Dinosaur Passion

Here is a layout I completed a couple of days ago. Lachlan loves dinosaurs, in fact, he loves any animals. What 3 year old boy doesn't love tearing through the house, with a dinosaur in each hand, helling at top note Rrrrrrrrrroar" !!!!!!

He spent so much time playing with them. They went to bed with him, sat quietly on the floor while he read a book or watched a DVD, went outside to play in the sand pit and even went shopping with him.

As a rule, I don't like my pages to be quite this busy but I had a set of Basic Grey that fitted in with a "dinosaur" theme and after all, I was looking for a rugged look.

I have been given an award

OMG, I have been given an award by the lovely and very talented Maddy Hill. Go check out her site you won't be disappointed.




Now I have to pass this award on to seven of my favorite blogs:

http://thelazyscrapper.blogspot.com/
http://tj-runningwithscissors.blogspot.com/
http://letterstoscrapby.blogspot.com/
http://scrapperlicious.blogspot.com/
http://gabriellepollacco.blogspot.com/
http://sares1911.wordpress.com/
http://stucksketches.blogspot.com/

Ben's Mini Album

Here is a little mini album I made for Benjamin's 1st Birthday. They had just spent a week down on the Gold Coast and my daughter Debbie phoned to tell me that she took plenty of photos with "Scrapbooking" in mind, bless her little heart !!

Like most kids these days, they have so many toys but fortunately, both Benjamin and Lachlan love to read books, so I thought that a mini album would be a good idea. It would be something that he could keep.

I spent the best part of a day in Rockhampton searching for the perfect papers. One of my downfalls is that I am too particular in what I look for. Close enough is not good enough. Ahgggggg. I finally settled on two different sets of papers but when I got home, they didn't match the photos all that well so.............I ended up using papers that I already had at home. LOL.

Mini Album

Earlier this year I made my first mini album for my very best friend. The photos I took back then were pretty average but last weekend while I was staying with Trish, I managed to get some better shots.

Since 2002 our friendship has grown into a strong bond and for her last birthday, I want to give her something special to show her how much our friendship means to me. It turned out completely different to how I first imagined it would be but I really liked how it turned out in the end.

When I walked into her home last Friday, there it was sitting on the sideboard. I made a comment about it being brought out because I was there but Trish assured me that that is where the album always stays and anyone that comes through the front door gets to look through it .

Here is my entry

WOW, I have come across this new blog which has a fun twist. Each week there will be a challenge with some great prizes so go check out Letters to Scrap By and have yourself some fun.

Here is my entry for this week.

A couple of layouts

I thought it was time to share a couple of my layouts. Earlier this year I flew down to stay with my daughter Cathie while hubby was away working on the Australian Open Tennis Comp. To say I was intrigued at the number of times little Mia change her clothes in one day is an understatement. So one morning, with trusty camera by my side, I started snapping. Changing her clothes was not the problem, it was the clothes she took off that were dumped on the floor all over the place that was a challenge LOL






The next layout was inspired by the photos I took, again staying with Cathie during the Beijing Olympics. Around 4pm, Mia was in the entry and the lighting was so perfect when I captured these photos. I also took inspiration from one of Ingvild's layouts. I think she has a truly unique style which I totally love. Head on over and check out her blog.

I can see my desk top.......

After many many hours of sorting, stacking filing and even throwing out, I can finally say, with a sense of achievement, I can see my desk top. I am one of those people that dart from one thing to the next and never seem to find time to tidy up as I go. Hmmmm maybe this could be a good New Year's resolution !!!
De-cluttering is good for the soul.

My tidy desk

My Storage Cupboard

One can never have enough stacker draws

Back in Control

In recent times I have lost my mojo. I want to scrap, I need to scrap, but when I make time, there is nothing there. I am not happy with the quality of photos I get developed. I am one of those people that must have a good photo to start things off and I am feeling despondent with our local photo development shops. I know that the digital "print while you wait" places are convenient, I am disappointed with the results. The photos are either too dark or too orange too cropped or all of the above. Arrrrrggggg. But I feel that it could be something more.

To tackle my problem I have taken a different direction. A week ago my scraproom looked like a war zone, papers stacked everywhere, stuff I had bought weeks ago still in their packs, boxes, files, ribbons, glue, tape, you get the picture. I even started picking my way over the floor.

Well, things are slowly getting back to normal. One of our LSS are relocating and are selling off their fittings and stock. I bought 2 paper stands for $25 each (each stand can hold 250 sheets) need I say more :). Now all my papers and cardstock are easily accessible and not stored all over the place. Next I tackled my ribbons, then came the stamps, the chipboard, the inks, the flowers and so on. I now can see the top of my desk YEAH !!!!!

I feel like I am back in control of my craft room and now I am off to see what Kodak can do for me.
Stayed tuned for a layout or two......

It's been a while.......

Two months have already gone and so much has happened. Even though I have been away for most of August, I must make a resolution to be more consistent with my posts.

I feel I should start with the sad news first. As I mentioned in my last post, Paddington was diagnosed with several aggressive tumours which were malignant. All we could do was give him palative care and make sure he was in no pain. By the 23rd Padd was sleeping in the family room and that morning we came down stairs and gave him a cuddle etc and everything was fine until he tried to stand up. From that moment, everything went down hill and the tough decission had to be made. Trish flew up the next morning and by 2pm...........the 24th of July was one of the most heart wrenching days for us all. It all happened so quickly, within 24 hours he was gone.




He was a gorgeous Golden Retriever with a great personality. He belonged to Trish who is now my very best friend. Even though he lived right on the beach, he would sneak away and come up to our place whenever he got the opportunity. It didn't take long for him to work out that we had air-con and almost every day Paddington would appear at our glass door tail wagging, waiting to be let in. He would then sprawl on the cool tiles and sleep. He was a large dog and would take up most of the floor and most of our hearts.




One of the things he did that I loved was.....greet you at the door with a soft toy in his mouth (he loved fluffy toys that squeaked) and at times he could get 3 in his mouth at one time. I don't know how he didn't choak on them. He loved the beach and always headed for the water. You can just imagine how much sand a large long haired wet dog can hold and he couldn't understand why he was not allowed inside the house !!!! He also left hair EVERY WHERE !!!! I don't miss the hair but I do miss him so much.




On a brighter note, early in August I flew down to stay with my daughter Cathie and her three children while Brian was in Beijing. I don't get to see the grandchildren as much as I would like so to spend 2 weeks with them was precious. I was so excited because I was going to meet my newest little grandson Hamish for the first time. Let me tell you that he did not disappoint. He was six weeks old and so tiny, but best of all, he was so snuggly, a real snuggle bug.




Of cause I spent oodles of time with Isla and Mia as well. Isla is in Kindergarten and Mia being only 3 is still at home. Mia would get excited when the Olympics were on TV and she saw the Bird's Nest would state that "daddy was in Beijingchina" (one word).

She is so sweet and very independent and I would often get "I can do it Grammy".






Isla has grown up so much since my last visit. She loves school and even though she is still shy, she will try most things. While I was there, Isla's school held a mimi Olympics day. They were divided into groups and each group represented a country. There was a good choice of Chinese food on offer at lunch time and they even had an opening ceremony in which Isla took part. She was so nervous before hand with a few tears but when her dance was over she was wearing the biggest grin. Go Isla !!!!




I also squeazed in a trip to Norfolk Island. I belong to a local Mah Jong Club here in Emu Park, called the Emu Chicks and this year we hosted the Annual National Mah Jong Festival on Norfolk. It's a beautiful but very small island and which ever way you look out to sea, there is nothing but thousands of kilometers of ocean before you reach any other land. Our festival ran for a week and was a huge success. We played four half day sessions. The festival wound up with a Presentation Dinner. The theme was "In your Dreams" and everyone was asked to come along dressed as a charector from your dreams. I was the Black Widow.




The rest of the days were filled with tours, fun, shopping, parties or just relaxing. One of our tours was "A night as a Convict". I have never laughed so much, it was so much fun.

I am on the left Front Row

Life is just too busy

Time is slipping away so quickly it's scary. A few things have been going on this month. My best friend Trish came up to spend a few days and that was great because we always have so much fun. We are foster parents to her Golden Retriever, Paddington. Unfortunately he has developed a couple of tumors and Trish wanted to be here for the X-rays and biopsies. The diagnosis is not good but I will talk about that another time.

We also belong to a Mah Jong group, The Emu Chicks, Emu Park. Each year we hold a regional festival at our local hall. It is very well supported and this year we had 56 players. For $20 you get morning tea, smorgasbord luncheon, desert and coffee, lucky door prize, spot prizes and a hole lot of fun.



Playing the game. The winners !

My first Award

WOW, I have just received my very first AWARD. I have seen them on other blogs and wondered what they are all about.



A big thank you to AngC for this award.

AngC wrote:
Irene just always surprises me with what she does - she's never afraid to try something new. She even started up her own blog at 60 years of age!


Now I have to choose 7 people to pass on this award.

Who gets the “Brilliante Webblog Award“?

Websites and blogs of your choice for their designs that are especially noteworthy.

Here are the Award Rules:

1. The winner can take the logo

2. Place a link to the person that send you the award

3. Give the Award to at least 7 other Scrapbooking-Blogs, which by its currency,the issues of choice and for their designs are especially noteworthy

4. Put a link to these sites on your Blog.

5. Write a comment on their Blogs that they’ve won an Award

So I am passing this award on to:

Ali I believe that you deserve this award because since my DH found your shoppe last year I have been introduced into a world of friendship, support, encouragement and growth. Oh, I forgot.....challenges. lol

Jo held my hand when I first joined Embellished and helped me through technical side of signing up for the gallery and forum. She has a wonderful style which I find bright and funky. Jo also brings her SMILE where ever she goes.

Sarah you have helped me so much over the past year or so with your wonderful tips and techniques. I absolutely love your work.

Ingvild I came across your site by accident and it was my good fortune. Your style is unique and I get so much inspiration here.

Leah your layouts as simply beautiful. One thing you have made me realize is that a GOOD photo goes a long way to make a layout special. I also appreciate your online class for Exploding Boxes.

Kirsty as an amazing talent with colour. Her layouts will brighten anyone's day. They are truly crazy and funky. Even though they are not quite me style, I find myself looking forward to seeing the next creation.

Gabrielle I came upon your layouts one day when my "surfing the net" for 20 minutes which turned into 2 hours. I just love the strong, rich colours you use and how you tie everything together. I also like your journaling from the heart and those flowers are gorgeous.

Just a note: I may be 60 and it might have taken me some time to work it all out, but I will only admit to 6 hours to finally being able to include links but now I feel like I am the LINK QUEEN !!!!!
This post is dedicated to my daughter Rebecca, without whose help I would still be floundering.

Busy Week

Well life has been go, go, go this past week. I have bought new bed linen which is so yummy and quite different to what I would normally choose. The old set, which is still in perfect condition, has been relegated to the guest room. My relieved husband no longer has to remove 9 pillows, cushions and neck rolls every time he needs to go to bed......not to mention the quilt cover.















The only hiccup we had was that the Queen size was much too small for our bed so we had to go up to a King which meant a King size doona as well.

My VERY BEST FRIEND Trish is coming tomorrow to stay for a few days and I am really looking forward to spending some wonderful time with her. She used to live about 50 meters away but moved down to Noosa to be closer to her family. Now she will be the one moving 9 pillows, cushions and neck rolls. hehehe Maybe after this visit she won't want to be my VBF any more.

I am a member of Embellished which is a local Scrapbook Shoppe and they are running an annual competition called "2008 Idol". The whole place is a buzz of activity and excitement. This is the 3rd year this comp has been held and we have ladies from all over the world that have registered. It is so exciting, you can almost feel the electricity.

Unfortunately, I wont be joining this year. I have more important things to do, like meeting my new brand new grandson so I will be away for most of the comp. However, it wont stop me from checking out of the fantastic entries and I will still be able to vote.

Layouts

The last few days have been pretty full on. I have had my last visit to the dentist (yaaah) and I also have new glasses. I almost feel like a knew woman.

I thought I would share a few layouts that I have done recently. I don't have a particular style as yet because I love to try out new techniques and products. One thing is for sure, my journey has been interesting since my first layout.

I need a pedicure

The things you do to get the right picture !!!! I was so focused on this pic ( I was sitting on wet sand with my feet perched up on a piece of old tree trunk) that I didn't notice this lady walking past me. Her expression said it all (WHAT ARE YOU DOING?) LOL Anyhow I wanted this layout to be beachy and rough and dry, just like me feet.

Big Shoes to Fill

This is my latest LO. I haven't used paint on layouts and thought it was time I had a go. For the back ground I used bubble wrap with black and gold paint. It was a bit messy but so much fun, I will be doing it again.

Back Yard Fun

A little tip. When I developed these photos, they were much smaller then the standard 6x4 so I chose colours from the spotted paper and changed the white background of the photo to a corresponding colour using Photoshop. Once you cut out your image you are left with a perfect colour match which you can then use for letters or tags etc. Hope that makes sense.

Nose for Wine

As you might have guessed, I don't mind a drop or two of red wine. The background paper is hand made and has a wonderful waffle weave effect. I inked the edges then stamped in gold. The whole effect was much richer then I imagined. It pays to be a hoarder, the black strip to the right of the wine glass is the metallic piece you remove before you pop the cork. It had Brown Brothers on it and I thought it might come handy one day. It did.

Chat soon.......

Amazing Weekend

This has been one amazing weekend. It started off with the arrival of our grandson. I had to wait until Saturday for all the details. When Cathie phoned me on Friday night they hadn't even weighed the little guy. His name is Hamish Flynn and he weighs 3425g. He is the cutest little baby (do I sound bias or what).
Little Hamish now completes the family. He has 2 beautiful sisters and a loving mummy and daddy.

Today Ross and I were invited to a BBQ on our friends' block. They have recently bought 100 acres of unspoiled land with a creek running right through the length of the property.

As we sat in a clearing surrounded by tall blue gums and abundant lantana bushes (these are earmarked to be destroyed), all I could hear was the sound of birds and the breeze through the tree tops. A feeling of contentment washed over me as I realized how much enjoyment I got from the simple things in life. It really was a perfect way to end the week.

Dry Creek Bed

Typical water hole along creek bed


his is a HUGE Fig on the banks of the creek