Then I added the date and some foam brackets and the number 4:Creativity_1

And now for some changes…  I’ve been teaching myself how to use Photoshop Elements… and I’m making good progress… so I’ve made 5 little changes to my Project Life album.  I bought Becky Higgins small journaling cards and I really do like them… but every time I flicked back on my pages ‘something’ was bothering me… and it was the rounded corners on the cards.  PLUS although I quite like my handwriting it just didn’t seem to be ‘right’ for my album so I’ve changed the 3 x 4 cards that I did using the journaling cards.

Here’s the ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots:IMG_5433_1IMG_5434_1IMG_5435_1IMG_5437_1

And he’s my favourite one… LOVE the little stick figure!

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So that’s been my week… lots of different things happening.  We’ve got Auckland Anniversary holidays this weekend so we don’t start school until Tuesday… but for now I’m off to school to do some final organisation for next week.

I hope you all have a great weekend xx

Wednesday 25 January 2012

Log Your Memory: Week 4

This week at Log your Memory the theme was all about books.  I really love reading and I have definite authors that I look for when I go to the library.

For this prompt I decided to focus on the books that I actually own and I was surprised at the variety of books I have… although they fall into very definite categories.

Here’s my layout for the week:Week 4Click image to enlarge

I love watching CSI, Criminal Intent and other crime shows so it’s no surprise that my collection of books includes some ‘who dunnit’ books.  I really like Sue Grafton’s ‘alphabet’ mysteries.  I started collecting them several years ago and I often go back and re-read them.

Nicholas Evans is another favourite author.  He wrote the Horse Whisperer and funnily enough that is his only book that I don’t own.  I first read his book ‘The Smoke Jumper’ and there is one part of the book that literally has me crying like a baby every time I read it.  His books really tell an emotional story mixed with some interesting information.  If you like Nicholas Sparks (love his books but don’t own any)  then you’ll probably like Nicholas Evans as well. 

Richard Carlson has written the very popular ‘Don’t sweat the small stuff’ which I got a lot out of.  Since then I’ve added several of his titles to my collection.  His wife has also collaborated on some of the books with him and she offers a good ‘female perspective’.

Of course I’ve got some lovely cooking books.  Most are kept in my kitchen but I like to keep my new ones on the bookshelf for a while so that I read them a bit more.

And then there’s my scrapping inspiration books… Nic Howard, Ali Edwards, Vinnie Pearce and Claudine Hellmuth.  I’ve also got Tim Holtz’s book but that’s in use right now LOL

For the last few years I’ve been getting into ‘Chick Lit’ books… you know the ones that are like a Chick Flick but in a book.  Marian Keyes, Sheila O’Flanagan and I’m currently reading Carole Matthews.  Every night I read a chapter… sometimes two… and it’s a real wind down from the day.  I find them fairly predictable… but that’s part of the attraction… it’s a way for my brain to wind down and switch off at the end of a busy day.

I’d love to hear what you like to read!

Have a great week xx

Sunday 22 January 2012

Project Life: Week 3

I really didn’t think that much had happened this week until I started putting together my pages and then I realised that there have been lots of things… I think that’s one of the beauties about this project… it’s a great way to capture the ordinary, everyday things that you don’t want to scrapbook but you don’t want to forget.

Here’s my spread for Week 3:Full-1

If you’ve seen my previous post then you’ll know that I’ve been painting my kitchen… and I have to say that I really, really love how it’s turned out! One thing I’ve learnt is that you’ve got to ask LOTS of questions before you start. Since painting the window surrounds and the pantry door with ‘flat’ paint I’ve learnt that it marks REALLY easily so today I went back to Bunnings and I’ve bought some ‘Low Sheen’ paint to go on those areas… now I’ll have the look I want with the benefits of being a lot more ‘wipeable’.

Here’s a closer look at the left side:Left-1

After doing the kitchen I felt a bit ‘low energy’ for a couple of days but there were still things happening. I had an appointment with the bank about my mortgage, Mikayla’s Christmas present for me finally arrived in the shop… and I found a ‘snapped’ photo that Mikayla took!

Here’s a better look at the right side:Right-1

Yesterday my sister Katie had planned on coming over to see me with my gorgeous wee nieces. We decided that a picnic at Holden’s Bay would be a good idea… and we had a fantastic time!

About 5 minutes after we arrived a water plane landed on the lake. Miss Jessie was SUPER excited about it! Better still, the plane actually came right up to the shore beside us… the girls were really thrilled!

As you can see from the photos Miss Sammie is now walking! It was so cute to see her toddling around… and she’s developing some awesome expressions!

It was a day of surprises because just before we arrived at our picnic I got a text from Mum saying: “We’re at your house, where are you?” Mum’s husband, Richard, had decided to take Mum for a drive and they ended up over here… so neat because Mum was able to have some all important ‘Grandma’ time with the girls too!

Here’s my little piece of creativity for this weeks page:Creativity-1

I used some My Minds Eye paper along with some foam letters, a printed quote left over from another project and then I die cut the ‘3’ and the bird using stiff felt… love how that turned out!

So that’s my week… lots of little things happening and still loving playing with all the digital stuff… plus lots of photos to scrapbook! I took 50 photos at our picnic yesterday which I thought was pretty good until I saw how many Mum had…. Miss ‘snap happy’ had taken 97!!!

I hope you’re having a lovely weekend xx

Thursday 19 January 2012

Log Your Memory: Week 3

One of this weeks prompts on Log Your Memory is Before and After projects.  Those of you who know me know that I’m a bit of a D.I.Y. girl… and although I had other projects that I could have used I decided that it was time for a kitchen makeover!

Before I show you my page for Week 3 I want to share with you a few photos.  When I bought my house five years ago one of the first things I was going to do was to get rid of the hideous paint colour!  Although it doesn’t look so bad in the photos the reality was much, much worse!  Think Karitane yellow… or for the farmers out there… ‘calf muck yellow’!  SERIOUSLY!

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It really was FAR more hideous in real life than the photos would have you believe!

So on Monday I went to one of my favourite places… Bunnings!  I bought paint, sugar soap, polyfilla, rollers, brushes etc and then the work began.  Here’s a couple of ‘in progress’ photos:

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And what was Mr Toby doing during all of this???

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Yes he was waiting for the paint to dry!  Every night just before 7pm Toby ‘reminds’ me that it’s his dinner time… and clearly I wasn’t paying enough attention on Tuesday night while I was up the ladder because I turned around to see him LICKING the fridge!  Wish I’d gotten a photo of that!

So before I bore you with too many ‘after’ photos… can you tell how proud I am of my kitchen yet?… I’ll share with you my page for Week 3:

Week 3Click photo to enlarge

You might be wondering where the title for this one came from… Mum gets to take the credit for that!  I was trying to explain what the paint colour looked like (it’s actually Dulux Willow Flat) and in the end I sent her a photo and she said… “Oh, it’s like Duck Egg Blue except that it’s Green!”  Mum was absolutely right and I thought it made a great title.

Here’s a few ‘after’ photos…. so pleased with how it’s turned out!

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So there you have it! 

I hope you’re all having a fantastic week and thanks so much for visiting. xx

Sunday 15 January 2012

Project Life: Week 2

Here’s the third (and final) post for the day :)

I’m absolutely loving all the digital things I’m learning to do… and my Project Life album is the perfect place to practice my skills!

Here’s my Week 2 spread:Full-page

This week Toby and I have been out and about quite a bit… and Mikayla has been spending lots of time with us too which has been super cool!

Here’s a closer look at the left side:Left_1

I was inspired by Vicki to do some writing in the sand… not so easy with an enthusiastic puppy by your side! Mikayla and I also went to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie on Tuesday night. Mikayla really loved it… and although I really liked the ending (super cool!!!) I found it a bit too much like Sherlock Holmes meets Rambo meets the Matrix for me.

Here’s a close up of the right side:Right-1 Mikayla, Toby and I all walked around the Blue Lake the other day… followed by having a picnic at Holden’s Bay… it was a perfect day :)

I’ve also done two layouts this week… love it when the mojo flows.

Oh yes… I got a speeding ticket in the mail last week OOPS! :( I wasn’t going to tell Mum but then I thought I’d better get in before she saw it on the blog! I know several other people around Rotorua that all got snapped so it looks like the speed cameras are all working well here LOL

I HAD to include this wee sign too:1_1

Toby and I went down to pick up Mikayla from work yesterday and this sign was on the campervan parked right next to us… absolutely laughed over it and was so pleased I had my ‘little’ camera in my bag with me!

Here’s my creative entry for this weeks spread:Creativity-1

I used some more of the Tim Holtz tissue wrap… really liking it on the kraft cardstock! The Sherlock Holmes picture was one I found online so I printed it out and cut a shadow layer with my cricut… I found out how to do that with a photo file!

I kept looking at the card and knew it ‘needed’ something but couldn’t think what… and then I realised it was smoke coming from his pipe. Mr Toby has a BIG stuffed toy lion that he ‘loves’ (at least he ‘loved’ it BEFORE his wee operation… IYKWIM). Lion is currently almost un-stuffed and the evidence is all over the lounge floor so I used a little bit for my card. It’s kind of nice to think that at least a small part of him will live on LOL

So that’s been my week… lots happening but it feels great to have something tangible to remember it all by.

I hope you all enjoy what’s left of the weekend and have a good start to the week xxx

Layout class–12th February 2011

Hello again everyone :) This is our second of three postings today. This time it’s all about our first layout class for 2012 and it’s going to be a fab class!

For this class we’ll be doing two layouts using some wonderful papers from My Minds Eye Funday paper range along with custom cut ric rac, titles, crystals, flowers and a whole lot more.

Here’s the photos for our first layout titled Picnic Time:Picnic-TimeYou’ll need two photos… mine are 5 x 3 inches

In this class we’ll be making the most of layering while still keeping it pretty clean. There will be a custom title made for each person… you get to choose your own title!

Our second class features gorgeous crystals along with custom made cardstock ric rac and heart. We’ll be distressing and inking and there’s some great techniques involved too!Love-youYou’ll need one large photo for this class or alternatively you could use two 6 x 4 photos… my photo is 6 x 8 inches.

To get more details or to make a booking click HERE

Happy scrapping xx

2nd January Challenge for Scrapbook Dreams

Hi everyone :)

I’ve got LOTS to share with you today so this is the first of three blog posts.

The mid-month sketch challenge at Scrapbook Dreams is up and it’s a double layout… which means double the reward points if you enter your layout into our January gallery! If you’re not into doing double layouts then there’s options for doing either the left or right side as well:)

Here’s the sketch:

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I had so many photos from Toby’s first Christmas so this sketch was perfect for it! Here’s the full layout:

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And here’s some close ups of the left and right side:

left-side_1right-side_1

On the left side I included a letter from Toby about his first Christmas. It was actually lots of fun to write. Here’s ‘his’ view of his first Christmas:

How was your Christmas? I had a GREAT time!! On Christmas Eve Mumma hung my stocking the door and in the morning it was FULL of treats for me! That guy Santa must have lots of treats at his house because he left me 5 different sorts. The only problem was Mumma wouldn’t let me eat them all at once because she said I might make myself sick... sometimes she takes all my fun away!!

After I got TWO treats we went over to my Auntie Tracey and Uncle Hau’s house at Waihi Beach. Auntie Katey and Uncle Simon were there too and so were all the kids. I got to play with all my cousins and look at their toys. Mumma made a whole heap of decorated biscuits for my cousins so that I could give them a present... pretty cool aye!

Then we had to wait for Grandma to arrive... and she was taking a LONG time!! So, we went for a walk to the beach.... just me, Mumma, Aidan and Leila. I’d never been to the beach before and it was a bit scary for me. Did you know that the water comes in waves??? and that waves move in and out??? I like being NEAR the water but I’m not too confident about getting IN the water so it was all very confusing.

Then we went home and Grandma and Poppa arrived and we all got presents! I got some toys and some more treats!! I even unwrapped most of my parcels myself!!

Next we had some lunch... Auntie Tracey kept sneaking me little treats while Mumma wasn’t looking... and so did Uncle Hau.... and so did Grandma.... and so did the kids... and do you know what? That night I was SICK as a DOG!!! Poor Mumma was a bit worried about me but I was feeling fine after I’d been sick!

Anyway... back to lunch! There was ham... and chicken... and sausages... and sausage rolls... and bacon... and all sorts of other things! Everyone had their lunch and then Uncle Simon and Mumma took all the kids to the beach for a BIG walk. They had to be careful to make sure they brought all the right kids home and didn’t leave anyone behind but they did a good job.

When we got back from our walk Auntie Tracey had our pudding ready. I watched all the other kids getting ice cream and jelly and sprinkles and I thought that maybe she’d forgotten about me.... but then she gave me an ice cream in an ice cream cone!!! I was so hot and the ice cream was so cold... it was REALLY nice!

Then we all played some more before we got back in the car. Mumma had to drive all the way back home but I got to snore on the back seat!! I snored so loud that Mumma had to turn up the CD so that she could hear it properly because I was REALLY tired.

So that’s my layout for the challenge… Toby and I would love to see what you guys come up with!

Happy scrapping xx

Wednesday 11 January 2012

Log Your Memory: Week 2

Hi everyone :)

This week on Log Your Memory one of the prompts was about setting and achieving goals.  There were other prompts too like ‘bucket lists, checklists and things like that. 

I’ve been a goal setter from way back… even at school I used to set goals to achieve things each week so this prompt worked for me.

While I was doing this weeks layout I realised that although I set lots of goals… and work hard to achieve them… I’ve NEVER set goals in my personal life.  Somehow it’s always seemed to ‘clinical’ to me but now I’m re-thinking that because this method clearly hasn’t worked for me.

Here’s my layout for Week 2:Week 2Click photo to enlarge

It’s FINALLY stopped raining here and we’ve got gorgeous blue skies and and sun is actually shining so I’m off to get washing on the line… and maybe even a little gardening done :)

Wishing you all a great week xx

Sunday 8 January 2012

Project Life: Week 1

Hi everyone :)

I’ve had a huge amount of fun this week doing my Project Life pages. I’ve been using Photoshop HEAPS and learning what I can do with photo overlays. It’s added up to several hours on the computer but I’m feeling WAY more confident with it.

Here’s my spread for the week:Full_1

As you can see Mr Toby has featured quite a bit! I’m sure that will continue through the year. Here’s a better look at the left side:left_1

On Tuesday my sister, Katie, and my three little nieces came over to visit Auntie. We went out for lunch and the girls were absolutely fantastic. It was a great time to get some really relaxed photos while they weren’t so aware of the camera.

High on our list this week was Krystal’s move to her first flat over in Hamilton. Toby got used to sitting in the back with all the furniture surrounding him. They ‘payoff’ was that I took him to the Hamilton dog park. Toby REALLY doesn’t like getting in the water… unless it’s a warm bath… but Mikayla was determined that he was having a swim!

Here’s the right side:right_1

One of my PRIORITIES this week was to get the lawns done as soon as it stopped raining. Luckily I stuck to that because we’ve really only had one good day this week! That was the same day that Mr Toby dug his first HOLE! Was Mumma impressed?? Well… actually… I kind of was LOL Grandma was sure that Toby wasn’t to blame and sent him a quick email which promptly got added to a journaling card! Toby says “Thanks Grandma” xx

I added some more photos of Toby at the dog park… did a small journaling card about buying handmade cassis chocolates at the night market and also one about my PL page protectors arriving.

Just before Christmas my Dad put some money into my account so that I could get myself something. He’s done this for the last few years and I’ve been slowly buying things for the kitchen. This week I popped into Briscoes and scored a GREAT bargain on a new frying pan. Thanks Dad xx

I want to keep adding little bits of creativity to my PL album this year. Here’s this weeks piece:creativity_1

The background is Tim Holtz tissue wrap which I mod-podged onto white cardstock before going around the edges with black paint. The letters were white foam ones that quickly got the paint treatment too and I added a red die cut star that was sitting on my table. I made the date strip using Photoshop which I printed out and stuck down with the tiny attacher… yep still loving my latest gadget!

So that is Week 1 done… I’m really happy with it!

And now to announce the winner of the giveaway!

It’s hard to believe, but there’s been 57 views on the blog since I put up the giveaway and just three comments so here’s what I’m doing. I rolled a dice… which Toby loved and tried to run away with!!!… and it landed on a 1 which means that the giveaway goes to Vicki :)

Since there were just three comments, I wanted to say thank you to Loreen and Esther too so I’m going to make both of you a ‘Life Love Joy’ card as well.

Let me know what colour scheme you’d all like for your cards ladies and Vicki could you also let me know which paper pad you’d like :)

Wishing everyone a good start to their week xx

Friday 6 January 2012

Endings, Beginnings and a Giveaway!

Hi everyone :)

Let’s start with the ENDING… the completion of my December Daily album!  I’ve been trying to work out how I wanted to bind it together.  I’d originally thought that using rings would work but they just seemed too big… SO I bought some more tartan ribbon and created my own criss cross binding.  It’s probably been done many times before but this is my first time using it and I really like it.IMG_4812

I tied a couple of bells left over from my Santa Banner project onto the ends of the ribbon and now the book ‘tinkles’ when you pick it up… love that!

Here’s what it looks like from the front:IMG_4809

And here’s a top view with all the pages… see what I mean about how FAT this December Daily got!IMG_4810

The neat thing is that when you open the pages you can see lovely tartan ribbon… I’m liking that too!IMG_4811

I updated the calendar in the front of the album so that every date has it’s own topic… perfect for when I want to find a specific thing:calendar

On the back of the 31st I had a blank page which wasn’t really what I wanted so I added a ‘Best Bits’ page… love how that turned out!inside back cover

So that’s it… it’s finished… completed… done…and I’m DEFINITELY going to do this project again in 2012!

Now, onto a BEGINNING!

Some of you already know that I planned on doing the Project Life project… and I’m super happy today because the courier arrived with my page protectors and journaling cards.  I have to say that they’re REALLY good quality and super easy to slide everything into!

I decided that I was going to do a double page spread for each week to give me lots of room which of course meant that I’d need some sort of title page.  I’ve been playing around with lots of bits and pieces that I wanted to include but it’s done now!  Here’s a look at my cover page:

intro page

I’m loving the style of this project and how you can make it be anything you want.  I’ve decided that since I’m learning to use more digital elements I’d do this project in a hybrid style… that way I can still include all the lovely things I enjoy like Tim Holtz embellishments, patterned papers, inking, stitching, embossing etc

Here’s a close up of part of the page… I made the ‘Life Love Joy’ insert using cardstock and Tim Holtz die cut letters and then I added a muse token… so pleased with how it turned out.  PLUS I’ve been using my Tim Holtz tiny attacher HEAPS!!!  For those that know me you’ll know that I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY don’t like staples… but the tiny attacher is super cute… and I love using it!  They just don’t SEEM like staples to me LOLintro page detail

I really like the red/black/white/kraft combo so I’ll probably use it lots through this project!

And now for the GIVEAWAY!

When I was planning this blog post I did a quick count up of how many posts I’ve done since I started this blog… and that’s when I realised that this is the 200th post!!! 

So in honour of that I’m giving away either this:fp1203

Or this:fp1205

Or this:fp1204

That’s right… you get to choose!  PLUS I’ll make you your own ‘Life Love Joy’ card in a colour scheme of your choice!  If you’re doing the Project Life project it will slip right into one of the pockets :)life love joy

So how do you go about winning???  Just leave me a comment on THIS POST before 4pm on Sunday 8th January (NZ Time).  I’ll post the winner on Sunday night along with my Project Life Week 1 pages… so make sure you come back on Sunday to see if YOU won the giveaway!

Happy scrapping everyone xx