On the eve of the big day ...

... I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope you have a fantastic 2011.


This is my 'Christmas card' shot this year - but don't worry the jetski wasn't going and they aren't allowed to drive it - just a staged photo! ;) hehehe!

We are looking forward to a day celebrating Christmas at home, my brother, his wife and my niece have just flown in from Melbourne. This will be a big surprise for my parents when they arrive in a couple of hours as they think they are flying in on Boxing Day! Whew has been a bit hard keeping this a secret for the last 7 weeks or so! LOL!

Enjoy the day, and time together with family and friends. I look forward to seeing/'chatting' with you in the New Year.
m :)

The countdown begins ...

... with a little 'Echo Park' advent calendar ...


Lots of festive creative inspiration going on here at SBO

3 1/2 days of school left for the kids, almost all the presents bought, landscaping finished, menu sorted for Christmas Day and just a few more crazy days at work to get out of the way before the fun of the season can start.

Hope all your preparations are coming along well.

Hello .....

... yes I am still here, not sure if anyone else is though!? ;)

Has been a busy month in this house! The usual after school activities, sports, ballet end of year concerts, fishing weekend for hubby, scrapping weekend in Qtown for me ... and a new job for me! My word for the year ... 'new' ... is turning out to be pretty spot on. Lots of changes this year, new challenges and opportunities. I am now the new Accountant for Acquisitions, the really funky gift stores. There are 11 stores round the country with the first being in Dunedin which is where the (small) head office is still based.

But in amongst all the busy stuff I have still found the odd pocket of time to sneak away and do some creating.
Today I wanted to share a reverse canvas I made for myself using the Cosmo Cricket Material Girl range of papers and chipboard elements. Something fun to hang above my scrap desk ...

Hope you all are going to be checking into the SBO forum regularly! Starting tomorrow the DT are going to be revealing 24 days of festive inspiration for you ... showcasing some gorgeous Christmas ranges that are available in the SBO shop ... be sure to check in!

A long weekend ...

... and some gorgeous weather to go with it! We headed away to Alexandra for Labour Weekend to stay with my in laws. This weekend has, for the past 3 years, been the vege garden planting weekend. The kids love heading out to buy the seeds/plants then back to Gran & Grandads to dig over the dirt, mark the rows then plant and water the garden. They take a real interest in how the plants are growing and love getting the fresh veges out at Christmas time/New Year - although they still don't like eating much of them! ;)

Went for a bit of a hike with Finn, up the trail to the clock that is built into the hill that overlooks Alex. He loved his 'adventure'!

I took the kids back to an orchard where I took some autumn photos of them last year. I missed the blossom this year, but the trees still make a gorgeous backdrop for some new photos of them ... still want to do some editing of the pics but am thinking I may get a couple of them printed on canvas ...

Also picked up this little Bee costume at the Big Red Shed - doesn't she look gorgeous in amongst all the dandelions! ;)

Have spent the last week getting last minute bits done for the kids school fair which is tomorrow. The weather is forecast to play nice so that is great! Now while I have a couple of hours spare I am going to sit at my scrap desk and have a play with some yummy Websters Pages ... be sure to keep an eye on the reveal next week!

A fab weekend and some Bella Blvd goodness ...

I ventured south this past weekend to spend a day with some great ladies including these two - Rachel & Trina. The cause being a crop to raise funds for the Mayoral Earthquake fund for those affected by the September quake in Canterbury.
A fun day was had by all - 12 hours of scrapping/classes/demos/lollies/laughter - just the usual really when you mix this lot of gorgeous ladies together! Thank you to everyone who made the day a huge success, and to Andrea for once again bringing along all those shop goodies that were so hard to resist!

My layouts from the classes taken by firstly Trina ...

then by Rachel ...

A few Websters Pages in there ... stay tuned for next month as I have a pack of these lovely paper to play with for my DT work at SBO. Now thanks to Trina and Rachel I have some ideas how to actually use them! ;)

Here is some of my work for this month with SBO. I was very fortunate to be sent an array of papers from the 4 new collections of Bella Blvd - one of my very fave manufacturers!

An art folder for Emma ... this is a 8x8 cover and back that I have decorated and inside it holds some 6x6 page protectors.

A fun picture frame for Finn ...

Donut Love ...

You got Tunes ...

I also issued the mini challenge last Thursday over on SBO. The challenge was to 'record this moment'. I had done this a couple of years ago for the kids but wanted to do updated pages. Here is my example that I have completed for Emma ...

The nasty winter weather has arrived back again, I thought after the fabulous warm days last week that we had seen the last of it ... but it appears not! I think I will put the fire on and make myself something yummy and warm for lunch ... then some more scrapping! ;)

Did you miss me?

... we're back from our first ever proper family holiday ... and it was fantastic! The kids travelled well, and coped with all the walking ... and most of all they had heaps of fun!

First stop was Melbourne to catch up with my brother and his family ... time was spent travelling on trains and trams, visiting Melbourne Zoo, Sunday markets at SouthBank and soaking up the atmosphere and festivies surrounding the AFL Grand Final which was played the weekend we were there. Well so much for the Grand Final, after those 4 forty minute quarters the game was a draw ... so rather than play extra time they had to play the whole game again the following weekend! How bizarre!

Kids opposite Flinders Station ...

Emma and artwork on the walls of an alleyway ...

Next stop was Surfers on the Gold Coast, we got a great little apartment right opposite the beach and spent a few days hanging out at DreamWorld/WhiteWaterWorld, shopping at HarbourTown, eating icecream, walking along the beach and soaking up the warmth! The weather wasn't super hot and there were a couple of good storms pass through while we were there - one major downpour hit when we were at the WaterWorld so didn't matter coz we were already wet!

And 'who lives in a pineapple under the sea' ... yes that would be SpongeBob Squarepants and his mate Patrick! The kids had fun meeting the characters and doing the rides at the park ... although Emma didn't enjoy a couple of the rides we bribed her on, but she loved the icecream afterwards!

The beach opposite our apartment ...

Now back to reality, another few days before the kids head back to school and then the crazy buildup to Christmas.

Will be back soon with some peeks at some layouts from the gorgeous Bella Blvd range of papers as part of my design work at SBO for this month.

Also a sketch challenge coming up on Friday from me ... best I sort that out tonight! ;)

Another 'Trip to Paris' ...

... as promised here is the second installment of the 3 Bugs in a Rug - A Trip to Paris Collection.

When I saw this particular Effiel Tower paper I knew it was time to scrap some of my old travel photos ... hence this Paris themed double layout ...

... and a close-up of the journalling ...

And some simple yet elegant cards with some of the leftover papers and diecuts ...

Having lots of fun with the new goodies for the October reveal ... might put some sneak peeks up early next week if you're lucky! ;)

Attention Southern ladies ... hope you have checked out the forum for details of the Earthquake Crop day where we will have the pleasure of the company of Rachel and Trina ... and me! LOL! ;)

Hope you are all rugged up for the weekend of forecasted nasty weather!

A Trip to Paris!

... if only! LOL! Actually at the moment I would take just a couple more hours in the day or a 3 day weekend!

To say the last few weeks have been busy is an understatement - chaotic more like! Finn has had 7 days off school - first a cold then the vomit bug (3 times!!!!!). Each time the bug hit, he recovered and within 5 days it was back again! Then I got it! Throw in helping with school and sporting activities, trying to get my growing pile of contract work done and keep on top of the every increasing list of housework - whew! To prove how bad it has been - I received a box of yummy goodies that I bought from SBO (MME Alphabet Soup) and it is still sitting in the box - all of it - no time to play here!

But enough of that. Still there were some great moments in that time too - Emma lost her first tooth and is so proud showing everyone the gap it has left (and how she can stick her tongue through it)! Hubby had his birthday, and the kids are loving his pressie - a Wii! Proud of Finn completing the cross country last week, and then again today. He may not be the fastest runner (actually he is pretty good at bringing up the rear), but he had a smile on his face when he crossed the finish line! Finn also got Player of the Day at soccer, the weekend in between his bouts with the nasty bug - very happy to show off that trophy again!
And tonight Finn gave me the biggest hug before bed and told me "Mum, you are the best Mum in the whole wide world" - my heart melted right then and there - my kids are my world, they are all that matters to me (and hubby of course) and for him to say this means I must be doing something right, even when I have weeks like these when I feel I haven't accomplished anything.

Now looking forward, we have a family holiday planned that the kids are getting very excited about - across the ditch to visit my brother, followed by a play at the beach for another few days. Passports sorted, tickets booked, now just have to work out which events/theme parks/markets we are going to visit.

Scrappy news now ... A couple of weeks ago (before the chaos) I received a gorgeous 3 Bugs in a Rug pack. A Trip to Paris Caboodle pack to be exact - a great value pack with 9 papers, alphas, diecuts and rubons.
Here are my creations so far ...

And here is a sneak peek on a layout I am putting together at the moment ... you will have to wait until the 15th to see this one ...

On that note I am off to have a cuppa ... Good night :)

Week 4 - Kiwi Challenge - Remoteness

It's my turn this week over on SBO with the Kiwi Challenges.

This week the challenge is to create a layout with 'white space'

So here is my example :

Love the way this layout came together. Have had this photo sitting with my scrap gear for a while ... the layout never came together ... and then the other night everything fell into place!

August kit reveal ...

Wohoo, what a fantastic kit SBO is sending out for August - called 'The Carnival Collection' and packed with papers by Bo Bunny, Echo Park and Sassafrass - as well as alpas, stickers, flowers, buttons, and overlays. Such bright yummy colours - definitely my type of kit!

So here are my inital creations ...

So much fun to play with!

I had a catch up with some of the girls yesterday at Scrap Sunday - managed 6 layouts (just a bit of machine sewing required to finish them off) and started on a fun reverse canvas. Is the most productive day scrapping I have had in a while, that and great conversations and a yummy (unhealthy) lunch - although I did walk down the street to buy it instead of driving - LOL!

Hope you are all having a great week! ;)

Week One

... and we are off and racing, I mean scrapping - LOL!

Week One challenge is to scrap a layout with a Kiwi Icon or Landmark

My take on this, featuring a pic from our holiday in Auckland in April - 'Chillin' at Viaduct Basin'

You have until midnight on Thursday 5th August to upload your creations - so get scrapping!

Got scrap gear packed for Scrap Sunday tomorrow with some of the girls, really looking forward to it as have missed the last two months because of other commitments.

Off now to watch the rest of the All Blacks v Wallabies game - proving to be an action packed game, best match up I have seen between these 2 teams for a while. Also trying to spy my bro in the crowd ;) Next weeks rematch in ChCh could be very interesting - hubby is heading up for it - I'll just be home in front of the TV watching!

Night

Ready ... set ... go!

Go register that is!

For the Kiwiana Competition starting VERY soon over at SBO!

And with 3 MM slices up for grabs why would you not want to join in!

Bad news for me ... Great news for you!

Head on over to SBO forum and check it out ...

A new competition is coming ...

With not 1 ...

Not 2 ...

But 3 Slices up for grabs!!!

I don't have one of these babies, but it's definitely on my wishlist!

Go on join in, coz 'you've gotta be in to win'!

Stitching on a layout

Have you tried adding a new dimension to your layouts with stitching?

Go and check out my Tuesday Tips over on the SBO forum for some stitching tips and examples ...

Have a great day!

I'm still here ...

sorry ... bit of blog neglect going on ... but truly, where have the last few weeks gone? Actually for that matter where have the last 6 months raced away to? As the saying goes 'time flies when you are having fun' and I would have to agree!

Now for ScrapbookOutlet news - have you seen that the kits are back? July one was sent last week ...
I was lucky enough to have a sneak play with the kit before it was officially released. Gorgeous product in there from October Afternoon, Crate Paper, Webster Pages, Pink Paislee and Prima.

My layouts ...

and a couple of cards ...

Have a few more projects completed which will be revealed at the end of next week.

Now if you prefer a brighter palette of colours then I recommend jumping in quick and grabbing August's kit - OMG it's gorgeous! I might even have to get myself a second kit because I can see endless possibilities for layout/card and minibooks!!!

Hope those of you with kids home for school holidays are surviving! My lounge yesterday resembled a HotWheels mini town with cars and trainsets all over - now it is a cafe with mini oven and plastic food all around. Not to mention the dining table has stickers, scraps of paper and paint daubers on it - none of which are mine. But at least they are happy - not fighting too much (yet). I have spent a couple of days working but have the rest of the week to relax with them and cram in a few activities in town, but then again I might just stoke up the fire and stay home and scrapbook with the goodies from SBO that landed on the doorstep this morning ;)

Sketch Night!

My turn to post the sketch over at SBO ... so here goes ...

and my take ...

a 'twist' on the banner, and a few smaller photos instead of the one big one ...

Looking forward to a big weekend - the boys in black (aka All Blacks) are playing a test match against Wales at Carisbrook tomorrow night. It is also the final test at Carisbrook, with the new stadium taking shape in time for the Rugby World Cup next year. Have just been in town to get a few signatures from the boys - for Finn of course!!! Looking forward to the big game!!! ;)