Favourites, Old and New

It's the weekend!

I am determined to do some crafting this weekend....really, I am. It's a long weekend here in Western Australia, and while I have a bit of running around to do with the kids, I am determined to find some time to create.

And this is where I started...



I can't take credit for this LO design...I lifted it from a LO by Kim Hughes in an old edition of Scrapbook Trends that I had marked, because I love it's simplicity. I must admit though, cutting the photos into circles took me back to my early Creative Memories days, and caused me to shudder at least once LOL. These were some photos that I had left over from the Monkey Mia album I made a while back, so the circle-cutting didn't bother me toooooo much...not a habit I want to get back into, though :)

I reached into my rather large collection of old Chatterbox papers for the background ...(only so large because I loved them so much and couldn't bear to use them!) and the white is the brand new Bazzill dotted swiss, which is sure to become one of my new favourites. Have you seen it yet? Such yummy texture! And voila! One LO completed!

Now, to keep the momentum going......

TTFNxxx

Never say never...

...isn't that what they say? LOL

So I said a while back that I wouldn't do anymore double LOs, because they are something that I usually struggle with. This one went much the same way...

...but I am happy with the end result, so I guess that's all that matters! I've used some of the yummy Making Memories Paperie in Rouge, with a bit of Basic Grey Bittersweet thrown in. The red "end bits" are some of the MM journaling blocks with the middle cut out...just in case you were wondering :)

The photos are, of course, those classic ones I took back in December of Miss M jumping the fence...I still laugh when I look at them!

Have a great day

TTFN xxx

Love a good swap :)

Have you ever taken part in a scrapbooking swap? They are the best fun!

You post off a set number of items, depending on what you're swapping :) , like buttons or flowers or beads or stamped images or whatever, and a little while later, you receive a parcel in the mail with a fantastic variety of that type of item. The girls at Scrapsidaisy usually have some type of swap going on...most recently we swapped journaling cards...and look at the variety I received back! Some types I had never seen before, some I had run out of, and some I had been trying to find for a while (like those mini Jenni Bowlin ones...yum). Such good fun!

Thought while I was here, I'd show you a birthday card I made recently with some of my favourite MM Noteworthy products and other bits and pieces...


...do you have a favourite scrapbooking manufacturer? It's always a bit of a toss-up for me...Making Memories vs Basic Grey, and then the newer names like Jenni Bowlin and Teresa Collins. They are producing some awesome lines lately. What manufacturer are you loving at the moment? Leave me a comment...pretty please? LOL

TTFN xxx

Birthdays and addictions.

Today is a very special day.

My one and only sister is celebrating a milestone birthday, and since I don't have any current photos to post, I thought I would give her a little trip down memory lane...


Ah, the good old days :)
Hope you have a wonderful birthday Leisa, full of joy and special surprises xxx

This is one of the pressies that she opened this morning..

I made this bag from a pattern called Thelma's Day Out by Janelle Wind, and was thrilled with the finished result. So much so that I had a hard time parting with it :)

The fabric is by Amy Butler, who also designs scrapbooking papers...couldn't resist...and the buckle is divine...love love love it! Hope to make myself one some time soon ;)

Unfortunately (wink), playing with fabric has stirred an old addiction in me...fabric purchasing. I went into a quilt shop yesterday to buy some pellon for my Christmas Belles quilt, and found myself stacking bolts of fabric on the counter...oh dear...and before I knew it, I was walking out with this...

How fresh are these colours! I have them sitting beside me, begging me to make a start on the Little Bluebirds pattern that I showed you a few days ago.

I must resist...I must resist...I must resist....

TTFNxxx

Happy mail :)

Who doesn't love getting happy mail?

It brightens my day so much when the postie delivers something special, especially when the parcel contains something as delicious as this...


The presentation is gorgeous, huh? And inside was this..

..the pattern that I won from www.janellewind.typepad.com a few weeks back (thank you so much Janelle), Holly and Rainbows. Having just completed one of Janelle's patterns, I can recommend them wholeheartedly! Easy to follow, beautiful projects, with lots of encouragement along the way. Check out her blog if you get a chance...and her scrapbooking is divine too!

Stayed up a little late and completed another LO, this time of my boy...

The background paper is by Teresa Collins, and I cut the circle from October Afternoon Hometown paper. The journaling is about how my son has always loved to climb, and how he used to scare the neighbours when he was small by climbing to the top of his swingset :) I really love the colours in this one.

October Afternoon now have their blog up and running...have you seen their new CHA releases yet? Oh my....they are simply stunning! Check them out at www.octoberafternoon.typepad.com and check out the work of their Design Team...awesome!

Have a great Monday...and thank you to everyone who has left me a comment recently...I love to hear from you!

TTFN xxx

It's been a while...

...since I scrapped. Since I blogged. Since I had time to gather my thoughts enough to string some words together LOL. Life has been crazy busy, and the first thing that gets crossed off my list of things to do is my craft time :(

However, I am very happy to report that I spent some time yesterday cutting out patchwork blocks and tracing stitching lines onto fabric, and today I even scrapped!

Nothing earth shattering, but enough to get the creative juices flowing a bit :) This one uses Basic Grey Urban Prairie and a piece of Bazzill shaped cardstock that I've had for a very long time. I've stitched around the border, and also to outline the ribbon.

The next one...

...uses lots of My Minds Eye Delightful range and a yummy Elles Studio journal block...too cute!

I stitched a fair bit on this one too, and used Kaisercraft Rhinestones to highlight the flowers on the quote card. I even used a flower, which is a bit unusual for me ;)

Good to get into the swing of things again!

TTFNxxx

Flat Out...

...but with good stuff like making birthday presents that I can't show you yet (yes, I'm teasing you Leisa LOL) , and swimming with Merryn, and lots of after school activities with the kids :)

Live your life first, and scrap it later...isn't that what they say?

Have a great week

TTFN xxx

An Aussie twist :)

So.... we got sentimental and cut our Anzac biscuits into heart shapes.

Who says we don't celebrate Valentines Day? LOL

TTFNxxx

Happy Valentines Day

Hope you are all having a romantic day!

We don't usually celebrate Valentines Day...and to be honest, never really have. I appreciate chocolates and flowers and such so much more when they are given as a random thought, rather than an expected thing IYKWIM? (and I really don't like red roses!)

It doesn't help that my DH is out of town at the moment, either. In the spirit of things though, he left a special little surprise for me...


A white miniature rose....my favourite :)

Hope your day is everything you hope for!

TTFNxxx

Completion is a wonderful thing.

My Monkey Mia album is now complete...

..and boy, did it get FAT!

We'll say it's from all those dimensional stickers I used ;)

I will admit, I had to force myself to finish it. You see, I have completion issues. I have lots of trouble completing projects...just ask anyone who knows me well ( and those of you who do know me well are probably nodding your heads in agreement right now LOL). I get caught up in the beautiful fabrics and notions, or papers and embellishments, and have wonderful plans in my head...I just have trouble bringing the project to completion (and I have boxes full of unfinished projects to prove it!)

BUT NOT ANYMORE!!!!!

In fact, I hope to finish off a lot of UFOs this year. So if you see lots of completed projects appearing on this blog...think not that I am an amazingly prolific crafter, but that I have a lot of UFOs just waiting to be finished off.

That being said....





Look at this piece of gorgeous-ness. I know what you're thinking...another new project that may get started but will not get finished. Hmmmm....watch this space LOL.

It's looking a bit like an addiction...

TTFN xxx

All about cards!

It's all about cards today!

First up is my contribution for Copycatcards this week...blue, doodling and a stamp.
I had the scraps from my album sitting on my desk, so used them for the blue. The doodling is around the green (very unadventurous!) and the stamp says "congratulations".

Who can stop at one card? Evidently, not me :)

The butterfly is cut and embossed with the Cuttlebug, and the background is a divine little tag by Elle's Studio...they are producing some awesome journaling tags lately. This card is for a special little friend of mine who turns 8 next week :)

Then I made another...

This card is my first for another little project. Leisa from Scrapsidaisy has started collecting handmade cards to donate to the bushfire victims in Victoria. You can read all about it on the Scrapsidaisy blog (or click on the link in the sidebar), so I thought that this would be another way to help out. If you would like to donate a card or two, please contact Leisa via the blog.

So I plan to spend some time in the next little while making cards, and creating LOs (see previous posts) to send to Victoria, and hopefully working on another little project that I can't share just yet (it's for another special person's birthday)....should keep me out of trouble for a while ;)

Have a great Thursday...where did the week go?

TTFNxxx

Attention all scrappers...

We have all been shocked and horrified by what has happened in Victoria in the past week. As scrappers, this is something that ALL of us can support...


Visit the website, get the details and get scrapping! Please do all you can to support this worthwhile project.

A somewhat dodgy tutorial!

I thought I might show you the steps to create these little page protector pockets that I've been using in my Monkey Mia album (see post below). They're not hard, but this might save you thinking too hard if you decide to make some. So, rather than just write the steps, I thought it would be great if you could see pictures too. I sorta forgot how bad my photography is :)

So just ignore the photography, and focus on what I'm trying to say...ok? LOL

1. Take your page protector, a sharp pencil and a ruler. Measure halfway across the page protector, mark a point, then rule a line down the centre. Do the same horizontally, so you end up with a grid of four.
2. With your sewing machine set to a small-medium stitch length (I used mine set on 2), stitch from the top of the page protector to the bottom, leaving the ends of the thread quite long.

The image below is what it looks like after you've done this step :)
















3. Cut a scrap piece of cardboard to the approximate width of your sewn pocket. Flip your page protector to the back, then slip this piece of scrap cardboard past that marked pencil line that you made in step 1.















4. Use a blade and a steel ruler to make a cut in the page protector. This cut will extend from ALMOST the side edge to ALMOST the sewn line in your page protector, and will be approximately 3mm below the pencil line you drew in step 1. Do the same to the other side of the sewn line, remembering to only cut ALMOST to the edges.

5. Flip your page protector over to the front again, and sew across the page protector on the pencil line you made in Step 1, leaving your threads quite long.
















The picture above is what it should look like :)

6. Now tie off the threads on the three outside edges of the page protector, and snip off.

For the threads on the left side, I pulled the top thread through to the back, and tied it off securely.

Too easy?

My only other tip is to adhere the photos back to back before they go into the page protector-it just makes them look neater.

I would LOVE to see what you do with this...I think the possibilities are endless! Think different sizes, fun embellishments ...it's all good.

TTFN xxx

Words to live by...

I found this on the Mardi's blog today, and thought I would share...


40 Tips for a Better Life in 2009 - Enjoy and implement as many as possible!


1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile, It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement,'My purpose is to __________ today.'

5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2008.

7. Make time to practice meditation and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of six.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants. Eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, or issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest energy in the positive present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a College kid with a maxed out charge card.

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.

18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years Will this matter?'

26. Forgive everyone for everything.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. When in doubt...don't.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

31. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

33. The best is yet to come.

34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

35. Do the right thing!

36. Call your family often. (Or email them to death!!!)

37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride throughlife so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

40. Please Forward this to everyone you care about. I just did.

Some of these "spoke to me'" more than others. How about you?

But wait...there's more!

Thank you SO much for all of your encouraging comments about my Monkey Mia album. I am having heaps of fun making it!

I think I am finally starting to get in the groove with mini-albums. Keep it simple. Stick to a formula rather than trying to "re-invent the wheel' with each page. Use enough variety in the papers to prevent boredom, and use techniques that you like!

I won't bore you with all the pages, but here are some of my favourites so far...


I've chosen to show off my favourite photos as 4" x 6", and trim the other ones to fit into my little pockets (which didn't photograph that well, but you get the idea)

There is stitching around three edges of all the plain pages, and stitching through the page protectors on the opposite page.

I've refined the "page protector technique" a little since I started this album, and the new way is working much better. I will try to take some photos of the process when the light is better so you can have a go! Not that hard...but very effective.

Loving how the different ranges in the Paperie line give it variety, but are still similar in appearance...and those dimensional stickers and journaling blocks are making the embellishing very easy!

On another note...hope everyone who reads this blog from the Eastern Sates of Australia are keeping safe. The images we have been seeing in the media have been very scary, and my thoughts are with you.

TTFN xxx

A new project.

It's a little embarassing how excited I get over new scrapbooking paper. No, really. The latest object of my affection is Making Memories Paperie...loving the Poolside, Rouge and Greenhouse.(The Mocha?...not so much)

So I went a little berserk, because I knew exactly what I was going to do with it....an album dedicated to our Monkey Mia trip earlier this year. I even had the perfect album already on hand...the Noteworthy shaped album with lots of page protectors etc.

This is how it looks so far...

...yep, that cream took 5 layers to cover the kraft colour that is was originally. I've taken the posts of the album out (because I think it's going to get too fat) and will replace with some rings when I'm finished. I really wanted to get away from the typical beachy type theme for this, and go with something more classic and pretty. Hope I pull it off :)

Love the cool little window in the front :) The cream tabbed pages came with the album, so I thought I might as well use them. The blue patterned paper on the inside cover is gorgeous...it's flocked! and from the Poolside range.

Then we go to the Greenhouse range. I plan to use all three ranges in this mini-album, just for variety, and because all my holiday albums feature pink swimsuits!

A note about the page protectors...

...yes, I have sewn them to make little pockets. I saw this somewhere a while back (Ali Edwards' blog maybe?) and thought I'd try it out. It's a great way to include lots of photos! I plan to use this technique lots in this album, as I do have lots of photos that I want to put in. If you want details on how to do it, let me know in the comments and I will tell you :)

Mini-books are getting a bit addictive...off to work on some more pages.

TTFN xxx

Grateful.

Today I am feeling very grateful.

For technology.

For my computer.

For home printers.

For being able to look back through literally thousands of photos, all taken since this happy day in 2005 when I clicked off my first digital camera shots. For being able to click and crop and enlarge, and make sepia, or black and white and then print it at home and scrap the memory immediately.

For being able to email photos to my family and friends. For being able to print as many copies, in as many sizes, as I please. For being able to take a photo, and post it on the blog immediately.

And for being able to reminisce at the click of a button....and if you haven't already guessed, that's what I have been doing today :)

Happy Friday!

TTFN xxx

Back to normal programming...

When school holidays are happening, I keep my expectations of what I am going to achieve "craft wise" fairly low. With all the rush and bustle of Christmas thrown in, it's fair to say that any stitching I can manage is a bonus.

Let's just say, there was no "Christmas bonus" last year LOL! I haven't even looked at my stitching bin since late last year...

..and boy, is it in a mess! Threads, unfinished projects, crumpled patterns, shells from our holiday (!!!) , even a Christmas gift tag were floating around in there! And right at the very bottom, there was my poor, sad little Christmas block...

...the Kitchen Angel. So I got to work and finished her off. And yes, that is another little plum pudding on her tea trolley :)

This completed block puts me almost halfway, I think. I probably should post a pic of all the blocks, just to refresh your memory...it has been a while!

I have also recieved an award/tag from the lovely and super-talented Chris Millar...

And this is how it goes...

1. Say one nice thing to the man in your life.

I think I'll save this for when I see him in person :)

2. List at least 6 ways that you measure success in your life.

...by how happy my days are

...by how content my kids are

...by how full my heart is

...by how peaceful I feel

...by how close I am to achieving my goals and

...by how much I learn

3. Assign 5 other blogs this award.

You will find links to these blogs in my sidebar :)

Linda (texmorg)

Sonya (TM)

Tracey (TM)

Tracey (Scrapsidaisy)

Kristy (Scrapsidaisy) ....congratulations girls!

Have a great day

TTFN xxx

Strawberry Sweet

I said my goodbyes to the kiddies this morning, as the beginning of the new school year began in WA ...

...and even though I have already picked up the little one, I am still feeling a little sad :( Time really does go by too fast.

On a happier note, I have some scrapping to share :)

It's not the best photo...the sun is so hot and glarey today!

I 've used the yummy new Paperie range by Making Memories, in Rouge. As soon as I saw this pattern I was reminded of a dress that Lydia had when she was little, so went searching for the photos. I've inked the letters, heart, and outside border with sepia ink to tone down the white a bit. The green journal mat is Little Yellow Bicycle Christmas Magic, and I've added some machine stitching (just for a change LOL). I'm really enjoying scrapping some older photos, even though the quality is not quite as good as recent ones :)

Hope you are keeping cool...

TTFN xxx

More October Afternoon

October Afternoon has quickly become one of my favourite scrapbooking manufacturers. Each range they release is more beautiful than the next, and I can't wait to get my hands on their new CHA releases! YUM!

In the meantime, I am having fun working my way through the stash I have! I got busy with the Night Light range again...


Such fun, bright, boy colours (yes, I am still doing boy LOs!). I have blurred the face and journaling in the LO...sorry, but you never know who could be reading! I've hand cut the monsters from the Louie patterned paper...don't try this at home, it took ages..and cut the big letters with the Slice.

Coincidentally (or not?LOL) the new February challenge over at Scrapsidaisy is to create 3 LOs in the month, using various elements on the page. I have knocked over 4 out of the 5 requirements on this page...gotta be happy with that! Doodling, chipboard letter, a journal block, and a living thing embellishment...I think the monsters count as a living thing! Now I just have to use a heart :)

I created a couple of cards with the scraps...


I am always struggling to make boy cards, but this range made it easy! Then I couldn't resist something a bit prettier...

The colours in this range are so fresh!

That's it for me...it's looking like another stinking hot day here in Perth. Hope you find a cool spot for the day...especially if you live in those scorching Eastern States! Wow it's been hot over there!

TTFN xxx