Bit & Pieces

Yep... I've been doing a little blog tinkering of late.  It's a bit of a work in progress, but I'm pretty happy with the changes.... LOVE my background!  ... really happy I found that.  Hope you like it!

Nothing I had planned to do today has worked out for me... but I am trying to turn it into a positive.   My funky black and chrome office chair that I bought home from Mackay yesterday turned out to be a not-so-funky grey and chrome office chair!! {{sigh}} .... trying not to swear at myself... :))

So....... instead of assembling it while Lachie had a nap, I did the next best thing ... I scrapped!

I've been meaning to do an IB sketch for ages now so, today being the deadline for Sketch #52, I decided to finally give one a go.  Aside from the orange fibre {YUM}, which I bought during my shopping spree yesterday, literally everything in this layout is a scrap.... even the photo!!  I printed it out for a crop a while ago and never used it.  I love that feeling ... using stuff instead of tossing it out (or adding to my bulging-at-the-seams scrap folder)

For those who have seen a few of my recent layouts, I promise to get over this orange fetish soon ... maybe  :))  The same goes for the new Basic Grey booknote range of pp's ... I just LOVE them.  They are perfect bg pp's.  I'm also getting the hang of these quick layouts too.  I actually completed this one in one sitting!!  I love to fiddle, but sometimes it's nice to just get it done!

Ok ... enough waffle... here's the sketch and my take:

...hope you like ... have a great day!

New Trick

Funny how loud the TV is once all the kids have gone to bed... no music, no arguing, no giggling or shouting to be heard above the constant {but somehow comforting} din.  Time to turn the telly down and take a deep breath!!

What a day.... a trip to 'the big smoke' today entailed a 4.5 hour drive {in total}, a 1/2 hour orthodontic appointment for dd.... and 5 glorious hours of shopping!!

I'm exhausted.... too tired to assemble my new office chair!

Had to share my darling little man's new trick though.....

Nothing is safe any more.... no frontier unexplored!  Not yet 2 and he has engineered a method for:  emptying the soap dispenser.... patting the goldfish.... reaching big brother's precious lego men and helicopters and the like.... and tasting big sisters moisturiser!!  We simply pull out the bottom drawer and step up to 'bench height'.  The same principle applies to the kitchen, bathroom, sisters' bedrooms and brother's bedroom.

I took these yesterday...

How can he be so clever, cute and naughty all at the same time??

Funny Story

For the latest Scrap the Boys challenge, i couldn't resist telling this story.

During a recent camping trip i asked Maddi to keep an eye on Lachie for me while i started getting some dinner organised. Being a super adventurous toddler and camped near water as we were, there needs to be a 'designated babysitter' at ALL times!! Ten minutes later i looked up to find Lachie happily tossing stones into the dam ....... while tied to a tree!!!

Good on you Maddi! ... I've gotta give it to you honey for thinking outside the square though ... :))

I started out using the sketch... but it all went a bit pear shaped.

We had to use stamps in some form on the layout, so I used Kaisercraft 'duchess' scalloped border around the edge of the page and a Kelly Panacci memo stamp for extra journalling. Oh, and i also used a date stamp at the bottom of the journalling

... and i just adore these flocked damask pp's from MME.

I really liked the colour contrast with the Basic Grey Recess range paper i used as a background.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by... xx

A Nice Surprise!

Super thrilled this week to be one of the featured artists on The Colour Room again, with Palette # 15 - 'my boy' layout. Thanks so much for all the well wishes ... really, really appreciate them!!

Also, this week I submitted a layout in the weekly challenge over on the Boxx, set by the uber talented Leanne Allinson. We had to 're-invent' an old layout style in our 'today' scrapping style.... we also had to upload the old version in addition to the new {grimaces painfully}...

I think this is the second layout I ever completed....

....this lo is so typical of my early style {cringe}. Big photo, big title and every space on the page full of stuff!! I would agonise over the placement of every detail and embellishment. Consequently it would take me a week to complete one page!!! lol

and this is the re-invention....

I decided to use the big photo and big title again, but in stark contrast to my early style, really grunge it up and create a 'haphazard' look! I couldn't bring myself to cover the whole page though ... just had to have some white space on that page!! ... :))

here are some closeups too...

thanks for visiting!! :))

..another one!!

After such a frenzied w/end I can't believe that I'm still going.... but anyway. Here is the next Colour Room interpretation. Being a boy page I didn't want to use too much of the lavender. The little slip of paper behind the photos and the dragonfly is the only lavender on the page and certainly doesn't dominate.... and yep, I just couldn't help myself. Being a beachy layout, I just had to drag out that old gem... the fishing cast net!

I used the sketch this week.. {well, kinda}. Love, love, love it! Lots of white space, with a cluster on the opposing edge.... just my style!

Here is the palette...

... and here is my take

... and here are some more

... thanks for visisting!! :))

Cool News

After a fabulous weekend of scrapping, scrapping ... and more scrapping at the cyber crop over on the Boxx, I managed to score myself a month as the featured guest as a prize for being overall winner of the crop! Seven layouts in 3 days!!! I was so excited last night when the winner was announced. It was actually dh who broke the news as he checked the announcements while I was cleaning up after dinner!

Some fabulous ladies contributed some equally fabulous layouts and I was a little surprised to say the least. Thank you to all who played along, and I hope you all got as much out of it as I did in terms of the enjoyment factor!

I must admit to being way out of my comfort zone, in that I usually mull over my work for a couple of days until I call it 'done', so scrapping so quickly and not having time to fiddle with things was really difficult for me to do. That's not to say that I won't fiddle with them now that its all over and done with ... :))

Here are just a couple of my faves..

multicouloured bling, doileys and 2 photos

glitter and sequins {don't know how on earth glitter and sequins prompted me to do a layout of dh !!}

pearls and lace... look at me doin' pink, flowery and pretty... who'd a thunk it! :)

Do yourself a favour and drop in for a little look at some of the entries and challenges

... awesome stuff!

And this is what I was left with at the end of the frenzy...

Oddly enough, I don't remember using half of this stuff.. :)) ... must have been seriously in the zone!!

... and lastly - just a little share. How is this for an awesome little find. Dh bought this home from a trip down to Brissy on the weekend. It's actually an old ammunition box that belonged to his grandfather... but I just fell in love with it and quickly claimed it for some of my scrap supplies. Best part is... there are 2 of them!!

Bird Watching

Okay... here is the latest Colour Room Palette...

... and here is my attempt....

I really tried to use green, but I just couldn't bring myself to stick it down.... {not one of my faves}... good thing the rainbow lorikeetes covered it for me ... :)

I have found that I have had a recent aversion to 'clean' backgrounds too.... if the bg paper doesn't have a little bit of texture or pattern on it, then I have to mess with it.... be it paint, stitching, stamping.... or distressing of some kind! Maybe it's got something to do with having 4 kids. A beautiful pristine look just doesn't feel right!! ...lol

... here are some close ups...

Thanks for visiting...

Scrap The Boys

Here is my Scrap The Boys layout ...

amazing inspiration from this collection of ladies... good stuff!

... and some more...

Thanks for visiting ... :)

Finally

Yay!!

Have just put a roast in the slow cooker and Lachie to bed

{being very careful not to get the two mixed up} .... lol!!

Now I can finally get back into some serious scrapping

after a two week forced hiatus.

{insert sigh of contentment}

See you soon!

:)

Cyber Crop

Nearly forgot ....

Come and play along this Friday night...

Pass It On

This little gem was recently passed on to me by the lovely Leanne A, so this is me passing it on (amid acres and acres of washing from our recent camping trip in the cold and rain!! hehe ... but that's another story)....



Here are the rules that go with it: 1. Put the Swap Sisters Bonny Blog Award on my blog.2. Share 5 things about myself.3. Pass the award onto 5 other Bonny Blogs.4. Add links to my 5 chosen Bonny Blog Winners.5. Let them know they have been chosen to win the Swap Sisters Bonny Blog Award by leaving a comment on their blog.

Ooookay!...

1. I hate hate hate sultanas (as Lachlan throws one at me from the lofty heights of his highchair!)
2. I studied Interior Design and Computer Programming... and am currently doing neither!
3. I just can't seem to leave the tv volume set on an odd number... {shrugs} ... i just can't!!
4. I would love to own a vineyard ... :) ... how can wine be so yummy and sultanas so gross??
5. I could pick up and move to Tuscany in a heartbeat!

Bridge

Stacey

Lou

Cathy

Lauren

Thanks for playing along guys...

The sooner i thaw out and clean up after this camping trip... the sooner i can get to my creative corner!!!