A little piece of me

Off and running

2009-02-12T22:59:00.005+11:00

We had our first day of Tafe today, I'm doing the Photoimaging Diploma this year, and we were put straight into it. We had a portrait sitting of a 4 month old baby and her mama. We also had Tara and Thomas come in and had some impromptu baby swapping. With feeding and settling and set up changes, we really hit the floor running. Janine and I had done some shopping for props and lovely soft blankets and all sorts of things for baby photography over the break and between us we had some great props. But as we didn't know what we were doing today we didn't have them with us, needless to say we were sent home to get all our little goodies. It was a really productive day and I'm hoping to take Piper and Thomas in for a repeat next Tuesday. I don't have any shots to share right now but am planning on setting up a new blog for my photography, this one is really just for memories of my family and sharing some scrapping layouts. Speaking of which here is a few more......

Theme

2009-01-31T02:19:00.006+11:00

OK so you would probably notice a theme to my latest layout shares......All Piper's yep sadly that's about all I got done last year. With study and being pregnant it was a push to get these done. But I do want to keep on top of layouts for Piper as she will be the only baby that I have had since I started scrapping. And there are so many things scrap worthy with a new life. In saying that here is today's share.

The title says it all!!! the other kids love her so much and are so very helpful. Even if it is just watching a DVD with her :-)

Love this one!!! it's the first time I got her smile in a photo ( almost said on film, how odd that these old phases come so easily to mind. Nothing sounds quite as right with all the new digital technology)

This is a copy of the layout on the packaging the Heidi Swapp clock came in. Loved the photo so just kept the layout simple which Heidi does so well.

Now this one brings back so many memories. I have photos of all our kids in this exact position on Dad's shoulder. Love it.

Well that's it for today, I hope to share the rest that I have done before we all head back into the busy school year. The kids go back Monday and I go the following week. I will miss my little girl but will so enjoy getting back into photography. I'm hoping for big things this year with the new Diploma.

Just a few more

2009-01-27T01:04:00.006+11:00

The photo on this layout printed up so dark, much darker than it should have but I still used it.

Had to scrap day 5 as she finally had a name.

Had a little photo shoot of Piper and got so many good one's I had to use lots of them, so this layout is a scraplift of a layout Ann Leaderhose did for us the year before last.

And finally a layout with Piper and her Mum..........Me. lol. I hate my photo taken but am begining to realise I'm the person missing out of all my kids albums. So I had to be in on some of her's from the very start.

A few more :-)

2009-01-22T03:00:00.004+11:00

A few more

2009-01-20T23:15:00.006+11:00

This final one was a class by Kim Archer.

A few layout shares

2009-01-20T03:35:00.004+11:00

As it has been a while since I posted I have decided to share a few layouts from Piper's album, which is practically the only thing I have scrapped all last year.

Impromtu shoot

2009-01-10T23:12:00.004+11:00

I waited to long to do these shots of Piper, she is too big for her Hat Box Now :-( I have had this planned and ready for a while don't know why I waited so long, just all the busyness of Christmas I suppose. Had to get my book out again for my new camera today, how can it be so hard to remember to change simple things like ISO, aperture ect?!?!?! It was second nature with the 400D but it all so different on the 50D, more complicated I think. Anyway here is a sample of what I did, gotta remember to keep private parts out of view :-) forgot on most of today's. lol.

Not sure if I prefer the colour or B&W version?!!?

I'm thinking the B&W, would love to have any visitors leave a comment and tell me their preference. :-)

Summer has begun

2009-01-02T22:21:00.005+11:00

After much earned rest over the Christmas period we have started our summer break with a trip out camping. The weather is fantastic, the water cool and clear and although Piper and I are returning home for the nights, we are all having a blast away from it all. We have the most beautiful spot we like to go to, it has been a while since we were last here, but it's still just as great.

Horrible Children

2008-12-29T00:11:00.004+11:00

that's what I'm thinking of mine anyway. I was dying to take them out for a photo shoot to give the new camera a run, but would they comply???? No!!, well not the girls anyway. It all started with the girls not wanting to do it and it went down hill from there.I'm not a happy camper at the moment........grrr...... Usually they love to come out for photo sessions, I'm not sure what was up with them.

Oh well will have to try again another day. But I did get another nice one or two of Piper :-)She's such a sweety.

Christmas Cheer

2008-12-25T14:36:00.004+11:00

OMG OMG OMG !!!! I must have been very good this year, look what was under the tree for me this morning. It was a huge surprise, thanks darling husband of mine.

I had been looking at it and wanting it for a little while now. Can't wait to get into that diploma this year now!!!!!! It's quite a bit bigger than my old one, but hopefully it won't take long to get used to it.

Merry Christmas Everyone

2008-12-25T02:05:00.003+11:00

We got a new tree this year and after depositing all the prezzies under it tonight I decided to take my camera and tripod out and play with BULB setting, to get all the lights nicely. A little touch up in photoshop and how nice is this?!!?!

Well it's very late or early really so I hope everyone out there has a really wonderful Christmas.

Schools over and now it's the Silly Season

2008-12-24T02:22:00.008+11:00

Well another Graduation for us recently with Katelyn finishing Primary School. Off to Middle Years College for her next year. Boy they grow up fast, I remember her first day like it was yesterday. They had their ceremony directly after school on Thursday of last week. Then the kids and teachers had an informal BBQ and final get-together. It was a fun night, no tears as Katelyn is lucky most of her friend are going off to the same campus as her next year, so the transition should be smooth.

The Silly season is upon us!!! But I love Christmas I truly do, all of it!! the rush, the excitement, the enjoyment, all the planning and preparation. It's like a wedding every year, all this work, effort and money goes into this one day. I love it. We did our annual Ginger bread House making today, the kids love to do it and have been begging me to do it for days now. Tia and Tenika were here as well so it was extra fun.

Piper is 8 weeks now and she is such a doll, she is smiling and giggling and talking to us. I got some photos of her today smiling and talking to her tiger on her play gym. It was great to finally get photos of her smiling, each time I try when I or her Dad or one of the kids is talking to her as soon as I bring the camera close she goes all quiet and looks at the camera. But today I sat back in the chair out of her direct line of site and snapped some of her, here are some of them.

6 weeks old

2008-12-12T12:36:00.009+11:00

our little Piper is now. That tiny new born is gone and in her place is a bright as a button infant. She had her check up with the doctor today and she is doing fine. We have to keep up the fortnightly weighing, just to make sure she doesn't slip backwards at all, and I have to keep up the comp feeding as required. I'm just too busy and my body can't do it all the doc says. But I'm not going to feel guilty or upset by it, whatever is best for her I'll do it. It is a nice opportunity for Dad to feed her as well which he is really enjoying. Here is a photo I took of her yesterday after her bath.

I have been doing a little bit of Digi Scrapping. I have used a kit I purchased for 2peas to do this little album. I've enjoyed it heaps, very quick and really nice too. I have changed some pages around a bit and as I get better at digi I will expand it even more, but for now I'm having fun with it. Here's some pages already completed, all in little over 1 day!!! I can't do that with paper. lol.

I have printed them 8x8 and have put them in a little Making Memories Noteworthy album. It's really sweet I think, can't wait to do some more.

Happy Birthday

2008-12-08T10:46:00.004+11:00

it was for my sweet middle girl Tahlia. She turned 11 last week and had a sleepover party with a couple of her friends on the weekend. We all went to McDonald's for dinner then it was off to see High School Musical 3. Which all the girls loved.

We then came home and she decorated her cake with her friends, she had a pavlova for her cake.

Then they attempted to sleep outside in a tent, with lots and lots of mucking around and giggling fun, with glow sticks and things. But in the end they came inside and watched a DVD and fell asleep. We wound up the party with McDonald's brekky. She had a great time.

Piper is doing wonderfully

2008-12-01T09:22:00.004+11:00

She had a slow start with her weight gain which gave a few weeks worry, but she is now heading in the right direction and at 1 month old she is back to and above birth weight. She fits into our family so well everyone loves her dearly and can't get enough of her, well except when Ethan is watching a TV show and she is crying he politely says 'can you please stop her crying', which of course I would gladly do if I could?!!? I have many willing helpers when it comes time to get dinner ready or something, OHh not with getting dinner, no, with holding the baby or keeping her amused!! Here is Katelyn last night keeping her entertained while I was busy. Hmm not sure if watching DVDs is the best entertainment but it worked so we'll go with it.

My Cert 3 Photoimagaing course is officially finished, we had our Exhibition on the weekend with the opening night on Thursday. Unfortunately I didn't get anything finished in time to go on display (feeding, expressing and giving comp feeds to Piper took all my time)The exhibition was great though and all my fellow class mates did a truly wonderful job pulling it off. The artwork on the whole was outstanding and there were plenty of sales on the night. I'm looking forward to being a part of it next year. Many of us from this year are going back to do the Diploma course.....Hmm not sure what I'm thinking but I really would'nt want to miss it, this year was fantastic and I really want to learn more.

My Eldest

2008-11-26T00:34:00.003+11:00

child has officially finished High School. His Graduation ceremony and ball was on last Friday night. How handsome he looked in his new suit. His dad and I are so proud of him.

Wow I'd forgotten

2008-11-18T22:55:00.003+11:00

How much work little babies can be. Not to mention how zombie like you begin to feel by all the sleepless nights, half the time I feel like I'm walking around in a daze. The physical exhaustion of pregnancy has been replaced by the foggy brained existence of the new mother. But of course I wouldn't change a thing. Piper is such a sweet little thing, sadly not putting on much weight but we're working on that. I have taken lots of photos, some I'm really happy with. I have scrapped a layout and am working on another, how nice it is to have a new subject to scrap. We have also been to a local photographer to have some nice photos taken some of Piper alone as I want a coffee table book done of her first year and some of the two of us. As those of us behind the camera know, there is no-one to take many photos of us, so I decided to get some done. I'll finish up with a favourite photo of Piper taken last week.

Our beautiful little girl is here

2008-11-07T13:21:00.001+11:00

Pencil Lines - look away Marie

2008-09-01T19:40:00.004+10:00

Have reached a milestone, this week is sketch 100, and all the Pencil Lines DT, old and new have reunited for this special week. I have used the sketch on one of the layouts in the baby's album, I enjoyed doing a sketch again, it was a challenge with all the circles but fun anyway.

And as always they have prizes on offer do head over to the site for a look at the sketch and give it a go for yourself.

Hybrid anyone?

2008-08-30T09:48:00.005+10:00

Although not totally convinced on digital scrapping, I do love Photoshop and since doing the Photo Imaging course this year, have gotten an even greater appreciation for it, I have now completed my first ever Hybrid layout. And surprise surprise I really loved doing it as well as being happy with the end result.Here's the Digital bit, Photo's, title and journalling with some blocks of color and brushes just cause I love them ............

Yes that is my belly, i got the tripod out and my remote control for the camera and had a go at trying to take some photos myself. Although far from good, they worked OK.

And here is the finished layout, just need some papers and a few embellishments and it was done.......

I've done about 8 layouts in the babies album already, I have done 3 this week, I haven't been so inspired for a long time. Not just to do layouts on the baby but just to scrap in general. Might upload some more layouts another day. But for now I'm itching to go and do another one or two. :-)

Birthday Boy

2008-07-23T09:46:00.006+10:00

Ethan had an awesome Party on Saturday. He chose to go over to Kidz in Party Land and use their Pirate room. He even invited a few friends, which he has never wanted to do before, and I'm sure he was very glad he did as they had a wonderful time. They dressed up and played Pirate games as well as the usual pass the parcel party games ect.

His Party wasn't until 2.30 in the afternoon but he spent the morning unwrapping his prezzies from family with Katelyn and Tahlia and spending time playing with those.

He even decorated his Birthday cake himself, I think he has my creative style of putting on as much as he possibly can. lol.

Celebration at School

2008-07-19T12:23:00.006+10:00

for Ethans Birthday. We made some cup cakes with sprinkles together for him to share with his class yesterday. I stayed for the morning school assembly as Katelyn was taking it and I noticed the school has a special birthday hat and he got to wear it for the morning. I had to get a few things done after I watched Katelyn do the Assembly and then had to get to class for the afternoon so thanks Tara for getting the photos for me.

What an adorable pair

2008-07-17T22:27:00.005+10:00

of kids these are!!! Here they are all ready to go off to their first school disco.

They were so excited, Ethan went to his Aunt Tara's to get ready and go with Tia because I couldn't take him as it's basketball night for Katelyn and they had to be on at the same time didn't they. Just my luck to miss it, but Tara sent me through these photos tonight of them both.

Birthday fun and a hospital trip

2008-06-30T19:42:00.016+10:00

We had Katelyn's 12th Birthday recently she had a great day with a few of her friends. The fun started at 10 pin bowling, everyone each played 1 game and had some food and we also had her cake there, then we all went off to the movies to see Narnia - Price Caspian. It's always fun with a bunch of giggly girls, here's a few snaps to share......

Early the next morning we had to take Ethan over to the hospital to check in for preparation for his bowel surgery the following day. He had to have a nasal tube put in to administer the medication he needed, that was horrible it annoyed him all day as it made his nose run, poor boy. It was a very boring and slow day having to be there at 7.30am and sit around with him all day while he was starving hungry was very hard. He had a visit from Tara, Tia, Tenika and Thomas in the afternoon which staved off the boredom for a little while. He did fall asleep rather late and Mum drew the short straw and got to sleep there with him, luckily they had quite a comfortable flip out bed next to his. Thankfully he was put first on the surgical list the next morning and he went in at 8.30am and we got to go home by 11am. All looked fine but we will find out more at his next Doctors appointment.

Other news I got a little present today..........a new lens for my camera. It's a 50mm 1.4. I can't wait to have a play with it but the weather is rather dismal here today so I'll have to wait a while. I have lots of plans for photos I want to take with it. I still have a few baby/pregnancy shots I want to take which will look awesome with the new lens, I also got a remote control for it which will make taking my own belly shots easier. Anyway here it is...........

The next one on my list is a 24mm to 70 mm 2.8. That's quite a bit more money though so it may be a while. Hopefully before the baby is born.

Second Ultrasound

2008-06-18T10:06:00.006+10:00

On Friday the 13th we had our anomaly ultrasound done. All looks great with the baby, right size all things in the right place and accounted for. It has large feet and toes that look like mine, we got to see some images of it in 3D. I think it looks like Tahlia, Craige and Mum think it looks like Katelyn & Ethan ....Hmm we will see in about 18 weeks. We did find out what we are having but I won't share here as I know Marie doesn't want to know and she will probably read this post. After the scan Mum, Tara and I went to have lunch and then they took me shopping at a baby store that is closing down, they had 40% off baby clothes and 20 to 30% off other things. Tara got a Noah's Arc mobile and some gorgeous clothes and Mum got us lots of clothes and accessories. I tell you I won't need to buy a thing. We were really spoiled. I always seem to have a theme for each baby, probably most of us do. This one seems to be Noah's Arc, it is a really popular story in this household at the moment, Ethan recently bought a pop up book with that theme and I got the most beautiful feeding gift set recently in the mail from a very lovely friend Mishell, with the Noah's arc theme also.

Here are some photos of the scan. The first one is a regular one and the second is the 3D one, bit odd looking I think, but still cool none-the-less as we haven't had one of those done before. We also came home with a DVD of the entire ultrasound....that's cool.

Scrapbooking

2008-06-04T14:33:00.006+10:00

How would you describe/explain it??? Hard question I think. In the course I'm studying we have to do an electronic presentation and to save time on research ect I decided to do it on Scrapbooking of course. Well easy I thought..........Not after all. Well in saying that it isn't hard but Scrapbooking is so huge that how do I do it justice in a 10 minute presentation. What do I put in? what do I leave out? How much do I back up the information with images? Really you can spend a week just going over products, then do you incorporate design? History? Mini Albums? BTP? The Tutor wants me to incorporate How to get started, because he is interested in that?Hmm it's an interesting quandary??

We had a great photo shoot the other day, we were lucky enough to photograph an Aboriginal Artist and some of her work. The brief was to use Photo Journalism type photography, we had to pretend we were working for a newspaper and were given an outline of what was expected. It was a wonderful experience, some of us had a piece our work printed in A3 size, one of mine was and it was fantastic having a professional photographer critique your work and express his reasons for liking the image.

I have been scrapping a bit lately, which is wonderful. Tara and I had our last official workshop on Saturday with a kit designed by Giovanna The ladies loved it. Thanks so much Giovanna for you wonderful work. I have a layout in this month Scrapbooking Memories. Sadly it is one of my all time favourite layouts and they have photographed it terribly, I was very disappointed. So I will share it here now to show how it really looks. The wonderful chipboard tree is from Remember When and I have painted it with the those awesome Twinkling H2O's.

Coming Soon............

2008-05-09T23:10:00.003+10:00

Baby number 6...........

Yep your read right we are adding to our family. Had the Ultrasound last week to do the NT test as I'm a bit older now, the blood test were done a few weeks ago. Happily I got the phone call yesterday to say we were low risk 1 in 4000 chance of having a baby with Downs syndrome. Here's an ultrasound photo of our Little peanut.......

I have been quite sick with nausea, vomiting and tiredness and worse of all I'm having terrible headaches, for days and days at a time. They really have been quite debilitating. Last week the nausea ect had subsided significantly but I'm still plagued with headaches. After seeing the doctor on Thursday she gave me a script for something to help out with them......thank goodness. Now I'm feeling better I can head to the shops on my days off to start getting some things together for this little bub.

I'm continuing with studying but as I'm 14+2 weeks and due on the 5th of November I doubt I'll be able to finish the course this year as it doesn't finish until the end of November. I'm loving it and learning so much that I'm not going to stop going until I really have too and maybe I can get ahead before I need to stop going. Either way I know I will have learnt so much and had a wonderful year in any case.

I'm missing the Scrapbooking scene lots lately and Tara and I were considering going to QLD for the Scrapbooking and Beyond coming up soon. It would be great to attend a few classes and enjoy the whole atmosphere once again. I plan on scrapping this weekend while I catch up on some washing, it's been ages since I sat down to scrap just for the fun of it and i have a real urge to do so I hope my mojo is in abundance!!

Once again......

2008-04-22T08:38:00.004+10:00

It has been a very long time between posts. It has been very busy around here with study and workshops and I have had a few item of work to do for Scrapbook Memories. I have a layout in Scrapbooking Memories this month, as does a very good friend of mine Marie Noske congratulations Marie!!!!! Here's mine to share now.

It was part of a workshop we ran last year, and although walnut ink has been around for a long time many of the girls hadn't used it before and loved playing around with it. I still get comments from some of them as to this being one of their all time favourite workshops and layouts. I love it too... it has made a nice addition to my album from my trip to the UK last year.

We ran our second last workshop on Saturday, yep Tara and I are closing up shop. Life has taken us both on different paths this year. Tara had her little baby boy on the 16th of March and he is going to be her focus this year. And with me returning to study photography this is a main aim for this year.

So far I haven't found the passion for photography as the main game as I have for Scrapbooking though. While I love taking photos, and love looking at beautiful photos, to me that still only seem part of the story. I look at a photo and want to know more.......what, who, where ect. And while we do do lots of photoshop work as well, having the photo printed seems to me not to be the end, I still have the passion to then get creative and make the most of the photos by scrapping it...........or something. I guess for me the photography just isn't creative enough on it's own. I need more art in my life....lol...... This has been a struggle for me while studying. While I love all the technical things we are learning......I will never have my SLR on auto again :-)....... I am learning soooo much about the taking of a great photo I feel I still need more. I think it's time for me to throw my hat in the ring in the scrapbooking world again, to get my creative juices flowing and some excitement and passion once again.

Well it has been a long time

2008-02-14T23:11:00.008+11:00

:-) I have had a long break from scrapping stuff. I haven't even spent much time on the computer. But this week I have had to get back into it. Tara and I have a workshop this weekend and next weekend I have 3 make and takes for Fiskars. One on Friday in Albury, one on Saturday in Bendigo and one on Sunday in Shepparton. All of these will be held in the Spotlight stores, so it would be good to see many people attend so please come in to the stores :-)

I have had a few layouts published recently, which I would like to share....

This one is in Creating Keepsakes this month, it just came in the mail today...

This one's in Scrapbook Creations.....
and this one's in Scrapbooking Memories

After a great Summer break with the kids it was very sad for me to see my littlest one go off to school this year. It has been a trial over the last few months geting a grip on the fact that I would be on my own for many hours each day......this has not happened for me for 18 years. I have always had a little one or two home with me untill now. Here's some shots of him heading to the school bus on his first day.....Yes he did go on the bus, he very much wanted to, which left me to drive myself to the school to make sure he settled in fine. Which of course he did.

Anyway I mourned that fact for a while and then booked myself into a photography course. I'm now back studying full time, as I do Certificate 4 in Photo Imaging. It was my first week this week and while being very busy I totally loved it...bar the fact for the OH&S subject. Although I have loved working in the Scrapbooking Industry, it always felt to me like a hobby still. I couldn't really take it seriously.......because it was basicaly too much fun. It has never felt like working. I know i have been very fortunate to do many of the things I have and I have loved so many of the opportunities Scrapbooking has given me but still it feels to easy. I'm in need of more challenge. I still plan on doing what I do with regards to Scrapbooking, I'm not going to disapear from it as I love it so much. I just wish to advance my photography more as it was my first love, the one that drew me to Scrapbooking in the first place.

Still Having Trouble

2007-11-22T21:35:00.000+11:00

with Blogger?!!?!? Might need to change weblog providers maybe, me thinks.

Ah well anyway. Got a workshop this Saturday, nearly our last for the year, apart for our break up. We have 6 new ladies coming this time......woohoo that will be brilliant, our workshop numbers are growing and growing. We even had a lady come up to us in the Plaza yesterday asking us if we still ran them, well yes of course we do!!! So another newbie on the way I feel. Soon we may need to go to 2 per month to cope with the numbers?!!? That would be good. Next year we have many new changes in the wind?!?! All exciting and lots of great ideas to entice new ladies to our kits?!!?

Ohh other exciting news...Fiskars have a Christmas extravaganza of ideas here ?!?! How cool, so many ideas that were created by many of the Ambassadors for the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. So if you want some awesome Christmas ideas head on over.... Here's just a little sneak peek..... The drink identifiers and the napkin rings are some of mine.

And check out my new toy....mmm serious fun. Loving it, haven't got it all worked out yet but will soon enough.

OK short but sweet tonight. Got some layouts to share but will do that next time.

Locked out

2007-11-02T07:51:00.000+11:00

I have been unable to get into Blogger!?!?!? Don't know why, but I have had to go through the rigmarole of changing passwords etc?!?!!? What a pain, but I'm in now and I have so much to catch up on.

First being that I'm now the parent of an official ADULT!!! OMG that makes me feel old!!!!Luke turned 18 recently......... And I just had to take him out for a photo shoot, but it took a while to get done as the weather has been so good and the sun so bright that I had to wait for a dull but not raining day as he is super sensitive to light in his eyes.....so here is a photo of the MAN....

Last weekend was our retreat, OMG what a great time we had......It was a lot of hard work and we are still catching up on much needed rest. The girls that attended were such a good bunch......so much fun and so many laughs........ Tara and I took time out for ourselves, it wasn't all work, we had facials and massages and manicures and pedicures!!!!!!! How cool is that!!!?!?!?! Most of the girls took themselves off for some sort of Treatment and the ENSENZA SPA throughout the weekend. The meals were delicious, scrapping was cool, the classes went well and Tara and I took down a trailer full of product, lots and lots of new stuff. It was an awesome weekend. Unfortunately I forgot a few things and Craige and the kids had to come down for a run on Saturday to bring them to me. But they enjoyed that anyway as they did some fishing on the way home.

I have a few demos coming up for Fiskars and another Workshop on the 24th here in Wodonga, so November will be another busy month and then can you believe it we're into December!?!?!? The year has flown again, Tara and I are doing the Christmas Craft Alive show here in Albury on the 7th, 8th and 9th of December. We have loads of Christmas goodies in papers, embellishments and BTP stuff as well. We think it will be a great show.

Yesterday Ethan and my niece Tia had school orientation, they both go off to school next year. Ethan was beside himself with excitement in the morning?!?! It was great to see as earlier in the year he was adamant about not going to school. I got a few photos, just have to scrap this milestone in their lives, but can't share any as I haven't loaded them yet.

This will be the first time in 18 years that I haven't had 1 or 2 children at home with me. OMG freaking out doesn't cover how I feel. I can't get my head around all that time alone. But as is true to form I haven't let the grass grow under my feet I have enrolled in a course for next year...... Certificate 4 in Photoimaging. It's a nice mix of photography and design, which is sooooooo exciting and will take my mind off any sadness I might be feeling as my last little Chicky goes off into the big, wide world. He is such a joy to have at home with me I will be very sad when he's not all mine any longer.

Ok enough of that......It's too depressing to think about.....

Yesterday I went over to get a new lens for my camera, little treat for myself. Anyway I was discussing my camera with the guy and said how concerned I was about how dark it took photos in auto and that I was always having to adjust at least 2 F-stops for me to like the photos, anyway he had a look and said OK this camera needs to go back there is something wrong with it, it is definitely underexposing!?!?!? Well hows that I knew I hadn't been overly happy with it's performance since I got it but he said I will be much happier when It comes back and may not even want a new lens. I already have 2 but thought another might help with indoor shots?!!? but in fact it was the camera not the lens. Cool can't wait to get it back.

I'm also looking at getting a new laptop?!?! I'm interested in getting a Sony, does anyone out there have one??? Are you happy with it??? Any info would be great.

Bit slow

2007-10-08T23:38:00.000+10:00

up loading my Pencil Lines layout today, Tara and I have been very busy making sure we are on top of getting everything ready for our VERY FIRST SCRAPPING ANGELS RETREAT!!!! WE are so excited but more on that over on the Scrapping Angels Blog.

But I digress, I'm talking about my Layouts for Pencil Lines here......... Last Week we began our Birthday Celebrations and for the month of October you can get more inspirational Sketches than ever !!!!!! and all in the one place!!!! The team and guests always produce awesome layouts and you won't find better inspiration ( well you may at the Scrapping Angels Retreat lol) But seriously head over and check out the sketches and projects.

Here is the one I did last week that I had yet to upload before now....

The sketch was designed by our very own Anna Bowkis. It was a fantastic sketch and I enjoyed using some inspiration from Elsie Flannigan to get it done. I have used Papers from Basic Grey, Alphabets by Ki Memories and Making Memories, Buttons from My Minds Eye and a couple of tags and some ribbon. I enjoyed stepping outside the box a little for something different.

Now this weeks layout was a real pleasure to do as I did another layout from my trip OS everyone would recognise this landmark............

The sketch was done by Ali Edwards, straight lines and circles, says pure Ali style to me. I had some fun doing different 'types' of circles. I have used once again Paper by Basic Grey (it really is my favorite ATM :-)) and rubons from Basic Grey as well.

It may be the last Pencil Lines sketch I do for a while as if you didn't get the message before the SCRAPPING ANGELS RETREAT is on in a very few short weeks!!!!! Still got time to book in if you want to attend!!!!

Holidays are here again

2007-10-01T12:42:00.000+10:00

But last week I had so many projects to get done and so much work to be done for Scrapping Angels I didn't get a moment spare to spend with the kids. Thank God for awesome Grandma's and Aunties the kids didn't miss out on much. Grandma took them to the movies for me!!! as that is one thing we always do in the holidays and I was sorry to be so busy that I couldn't take the week off to be with them. The best Auntie in the world had them over for a night, they always love that and it took lots of pressure off me to get projects finished off. The dinners were very ordinary and very late!??!!? But with the amazing family I have they were all very understanding. They have all been good at helping keep the 'messes' down to a minimum as well. Thank Goodness cause the house would be a disgrace other wise. lol.

After the extraordinary busy week last week, I spent the weekend doing my Pencil Lines sketches?!?!!? Yes sketches plural as we have a very exciting month coming up here's all the goss....................

**Important News**
Pencil Lines is incredibly proud to be having our First Anniversary next Sunday and to celebrate we are having a PARTY for the WHOLE MONTH of October!!! so check back tomorrow for details and hints about the guests, the prizes and the sketch schedule we have for you because it will knock your socks off!!
Everyone on the Design Team Pencil Lines also want to take this time to give HUGE THANKS to all of our readers, the people who've read our blog, sent us layouts, shared their links and supported us through the last year. We also want to thank each one of our Guests and our sponsors for making the last year amazing.
Pencil Line's success is all down to all of your support. THANK YOU!

Cool Huh!?!?!? I'm not always able to get sketches done every week anymore, since starting Scrapping Angels time is very tight and getting into the swing of running a business has taken some time. Which is also how I spent much of my time over the weekend, ordering products for our up coming kits as well as stock for our Retreat. But I feel great now, I have finished all the work and this week is all about the kids. Starting with a trip to the pool very soon. Then tomorrow we are having breakfast with my Dad and then it's off to the movies!!!! Yay love the holidays!!!! It's supposed to be very warm, weather wise this week. So I think a lovely trip to the park or gardens is in order. I would love some recent photos of the kids, especially the older boys, it has been a while.

Well this is turning into a mammoth post so I'll finish off now with my Pencil Lines layout for today. I'm really thrilled with how it worked out, I love it actually......

I have used Basic Grey papers and alphabet stickers from the Mellow range. American Craft Rubons as well as some felt flowers. A bit of ribbon and cardboard box. The title Rubon is from Daisy D's and the letter is Chip Chatter from Pressed Petals. The Brilliant 'tree' is from Remember When and I have painted it with Twinkling H2O's.

School Holidays have started

2007-09-24T22:45:00.000+10:00

and I have so many things on the go!!!!!! The Demo at Spotlight Albury went well all the ladies were very interested and enthusiastic!!! It was great to see. Then on Friday I had an impromptu trip to Melbourne for a Xyron Demo, very very long day after travelling down there and doing a bit of product sourcing and pick ups around as well. Then after the demo I had my Pencil Lines sketch to do because i hadn't had time before hand. This week sketch was sponsored by Francis Meyer's and the Guest Design Team member Nathalie Kalbach. The layouts are all so different I think mine is a little plain but that might have been due to the fact I did it very late at night on very little sleep and I shouldn't have left it so late in the week to do?!?!!? But the other girls have done an awesome job with there's. The Francis Meyer's products were such great quality and you can get some for yourself by just entering a sketch in this week.!!! So what you waiting for get a layout done and enter.!!!!

I was straight back home early Saturday morning for the Scrapping Angels workshop here in Wodonga. I was a little late?!?! thank goodness for my fantastic business partners ( my sister Tara) it was all going very smoothly and they didn't miss me at all. On only a little over 4 hours sleep i don't know how helpful I would have been anyway. Had to catch up on the house stuff on Sunday!??!?!? Not my favourite thing in the world but it's got to be done?!?!??!

Now this week I have 29 pieces to do for another project that I'm really excited about, so finger crossed they all go well. I got a good start on the first 18 of them today I hope the rest come along so well. This was totally unexpected and very short notice but I'm going to give it my best and my friends and family have shown me once again how awesome they are, with all their support and helping me along, you gals are fabulous!??!!?

OK off to bed so I can get a good nights rest and then get stuck into it again tomorrow.

Things are back on track

2007-09-17T10:29:00.000+10:00

Ethan is all better and I'm back to working at full speed. On Saturday I had my first Spotlight demo & Make n' takes for Fiskars. We were using the Britnay's CAstle range of Paper....mmmmm its so yummy!!!!! Had lots and lots of very eager ladies sit down to make a card and tag, and lots more watching and getting tips and ideas for all the fiskars tools. It was a really wonderful afternoon.

I have a Spotlight evening for fiskars coming up this Thursday in Albury. So if your in the area come along and get your hands on some of these awesome Cloud9 papers and get the know how on all the fiskars tools. It's great fun and you'll go home with an awesome card and maybe even a tag. Here's the flyer that came in the Spotlight mail out.

And today is Monday so the newest Pencil Lines sketch is up and available for viewing. Its so great to have the time to be doing some Pencil Lines work again, it's so inspiring!!!! this weeks sketch has been done by the lovely Aussie sensation Sarah van Wijck who is also joining us this week as our Guest Design Team member. Here is my take on her sketch....

Another photo from my trip to Paris, I'm totally loving scrapping my trip!!!!I have used the Basic Grey ' Infuse ' and Creative Imaginations papers, Heidi Swapp alphabet, silhouette word and flower. My Minds Eye buttons, Prima flower and leaf, EK Success word, American Craft velvet ribbon and ric rac.

Sick little one

2007-09-10T12:41:00.000+10:00

Sadly my busyness didn't last long, oh I still have loads to do but sadly Ethan came down with the chicken Pox!!!!! Yep just what I needed (not) last week. He was itchy and miserable at the start of the week and then bored and miserable at the end of the week. All is well with him again now and he is back at kinder today, so now I have loads to catch up on, as well as other work to continue with, lol. Life's fun isn't it. lol.

So last week was my first week back at Pencil Lines, for my stint while Anne is away visiting family in Seattle, it is great to be back doing some sketches for a while, I do enjoy them. I will have another one next week so if you haven't go and check them out. We have a really huge month coming up, its so exciting. But shhh i can't say any more.

I missed going to the Craft show and working with the Fiskars team, with Ethan being sick I couldn't leave him for others to watch, kiddies just want Mummy when their sick don't they. Which was very disappointing as I do love working at the shows, meeting so many new people is aways fantastic.

This week and next will be great though as we have a local crop tomorrow night and then I have a trip to Shepparton on Saturday to the Spotlight store to do demos and make and takes for Fiskars. These are really awesome, so if your in Shepparton come along to make some fantastic cards and tags. The papers are so nice, just love them.

I have been scrapping up a storm, but sadly nothing to share as it has all gone to magazines?!?! But that's cool will share when they come out.

Busy, Busy, Busy..........

2007-08-30T11:49:00.000+10:00

I'm so into scrapping!!!!! And loving it!!!! We have our local workshop for Scrapping Angels this Saturday and it's Anne's Deluxe kit and the projects she has done are just awesome!!!! Love them all. And as usual there is so much left over in our kits, I have even done another layout for those who are attending our local workshop to complete if they wish. It will be another fantastic day of scrapping.!!

I have finished my Big W demos for Fiskars but coming up next week/end I will be at the Melbourne Stitches and Craft Fair and then after that the Spotlight Demos and Make and Takes begin. I will be in Shepparton and Albury for these.

I have also got a couple of projects to do for Scrapbooking Memories over the next few weeks, as I said I'm busy busy busy!!!! LOL.
And as of next Monday morning you will See me on board doing the Pencil Lines sketches again for a few weeks while Anne is away. Woo Hoo it has been a while since I have done any of these, but I'm inspired and rearing to go!!!!

The kids have the day off tomorrow so we are heading to the stores in search of the perfect Fathers day prezzie. Then Katelyn is off to the park for a friends Birthday Party, the weather is beautiful for a day in the Park too, it has warmed up so much already you can feel spring in the air. It might be nice to spend some time there with the other kiddies as well.

Ok better get back to it, nearly time to pick Ethan up from Kinder.

Fiskars Demos

2007-08-24T21:55:00.000+10:00

Well you never know quite what to expect at these type of things and last weekend in Bendigo wasn't fabulous. But this weekend in Sheparton has been awesome. I have been made very welcome by the manager and staff at Big W. Today I even go to scrap a little bit for their fundraising effort.

They recently had Alisha, the winner of Big Brother in the store and they got her to sign a couple of magazine pages of her recent photo shoot. These are being put into a frame with some photos they took of her in store, we go to pretty up the frame matt a little with a few of the great Heidi Grace range of papers. When they are all finished, they have 4 of them, they are going to raffle them off and send the funds to their chosen charity.!!!! How cool is that!!!! Great idea of theirs I think, and what an awesome break for me I got to do something out of the ordinary at a Fiskars demonstration and it was very popular with those interested in the demo's. We had a great day it was fun and interesting!!!!

The stock they have at these demos has been greatly reduced, which is so cool for those lucky enough to come into the stores and grab themselves a bargain. All the tools are walking out the door, I had to stock up the shelves at the end of today and I still have 2 days to go. So if your in the Sheparton area over the next 2 days head on in and pick up yourself a great bargain.

Creative Buzz

2007-08-15T08:32:00.000+10:00

I'm in one totally!!!! I have been scrapping madly since our crop on the weekend and loving it!!! I'm in the ZONE !!! I've done 2 singles and one double layout and planned about six more, which didn't get done at the crop. It's been a long time since I've got that buzz out of creating, don't get me wrong I have stilled loved scrapping but over the last few months it has all been for 'work' and it didn't hold the same excitement. These last few days have all been for me!!! I finished one up last night and then went on and planned another 2 after that, so in total I have about eight more to go on with from here. They re all in little packs with papers and embellishments ready for me to scrap. Here's an image of the creative mess I have in my lounge where I set up after the crop on Saturday. The kids had friends over so I didn't use my usual 'space' in the rumpus room lol.

But sadly for me, not so much for the family who are sick of it being in the lounge room, it all has to be packed away today as tomorrow I'm heading to Bendigo to demonstrate for Fiskars at the BigW store. I will be at the store from 11am on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, till 7pm Thursday and 5pm the other days. So for any of you out there who wish to come down and see the Fiskars tools and products in action head to BigW this weekend and I'll do my best to inspire you.

Friday night the Fiskars Ambassadors have been asked to a Dinner with Nancy from Cloud 9 in Melbourne. I love to meet such inspirational people in the Scrapping Industry, those that have the passion and drive to create fantastic products for us to use are the most amazing!!! Well I'm not sure how I will swing being In Bendigo, Home and Melbourne all in the same day but it would be a wonderful dinner with a fantastic woman, as well as the rest of the awesome Fiskars team. I'll leave you with a layout I did on Saturday using some Cloud 9 papers, they are from the wedding range, I love the glittery embossed look to some of these papers.

This photo is the one Anita took of me when I was at the Scrapping Angels Retreat in the UK which I love, it's not very often I can say I love a photo of me but I do this one, and the journaling was so apt for how I am. Always living my life to the fullest and dreaming of the next big thing that I would like to come my way.

Oh my goodness it's late in the week to remind you all to go to the
Pencil Lines to check out and do the next sketch too, but any way if you haven't already, go have a look now, the team is sensational and the guest this week, Nisa Fiin, is simply fantastic, check out all those places she creates for!!! Unreal. I'm working on my next Pencil Lines sketches, they are one of the packs I have ready for myself to do soon. Can't wait actually to be on board for a while again, it's such an awesome sketch site with an incredibly varied and inspirational team.

Craft Fair

2007-08-07T09:05:00.000+10:00

We had a great weekend at Wagga Craft Alive. Met lots of wonderful ladies and had so much interest in our up coming Scrapping Angels Retreat that we had to reprint our Information sheets twice!!!! The Craft Alive's are so much fun to do, the atmosphere among the eager shoppers is so enthusiastic, it's such a thrill to meet and talk scrapping with so many other's with the same passion. We sold out of many of our Deluxe Kits there and have had to come home and update the website, so we are adding many individual products into the additional products category, because we have some stock left over from the shows. So check out the deluxe kit's left and grab yourself some other products as well.

I had a lovely delivery yesterday from the UK. A short while after I went over to tutor at the Scrapping Angels UK retreat, Anna did an interview of me forScrapbook Inspirations Magazine. My copy arrived in the mail yesterday!!!! What a thrill it was to read it, and others in the UK must think so too, because I have gotten emails asking me when i will be tutoring over there again. That's a nice feeling!!!! I loved my trip to the UK and it would be wonderful to go again. Here's a little look at the page.....

On to other updates.... the new Pencil Lines sketch is up for this week. An outstanding effort by the design team again and the guest designer is a star. Head over to check them out.

I'm full of inspiration this week and intend to spend lots of time scrapping, We have a crop coming up this Saturday so I'm busting to spend an entire day doing my own thing. I have lots of layouts planned and photos printed ready to go. I also have a product challenge to do for Scrapbooking Memories, so lots of creating in store this week for this chicky!!!! Yay it has been a while since I have had spare time to scrap for ME!!! and been excited to get into it. Well enough talking about it I'm off to do it.

another try

2007-07-31T12:41:00.000+10:00

ok so my last attempt to get back into blogging regularly didn't work out, so here goes I will give it another go.

To start with I will share a couple of layouts I've had in the magazines recently

This one was in Scrapbooking Memories this month and it was a product challenge from them, it was not products I would normally use as it was very bright and very orange lol but I loved how it turned out....

This one was in Creating Keepsakes and was a Pencil Lines sketch as well I had fun doing a round layout for something different...

Speaking of Pencil Lines I have been a little busy to do any of these lately but I will be doing some again real soon. There is a few new DT members and they are fabulously talented so you should check them out, they still go up every Monday Morning for us here in Oz, lots of inspiration as always.

This weekend Tara and I are taking Scrapping Angels to the Craft Alive in Wagga. We will have a stand dedicated to our Scrapping Angels Deluxe Designer Kits as well as lots of other paper and layout kits and many other goodies as well. So if your in the Wagga area pop into the Craft Alive Fair at the Wagga Show grounds between Friday and Sunday and check out what we have to offer.

I will also have Fiskars tools there to demonstrate so if you have some of these sitting in a draw at home and you can't get the hang of how to use them, or just want to have a go before you buy come along and ask me for a look.

Ok that's enough for today will be back again soon

It's been a long time

2007-06-20T08:40:00.000+10:00

between posts. lol. But I'm back after a much needed break from everything, I think I'm back on track now.

Tara and I are busy getting ready for our first show, just our local one. We are holding a stand in the hopes of to building up some more regular numbers for our workshops and crops we may even have enough to run 2 per month, which will be really good for Scrapping Angels. Last month was a bit of a disaster, having myself not at 100% didn't help anything!!!, but we did have a great workshop day but unfortunately didn't have enough kits to put any online ;-(( which was very disappointing, but we are still learning as we go, so hopefully it won't happen again.
We are also working on our first retreat!!!! Yay we are very excited about this. On Monday we are going down to view the facilities at the centre we are looking at holding it at, if we like we will book it. Then we will work out classes ect and be able to tell people about it and get them to book in!!!! So all you friends out there that I haven't seen for a while we are looking at holding it in October and I would love to catch up with lots of you ( boy I miss ISC!!!!)Plans are still in the early stages but I'm sure it will be great fun!!!

Next week I'm off to work in Shapparton for FISKARS, I'll be demoing in the Big W store, on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday so any one in the vicinity pop on in and say hello!!!

Oh yeah and I have 2 layouts in this months Scrapbooking Memories,It's been quite a while since I've been in this fantastic mag, which makes it all that much sweeter.

I can't believe that beautiful little girl in the pink layout had her 11th birthday on Saturday!!! She had 4 friends over, we went out for dinner and then to the movies to see Pirates of the Caribbean, it was long but great!!Then they giggled and carried on for hours into the early hours morning, she loved it, we weren't so happy. lol.The we all headed out for Maccas for breakfast.

I have done my first layout from my UK trip, using this months Scrapping Angels kit which I would like to share as well

Well that was a long post so now it's time to geton with some work I'll catch you all again soon

Home Again

2007-05-10T11:15:00.000+10:00

Well I'm home again, we walked in the door at 1.30 am Sunday morning,and back on my feet... well practically except my fabulous family has given me a cold since I got home,so I have this really irritaing cough....grrr.... We had the most fabulous trip to the Uk and Paris. There is just too many things to talk about and I don't know where to start..........hmmm I really don't have the time either as I have to head out again for a weekend down in Bacchus Marsh...... No rest for the wicked hehehe but I might be able to update a little better next week.

Time to go

2007-04-26T00:25:00.000+10:00

well just for a few days anyway!!! I'm flying out in the morning for my trip to the UK. My first trip overseas, WOW I'm excited and apprehensive and so many other things rolled into one. I'm so thankful to have this opportunity, firstly of course to Anna for giving me the opportunity to tutor at her fabulous Scrapping Angels UK retreat. Then I have to thank the wonderful AUSSIE product sponsors. I was so eager to take some of the good Aussie stuff over to use in my classes and Cherry Arte, Delish Designs as well as Fiskars ,with some fabulous Heidi Grace' products have been very generous.

So while I'm away don't forget to check out Pencil Lines each Monday morning to see the new sketches and the fabulous Design Team create master layouts from them. You may even see one from your truly some time soon, so watch for it. Also Scrapping Angels will have the eagerly awaited Deluxe Designer Kit by Ruey coming out soon, but first get in and get your 'Celebrating Motherhood' Deluxe Designer Kit by Sofi, it's so beautiful you will love it.

Now I have a little tag to share with you so here it is

Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

1. I love scrapbooking - obvious I know!!
2. I enjoy sleeping in late
3. I have never lived anywhere else
4. I'm beginning to panic that my youngest baby is nearly 5
5. I hate cutting my toe nails, in fact I hate to have my feet touched at all.
6. I wish my eyes were a nicer shade of green
7. I'm afraid of going over bridges and dams and underwater tunnels.

OK girls i am tagging you......Marie, Sofi, Ruey, Michelle, Deb, Lee & Kathy

Don't know if I'll be able to blog while I'm away, if not will catch up on it all when I get back.

A day late

2007-04-17T09:40:00.000+10:00

with my post about the new Pencil Lines sketch being up. It was a bad Internet day for us yesterday!?!?!? Any way here's the link to the new sketch it was designed by Kristina Contes who is also joining us this week as our Guest Design Team member. Here's my take on it

Aren't these just the most beautiful papers, there from the Basic Grey 'Blush' collection, I have also used a Heidi Swapp stamp ( love) and some alphabets as well as matching 'Blush' sticker alphabets from Basic Grey. All of which are available in the latest Scrapping Angels AU deluxe kit. 'Celebrating Motherhood' is just in time for Mothers day and the kit and projects were designed by Sofi. She's done the most outstanding projects using the products she picked, there's a double layout, a altered timber frame and a card. We are ready to take orders so you can get yours in time for Mother's Day.

On the home front I have been spring (yes I know it's Autumn) cleaning. I hate the thought of everything not being done before I go away. I have also been doing a makeover of the girls room. They have new mattresses and pillows for their bed with all new linen as well. I got some beautiful fluffy flannelet sheets and let them choose their own quilt covers and they have chosen the sweetest little butterfly one's. They even got matching butterfly pillows. Here's a peek.

They also got a new desk to work at and tomorrow I'm heading out to get them a comfy chair to go with it and some nice shelves and a lovely big mirror. It's wonderful to have them excited and proud of their bedroom, I'm hoping the new excitement of keeping it clean stays around for a while too!!!! That would be great!!!

OK I had better get back to it, I'm onto cleaning out the toy room, which has my scrapping desk in it, today. I'll be packing the scrapping stuff and class samples today for my trip to the UK as I have caught up on all my projects I had to get done before I went. I can bet just because It will be packed up I will be inspired and want to scrap!?!?!?

Demo for Fiskars

2007-04-12T06:43:00.000+10:00

Hi all I'm off down to Shepparton today to do some demo's of the wonderful Fiskars tools at the new Lincraft store. So if anyone if the area would like to pop down and get some ideas or a little help with these tools it would be wonderful to see you, so head on down there and say hello.

Pencil Lines

2007-04-09T10:02:00.000+10:00

is up again, no rest for the wicked LOL :-)) this week we welcome to the lovely Anna Sigga , from Iceland who is joining us as our Guest Design Team member. Anna also provided a great sketch for the design team, it's so easy to interpret any way you want. The Design Team have interpreted it in so many different ways you won't be looking for inspiration anywhere else this week. Head on over to see them all,

here's mine

I have used some fabulous papers from Fiskars they are from the Heidi Grace Meadow collection as well as stamps from Autumn Leaves and Cherry Arte alphabet is Heidi Swapp.

Our Easter break has been great, although I'm working through it, we had a wonderful day in the park with family yesterday it was a nice break and the weather was brilliant. I do love these warm sunny autumn days. Mind you I love the hot weather and miss summer already, but I do really enjoy the leaves turning their autumn colors.

Well I had better get on with the days work, I'm taping up lots of boxes full of class kits and prizes and donations ect to send over to the UK for my classes. It's so close now only 16 more sleeps!!!!! OMG I'm excited to be going to the UK with mum it will be a great trip. There have also been a few orders come in over the weekend for Scrapping Angels kits, there is only 2 left of Anne's Urban Chic kits left so you have better go order yours if your still wanting one. It's going to be one very big trip to the post office tomorrow for this girl!!!!!

Monday Morning

2007-04-02T09:17:00.000+10:00

So once again it's Pencil Lines sketch time. This week we welcome to the lovely Lee Woodside, who is joining us this week as our Guest Design Team member. And we want to thank the talented Becky Fleck for provided this gorgeous Sketch for this week's Challenge and yes it is a round layout! How cool is that!!!! I've never done an oddly shaped layout so it was a struggle to get my head around doing a round one, at first I just did it as a 12 x 12 but then thought why not, so went ahead and cut it round. I'm glad I did now!!!!

Here's mine

Ive used Bazzil Cardstock, Arctic Frog Paper, ribbon and large rubons, SEI iron ons and small Memories Complete rubons. The other girls have really out done themselves with this sketch i think everyone enjoyed this funky one, go over and check them out.

On Saturday night Blake celebrated his 16th Birthday. He had some friends over for a little party they played some music outside around the fire drum and he and the others in his band set up a temporary stage ( with the help of dad ) and performed a small gig to their friends. They have been practicing for weeks, alternating between houses each weekend. It's quite enjoyable having the kids over and jamming in the rumpus room. Feel a little sorry for the drummer though it's not easy transporting a full drum kit around. LOL They had a great night, with pizza and soft drinks and snacks and then cheesecake and pavlova as afters. No horrible incidents and it was all wrapped up at midnight, it was a great night.

The new Designer Deluxe Kit is available at Scrapping Angels is so Funky and we love what Anne has created for us with it, there is only very few left as we had lots of pre-orders from those who didn't want to miss out, so if you want one don't hesitate get over there and order it, so you don't miss out.

Head down bum up

2007-03-28T20:31:00.000+10:00

LOL well that's what it feels like around here at the moment!!! We have had lots of deliveries this week for Ruey's kit. So Tara and I have been busily packing those up ready, we are only waiting on one more delivery from the US, and believe me they are worth waiting for, and one more from over here and then they are ready to go. So that's all very exciting, it's a fantastic kit, we just love it and already it has blown us away with just how popular it is.

I have also had other very exciting deliveries from all my sponsors for my classes over in the UK next month. When everything was organised and the decision was made for me to go over, I decided to contact some of my very favourite Australian Manufacturers so I could share some of the most beautiful products with the brits in my classes. I have am very fortunate to have products from Delish Designs and Cherry Arte as well as the fantastic team at Fiskars Australia. The sponsors have all been very generous and I'm sure my classes and Make and takes will be a hit as a result.

Yesterday Mum and I also got all our tickets for our trip over, and the tours we will be doing after the retreat. Pretty exciting as it's both of our first trip OS. But before all that I have to get my samples done and instructions and all the kits packed and shipped over there. Lots of work to do over the next couple of weeks, hence the head down bum up reference. ;-))

Saturday Tara and I are holding another workshop combined with a UFO day, so some ladies can come along and finish off projects. Should be a nice relaxing day and I'm hoping to get one of my class samples and instructions done as well.

Monday was another awesome Pencil Lines week, we bought the amazing talents of Hambly Studios. Go check out the awesome layouts and Hambly stuff, have a really good look at the
Hambly Transparencies, we really love them at Scrapping Angels, so much so you will find more than one in Anne's kit next month. Wooo only 4 more days till it's released!!!! Another one that has been very popular.

Been to the Fair, Pencil Lines and more

2007-03-21T08:35:00.000+11:00

Well what a busy, busy time it was at the stitches and craft show. I met many wonderful people, we helped many many many people learn how to use their Fiskars tools successfully. We held packed out classes 3 times every day. People even stood on the sidelines watching, It was a huge success by all counts!!!

Here's the Melbourne Team

From right - Lyn, Linda, Heidi and baby Reagan, Sarah, Me and Helen.

I was very excited to see the wall panels, They looked fabulous!!! IRL, as I had done 3 projects for it before Christmas last year. Such a great system, easy to set up and take down too!!!

Here's some images of it.

Pencil Lines went up again on Monday, Paula Sealey is joining us this week as our Guest Design Team member. Paula has also provided the lovely Sketch for this week's Challenge.

here's my take on it

As the Design Team have been asked many time about the products they use for their layouts we have decided to post a list on our blogs when the sketch goes up. Here's what I have used for this layout....... Bazzil Cardstock 8"x12" landscape, SEI patterned paper and die cut tags, Making memories alphabets and gem brads, Angel Kiss Flowers and Heidi Swapp flowers.

Yesterday I took the younger 3 children to the dentist in Gundagai, it's a long trip ( 2 hours each way) but that's Ok Dr MacDonald is worth it. Tahlia no longer needs her plate!!! YAY!!! Katelyn's are great, Ethan had two fillings in the bottom molars, which is fine as I know his next set of teeth will be great.

See you at the Fair

2007-03-15T22:47:00.000+11:00

the Stitches and Craft Fair. I'll be heading out very early in the morning to drive down to Melbourne, I do hope to see lots and lots of you there!!!! Please pop by and say hello.!!!!

Melbourne Stitches and Craft Show

2007-03-13T00:05:00.000+11:00

Melbourne Stitches & Craft show this week March 14-18 Caulfield Racecourse!!

This is going to be huge!!!! there are FREE!!!! YES FREE!! classes with Heidi herself, now you don't want to miss that!!! Not to mention all the prizes, competitions and give aways as well!!!! Truly you have just got to be there!!!!! Here's all the details for you.

Fiskars Papercrafting Extravaganza with Heidi Grace Kress
The Stitches & Craft Show and Fiskars welcomes special guest Heidi Grace Kress to the Melbourne March Stitches & Craft Show!
Join Heidi for FREE daily make and take craft workshops where you can learn the latest papercrafting trends straight from the US. Also at the Fiskars Papercrafting Extravaganza, view product demonstrations and be in the draw to WIN amazing prizes from the Heidi Grace Designs range. Here's a sneak peek of the projects she will be doing....

If you would like instructions for these projects feel free to email me, and I can send them onto you.

Papercraft Competition
If you think you have created the ultimate papercraft piece, enter the Fiskars Papercraft project at The Melbourne March Stitches & Craft Show! US papercraft expert Heidi Grace Kress will judge your papercraft piece and will select Daily Winners and a Best of Show Winner.
Daily Winners will receive a Heidi Grace Designs prize pack valued at $100 and The Best Of Show Winner will win a Fiskars Craft Caddy, complete with $100 worth of Heidi Grace Designs products.

Drop by, have a play, visit the Fiskars team, be inspired and get creating! Hey that's ME!!!! I'm part of the Fiskars Team Wooo Hoooo!!!!!! I'll be on the stand from Friday through to Sunday, so do make sure you say hello!!!

Hands-On Workshops with Heidi Grace Kress - Daily Timetable
10.30am - 11.30am FREE Card Making workshop
12.00pm - 1.00pm FREE Mini Book workshop
2.00pm - 3.00pm FREE Page Layout workshop

The classes are limited to one per person per day, just to be fair!!!!

Also Heidi Grace is doing an interview on Mornings with Kerri-Anne which will be aired next Thursday morning. Great to see scrapbooking getting some t.v. exposure and I'm sure this will be of interest to us all.

Monday Morning

2007-03-12T07:41:00.000+11:00

It's a public Holiday here today, yay we sure can use it. I'm looking forward to having a nice visit with Marie today, I'm going to share with her all the fantastic projects Tara and I did last weekend with Making Memories, sadly Marie was unable to attend, she would have loved to come and see any new techniques and products ect for the ladies she teaches in our local shop. But next time we plan to get in early and all go together.

And of course being Monday Pencil Lines is up, so a very big welcome to the lovely Leah Fung who is joining us this week as our Guest Design Team member. Leah has also provided a gorgeous Sketch done as either 12x12 or 8x11 for this week's Challenge.

When I was preparing to go away last weekend, I was planning my layouts for Pencil Lines, for something different instead of going for my most recent photos, I went through old archived photos on my computer to look for photos I hadn't scrapped yet. I don't do this often enough cause I found heaps I loved and wanted to scrap. You know those older photos that didn't seem good enough to scrap at the time, well now I have looked back I love the quirky little things Ethan particularly has done over the years. Sadly he is the only one that I have in digital format but one day I may go through the old film albums and negatives and look for shots of the other kids. I have used photos from Ethan's second birthday, yep he is now nearly five, I just love the look on his face in the main photo!!!

So any way Pencil Lines is up today, and I will share mine here now, it's a very simple layout compared to others I do, but having so many photos is unusual for me too, this is another reason why sketches are so good, it can lead you in a direction you haven't tried before with your scrapping. And variety is the spice of life so they say!!!! but truly go over and check this site out, it has so many different sketches and ideas for you to use, and always send them into us so they can go in for a chance to win our monthly prize.

Our local Scrapping Angels workshop was held here on Saturday and the ladies did some stamping and stitching layouts, it was another great day, we are holding the same workshop again on the 31st as the numbers of people wanting to attend are growing. I was so not with it this workshop, thanks God Tara and I share the work load as I was in hospital with a migraine till very late on Friday night and wasn't my usual self on the Saturday. Tara pulled it all together, she's such a star, I love her dearly. She had a little help from Mum and Craige, they did what they could anyway. I'm so lucky to have the support around me when things go awry.

I have another really busy week coming up and lots of things to share so stay tuned for more things to come.

Scrapbooking Memories this month

2007-03-09T10:44:00.000+11:00

Has just arrived in my mail box!!!! I still love this magazine, I read others but I love this one!!! Our very own Angel Designer Carole Janson has a fabulous article in here about using transparencies and not just the pre-printed type from manufacturers in true Carole style she does her own thing with them. This is a wonderful article very well done projects as usual by her and fantastic techniques that every one can have a go at. I know I will. Then Carole has a brilliant Travel wallet, now I must make one of these for my trip to the UK, which is so close now it's quite nerve wracking thinking about it.

oohh, then the next thing on my love list is our new full page add for Scrapping Angels. This turned our brilliantly I think!!! Love the little sneak peeks of the designers work with their names on it, thanks all you girls for getting me some of your work so quickly with very little notice, I hope you love the add. Emails have already begun coming in about our retreat later in the year. Our plans are coming together nicely but we are waiting a little longer before we make the announcement on the blog and website.

Next to my shock is a single layout I did so long ago( like 14 months) I was worried about seeing it in the mag, but I love it still!!!! The girls are tanned and beautiful in their little bikinis and have the biggest pieces of juicy watermelon in their mouths. Had lots of fun with stamping and coloured stitching on this layout.
Here it is..............

Then, yep there's still more, I have the pleasure of being in the free paper and scrapabet section, thank goodness the paper was actually a really good one designed by Cherry Arte!!! I have a single layout and a layout accent and here they are.....

Well that's enough chatting for today, must get onto some more of the stuff I have yet to get ready for tomorrows workshop.

What a weekend

2007-03-05T21:50:00.000+11:00

Well Tara and I have been in Melbourne for 2 fantastic days doing wonderful Trade classes with Making Memories. We had a really good time, exceptional ideas for workshops here in Wodonga, watch out girls your in for a real treat!!!!

What a really long day yesterday was though. I got up at 4.30 am to drive to Melbourne to pick Tara up, lucky devil was already down there with Hubby and the girls, Had to be in the class by 9am, the classes then finished at around 5pm. Then I scrapped some layouts using the next few weeks of sketches from Pencil Lines. I was very impressed to get 3!!! yes 3 Pencil Lines layouts done early, while I had a very quiet uninterrupted evening in the motel room. (Must do this more often when I'm away). We got to bed around midnight, boy was I buggered!!!! Slept like a log, but was still running out of energy by the end of the class today, so we headed home a little early, at 4pm, which was great as we missed the peek hour traffic through the city and I was home just before the kids went off to bed for the night. Tara now gets to finish off all the samples of the classes to show off to the ladies at our Local Workshop on Saturday.

Now because I have been away I'm a little late in putting up my reminder that the latest Pencil Lines sketch is up. So here it is...........welcome to the lovely Anita Mundt who is joining the team this week as our Guest Design Team member. Anita has also provided this gorgeous Sketch for this week's Challenge, now go over an check out this sketch, then give it a go!!!!

Here is my take on it......

Katelyn recently had her first ever school swimming carnival, she had a wonderful day and did very well in her races. It was wonderful to be there to watch her. Mind you I had to leave early, which was disappointing, but Mum and I had to get to the Post Office for our Passport interview. Couldn't miss that very important meeting, time is running out, as we fly out to the UK on the 26th of April.

Yes!!!! I'm going to the UK, I'm going to meet all these fabulous Pencil Lines ladies, well some of them, for real. I'm so excited!!!! I will be teaching 2 classes and a make and take at the Scrapping Angels retreat in the UK!!!! How absolutely fabulous is that!!!! I can't believe it and I'm so grateful to Anna for having me over. Anyway I will get into my trip some more in another post.

But right now my own soft comfy bed is calling me

New Kits online and more

2007-03-01T22:36:00.000+11:00

Boy what a very long 27 hours it has been!!!!! We have had huge Internet/website/computer problems here!!!!!!!!!!!! B(*^*%^&DY things when things go wrong they go wrong with a vengeance. To start with our chat room over at the site wasn't working at all well last night GRRRR so we didn't have a chance to have a very good chat with Carole GRRRR. Tara and I will be looking into another one before our next chat goes live!!!! These are growing popular so quickly, it's such a nice thing to be able to discuss directly with the designers and other papercrafters about the kits and projects without any pressure in a relaxed atmosphere.

After a very long day our new kits are now available on line . Our very good friend Marie was our guest designer this month. She recently went on a family holiday to the beach and has designed a fantastic mini album and a single layout to keep her precious memories from the trip in. She has done an incredible jog on this kit and we are very grateful to her for being a part of Scrapping Angels this month. To check out what she had to say about her kit and to see some sneak peeks of her projects, head over to the Scrapping Angels AU Blog!!

Oh and you have got to check this out the Fisk-A-Teers in the US have found Pencil Lines !!! Now that is sensational, even these fabulous ladies love the sketches, so if you haven't done so yet GET OVER THERE and look for yourself!!!!!

Pencil Lines

2007-02-26T07:19:00.000+11:00

It's that time of the week again.............. Monday what a fabulous start to the week a new sketch at Pencil Lines. Tammy Brownlee is joining us this week as our Guest Design Team member. Tammy has also provided the lovely Sketch for this week's Challenge. I was a little cheeky with mine this week as I used a very favourite layout that I already had in my album. This layout was done as an online class with Kim Archer and it suited the sketch so well that I just had too use it. Kim does fabulous classes online through her blog, you use your own stash to do the layouts which is a good thing to do. Anyway here it is.........

Also a BIG reminder that each month we choose our favourite layout from that month's sketches - we normally wait till the 1st Saturday of the next month to allow people time to get their artwork to us. We have been working hard to get great sponsors for the RAKS because we like to ensure our favourite layout's artist gets a fabby rak and this month is no different - The winner of February's favourite layout will get a YEARS subscription to the fabby scrapbook magazine: Scrapbook Inspirations

so get your artwork into us :) so we can share it with everyone in our Reader's Gallery.(please click this link for more information on how to send us your artwork).

And the winners are......

2007-02-23T20:38:00.000+11:00

Kim G
Jane Ettia Jones
Shazz
Chris Miller
Lindan

Congratulations to all of you!!!! You have each won a Deluxe Designer Kit!!! Can you all email us your postal address and we send them out to you ASAP!!!
Thanks to these 5 ladies and to everyone else who entered and helped us out by putting links, posts and threads out there for us, we really appreciate it.

Trish and Tara and all the Design Team Members

Pencil Lines

2007-02-19T23:42:00.000+11:00

Well after last week not doing the Pencil Lines sketch, (I was just too buggered after our workshop on Saturday), it was great to get this weeks done. Loved this sketch it was just so simple but easily interpreted into your own style!!! And remember if you give it a go send it in to us, we have a monthly prize for our favourite!!!! Everyone is welcome and everyone can play!!!

If you haven't yet checked out what Pencil Lines is all about, then you should. It's an International Blog that EVERYONE in the WORLD can join in and be a part of, no matter what's your scrapping style or where your from. We have 1 American (Annie), 1 Canadian (Anam), 1 Australian (Me), 1 German (Kimmie) and 3 to 4 UK girls (Anna, Sue, Cath & Jakey) On the Design Team- now we couldn't get more international could we. We have reader's layouts from everywhere in the world, our favourite layouts of the month come from scrapper's everywhere in the world so it is a truly international blog. We try to keep the rotation of Guest designers from everywhere in the world - current and up and coming guest list includes USA, UK, Australia, several from Canada & Europe, several from Asian countries - from everywhere there is scrapbooking we will find a cool guest for Pencil Lines!!!!- we have so many cool People & Companies lining up to work with us so I know you won't be disappointed by any of our guests.

What a fantastic thing this WWW is to bring all us fellow scrappers together, I just love it!!!! Scrapping has truly enriched my life in so many ways, I just love being a part of this vast scrapping community. Anyway I can't talk highly enough of the team members at Pencil Lines they're all positive, friendly ladies and inspirational scrappers!!! Love them all and I can't wait to meet them?!!?!? very soon?!!?!? Hmm is that a hint?!?! Anyway here is my sneak peek for this week, but head over to the site for a proper look and I bet you will be inspired by the layouts you see!!!

OK now onto our little offer from my last post we will be drawing the winner this coming Friday!!! Yes Friday!!! but we have also decided to up the anti. For all of those out there who mention Scrapping Angels in a forum or on a message board we will enter your name in the draw and extra 3 times!!!! Yes your name will go in the draw 3 times for just one mention of Scrapping Angels. So you have just 4 days left to enter in the draw to receive a Deluxe Designer Kit and all you have to do is mention us somewhere and then tell us about it. Simple hey!!!

GIVE AWAY !!!

2007-02-10T00:35:00.000+11:00

Tara and I have decided it’s time to run a competition of sorts. Well it is Valentines Day very soon after all. So we want to share the love around, the love of Scrapbooking that is.

We want to spread the word far and wide about Scrapping Angels and for this we need all of you bloggers out there to help us out. We are offering 5 Deluxe Designer Kits Free!!!!! Yes totally FREE!!! All you need to do is mention and link us on your blog, then pop back here or onto the Scrapping Angels Australia Blog and leave a message to let us know that you have given us a mention. For everyone who does help us ‘spread the love’ your names will go in a BIG BIG hat, we know it will need to be that big because everyone out there will want one of our Fabulous Designers Deluxe Kits, and 5 very lucky winners will be drawn out and win one for themselves.

Even if you have purchased a Deluxe Designer Kit from your favourite designer already, then you do know how fantastic they are, you can still enter. We won’t give you one you already have.

I know I have lots of visitors to my little blog, now is the time to come out and say hello!!! Tell me you stoped by and show me the way to your blog. Come on now, you know you want too.

SM, CK and Pencil Lines

2007-02-05T09:34:00.000+11:00

It's been a while since I shared my latest layouts in the mags, I know they have been out for a while now but anyway I'm going to share them here anyway.

So this was my decorated bust in the BTP section of Scrapbooking memories. I was really happy with how this turned out. I'm not so much into BTP's but this was something I enjoyed doing and love how it looks in my living room.

Then I had a single layout in the Aussie Creating Keepsakes, it was a layout I did for a Design Team project for
Scrap Happy I loved stamping on the velum and then cutting it out, it looked really effective.

Now onto the new Pencil Lines sketch for this week. We have the lovely Cathy Zielske joining us as our Guest Design Team member. Cathy has given us this fabby 81/2 x 11 double page sketch to work with. All the Design Team Members have done awesome layouts that are so different to each others, just love when we all come up with layouts that are so different. Head over there to have a look, it's a great sketch and really easy for anyone to do. Don't forget to send in any that you do so you can have a chance to win the monthly prize. No sneak peek today just the whole thing.

New Deluxe Kit

2007-02-01T08:17:00.000+11:00

Is out now at Scrapping Angels our Fabulously talented Angel Designer, Carole Janson has done the most sensational layouts and a card with her kit. She is the true Queen of 3D. Her Deluxe kit is a riot of delicious fruits salad colors which have been highlighted with black and pink in her projects. Fabulous Fancy Pants chipboard and Heidi Swapp embellishments liven it up so there plenty in there for everyone. Here's a quick peek at her projects, which the instructions for, come with your deluxe kit. Then at the end of the month you can head into our chat room and talk to her yourself, she will be there to help you out with anything you might need. For some more information on Carole's kit head over the the Blog to check out what Carole said for herself about her kit.

Well the kids are all back at school now, hurray!! LOL. Not really I love having them home and I must admit it's me that struggles the most with getting up early everyday. I just love sleeping in late. I have some really exciting things brewing, I mean really exciting!!!! For me anyway. I have a few things to confirm yet, but I'm so excited I can hardly concentrate on anything else.

Next Saturday is our local workshop day, we have a few spots left so if anyone local out there wishes to come, there is still time to book your spot.

I'm off to the beach.....

2007-01-25T17:09:00.000+11:00

Yay we are all very much in need of a break so we have decided to go to the beach for the weekend. Just in time before the kids go back to school next Wednesday.

It has been a long time since I last blogged, bad blogger, LOL. But I have a good excuse Tara and I have been so busy with Scrapping Angels that I just haven't had time for much else. Other than going to the movies with the kids every week and the pool as well.

You will have to watch the Scrapping Angels website next week for all the news. Lots of things to announce it's been a very exciting month!!!! And from then on it just gets better and better!!!

Ok I missed my little reminder for Pencil Lines last week the sketch really is fantastic so if you haven't already head over an check it out. Here's my sneak peek.

Now since I'll be away for the weekend I will leave you with next weeks sneak peek as well but remember it won't be up until Monday Morning. This week's sketch was done by none other than ELSIE FLANNIGAN !!! I's so awesome so much fun as you would expect from her. So head on over there then to see the full view on Monday I can't wait to get back myself to see the other girls takes on the sketch.!!! I can bet they will all be wonderful!!!!!

Well better get back to my packing....See you next week

My very first magazine article

2007-01-15T09:20:00.000+11:00

I was very excited to see my very first article in Scrapbooking Memories when my copy came in the mail box. I still get a thrill seeing my layouts published, but to have a small article was super exciting. It was just a small article about a favorite journaling style, which of course is always changing, but at the time I this was my usual style. I was kinda over blocks of journaling at the time.

I even managed to get our new stores name 'Scrapping Angels' and web-address in the materials list as well as the fabulous Pencil Lines. This layout is the one we used in the Calendar Kit, although of course it doesn't have to go on the calendar it can just go in your album.

Once again it's Monday and Pencil Lines has a new sketch up. These girls do a fabulous job everyweek and this one is no exception. Here's my sneak peek, head on over to see the full version and see the other takes on the sketch as well.

Fiskars

2007-01-10T22:41:00.000+11:00

Here's a little announcement for Fiskars they will be at Stitches and Craft Shows through out 2007, with classes and demos and lots of exciting new things. Recently I did some projects for them, my first thus far, LOL. Anyway these items were photographed for there 'skins' to go around the walls of their stand at these shows. I haven't seen them, but boy I can't wait. I loved the projects I created for them. Anyway here is the first details of the up coming shows.

Stitches & Craft Show - Sydney - Feb 2007

Helen Williams will be teaching 3 hands-on workshops each day over the course of the show! She will be teaching : cards, envelope mini book & layout workshops. Book in at the stand, as usual, and for people who don't make it to the workshops, you can pick up info sheets at the stand.

Check out what she's doing:

Valentine's Cards:

These are perfect timing for February!! Using the new Heidi Grace Love Blossoms range.

Matchbook Mini Book:

This is the most involved project.
Uses the new Cloud 9 Riley's Bay Range.

Layout

The layout workshop uses the Heidi Grace Orchard range

Melbourne S&C Show (March 14-18).

Heidi Grace is going to be there for Fiskars doing free make & take workshops!!! Woohoo!

How cool is it going to be to meet her in person? I can't wait!! It will be a trip to remember!!! I'll see my projects (photographs) adoring the walls of the stand and meet this incredible inspirational artist.

If you want to check out her website & product range, go here: http://www.heidigrace.com/; check out her blog here: http://heidigrace.typepad.com/. I used her Vineyard range when doing my projects, it's so delicious!!! I loved working with the flocked products, they feel and look so divine!!!

another announcement!!!! We have named our newest 'Angels' over on the Scrapping Angels Australia blog............. Go check them out!!!!

Under way

2007-01-07T14:27:00.000+11:00

With all the usual projects that I need to do, starting with the latest
Pencil Lines sketch. I have had a nice little break from scrapping, having missed the last few sketches, so now I'm fresh and raring to go!!! YAY!!! I been very busy with the business side of scrapping the last month or so I couldn't find the time to scrap, sadly. But now I'm back to having a little time on my hands, some more scrapping is under way.
Which is soooo good considering my new Christmas present from hubby was this little beauty, a Canon 400D.
I have already added a new lens to my kit too and have my eye on another with Image stabilizing. Have had a few opportunities to have a little play with the kids being off school and all, but we are heading to the beach in a couple of weeks, so it will get a real workout then.

Ok so now I will share a sneak peek of my Pencil Lines layout, but you'll need to check out the website tomorrow morning for the full thing.

Short but sweet today, I'm still so much in holiday mode, it's so relaxing I love it.

The New Year

2007-01-02T09:12:00.000+11:00

is here with a couple of new things on for me.

Firstly finally after a really really busy couple of weeks Scrapping Angels Australia is here!!!!!! I can't believe it we're so excited, the time has finally arrived and after a mammoth effort from Tara and I our new on-line business has gone live. Please pop over and check out this months deluxe kits, designed by us as well as some other kits from the fabulous team at Aussie Scrap Source.
The other exciting project I'm doing this year is a calendar challenge with a twist over at Scrap Happy. Using the Karen Foster calendar I'm going to record all the happenings in my life, big and small, over each month in the calendar section and then celebrate one of my favorites with a 12x12 layout on the blank page. At the end of the year I will have an awesome visual record of this year!!!! Doesn't that sound like fun?!?!!? So come along and join me, we will have prizes and gifts and lots of challenges along the way.
And of course Pencil Lines will have fabulous sketches for you every week, with some awesome guest sketch designers, so don't miss those.

Well that's it for me for now, I hope everyone had a Wonderful Christmas and a fabulous New Year.

Challenges!!!!!

2006-12-10T08:41:00.000+11:00

I know there is many of you out there that love challenges and we have quite a few running over at Scrap Happy. I will be starting one real soon too, which I'm excited about getting underway. So if you haven't already joined the forum go on over and join.......... Have a look at this challenge for example........

ok girls I have got a good one for you all!!!! We have decided because December is going to be busy and people might be away over the Christmas and New Year period we thought we would run a DECEMBER/JANUARY layout competition!! OK so here is what you have to do! You need to do 3 layouts to be in the running BUT they don't have to be uploaded until January 20th ok so that gives you all of December and 1/2 of January to get them done! Because it is a double whammy of a competition it will be a double whammy of a prize! OK Santa is coming.....The value of this prize is over $150.00 yes that is correct! So don't miss this competition girls!

Now here is what you have to do:
your FIRST LAYOUT will be a product based comp: so you need to COMPLETE 1 LO in BLACK AND WHITE! All paper and embellishments have to be ONLY BLACK AND WHITE! -then- you must add 1 and only 1 embellishment of another color! (so you have to do a black and white LO and add only one thing on there in a different color and that can be of any color you like - eg: a black & white LO with 1 piece of RED ribbon......Or 1 Pink flower etc
Oh and one more thing - you have to be on the page somewhere, doesn't matter if you are in a photo with 30 other people you still have to be on the page somewhere ok
AND
the next LO will be a technique based comp: so we will give you 3 different techniques that you will have to use on you LO -
1. PAINT: you have to include paint some where on your page
2. TEARING: you have to tear something on you page
3. STITCH: you have to include some type of stitching on your page (this can be either hand or machine stitching)
you also have to TITLE you page after a song title! eg: "Am I Not Pretty Enough" by Casey Chambers

so now I hear you say that's only 2 Layouts no actually one of you Layouts has to be a double page! heeee heeeee
CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU ALL COME UP WITH!!!!!!!

Now come on girls this is going to be fun! And its not that hard really!

The WINNER will be announced at the end of January!

How easy is that!!!!!! Now come on all of you could do that, and I must say the layouts sound very nice too, might give this one a go and give you all a run for your money........Hmmm I wonder if being on the DT restricts me from entering.........Hmm must find out. LOL

Taking a break

2006-12-09T16:11:00.000+11:00

from my busy scrapping day, that is. I have been up since early this morning doing washing that has gotten way out of control!!!! and scrapping those important pages ect that I should have been doing all week. I have had a bit of a slack one, lots of kid stuff but other than that just doing some reading and trying to stay inside out of the smoke. It really did blanket us this week, so bad that the airport had to close and the paper reported visibility down to 100 meters. It has cleared considerably today and doesn't feel a if it is going to get as hot as they predicted.

Well I have done my Pencil Lines sketch for this week already this morning so I will share my sneaky peek now and you can head over to the site on Monday morning to see the whole thing :-))

The colors are way off, sadly I noticed it last week when I took a shot of my Pencil Lines layout. I think my camera might be on it's way out :-(( Although I have been going to get a new one for a while and I just couldn't face replacing something that was still in good working order, it just didn't feel right. So now maybe it is time.

My friend Marie told me yesterday the Masters have been announced for this year and I noticed that our very own Angel Carole Janson is one of them!!!!! Yay congratulations Girls you so deserve it. Then as well, I see Debbie Kingston has been named too, WOW way to go Deb congratulations to you as well. It was a wonderful year for me being a Master it gave me so many opportunities and opened so many doors that I otherwise wouldn't have even considered, not the least of which is the wonderful Journey Tara and I have begun with Scrapping Angels. So to both of you and the other Masters as well, have a wonderful year and I wish you all the very best.

Ok it's time for me to return to the grind stone, boy it is so hard having to do work that you love so much :-)) Onto some projects for Fiskars, what a thrill.

Bush fires

2006-12-05T09:42:00.000+11:00

Have started earlier this season and once again are very close to us. The local Paper this morning said we have 30 fires burning around the north east of Victoria. I had a feeling we might get some Friday night, because when I went out to get Blake at 11.30 pm there was lots of lightning around. The next morning I knew they had started as I could smell the smoke and when I went outside there was a significant smoke haze.
I remember the 2003 fires very well as we had burning leaves falling around us for days and you couldn't see across the road for the smoke, it was that thick. It has been so dry this year that I think maybe the fires will be even worse than then. Hundreds of firefighters go out to battle these fires, some never get much of a break just rest when they can besides the roads. Thank god for organisations such as the Salvation Army for providing them with food and drink as the firefighters are the only reason these terrible fires don't destroy more property and take more lives.

Eddited to add - Blogger was not playing when I started this entry so I have continued it this morning after seeing billowing smoke out my front door yesteday and then a photo of it in the paper this morning.

It really does look like it will be a really bad summer for fires, maybe our plans for camping at Christmas won't eventuate after all.

Pencil Lines

2006-12-04T08:36:00.000+11:00

weekly sketch is up this morning with another fantastic sketch, go check out the great work the girls have done again this week!!! The new month has started so once again everyone is in the running for the monthy prize. Each week and each layout it judged on it's own merits so enter every week if you want the more you enter the more chances you have of your layout being chosen as our favorite this month. Here is a sneak peak of mine this week, head on over to have a look at the whole thing. It's also over in my gallery at Scrap Happy cause I used up the rest of my bits from my DT pack, the fabulous Cosmo Cricket PP, I just love it. You can even buy this month DT pack for yourself as they are selling it in a kit, it's sooo yummy you should get it for yourself.

In other news I was honored to get an email recently from Helen Williams asking me if I would be interested in becoming an ambassador for Fiskars AU. OMG I couldn't believe it such a huge company as Fiskars I was blown away. She wanted some more regional people to be involved, huh finally being in a regional area had an advantage. She said they were and excellent and generous company to work for as she had done so on and off for the past 4 years. They have a large promotional program being organized for 2007 and would like me to be involved, representing the company using the tools and products and showing them to others, doing demos and projects for their displays. How awesome is that, we all know fiskars and how good the products are. I have already been asked to do some projects for display in their stands at the S&C shows throughout Australia for all of 2007, the items have to be in Melbourne by the middle of December.... EEEEKKK that's not long. I'm so excited though and have ideas running around my head!!!! I'm going to buckle down over the next week and see if I can't produce something amazing, although as those who know me can testify I'm not overly inspired by doing BTP items. I have had a plan for one in my head for quite a while and now I will do it for the Fiskars display. I will of course do a layout as well cause that's what I'm really about. So enough time on the computer I had better get on with it.

Love this time of year

2006-12-01T22:53:00.000+11:00

All the school concerts, performances, break up parties and formals are all on. I love going to all these things with all my kids (that's makes for lots of things for me to attend LOL)On Wednesday night it was Blake's Middle Years College Drama and Music performances. He loves both music and drama, though his band has just gotten together they are coming along very nicely and their enthusiasm is wonderful, they did not perform this year. Watch out next year!!! He did perform a Play with 2 other boys called 'The Interrogation' Blake was the one being interrogated. It went for about 20 mins and it was really good. A little too believable for Ethan, who is only 4, He said to Katelyn, OH that's terrible, with his hand covering his mouth. Made us laugh, but the poor thing didn't realize it was only acting and Blake wasn't really getting hurt!!! He was Ok though in the end. All the performances were enjoyable and it was a good night out.
So this is Blake,the actor!!! He recently had all his hair cut off after growing it for the last few years, he looks so different with short hair. That's him as a baby, second from the right in the double layout in my last post, 16 years ago, they grow up so fast. Next week he has head start week at the Senior Secondary college that he will be going to next year.

It's Tahlia's 9th birthday tomorrow she is having 2 friends over and we are going out for lunch and then to see a movie. It was hard to get her to settle down to sleep tonight as it always is the night before anything exciting. It should be a good day we are looking forward to it.

Well it's now 11.30 pm time to go and pick up Blake from his girfriends, the joys of being a teenagers mum, huh.

Scrapbook Memories

2006-11-29T14:38:00.000+11:00

this month has a double layout of mine in it. I love this layout!!!! Although the mag washed out the colors so much so you can't even tell how lovely it is. All my babies as newborns!!! They all look so different to each other. Oh I just looooovvveeee babies. LOL.

Another

2006-11-27T00:08:00.000+11:00

Monday so another great challenge sketch at Pencil Lines. I really enjoyed this weeks sketch, it was so my style!!!. I used some photo's of Katelyn that I took the very first fishing trip for the summer this year and some beautiful Fancy Pants ribbons and rubons that I have had for a while and just had to use. I enjoyed putting this page together so head over for a look and check out what the other sensational ladies have been up to this week also, they all rock and the pages always look so different.

Oh my

2006-11-22T23:25:00.000+11:00

see what happens when I'm not looking. My counter hit 10,000 tonight and I would love to send out a RAK to the visitor who came by at 10 minutes to 11 on the 22 November. You were the visitor that was my 10,000 guest. How unreal is that!!!! You then went over to check out Pencil Lines, so if you are this visitor please leave me a comment and I can get this RAK out to you.

In other news our Workshop day was a huge success, we sold all our kits and even had a waiting list. LOL. Who would have guessed it would be such a success. Well we are going to have a class again next month and already half the spots are taken!!! WOO HOO Will share more in depth news and photo's on the Scrapping Angels blog later on. But currently I'm working on a really big project that is taking every spare moment this week. I'm so excited about this and hopefully I can share with everyone real soon.

Catch you all soon

Bit cheeky

2006-11-13T09:22:00.000+11:00

but I'm running out of time this week so I doubled up on a layout that was due for Pencil Lines with the DT pack I received from Scrap Happy. I love this Cosmo Cricket paper it's just gorgeous thanks so much to Kim and Ray at Scrap Happy for sending it as the DT pack it's just gorgeous. If you want a pack for yourself click the above link to head over there, they have it in a kit for sale, how awesome if you hadn't guessed I love kits. The other DT girls have done an awesome job of using it too so check them out while your there. Kim and Ray would really like to build up the forum over at their happy site so they have started a competition going. The person who introduces the most friends to Scrapp Happy wins. So all my friends out there go and register and have a chat with us cause we're all great girls and let them know I sent you and then I will win YAY YAY YAY .LOL.
Head to Pencil Lines to check out this weeks guest designer and guest sketch artist.......0ur very own Scrappy Angel Carole Janson . She is such a talent and a truly wonderful person too. If you haven't seen her stunning work it is a must you will be impressed, I guarantee it.

That's it for today I have lots still to do so till next time, see ya

Trish

A little late

2006-11-11T09:51:00.000+11:00

But I thought I would share the LO's I had in Scrapbooking Memories this past month....
This first one is so old, it's a bit embarrassing to have in the mag this month. It's very simple and was accepted so long ago but kept getting pushed back and back until now it is finally in. I love it so that's all that counts I guess, It brings back fantastic memories and that what scrapping is all about isn't it.

The next one is a commissioned work using products they sent me, not my style of products as I very rarely use pastels but I was happy with it when I was done. I had so many photos of a recent trip away it was nice to use one of them as a little personal comparison between Tahlia and I.

And finally my favorite. This LO was inspired by one of Zina's classes at ISC Gold Coast 06, I'm so sad :-( there is no more ISC's!!! It was a DT page I did for Scrap Happy . As the journaling says these girls and I met at ISC's and have continued to catch up at them all the time, we grew to be good friends and always will be.

Whew there you go my contribution to SM. LOL. There has been lots of changes going on at SM and next year should see some exciting things coming through. I have my first article early in the year which is exciting and I can't wait to see it.

Also don't forget to check out Pencil Lines this weekend as our very own Carole Janson is the guest sketch designer and it is a truly fantastic sketch, so head over there and check it out and get your project in to the readers gallery so you can be in the running for a RAK!!!!!! Gota be in it to win it!!!!!!

Ok that's it, I'm really busy getting ready for the workshop next weekend so keep those expressions of interest coming in for the Scrapping Angles Australia designers positions, we will make a decision after then.

See ya,

On the lookout.....

2006-11-07T16:08:00.000+11:00

for a couple more designers for Scrapping Angels. We are not expecting people to apply, it's not a competition but we are on the lookout for a couple of different designers with unique styles to enhance our already amazing team. We do blog hop and look at galleries and mags ect but if you would like to be noticed and are interested in a design position with us please send us a link to so we can view your projects. And of course if you know of someone who would be fabulous in a design role pass on this news to them, in fact tell everyone you can think of, spread the word as you never know who might be just the right person for us. All contact and links will be kept confidential and can be sent to me at trish@scrappingangels.com.au

Pencil Lines

2006-11-06T09:25:00.000+11:00

We've been chosen as Typepad's FEATURED blog for the day :) OMG how awesome is that, to be noticed by the big guys at typepad !! I'm so proud and honored to be on this DT!!! all the girls rock and I'm making the most amazing bunch of friends all around the world. My thanks go to you all for supporting the Pencil Lines' Sketch blog and making it the huge succes that it is.

More fabulous news.... you need to head over to Pencil Lines to check out this weeks Guest Sketch Designer!!!!!!!! It is none other than ALI EDWARDS!!!! What an incredably tallented lady she is!!!! It is unbelievably awesome to have her on board this month. The DT have all done fantasic projects using Ali's sketch and they are all so different.!!!!! Go check it out you wont be disapointed. Here is a little sneaky peek at my take on the sketch.

This is our monthly layout winner for October - Elena and her gorgeous layout about Chicago done with Sketch# 3 by Anna Bowkis. There is a lovely prize RAK on the way to her from BumbleBee Crafts.

Thank you to everyone who sent us their artwork to put into the Reader's Gallery - the galleries are full of amazing and inspiring work. We will be choosing another winner for November, so go on use Ali's sketch for a beautiful project yourself and please share your beautiful artwork with us.

My weekend away was toatally increadable. Classes with Elsie and Carrie were unbelievable!!!! Tara and I had the most wonderful time and I will share more about it as well as photo's next time.

Bye for now..........

My Big Big Big Exciting News..........

2006-11-01T22:22:00.000+11:00

Tara and I are launching a new business............OMG OMG OMG !!!! We are so excited that after months of talks and preparation we are going to be partners with the fabulous Anna Bowkis and we are so incredibly thankful that she is entrusting us with the awesome honor of building up our very own Scraping Angels here in Australia.

Over the coming weeks we will be releasing more exciting news about this incredible and inspirational global venture but for now here's a little taste of what's to come.....

In April and September Scrapping Angels UK will be holding retreats and in October 2007 Scrapping Angels Australia will be holding their first retreat. We have many planned workshop days and will be attending many of your favorite Craft fairs in 2007 to hold classes and showcase our kits.

Both sites will be concentrating on having inspirational, creative kits and talented Design Teams members. We have started to bring our Teams of Angels together and they have already begun to design some fabulous kits and classes. We are very proud to announce that our very own Carole Janson and from the UK Ann{I}e Hafferman are part of the DT. Watch out for more of your favorite scrappers who are designing kits and classes for us. We are very proud to be able to bring many fabulously talented designers together in the spirit of teaching and sharing.

Scrapping Angels will have its own blog to keep you updated on all the going ons and we will be holding online classes and much more to keep you inspired. For a 'behind the scenes' view of Scrapping Angels Australia you can check out our blog also.

Ok as much as I would love to rave on about this all night I have lots of work to get done. I have my very first article to get done for SM and my next layout for Pencil Lines which is having huge success with more exciting news on that real soon, but firstly we have a BIG BIG designer from the US as the guest DT this weekend, it is just all so exciting.
Tara and I are heading off to Sydney this weekend for classes with Elsie Flannigan and Carrie Utley from Chatterbox and although I do love our Australian designers I just don't have time to do classes with any of them this time.

I have noticed many more visitors to my blog recently so please say hello, I don't bite much. LOL I would love to 'meet' you, so leave a post and I can come by and visit you too.

I'm back sort of ?!?!!?

2006-10-31T09:26:00.000+11:00

Thanks for the lovely comments, emails and phone calls regarding my last post. The short of it is that Luke is really having a hard time and when your child is struggling it takes all the effort you have to keep them going. After the major disappointment of not ever getting his license he was now having a problem at work. Now he only just got this school based hospitality traineeship a few short weeks ago and he was so over the moon!!!! It was great to see, his very first job some independence etc. But it was very short lived, his excitement and enthusiasm had waned extremely, now I just thought the reality of it was setting in. But last week when it was time to go and he sat before me crying because he really didn't want to go I knew something major was up. I went in to see his boss and the news wasn't good. He explained that as much as he liked Luke he wasn't up to the job, he wasn't progressing to the levels required and he was quite unsafe with his eyesight and disability. They did as much as they could and were very sorry it wasn't working and did offer him a casual job washing dishes, but Luke confidence is so low now that I'm not sure he's up for it.

On to better news I have my copy of Scrapbook Creations that came in the mail and I have a layout in it. Loved this circle punch wave pattern, I saw it on a cusion when shopping one day and couldn't wait to use it on a Layout. Love it.

I'm so busy this week after spending 2 days in Melbourne on the weekend at Paperific working for Xyron. I have all the products here and are busy packing up kits for our Workshop day in November. Then I'm onto my samples and instructions so I can tell all the participants what they need to bring. I'm still getting phone calls from ladies wanting to come, woohooo. Such a great outcome for my first local workshop. I have an assingment to do for SM this week too and another project for pencil lines. Hmmm and I head up to Sydney on Friday to do some classes with Elsie Flannigan and Carrie Utley OMG the pressureis on!!!! LOL.

But will still anounce my really really exciting news tommorow.

Sorry

2006-10-24T10:30:00.000+10:00

Everyone announcement next week!!!!! I'm having a tough time ATM with Luke again ,more bad sad mad news and I'm taking a time out. See you all next week.
Trish

Reader Gallery

2006-10-19T17:13:00.000+10:00

is now up at Pencil Lines!!!! Come on everyone get your takes on the sketches in!!!! Remember there is a RAK in it for someone every month!!!!

I also have bigger and better news to announce.............Ohhh maybe next week. LOL.

Keep checking back :-)))

Trish

Scrapping, Scrapping, Scrapping

2006-10-15T21:47:00.000+10:00

I have been scrapping up a storm here this weekend. All for a very good cause I might add, as I am so excited and proud to say that I was invited to be part of the team for {PENCIL LINES}, a fabulous brand spanking new challenge blog!
The design team will challenge you every week to complete a LO based on a sketch - one of the best things to help you find your lost mojo. This is one of the coolest things I have ever been asked to join and I am totally thrilled to be in the presence of such talented and amazing ladies!

So what is {PENCIL LINES} ?!?! It is a new challenge blog had been launched for cardmakers, scrapbooking and mini books lovers. Pencil Lines is a blog all about using sketches to expand your artistic horizons, get you outside your box. It is about thinking outside your normal processes to create something wonderful. Join us every week , first thing Monday Morning for us Aussies' for new sketches and have some fun with us.

{PENCIL LINES} will also be full of great links to all our favorite sketch sites and challenge sketches will be set every Sunday for you(Monday morning for us Aussies), from 12" x 12" single layouts to card sketches, there will be a sketch to suit every taste and crafter. We are lucky to have some very cool sketch designers behind us, Becky Fleck and Queen Geek are just 2 names that will be bringing their talents to this site.

And finally Pencil Lines has its own reader gallery. Email your take on the sketch to us and we will upload to the gallery. Once a month we will RAK some goodies to our favorite layout/card/mini book .

So all you scrappers out there come on over and check us out!?!?!? Come and see our take on the sketches and then join in the fun by taking up the challenge. Do the weekly sketch and don't forget to email it to us.

Finally I will leave you with some sneaky peeks at my sketch takes for the coming few weeks that I was so busy working on this weekend.
Oh Bugger Blogger will only let me post 2 so you will have to head over to see them now. LOL.;-) Till next time see ya.

So many things going on

2006-10-10T09:13:00.000+10:00

Life's never dull around here I have so many exciting things going on I'm busy busy busy some of which is taking up every spare moment I have, I'm working on something big!!!!I won't share just yet but I will tell all right here very soon. The kids are now back at school and this gives me a few more hours each day to get things done. I'm still working on my first workshop day which is being held here on the 19th of November. Bookings are looking really good so it should be a succesful day. I'm really looking forward to it as many budding new scrapbookers have expressed interest. I love introducing new people to this wonderful craft.

On Sunday we decided to get out for the day we went out the river and did a spot of fishing and then out the weir for some lunch and a little more fishing. Then we headed out for a bit of 4 wheel driving. It was a great day, so nice to leave all the work and worries at home for a while and just enjoy a quiet day together. I wish it could happen more often.

Ethan was so funny when fishing he was just so excited to be going, as fishing is usually dad's time out, at first when he would wind his real in he thought he caught the worms that were on his hook. LOL. After we explained that the worms were there to catch the fish he was even more inmpatient and kept winding it in every 2 minutes, which frustrated his dad to no end. LOL.
but the highlight of his day was when he caugth these weeds!!!!! Just look at that look on his face, priceless!!!!!

Ok now I have to get back to the grindstone so much to do.

Off to the movies again

2006-09-27T07:40:00.000+10:00

Yep we went to see Monster House. I found it quite funny. The kids found it scary.LOL. It really wasn't your average cartoon movie. I'm not sure the kids really enjoyed it much I think they wished they chose a different one after all.
Not much else happening, I'm doing a LO for Kim at Scrap Happy as part of a photo swap we organized. Love the photo she sent and It's coming along really good, I think.
If you would like to be involved in some cool things pop over to Scrap Happy and join the forum, they are the nicest bunch of girls and the DT is so inspiring. Not just cause I'm on it either. LOL. Join up and say hello then jump into a challenge and win some cool prizes or join a swap. There's lots of fun things happening.
Trish

Special message

2006-09-22T16:33:00.000+10:00

I have completed a small 8 x 8 page for a small boy who is suffering from leukemia and has to be away from home for 2 months getting treatment. Andrea a friend of his mum Maree sent out a call over the net for people to help her complete an ABC album to give him a reminder of some of the things he loves and to give them some joy in these tough times. Here is my page - I had the letter H for Home. I know the scrapping community is such a giving one and if you think you would like to help and would like to do a small page for them...Leave a message and I will put you in touch with Andrea.

See ya

Trish

Quick post

2006-09-21T09:49:00.000+10:00

as my Creating Keepsakes came in the mail yesterday and I had my first ever layout in it. Not my usual style, a bit simpler, but I love it anyway. I love trying out different styles and I have a few coming out that are a bit of a simpler style. They are so much quicker to complete. LOL gotta love that when your so busy. Anyway here it is but this mag is so good ATM you should go and check it out for yourselves it should be in the Newsagents soon.

See ya

Trish

It the holidays

2006-09-19T20:17:00.000+10:00

again.............so of course we are doing our usual rounds of all the kids movies.
Even though I'm snowed under with stuff I have to get done I would never skip the movies with my 3 youngest. Today it was 'The Barnyard' didn't expect much and it really wasn't much. The kids enjoyed it but didn't rave about it. Next time it looks like we are going to 'Monster House' now that looks good.
My thoughts and prayers are with you, my friend Anna on the sad passing of your dear father.

Trish

A tag from Kathy

2006-09-17T09:07:00.000+10:00

1. Which famous person would you most like to learn that you are descended from?
Einstein (SP?) I would love to know some brainy genes are in here somewhere.

2. Which famous person would you hate to learn that you are descended from?
Hitler, and any other nasties!

3. If you could be ancestor to any living famous person, who would it be and why?
An Australian Prime Minister, how cool someone in power.

4. If you could go back in time and meet any known ancestor(s) of yours, who would it be?
my Grandmothers Parents, they sound like they were really nice.

That's it a nice short one. Not taging anyone though. lol.
Trish

Congratulations

2006-09-14T08:45:00.000+10:00

to Amelia McIvor and Katja Shnider as they both got runners up in the Memory Makers Masters Competition. Well done to you both. This was one competition I thought about entering this year, but didn't. LOL. It's a very big worry not to get your LO back, next year I might get around to it, who knows. I have other things on my plate ATM, all exciting and all good!!!!! The first of which is a Scrapping Day my sister and I are holding here in Wodonga on the 19th of November. We advertised in the local newspaper and had an overwhelming response. This could end up being a really big day, which is so nice. There is a couple of small local shops who run classes and I don't want to step on any toes with teachers, especially my friend Marie, but I felt it was time for me to do something in my own area after being here there and everywhere, learning and teaching. Many people know my name and work now due to having my work published and being a Master this past year, so time to cash in on that a bit maybe. LOL that sounds bad, what I mean is I have learnt a lot and had many more experiences this past year, many of them due to being a Master and so now I feel I have something more to offer others, and I would like to start doing this close to home. I'm working on some exciting stuff with SM too and other exciting plans but can't reveal all just yet so stay tuned. LOL.
Trish
(ps have to stay positive or life could get me down)

Other things

2006-09-07T08:34:00.000+10:00

I know I said I would post some more layouts from the retreat but as usuall other things have come up. Tara and I are working on a local workshop day and the numbers are looking really good and we have only just advertised in the local paper, it's looking like it will be very succesful. I know I have been asked by many 'where do you teach' but up untill now I haven't done much teaching locally, so we decided it was about time to do something about that. I also have a couple of big exciting projects for next year that I'm working on, but will share more on that later. So once again life is really busy and I 'm not having much time to blog but will try to at least once or twice a week.

Many of you might not know but my eldest son Luke was born at 33 weeks after suffering a stroke in utero. He wasn't expected to live, but did and he is the nicest most charming and caring boy in the world. Recently he has begun to work at a local cafe, doing a school based appretiship and we have been discussing him getting his licence as he is nearly 17 and can get his learners. Because of his physical disabilities we have had to have reports done by doctors, OT and Optometrist to ensure he is safe in the work place. All his life we have discussed the possibility that he may never be alloud to drive because of his disabilities, hoping to prepare him for the prospect, but last week he had his first optometrist visit and it went really well the doctor told us that if the next test went as well there would be no problems with him driving. Yay we got quite excited at the idea he would be able to drive after all, discussing lessons and stuff?!!?!? We went for the other tests yesterdaybut the very worst worst was confirmed, he will never drive a car!!!!!! It just breaks my heart for him he was devistated and very upset. The optomitrist was very very considerate of Luke's feeling and broke the news to me privatly, so I could dicuss it with Luke myself in private, he was very informative and described where and to what extent his damaged brain was effecting his vision. He realised what a huge thing this was for anyone but especially a young man as they are so into cars and things like that. It was so upseting!!!! I'm still crying for him. It is such a huge step into independance for anyone, your first car, being able to drive yourself and mates wherever and whenever you want, joy's Luke will never know.

Sorry for a down post but I'm truly sad today, next one will be better.

Trish

Tagged from afar!!!!

2006-08-24T21:04:00.000+10:00

I have been taggeg by the sensational Anna and I think I will take up her challenge of scrapping it too. Who would have thought this awesome hobby would bring together artists from all over the world. I'm so excited by how far this journey will take me and what fantastic people I will meet along the way.

1. If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be?
In Aus I would choose the Makay, near so many of my friends and cause it's so much warmer. lol.
2. What's your favorite article of clothing?
I love shoes.
3. Favorite physical feature of the opposite sex?
I like a nice bod as much as the next girl
4. What's the last CD that you bought?
James blunt
5. Where's your favorite place to be?
Out in the bush, camping.
6. Where's your least favorite place to be?
Hospital ER
7. What's your favorite place to be massaged?
Don't like massages
8. Strong in mind or strong in body?
Able bodied
9. What time do you wake up in the morning?
around 7.30
10. What is your favorite Kitchen appliance?
Expresso machine
11. What makes you really angry?
Fake people
12. If you could play an instrument what would it be?
Guitar
13. Favorite color?.
Blue
14. Sports car or SUV?
4WD
15. Do you believe in an afterlife?
Hmmm sort of, I do believein heaven.
16. Favorite children's book?
Winnie the pooh
17. What's your favorite season?
I love Autumn, the colors and crisp air
18. What is your least favorite household chore?
defiantly the bathrooms
19. If you could have one super-power, what would it be?
I'd love to fly
20. If you have a tattoo what is it?
I don't have any
21. Can you juggle?
No
22. The one person from your past that you wish you could go back and talk to?
Don't know
24. What's in the boot of your car?
Nothing
25. Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger?
hamburger

I'd like to tag, Marni and Michelle for this one.

I thought I would post my class layout form the Scrap Happy Retreat. I haven't photographed any of the others yet will post them as soon as I have.

Scrap Me Happy

2006-08-24T18:22:00.000+10:00

What an incredible time I have had, I'm thinking I might do this monster post in point form or I will be here all night.

* Thursday morning jumped on the plane at 10am to fly to Mackay for the retreat. Three planes and 6 hours later I arrived and was greeted at the gate by Michelle and off to the Scrap Happy Shop we went. I was blown away by this shop, what a fantastic set up. The biggest workshop room I have ever seen!!!!! Just loved it. After a while there Michelle and I headed out to get some pizza for dinner and just had to do a bit of shopping in the mall while we were there. I don't know whether it was the worst or best move we made. LOL I found some much sought after new sunnies and handbag. I have been looking for about 2 months for these and found just what I wanted and spent way too much money, but I'm happy. After a few hours we grabbed that pizza and headed to Kim's. Thinking an early night would be good before the big weekend, well what a silly thought that Michelle is a night owl and before I knew it it was 2o to 2, lots of talking going on didn't realize the time. LOL.

*The next day we spent time in the shop. Packing some kits and arranging the room for the crop that night. Time for the retreat to start was 5pm but a very eager lady arrived about 2, what enthusiasm, way cool. From then on they all trickled in to get a good seat for themselves. Then it began, Michelle did a terrific doodling class, truly got some great ideas this girl. We did a wonderful little ideas book. Best doodling I have ever done.

*Saturday came bright and early, not enough sleep again. LOL. Michelle and I ran into a little trouble with a flat tire and I missed most of Kim class. It was a fabulous Chatterbox LO with stamping and chipboard and the best mix of orange and blue. I so love orange ad I can't wait to get this page finished. Then we did a terrific magazine holder with Ngaire, truly outstanding!!!!! I have never done one of Ngaire's classes before but I truly wish I had now and incredible woman she is. Kerrins class was next, this is one lady who always delivers. I love her design techniques, she makes so much sense to me and does outstanding pages as well.My class was up next, went smootly and most were happy with it I think.That was it for the classes that day. Then it was out to dinner, nice food, great company and a fun time.

*Sunday it all wrapped up too quickly, 2 more classes by Ngaire and Kerrin and it was all over. Why do these awesome weekends end too quickly?!?!?!? The rest of the day was spent with Kim and her family after a little trip to the computer store LOL and a late lunch with Kerrin, Ngaire, Michelle, Ray and Kim before Kerrins and Ngaire's Plane left.

*An early 10.30 am flight back home, 3 more planes and 61/2 hours travelling and I was back home. Except for my luggage, which missed the flight and had to come later that night. LOL.

Blogger isn't playing tonight so I will upload some photos and more indepth details about the retrat next time.

Check out these gorgeous gals

2006-08-07T10:33:00.000+10:00

Even though the fair was so busy I did get to catch up with the beautiful Claire and the inspirational Ranata and the fabulous fellow Master Daphney. What sensational work they had on display too........it's always so much nicer to see IRL. Soooooooo much detail that you just miss in the mags. These were truly lovely ladies and it was super dooper to meet and chat with them.

Home again.....

2006-08-01T13:52:00.000+10:00

Whew......... What a long weekend, I'm buggered LOL. The Fair was fantastic, really nice people attended my workshops and Esselte/Xyron have the most lovely representatives it was a joy to work along side them. The highlight was yesterday, being able to spend most of my break with Daphney, fellow Master and Claire and Renata from Scrapbooking Memories. It's was so nice to be able to meet after all this time. This wonderful world of internet is fantastic for making new friends but much of the time you never get to meet IRL.

The latest mags are out already, I was equally impressed by SM and FK both great mags this month. I have a layout in each of them, this one was in FK a photo of my beautiful niece, the mag has the layout photo a 'little too clear' LOL the photo was taken when she was only 5 days old and she has some little milk pimples and her skin is a little flaky, I would love to soften it a bit now that I know PS better, anyway I still love the layout. It was originally done for Scrapbook Station as a DT layout, but FK snapped it up real quick and it never got onto SS, thanks so much to Janine for understanding and letting me send it off to be published.

This one was in SM, it was a ' We are Memory Keepers' challenge sent to me by the mag. I do love WAMK so it was a relatively easy challenge to do. These photo's are of ME at 4 days old and my Mum and Me. Cool to do old photos like this I enjoyed it and yay it looks close to RL colors too I'm happy with the printing of it this month.

Well I must get on with some other work, I am yet to do a layout that needs to be done this week for the newsletter at Scrap Happy, and it's on myself, not my favorite layout subject LOL and I still need to finish getting ready for my class at Scrap Happy in Mackay as it is only a little over 2 weeks till I head up there. I'm so looking forward to this, spending the weekend with good friends and teaching a workshop to enthusiastic scrappers what more can a girl want LOL. I know a house keeper LOL.

Craft and Quilt Fair

2006-07-27T21:06:00.000+10:00

What an awesome day it has been. We left home a little after six this morning headed straight to the show and got straight into it. I worked with wonderful people so helpful and really nice. I had eight lovely ladies in my first class. The Rebeka Erickson tab file folder was a huge hit and we got it done in a little under the allotted time of 1 hr.I Got to work with the new personal cuter and the design runner, I love these machines they are really cool. So all in all a fantastic first day. So tired tonight though I was hoping to get some scrapping done but I don't think that is going to happen. Tomorrow I will be working until 8pm, that's a long day but I'm looking forward to it.

Oh what a week it was

2006-07-25T14:46:00.000+10:00

First thing last Monday morning I took our desktop computer in to have it looked at, the USB ports weren't working on the front. They haven't been for a while but we came across the warranty when cleaning out the filing cabinet and it was still under warranty so yay I thought don't have to pay so will get it fixed now. Well what a drama that turned out to be. The problem was on the mother board not just a simple case of adding some new USB connections after all, had to get a new mother board and being a few years old parts are scarce so they decided to give us a new computer instead. Well that's fine and dandy except we weren't prepared for not getting our computer back and hadn't saved all our stuff to DVD's!!!!!! So having no way to get our computer back the poor guy over there is doing it for us, and believe me after having a computer for 3 years you gather so much stuff you just can't replace and so he is having to get it off for us. He is being really good about it and is happy to do this for us but I just wished I had of realized and done it myself before I took it in. It's a horrible feeling that we might loose documents or photos or something, just horrible.
After careful consideration and much research we decided to upgrade since we had to replace the computer. So on Friday we took ownership of a new big, fast powerful machine!!!! Craige even surprised us with a new 19 inch widescreen TFT - LCD monitor. All sounds exciting but truly having to set it all up until the wee hours of the morning takes the edge off!!!! lol and seeing all the folders empty is really sad, it doesn't feel like ours its all empty!!!!Brad the computer guy did send Craige home with 3 DVD's with some of my stuff on it which made me feel a bit better. I have some documents and photos on here now and even some e-mails but don't have my e-mail contacts!!!!! So if anyone reading this would like to send me an e-mail so I can add you back into my contacts I would really appreciate it!!!!!!. And if you have sent me an e-mail with anything important I'm supposed to remember or do, please send it again, chances are I don't have the e-mail anymore.
In the middle of this week we had Ethans 4th birthday!!!! YAY it was the first birthday he has enjoyed, he was excited about all his presents, he liked his party on Tuesday night and even enjoyed having happy birthday sung to him, which he usually really hates. He blew out all the candles in one go. After his party we made some cup cakes to take to kinder the next day. OMG I don't know where my head was but I didn't put enough sugar in the mix and they didn't really taste fantastic, but they were OK until I iced them, I was busily icing these little cup cakes with a beautiful blue colored icing that Ethan picked then he smelt the mix in the bowl, said yuck that smells like butter!!!! Huh?!?!? Yep I had a taste and realize what I'd done.......Silly me used corn flour instead of icing sugar DUH!!!!That made them so yuck. LOL. So I had to go do a late night dash to the supermarket to get more ingredients to make some more.This time they were lovely and a huge hit at kinder which was great, he enjoyed all the extra attention at kinder and showed everyone some of his gifts, he had a great time.
I also spent a bit of time helping a friend smock a christening gown, for her grandsons christening on Saturday, it turned out so beautifully. Really really nice, well I think so anyway.
This week I'm spending all my time catching up on more things so I'm prepared to go to Melbourne on Thursday. Very excited and not at all ready but I will get there. LOL. I'm taking the laptop with me so I might get to update while I'm away, if I don't just crash at the end of the day that is. LOL Catch ya all soon

Cool e-mail

2006-07-15T10:34:00.000+10:00

I just got the Basic grey newsletter this morning, which I love reading I mean who doesn't love Basic Grey anyway guess who's layout was on page 2 In the 'eye spy' section Julie Love. It's an awesome layout and what a thrill for her to be in the newsletter, MG how incredible!!! Good on you Julie!!!!!! Way to go. So if you don't get this newsletter here's the link go and check out Julies layout it truly is fantastic. Then pop over to her blog and say you have seen it and give her you congratulations I know she will appreciate it. Boy doesn't that cool new Gypsy line look sooooo yummy!!!! I'll look forward to that coming to our shores.

Well it's been another quiet week, little bit of scrapping lots of planning workshops etc. Much planning of this household so I can have everything ready when I go to Melbourne for the Quilt and Craft fair at the end of the month. It's raining here today, really steady soaking rain which is really good we need it but no so good for getting the washing done. lol. Oh well must be done.

Trish

SM and Scrap Happy Retreat

2006-07-10T09:42:00.000+10:00

My copy of Scrapbooking Memories was in my letter box last Friday. I have a layout in the Cherry Arte gallery, this was a challenge sent to me by SM and it was a challenge!!!!. lol. Loved the PP but was struggling to use it effectively. The photos I have used are older one's of Ethan that I found on the puter that I hadn't scrapped yet. I enjoy going through my old photos files looking for something to match with the products sent to me and finding some gems, its so much fun and a different way of scrapping. It gets some of those overlooked photo's scrapped as well. Anyway here it is

This past week I have been designing and completing the sample for my workshop class that I will be teaching at the Scrap Happy retreat. My God this is only 6 weeks away I can't believe it!!!!! I'm so excited this is going to be one totally awesome retreat. The best girls ever, Kim and Ray, run this store and I'm so proud to be part of it and this retreat. If anyone is thinking about attending a retreat this year, I tell you what this is the one to go to, it is going to be so much fun. So if you want any info go to their site it's linked on the side of my blog.

Best get on with the household duties now. lol. Catch ya later.