Great Way To Start The Week

I came across this video and I know it will put a smile on your face.

Latest Layout

Well I have finally had the chance to use an embellishment that I have kept for some years. My granddaughter was only a baby when I covered a wing chair for her nursery. I had kept scraps of the fabric and made a miniature version for the chair with the intention of doing a layout about the event.

This month, Paperclipping gave me the ideal opportunity to use this embellishment. I had quite a few photos that I wanted to use so I chose to do a double page.












Thanks for stopping by

Cheers, Irene

WOW, Blog Candy of Your Choice

I have to admit that this is a first for me. Where have you ever seen Blog Candy to the value of $150 and YOU get to choose where you would like to spend it? If you are looking for inspiration and a chance of winning this amazing candy than head on over to Stephanie's blog.
Congratulations Stephanie on your 25,000 blog visits. You must be doing something right.

Cheers, Irene

"Friends" Mini Tag Book

This is a little mini tag book that I made recently. I had a pile of tags that were hiding deep in one of my draws and I decided that it was time to do something with them..........anything. I matched up 5 pairs of similar shapes and after embossing them with my Cuttlebug and inking and stamping each tag, I then glued them together which have them a little more strength. I printed out some little sayings (I like to use Microsoft Office PowerPoint) adhered them to the tags added a few embellishments and threaded them onto a ball chain. I was quite happy with the result and my friend loved it.

Front Cover

Reverse

Cheers, Irene

Lemon and Poppy Seed Cookies

This morning I was baking a cake for DH and since the oven was still hot, I thought a batch of freshly baked cookies would be perfect with a nice hot cup of tea. I found this recipe on a Vegan site when my daughter came to visit. They proved such a hit with everyone that I kept the recipe. Today , however, I have modified the recipe as it called for real butter, eggs flour etc.

Lemon and Poppy Seed Cookies

Ingredients:
2/3 cup castor sugar
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups of Self Raising Flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 teaspoons lemon zest finely grated

In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add egg and beat until well combined. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix to a soft dough. Place rounded teaspoonfuls onto a greased tray - I prefer to use baking paper - and bake at 170 c (my oven is fan forced) for about 12 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden.

When cool, store in a air tight container. They are delicious as is and will probably last only two or three days if you are lucky. For an extra zing, drizzle the cookies with a little icing. Add enough lemon juice to 1/2 cup of Pure Icing Sugar so that the mixture is a little runny. I found that pouring the icing into a zip lock bag and snipping off the corner works really well. Makes 2 dozen.

Made the Front Page of Creating Keepsakes

Well, technically I made the page from a free download at Creating Keepsakes. There are some very cool free downloads on this site and I couldn't resist having a play and getting "Published". LOL

Ross and I are celebrating out 41st Wedding Anniversary today and I thought "what a fun way to document this special day". We went to our favorite restaurant in Emu Park and had a lovely meal and a good bottle of wine. Ross went off to bed and I started playing around with this fun digital kit.



Cheers, Irene

A New Layout

When I was down in Sydney, I took so many photos of my grandchildren, enough to keep me going until my next visit. This is Hamish and he was only a few days off turning 1 year old. He loves nothing better than playing with balls, balloons....anything that is round and moves. It has been a long time since I did an actual layout and it feels good.



Cheers, Irene

A New Look

OK, I have exhaled, taken a deep breath and I am ready to start blogging again. The last few weeks have been tough in one way or another. I have been uninspired, unmotivated, and generally feeling flat. But that is all in the past.

I now have a fresh look for my blog and I am ready to start creating those layouts that have been hidden away in the dusty corners of my mind. Like most people, my life is very full and I need to be very organized so I can have time to scrap, paint, play Mah Jong, improve camera skills and of cause create and alter wedding gowns and bridesmaids dresses. Then comes the housework, laundry, cooking etc. Notice that I included them last. LOL

Today is a very special day.........it.s my man's Birthday. He will be celebrating his 61st birthday.
Ross and I have been going together since we were 17 and I am proud to say that I love him more today then I did on our wedding day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY sweetheart

Letters to Scrap By Challenge

Once again the girls over at Letters to Scrap By have set the challenge. This week it was the colour "Turquoise" that was to be used as the basic colour in a layout. Here is my effort. I love these photos of Isla. Standing beside her daddy's surf board looking very much the part of a surfer girl. She enjoys having her photo taken and is ready to strike a pose as soon as she sees a camera.




Thanks for popping in and having a peek.

Cheers, Irene

Letters to Scrap By Challenge

This is a layout I did for Letters to Scrap By. This week we were asked to use the colour Sienna. Recently we visited with our daughter Debbie and of cause I took tons of photos. This photo was taken while he was in "quiet" mode LOL. He look so cute that I had to scrap this one.




I often wonder just what little ones dream about. Lachlan loves all kinds of animals and at the moment one of his favorites are dragons, so this is what inspired me with this layout.

Paperclipping Monthly Challenge

Here is a layout I did for Paperclipping Monthly Challenge. We had several topics we could choose from and I went with using fabric on your layout. The journaling says it all so if you want to read it then just click on the image. I warn you, the file is large.


I sprayed the corners with black paint to give the effect of the subject being in the spotlight. And to add interest, I also added pieces of DH's shirt that had to be cut off the grinder and his arm.

Cheers, Irene

"R" is for Red

This layout is for Letters to Scrap By challenge. We were asked to use the colour RED. When our grandson was about 2, we were at a shopping center and while mum was getting some groceries, Ross and I let Lachlan have a ride while we waited. Even though the photos aren't all that great , they showed how much Lachlan enjoyed his ride on the merry-go-round.


Cheers, Irene

It's been a tough couple of weeks

It's been a little while since I have posted. A couple of weeks ago I discovered just how easy your world can do a massive flip. Thursday evening I was waiting for my DH to arrive from work, as usual. It usually takes about 40 minutes driving thought rolling hills and cattle country, when I got a phone call from our very good friend Ted. Ross had called in to see Ted after work (which is not normal) and while there suffered a mini stroke. It all happened so quickly, he was perfectly normal one minute then unable to speak the next. Fortunately the symptoms only lasted a few minutes but he had his first ambulance ride that night and had to stay in hospital for 3 days for tests etc. I can't imagine what would have happened if he had be on his way home when the attack happened.

The following Tuesday we got another phone call. This time it was from Roger, our Best Man, letting us know that his partner of 30 years had lost her fight with cancer. Narrele was a beautiful and loving person who fought a seven year battle with courage, a positive outlook and determination, never giving up hope. She will be sadly missed.

We drove to Brisbane , well actually, I drove since Ross had only just got over the Stroke scare. It was my first long distance trip which took 7 1/2 hours straight and I was amazed that I didn't feel totally spent when we arrived at our destination. After the funeral, we drove to Debbie's (our DD) for a short stay.

On a brighter note, we got to spend a couple of days with our grandsons. They live about 8 hours drive away so we only get to see them a couple of times a year. Lachlan is 4 1/2 and has been diagnosed with speech and communication disorder. We were amazed at how much he has improved with all the help he is getting and it warmed our hearts to see the bond that is gowning between him and his Granddad. And as for Benjamin who is 21 months........well he is too cute and totally 100% boy.

I just don't want to believe it........I was on my way to bed and went to cover Salem - he is our little white budgie and I found he on the bottom of his cage. If ever there was a little bird with a huge personality/attitude, he would have to take the cake. He has been part of the family for around 12 years and we are going to miss this little guy very much. I don't have a photo of him but he was happy to do a photo shoot for a Xmas layout.

Q is for Quirky

This week Letters to Scrap By had a real challenge. They couldn't find a colour for "Q" so they opted for a style. As a rule I am not one to go way out, I feel much more comfortable if I am more in control. I was having a good think about what to do and since I had just put a colour through my hair, I thought "why not"? So here is what I came up with.


The journaling reads: I have inherited my dad's hair. His hair was fine and silky and had a soft wave. I always thought that he looked so debonair. The only problem was that he went silver grey quite early so that is why I have developed a relationship with the BOTTLE.....the hair colour bottle that is.

When I took this photo, the light must have been perfect because this layout IS this colourful. Here in Queensland the sunlight is very bright and even in the shade, the colours don't always come out right. Fortunately today was overcast. So if you want to have as much fun as I have, then join in the fun at Letters to Scrap By and you might be lucky enough to win a great prize.

Cheers, Irene :)

Great Weekend

Well good morning all. Even though I have nothing to show you today, I have been busy over the weekend. I am working on a couple of projects for two of my daughters for their birthdays. It is killing me not being able to post these - can't even say what they are because both Stacey and Cathie visit my blog and the surprise would be spoiled. But I promise that as soon as they get their presents, I will post.

Oh, one thing I can show you is this cute little owl I made for an "Owl Swap" over at The Boxx.



Well I am off to play with some paint brushes and oils. Hope you have a great day.

Cheers, Irene