Something New.... !

... and fantastically exciting is coming soon!!

Just check out my new blinkie:

It's so new that the website isn't actually up and running yet... but it won't be long now!  I'm super excited (and a little bit terrified at the same time... lol) to be part of this new venture.

Stay tuned for updates and more information.

jules
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The Boxx Fortnightly Challenge

It's my turn to set the challenge for this fortnight over at the Boxx... so here goes!

This fortnight is all about your FAVOURITE techniques! I want you to use two of your favourite techniques and explain what they are and how you achieved it. TOO easy!


Here is my example:

{content}

 
No surprise that my two favourite techniques right now are using fabric and masking/misting!  lol
 
1.  Fabric: i've printed my photo onto calico (i love this effect) and also used calico and dyed muslin in the layering process under my pic.

2.  Masking/misting: i've used two of my favourite templates from The Crafter's Workshop - (cosmic swirl), along with 'graphite' TA Glimmermist, and (mini bricks) with versamark chalk ink. You don't have to use templates though to get a great masking effect.

The deadline for this challenge is midnight on 8th May and i'd love for you to participate.  Just head to the main forum over at The Boxx.  It would be a great learning experience for us all ..... so have fun doing what you love!

Thanks for popping by and cheers for now,

jules
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The joy of it all...

Happy Easter everyone!!

This pretty much sums it all up really....

{the action}

{the exhaustion}

Hope it was a fabulous one for you all and you got to just spend precious time with your precious people.

jules
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A New Palette

Hello!!

Just a quick share to announce the new palette over at TCR this week.  I actually did two layouts but just couldn't make friends with the first one... so i did this one in it's place:

{lost in thought}

Lots and lots of layers on this one... and my new favourite thing - printing onto calico!  oh.. and The Crafter's Workshop templates too..  :))

Thanks for stopping by and i hope you all have a fabulous easter break with your special people.  We are staying at home for the most part, but maybe tripping off to stay with friends for one night.  We haven't quite decided yet..  :))

Happy holidays...

jules
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A Little Share...

I've been in a bit of a scrap frenzy these last few days ... i almost feel like i need to down tools and get outside for the day....  almost.  :)   

The mid month Sketch is up over at Stuck?! and all of the ct reveals have now been posted, so head over and check it out if you'd like a little prompt to get you going!!  Here is my take:

{my lil explorer} 

This photo was taken in January 2010, but it is one of my faves.  Lachy's first beach experience down in Iluka.  He was ok with the sand part... as long as it was a long way from those waves!!  lol. 

As you can tell from the sketch:

... and the amazing ct creations, the sketch is very open to interpretation, so.... get those scissorhands busy and play along with us!

AND.. now that a couple of months are up, i think i can safely show off my FIRST EVA pub's!!  woohoo!    I  was really happy when i got the 'for publication' email from SBM many months after sending these layouts off...

{forever in my heart}

 and who could forget what my favourite little two year old did to it!!...  LOL

{spectate}

 ...and even more amazed when i was contacted for the sketch feature opportunity with SC:

{just unme}

oh.. and these little fellas were my first eva anything published!!  I was completely gobsmacked when asked by SBM to participate in this Prima card challenge:

{miss you}

{i heart u}



All my boys are home tomorrow and, whilst i've enjoyed the precious girlie time with my two girls these last few days (and the clean floors that stayed clean for longer than an hour!)..... i have SO missed my boys, big and little!

Thanks so much for visiting lovely ladies!!  Be back with TCR's new palette on Friday!

bye for now..

jules

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Phhhhew!

What a week last week was!!  I'm still recovering!!

First was Cooper's swimming Carnival on Monday.. i know there was a reason they were having it so early this year, i just can't remember what it was....

Then Claire's athletics carnival on Tuesday... this too is early this year to tie in with the national championships which are in Darwin this year.  For obvious reasons, nobody wants to be there too late in the year!...

Then the road trip on Thursday for Claire to compete at district level for cross country (which she managed to get into!!) ...

That now puts Claire in the district cross country team, the district soccer team and she will also go on now to compete for entry into the district athletics team!!!  phhhhew...

And would you believe that i forgot the camera for all three events last week?!!  Unbelieveable!! 

In between all this i raced around like a woman possessed trying to get Troy and the boys organised for a trip down to Brisbane to visit grandparents and check out our possible new camper trailer.  So, having packed them off on Friday morning, the girls and i have been kicking back and consequently had a very lazy weekend!  Claire had a couple of friends {the twins} over last night for a sleepover and i was really pleased to see them drag out the Monopoly of all things!!  It was so good to see, in this age of Nintendo DS and Wii, that they have contentedly played Monopoly for the best part of yesterday afternoon, and this morning too!

This was Claire's stash of cash and property... the twins were left with nothing!  Not at all surprising really.  Claire has an amazing respect for money!  She loves it!  lol.  Her bank account is so much healthier looking than that of her older sister's even!!  I hope this 'knack' follows her into her adult life too!!   :))

Nothing scrappy to share just yet... but i've been super busy on that score too.  Will be able to share in a couple of days.

oh .... i just can't help myself!  lol

thanks for stopping by lovely ladies...

jules

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The Crafter's Workshop

Check out what turned up in the mail for me yesterday.... all the way from USA!!

How cool??  Yep, The Crafter's Workshop templates are fast becoming my addiction within an addiction!!  The lovely Jaime sent me these by way of thanks for posting some of my layouts on The Crafter's Workshop blog.

THANKS SO MUCH JAIME  for your incredible generosity!!  Not surprisingly, i ripped them open immediately and used one on a layout i was working on!  Here's a sneak... i'll be showing this one later in the month:

You really should give them a go... they are brilliant for misting and inking with.  Use all or part of the template design, whichever suits your lo.  Here's just some that i have made using the same cherry blossom template.  It gives you a bit of an idea of just how versatile they are:

Be back with some more shares soon... and i think Bridge's blog whisper is very close to finished, so look out for that little event - always fun to see how the layouts morph and change throughout the hop!

I best be off... my darling little fella has just presented me with my favourite pair of earings... dripping wet!  Said he had 'cleaned' them for me.  I am painfully aware that there is only one household source of water that a two year old can reach unassisted...  {sigh}  :))

Cheers for now and thanks so much for visiting,

jules
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A Quick Share

Just very quickly... not like me i know!  :))

Just popping this one up that i did for a Boxx member in our 'Scrap My Photo' segment of our monthly newsletter.  It was my turn last month, so i chose a photo submitted by the lovely Janice Nichols... who very enthusiastically gave me consent to post on my blog!  Thanks Janice   :))

{perfect sense}

I had a fabulously creative weekend and can't wait to share.... soon.

Thanks for stopping by.

jules

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Newsletter time.. and a new palette

The Boxx newsletter is out and it's jam packed with plenty of yumminess!!

First of all, the gorgeous Tanya Tahir was lovely enough to set the sketch challenge for this month, so make sure you check out the April Sketch Challenge thread to see her fabulous work!!

Our new kits are also available.... and they're awesome!!  The DT were challenged this month to do a layout based on a nursery rhyme.  I just adored these Basic Grey goodies i got from the Boxx Shop... and had to use them for this layout:

{ring a ring a rosie}

i just LOVE this photo of my girls... can ya tell??? LOL  It's a few years old now, but i just love the carefree girly energy of it... and of course it was perfect for the challenge.

I was also asked to scrap a photo for one of our Boxx members, however i won't post that outside of The Boxx until i have her consent. 

AND...

The new palette is up over at The Colour Room!  It's another one in the Prima sponsored month, so get out your Prima goodies... it is a 'Boys Room' palette however, so be prepared to get creative with it.  I managed to sneak a couple of prima flowers in there ... :))

The palette:

My very 'boy' interpretation:

{authentique}

I so adore this pic of my 'baby' wearing his dad's hat.  This was taken in December last year, so of course made it's way into my December Daily album as a big full page feature shot.

oh well... that's it for now, and it looks like i'll have a big week of DT/CT stuff to do this coming week.

.. and an exciting little side story.  My Claire Bear got selected into the school district soccer team yesterday ... following an all day play off!  {the air was thick with the smell of 'deep heat' last night}. Gladstone Capricornia trials here we come!! 

Thanks so much for visiting...

jules

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My Space

Yep, 'MY' space is finally starting to take shape....

When my Ikea order arrived (1000 odd kilometre trip) minus the biggest and most important item, i tried really really hard not to swear!  Really.  Because the main expedit unit was on the second page of the order that was faxed through to the transport company, it must have somehow got lost in transit!! *sigh* ... anyway, it's all here now and i spent the most part of the weekend assembling, sorting, 'circular filing' and re-organising.  It took far longer than i anticipated (lots of 'ooh - forgot i had that'... hehee), but it's nearly all done.  Just a couple of Kaisercraft paper storage cubes that i need to finish painting and reassembling to get my paper stash under control.  Because of the atrocious weather we have had over the last couple of weeks, nothing will dry properly and all the timber is swollen with moisture.

My area is already looking a thousant percent better though, so i am trying to be patient.... more successfully than trying not to swear!  lol

Here's a peak at what's emerging:

I can't tell you how nice it is for everything to finally have it's place.  This has been such a long time coming.  Will be back with the full picture when this weather improves and i can finish it all off!!

Thanks so much for stopping by ... and i hope to be able to share some more creations soon.

jules
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Time for Some Shares

Yep, we know what the 1st of the month means!  Lots to share!!  So, i'll just get stuck straight in:

The Colour Room Palette # 52 is also celebrating the big First Anniversary of TCR!!  Happy birthday to a fabulous place full of equally fabulous and inspiring women!!  Prima is also the sponsor for the month, so you are likely to see some wonderful Prima inspired layouts too.  Here is what I came up with:

{imagine}

I had a lot of fun with all the layering and textures and stitching on this one... :)

Here's the palette too, so head over and have a look at all the yummy dt inspiration and get your prima stash out:

Next up is the Stuck?! Sketches challenge. 

And here was mine:

{not so perfect}

These photos of Claire are about 5 years old now, but i still love looking at them and i couldn't resist having another play with them.  I also stitched some old book paper to muslin for the effect in the background and was really happy with the way it ended up.

Next is the Kraft it Up Challenge for April.  This month is a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Challenge. You must create a layout on the following criteria:

1 Piece of Kraft
2 Photos - smaller thank 6x4
3 Different Alpha's
4 Pieces of Patterned Paper
5 Different Embellishments

Here is mine:

{friends}

Yep... i've been a bit doiley mad lately.  Thanks Chantelle and her Creative Bits.. :))

Oh... and finally {i heard those groans!!}  :))

Now that all my lovely PIF ladies have received them, i can show the little hand made goodies i sent off:

 {because i love you}

 {because i miss you}

{just because}

I really enjoyed making these tags.. it was a nice break from 12x12 layouts.  Probably because it was so much easier to design and play with such a cute size.  Anyway... i'm sure they won't be the last ones it make!

The winners have been annouced for The Boxx Cyber Crop too!  Everyone had tonnes of fun and created a whole heap of fabulous stuff!  Congrats to all those who participated.

Umm... i think that's it for now!  ... but i'll be back!!

jules

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