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!

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 ... :)

Photo Board

I just love the concept of photo boards .... so I decided to do a layout showcasing random shots of all the kids at various ages... just demonstrating the inevitable passing of time.

I'm constantly blown away by how quickly these amazing everyday moments are passing us by ... and I wanted to use my new chippy clock face! ... :)

Surf, Sand and Sea

Still scrapbooking from our hols in January ..... actually truth be told, I had an idea of how I wanted this layout to look and the picture just fit the mold! ... I couldn't wait to use this new chipboard butterfly I bought at the expo in Brisvegas. Really ejoying playing with lots of layers and textures at the moment and using stitching and paint in the layering process....

Lovely Day

What a great day.... little bit of housework, but lots of playing with paint and scraps of muslin and the sewing machine ... love it! Here is the layout that I simply had to do to document my Lady in Waiting! Only problem is that I don't think I can fit in any journaling now... and that was the whole point to the layout in the first place!! :) ... will look at it for a few days before I decide on journaling ...

I layered strips of muslin on this bg paper, both to mute the background a bit and to add a textural dimension in keeping with the 'old world' subject matter. I also used white paint as a haphazard mat and stitched in red behind the muslin to add more dimension and interest. Black and red are the predominant embelly accompaniments, with just a hint of blue as a contrast.

The Boxx Challenge

Oh... forgot to mention i also won the Boxx Challange last week too {thanks Leanne!} ... was very pleasantly surprised, probably because i was forced to keep it simple due to time restraints. I guess there's a lesson in there somewhere.... something about not getting bogged down in the detail!

TCR - Number 7

The colour palette for this week was one i really struggled with, given that i'm not a fan of mauve or yellow it seems ... i was really hard pressed to find any of it in my stash of goodies. Here is what i came up with ...

Featured Layout

Super thrilled and excited today!! My layout was featured on The Colour Room for this week. It's quite a 'little-girly-squeal-worthy' moment ... : ) particularly given the international feel to this forum. Really quite an honour. It was DH's day off today, so I even dragged him over to the computer, skipping like a 5 year old (me i mean... not him .. lol). He was suitably impressed also.

This week's palette in The Colour Room was:

and my take on the challenge was:

Smile

I couldn't resist it... i had to scrap that photo of Coop! I'm really in a 'freestyle' frenzy at the moment. Whilst i LOVE a really structured and clean layout, the less inhibited and free flowing elements of this style really appeals to me as well. Rather than pidgeon hole myself in a certain style, i like to do both! i guess it depends on my mood at the time..... : )

This weeks' palette at the Colour Room, and my take on it:

This layout was originally prompted by a challenge at The Boxx, which had me implementing an idea that has been in the back of my mind for ages... just a big shabby girly quilt look, with heaps of fabric scraps and stitching and whitewashing. The butterflies were an afterthought.... but I just love them ... thanks Leanne J!!

Easter Break

Having a week away at mum and dad's with no plans or running around was just what we needed. A chance for the kids to just spend time with nanny and poppy without an itinerary. I don't think we have ever had a trip to Brisbane without plans and 'catching up with people'.... it was really lovely ... notwithstanding Lachlan getting stuck into some prednizone tablets that I had in my handbag for my chest infection. Luckily no harm done, but a really big scare nonetheless

Obviously easter sunday morning was a big highlight, and it was a thrill to see Lachlan participate in his first 'I am allowed to eat chocolate' easter! I think the other three were just as amused by his excitement as we were.

Here's the evidence...

!!

The preparation while they sleep



The frantic searching



The sharing?



The amazing combined haul



The best part ... the eating!

Hope you all had a fabulous easter with family : )