Off the page creations ...

Long time, no share - so here are some projects I have created recently ...
A mini clipboard for the fridge - to hold our menu and shopping list for the week (love the Teresa Collins paper!)

When reading the kids a story one night I came up with the idea for this minibook.
Used the following poem ...
When I was one, I'd just began
When I was two, I was nearly new...
So here is one each for the kids - I have picked a photo for each corresponding year - of course Emma is only 4 so still two blank photo pages yet to fill

Having lots of fun making minibooks recently, have a couple of ideas for more I would like to complete this week if I get time! ;)

We will remember them

Some more autumn pics ...

... taken at a couple of orchards in and around Alex and Clyde - very beautiful colours as you can see ...

... and yes that's a pic of me! Hubby did very good with his photography skills this time (he didn't cut my head off like last time!), also good to have some of me in front of the camera for a change as I'm normally always the one taking them!

The fun month continues ...

... home now after a week away in Central Otago ... lots of photos taken, time relaxing, great weather and company ...
Hubby (+ his brothers) helped his dad build a huge deck off the side of their house ...
Picking huge apples straight off the trees in the garden ...

Our first 'visit' by the tooth fairy ... he did well not to swallow it as he woke at 4am to find it 'swimming' in his mouth so he had to 'catch' it - LOL! ...

It's raining leaves ... lots of photos taken in and around a couple of orchards round Alex and Clyde ... but couldn't help it coz the colours of the trees was gorgeous!

And the annual stop at an orchard in Millers Flat - check out the size of those pumpkins!

A very relaxing time but am pleased to be home again.

Now have to sift through the 200 odd photos and decide what to print to scrap and also sort out which photos to use for Project 365 - am guessing there may be a few collages!

A month of fun ...

... it's my birthday soon and I decided I wanted to have lots of fun all month, not just on one day!
So the fun started at the weekend with ScrapCamp just out of Mosgiel. Was very convenient for me as it was only a 5 minute trip from home :)! A weekend of creativity, laughter, sugar highs and a little sleep. I achieved 4 layouts, 12 cards, two minibooks and a clipboard - pretty productive for me really. I had hoped to get a few more layouts done but that mojo got a bit lost so I just made the cards instead. I'm already planning to head back for the camp again next year ... only problem being that it is 12 months away. LOL!
The fun has continued this week ... Vicky drew my name as the winner of the March Design Team Challenge over at SBO. And Mr Courier Man delivered a pizza box of goodies to me yesterday - woohoo, lots of goodies to play with!
Today has been very fun indeed ... a shopping trip to spend the LUSH vouchers that the lovely Janine gave me, receiving a free Revlon pack at Kmart for buying some product, and then catching up on blogs tonight to find I have won a Tarisota ribbon pack from the lovely Rachel Tucker!

One more day of schol/kindy to go then the holidays, we are planning a few days away over Easter to the in-laws in Central Otago. Hoping the weather stays dry as the boys are planning a bit of building work, us girls are going to sample some Central goodies at the Clyde Wine & Food fest - yummo can't wait.
Hope you all have a great Easter with your family and friends - and enjoy all that chocolate - LOL!

Want a gift from me?

Beverley is taking the lead from a blog friend to share some home made goodness - like a homemade RAK, and the idea is to pay it forward so to speak. I am on her list now and now it is time for me to share as well ...

The rules are as follows:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It’ll be done in the next couple of months.
4. You have no clue what it’s going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or something sewn. I may draw or paint something. I may bake something and mail them to you. Who knows? Not you, that’s for sure!
5.The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 3 people who do the same on your blog.
The first 3 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! I do promise fabulosity here folks… So, who’s in?

This is actually really good timing as I was wanting to do a giveaway on my blog during April - I have decided this year to make my birthday last a whole month - is that wrong? LOL! So I am just a couple of days early - but watch out over the next few weeks and I may do some other giveaways! :)

'An awesome book'

This book was the inspiration for the latest Design Team Challenge over at SBO from Vicky. And it is such a cool book by an American author Dallas Clayton - check it out here! From what I can tell I think it may only be available in the US, but I so want my own copy!

For the challenge we had to take inpiration from this book for a layout - I took this quote - "Close your eyes my child, and dream that perfect dream inside your head" - and I created this:

Actually we had been talking about dreams earlier last week. I woke to find Emma sitting beside my bed at 3am - when asked what was wrong she said she was having dreams about bad superheroes! I told her to leave the door open a bit wider and they would go away, but obviously they didn't coz she was back 30 min later! This time I told her my pillow scared them away so she took that back to bed with her, and slept soundly for the rest of the night. So the next day we talked about dreams and she decided a good thing to dream about was 'Mamma Mia'. So now we have 'Mamma Mia' dreams to keep us safe at night! :)

A chilly weekend ...

We headed away for a night with friends at the weekend, down to a little place on the Catlins coast called Pounawea. Not much there just a handful of houses, a couple of small camping grounds but some amazing coastline and scenery. It was a tad chilly, no rain but that southerly was blowing icicles (well almost) LOL! Needless to say we were all rugged up in thermals, polarfleeces and jackets!
We had a big walk on the beach in the afternoon and meet this big fella, think we woke him from his sleep, he did a bit of stretching, scratching then rolled over and had another snooze.
The kids enjoyed being towed along the beach on a big piece of driftwood - all lining up for another go ...

Pocketfuls of shells were collected ...

Went on a bushwalk on the Sunday through to a amazing waterfall at Purakaunui - where I attempted to take a cool photo with slow shutterspeed. Turned out alright but I might have to keep practicing using different settings.

And not to forget - anyone looking for some creative fun should check out this :)

Opening Saturday ...

Am very excited as a shop I feel in love with while in the UK is finally opening a store in Dunedin this weekend. A new shopping area called 'Wall Street' is opening and it has some new shops that we previously haven't had in this part of the country before - Country Road, Esprit, Levi's and my fave LUSH! They have the most gorgeous yummy soaps, bubble bar slices and bath bombs .... can't wait!

Hands up ...

... who likes Granny Smith apples with that tarty sour taste? Well I do and I found this at the supermarket yesterday ...
It is a non-alcoholic Sour Apple Fruit drink (fizzy), and man is it scrummy! Think it will be my drink of choice on a hot day - very refreshing!

Another busy weekened over with, up to Alex for FIL's surprise birthday bbq on Saturday and then home on Sunday via Gore to catch up with one of my best friends who was over from Brissy with her two kids.

Also celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary last Wednesday - man that time has flown - but as they say 'time flies when you're having fun'.