The Boxx - Swap and Challenge

I have been having fun playing around with a digi kit DVD that came with Scrapbooking Memories. So I thought it would be interesting to see if I could create something for an Easter Handmade Embellishment Swap.

This is what I have ended up with. This could be used as an embellishment, a journaling card or even as a frame for a photo. The weather is pretty overcast here so the photo isn't that great. I have added dimensional magic to the bumble bee and the three little chickens.





The Boxx had a challenge this week. We had to draw and cut out the title, using only a pair or scissors. Once again, the image is quite dark due to the weather. I have doodled around the edge adding simple images to keep with the book theme.




Thanks for stopping by,

Hugs, Irene xx

Box of Love

Hi all, I have been waiting for the weather to clear so I could take some photos of an OTP project I have been working on for "Lets Get Shabby" February challenge. It is still very gray outside but at least it has stopped raining for the moment.

Over at Lets Get Shabby, the challenge for February was to use your imagination and create something which must include a love letter or message. I chose to create a "Box of Love" that could hold all the precious cards, notes and letters that my girls and husband have given me over the years.

I have adhered a scanned copy of a message from two of my daughters to the inside flap of the box. I just couldn't bear to cut the original. (That was the year I got a Cuttlebug for Mother's Day). To help keep the flap shut, I used metal magnets. I concealed one half by using a clock face rub-on and turned it into a feature (image 9).

I had a lot of fun playing with all sorts of bits and pieces as well as some different techniques. Thanks to the girls from Lets Get Shabby, I now have a special box that I can keep all that love stored safely inside.






















Thanks again girls for a fun challenge.

Hugs, Irene xx

Do you celebrate St. Valentine's Day?

I have to say that we (my DH and I) don't usually celebrate St. Valentine's Day, so you could have blown me over with a feather when DH came home on Friday night and handed me this gorgeous box of 3 red roses, gave me a hug and told me that he loves me.




I wanted to leave them in the box cause they looked so beautiful but DH was stressing that they might not survive so I found a vase. It turned out to be a good idea. Now I could admire them from every angle.




During dinner DH suggested that we make a booking at Coco's for Sunday Brunch. I can tell you that this girl was very happy.

Well today being Sunday 14th, we arrived at Coco's at 10am. I am mentioning the time for a reason. We were seated, water was poured and our order was taken. 11am found us still waiting for our meals. At 11.30, the waitress arrives and says that there was a mix up with our order , she was sorry and the meals would be ready shortly. The drinks waiter arrived with our coffee and a cup & saucer with a jug of milk for DD - no tea pot.

When the waitress brought out our meals DD asked if there was a pot of tea just sitting around. The teapot arrived with more apologizes. Fortunately, we were all in a good mood and thought the whole thing was terribly funny and were looking forward to seeing what would go wrong next.

Now don't get me wrong, the meal was great (when it finally arrived) it just turned from a Brunch to Lunch. LOL. When DH went to pay our bill, it came to $12.50. They said the meals were on the house due to the stuff up. "Lunch" tasted even better now.

What more can you ask for, a lovely "Lunch", lots of giggles, and I didn't have to make any lunch.

Hope your Valentine's Day was as much fun.

Hugs, Irene xx

My Diary for 2010

I was late this year buying a 2010 diary. I actually picked one up while I was in Rockhampton last Wednesday. This morning while I was waiting for a load of washing to finish I took the opportunity to use up some of my scraps and give the new diary a scrap over lol.



I have so much lace and ribbon that I am forcing myself to use at least a little bit of it. I tried to use some buttons, but they went back into the jar.

Well I have a fun filled day ahead of me (NOT) . There are floors to wash, vacuuming, dusting, washing and putting away. Would anyone like to swap? LOL

Thanks for stopping by,

Hugs, Irene xx

Challenge No. 4

Here is my forth entry for Challenge Heaven. This is a colour challenge where we had to use Cream, Green, Red and Blue as well as buttons and ribbon.

When my DD Debbie sent me photos of Lachlan's first Preschool Disco, I knew I had to scrap them. The funny thing is that Lachlan was ready to go home after only being there an hour. It was his little brother Benjamin who turned out to be the party animal.

Maybe we have our first RAP dancer in the family. At one point he was in the middle of the dance floor flat on his back being a STAR. LOL hence the star theme.



Thanks for stopping by,

Hugs, Irene xx

Challenge No 3

This is Challenge No 3 for Challenge Heaven monthly comps.
Not sure if I like this one. I can see myself re-doing it I think. But anyhow, here it is.....



We had to use torn paper, the word "Crazy" in our title and have some stamping on the page. Only got 1 more to go to be eligible for the monthly prize.

Thanks for stopping by,

Hugs, Irene xx

Rose Tutorial

I was on the Challenge Heaven forum where I came across this link which shows you how to make roses/flowers. If you are anything like me, then you will have lots of paper flowers that never seem to get used. Well in this tutorial, Nic shows you how you can go from this.....







to this. Aren't they the most gorgeous flowers. You can make any size depending on the petal sizes in your stash. I think that I shall be buying more petals very soon.

This is a great tutorial with easy to follow step by step instructions. You can find Nic on her blog here.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs, Irene xx

Challenge No.2

I have amazed myself with completing 2 layouts in two days. LOL
This is Challenge No.2 for Challenge Heaven. The theme was to do a Christmas layout using Kraft cardstock and using four photos smaller then 6x4.

I was going for a minimalistic look and ended up journaling in pencil so it didn't take away from the simple lines, just above and below the border strips. I wasn't sure what to do around the edges of the layout so I dropped a few stars in opposite corners and where they fell, that's where I adhered them. I also used foam tape for a couple of the presents to give it a 3D look.







Kits by Lisa
Now I don't usually buy kits but when I found these on Lisa's blog I knew I could have a lot of fun with them. My style is all over the place and at the moment, vintage is the flavor of the month LOL.








Lisa puts together a wonderful variety and there is something to please everyone. At $10 a kit it is value for money and her shipping charges are crazy - just $5 per order for Aussie scrappers (no matter how many kits you buy). So when you get the chance, pop on over and have a look HERE and let her know I sent you. I should mention that I don't work for Lisa LOL.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs, Irene xx

Mia starts Preschool

I can't believe that our little Mia has started Preschool. She has a very happy personality, one of those little people that skips through life and finds joy in most things. She loves to make friends and create so I am sure that this coming year is she is going to have a lot of fun.

Here is the layout I did of Mia's first day of Preschool based on a sketch. It is also Entry No.1 for Challenge Heaven. Each month there is a list of 7 challenges to choose from and if you complete a minimum of 4, they you go into the draw to win a prize.

Appointment with the Dentist

I get so nervous when I have to go to the dentist. Today, I am nervous cause not only do I have an appointment, but it is my first visit to our new dentist. It must be almost 20 years since our little town has had a dentist. A couple of months ago he open his practice in our medical center.

Now my appointment was for 2.30 which rhymes with "tooth hurty". I was hoping this was not an omen. All my fears were unfounded. This young dentist (he asked me to call him Russell) was very gently and kind. Can you believe its the longest time I have had my mouth open and not said anything. In no time at all, I was back home sipping on a nice cup of tea.

I LIKE MY DENTIST.

Hugs, Irene xx

The Enemy - ACID

Do you have days like this? One thing leads to another. . We were meant to be painting the ceiling in the lounge room but with the weather like it is, that has been postponed for another weekend. I had cleared all the family photos off the entertainment unit so it could be covered and noticed that it needed a dusting. Then I noticed the bookcase could do with a bit of attention. I started pulling out the photo albums and that's when I found this.................





To my horror, when I opened my album of my daughter's wedding, I found that the album was not acid free and it was covered in yellow spots. I had bought the album many years ago way before I knew anything about scrapbooking and the major enemy ACID.

I spent the afternoon literately tearing up the album to remove the photos. The album is now in the recycle bin where it can RIP. Now I have the dilemma of how to remove the sticky residue left from the double sided tape left on the photos.

The gorgeous ladies from The Boxx have given me some helpful ideas so as soon as this rain and wind dies down, I am off to Yeppoon to see if I can get some Un Do or a Rub-on remover.
So all I can say now is go check your albums especially your Wedding Albums. Back in the 60's and 70's they probably didn't use acid free.

Thanks for stopping by,

Hugs, Irene xx