Merry Christmas

James and Liam were reading the junk mail and I couldn't help but think to myself - "Ha - even Santa, in these economic times, is on the lookout for a bargain!"



From our home to yours - a very Merry Christmas and a Safe, Happy New Year!

XOXOXO

Liam Turns 11

Crikey! How did that happen?

Liam show real interest and excitement in his birthday this year. It was so cool that when someone asked if was having a party (which he just doesn't do) he said "Yes, with my Dad when he gets home from work!"

I had made him a big cake and 30 small ones to take to his class for morning tea and he had one special one for breakfast!

You Tube video to enjoy

Found this feel good song today - thought I would share it with you.

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Scrapbook Dreams November Challenge

My turn to set the criteria this month over at Scrapbook Dreams.

I chose to go with "Black + White + 1 other colour". Sounds easy but it does take a bit of thinking about.



I have just bought (off a guy at work) an A3 HP Colour printer. It does not do borderless, sadly, but almost. I printed the "Dad" paper and had a wee giggle that for the first layout after purchase I print in black and white! The frogs were free digital elements that I downloaded from the internet, printed on photo paper and popped up on foam.

Finished Book Cover

What fun! Messy, messy, tear a bit, glue a bit, slap a bit her, a bit there!

I used some of the page from the original book for the cover topped with silhouettes cut with my new digital craft cutter. I used a spare jeans button for the "door handle" and when the edges were dry, I sanded and inked them with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Reinvented Book Workshop

Now this was really my cup of tea!! Loved this idea and had a lot of fun collating the paper stocks with which to make my new pages.

I had so many thoughts and ideas about this that I couldn't sleep last night so at 1.30am, I got up and glued the binding to the spines of the signatures (or "packets" of pages, as our tutor calls them) so that I could the glue the original cover back on today and get these photo's up, lol.

So.... this is what I started with. An old Readers Digest condensed book that used to hold up one corner of Mum's old sofa:

I took out all the pages:

I then cut various cardstocks, papers and even an old aerial photo printed on film, to size. These were then folded in half, collated into signatures (or sets) of 3, 4 or 5 depending on the thickness of the paper used and then trimmed up neatly.

I used a mixture of heavily textured paper, water colour paper, black paper and printed papers. As you turn the pages you may well come across a page of random size or a pocket to pop in tags or notes. I love the unexpected element of this.
I may yet alter the cover because of course it no longer reflects the contents but I'm not sure yet how I want to do it.

I can see I will make more of these over time - they will make great gifts.

Altered Book Workshop

Gosh - it has been a while since I posted anything! Pretty slack, huh?

Last Saturday, as part of my birthday gift from Mum, I went to a workshop at Pataka Museum in Porirua to get some insight into altering old books.

I had a great time! The workshop was presented by two young artists and I have yet to finish the book but it's one of those projects that you can do in bits and pieces.

This is the book that I started with:



And this is a page I started before I remembered to take a photo:



It now looks like this:



Here are a couple more that I have done:





I used lots of paint and distress inks, masks and additional images. It took a couple of days to get the ink stains off my fingers, lol.

I'm going back tomorrow for a second workshop. This time we will "re-make" a book using the book original cover and making "new" pages for it with a variety of card and paper stocks.

Watch this space for the results :)

The Pelvin Sisters

I have been having so much fun with multi-colour stamping of late. This layout is about my Mum and her sisters.



I love the colours of this layout and the way it just all come together.

September Layout Challenge

The September layout over at Scrapbook Dreams is a sketch that I wasn't too sure about at first.



My layout is nothing like what I had in mind before I started but I really love the way it turned out.




There really is nothing like those first signs of Spring to make you feel better about life!

Off The Page

My very good friend Anna found some fantastic containers (just shy of wine bottle size) and generously gave me two to play with.



This is my first one.



I painted the ends, and the parts where my 12x12 sheet of paper wouldn't cover. I cut the ends of my sheet to match the curves and use spray adhesive to secure it. I used some lovely tatted lace made by my Mum along the closure edge, white ribbon at the the outer edges and added a beautiful Prima vine (Lily) that Shell had given me to use on "something special". I painted the wooden knob with Distress Crackle Paint (Picket Fence).

Butterfinger Boy

Liam is an avid fan of The Simpsons and talks about Butterfinger Bars from Nestle, from the series, often. I have a friend in Chicago who kindly sent just the right thing to a young boy with a small obsession! Thanks heaps Chuck, you rock!

 

New Stamps To Play With

This card was made with part of an energy-drink can as an embellishment. The lace was coloured with my home-made shimmer mist.



I just love this stamp!! I didn't realise, when I bought it on Trademe, that it was a single stamp rather than a set of many. I'm so pleased with the way this image comes out.
I used a dye ink over patterned paper and then covered the entire image with a Shellac solution to age it. I then coloured parts of crocheted doily's (good find Mum) with shimmer mist, added a long pin and some buttons and highlighted the butterfly with sepia dimensional product.



The stamp used here, and on the next couple of examples too, is another Trademe treasure!
I can't help but think that this image looks a lot like my Aunty Norma in her younger days. Again, I added coloured crochet work and a long pin. The top right corner of the patterned paper was inked over a Tim Holtz Mini Mask and the mask left in place while I stamped the main image with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink.



The same stamp with a totally different look. This time I stamped on pre-printed paper with Faded Jeans Distress Ink and coloured the lace with shimmer spray. The pearls just top it off, I think.



Here, I made a tag using a technique I saw on You Tube. Image was stamped with White Stazon, onto white cardstock. Dye ink (in this case two colours of Distress Ink)was applied over the image then wiped with a paper towel to lift off any stray ink from the white stazon. Then I applied the black rub-ons and an inked Swirly Snail from Buzz & Bloom.

Scrapbook Dreams Mid-month Motivation

Shell has challenged us to use budget jewelery items in some way and this is what I have come up with:

Cork and plastic Koru pendant from the $2 shop, stamped paper left here by Shell.
Silver butterfly inked with black came from a budget earing.



Patterned paper over-stamped and the edges inked with distress ink. The lips were defined with dimensional product and the metal embellishment is part of a budget earing.



This was a stamp I bought off trademe and coloured with water colour pencils.
The silver embellishment was an earing from a budget shop that had the most hideous plastic disks hanging off it, lol
I whipped them off and secured the hoop with brads.



Other members' examples can be seen here, in the Scrapbook Dreams Gallery

Good Laika

A shameless plug for Ricky's band:



and the (un)official signing at the "celebrity" lunch (Consisting of Ricky, Mum, my sister Lesley, and me) last Sunday, lol.



A great meal at the Southern Cross Hotel in Wellington followed by some retail therapy at Erica's work, Global Fabrics.

Play Time

This card was made for a friend in Chicago:


This card was made for my 2nd Cousin Ricky and the very lovely Erica, for their engagement:


This was a card made for fun with bargin finds:

Budget Buffet

Here is a slideshow of photo's from the Budget Buffet Class.

Click Here

And a shot to show you what it was all about - What could you do with these items?

A visit from Shell

What an awesome time we have had! Shell drove down from Rotorua on Thursday and cleverly managed to arrive just as dinner was ready, lol.

Friday was catch up and fluffing round, leading to a Budget Buffet class that I took. This was my very first scrapbooking-related teaching and it went really well. I was very comfortable and those attending were so receptive! It was great fun.

On Saturday Shell took two classes. The morning class was the now infamous "Don't Stress, Distress" class that teaches heaps of techniques with distress inks. The afternoon session was a more involved "Thinking Inking" classes that taught the application of the techniques learned in the morning session.

So, at the end of it all, participants had both the how and the what to do with it, under their belt. We received great feedback so that was awesome!

Stamps of the Month - June 09

Scrapbook Dreams has started offering a fantastic Stamp of the Month in the shop. I had a ball with the June set. They are red rubber stamps that come in an A5 unmounted sheet (already foam backed). All I had to do was cut them out , peel the backing and pop them onto my block. Then I was all set to play.

This was a fun card to make. I think it is known as a swing card. I topped the stamped image with paper flowers for added dimension.


This stamp is just perfect for ATC's. I have a "thing" for clocks right now too.


Here, I altered a notebook from the $2 shop, adding some liquid diamention over parts of the stamped images.


These cards also use portions of the Heidi Swap Invisibilities Borders paper. This paper is so cool! It's heaps of fun watching the patterns appear as you ink over them. I used Ranger Distress inks on these samples.

These stamps are a great investment - I can see that I will get so much use out of them.

I have ordered the July set so will post my playtime results with these too.

Scrapbook Dreams July Challenge

This month, it was my turn to set the challenge at Scrapbook Dreams
I chose to run with using a quote from Dr Seuss. It has got the girls thinking and pretty keen. The July Gallery is looking great already. Head on over there to see what has been uploaded so far.

This my layout - I wish, I wish, To Be A Fish.

Layouts Using Buzz & Bloom Embellishments

This layout on Basic Gray Papers, has a Buzz & Bloom Grapevine Border and a small Up The Garden Path chipboard embellishment from the Scrapbook Dreams shop. I coloured the pieces using various inks and brushes from my supplies.
I really love the serenity of this layout.

The journalling reads: "Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better." - Albert Einstein.

This layout uses a Buzz & Bloom Spinner and a Swirly Snail Pointer, both purchased at the Scrapbook Dreams shop. Again I coloured the pieces with inks.
So that the spinner could be used to select the kids names (Dan, Tas, Brad), I used double sided tape to secure it to the outside of the page protector when putting it in the album. Works for me :)

You suffer from other people ...

I was directed to this clip on You Tube today. I showed it to Liam and the single phrase he picked up was " ... you don't suffer from Aspbergers, you suffer from other people". Liam is only 10 and so wise for his years.

The Cuttlebug Challenge Blog is going to be giving previews of the new folders that are being released in the United States in August. Why not pop over to their blog and see what's going on ....



..... Click on the blinkie at the right-hand side to be redirected.

Home Sick

Liam and I are on day two of staying home. Neither of us has Swine Flu, or any other flu for that matter. Liam does, however have a very nasty cough and almost no voice. He keeps trying to talk because he is intrigued with the way he sounds. It's quite funny really.

It was was interesting to note that my horoscope said something about "work quietly at home today". So, I hope to make best use of the day by sewing rather than scrapping. I have been asked by a friend of a friend to make 2 bridesmaid's dresses for a wedding at the end of August. It is made easier by the fact that the girls are almost exactly the same size.

Right - no more procrastinating - I'm off to set the machines up. Have a happy Wednesday.

A Cracking Frost

A really chilly start to the day. Could not resist getting the camera out to try and capture it.

Bad Call

Liam has a real hang-up about "Bad Calls at Intersections" due to the power of TV advertising. He gets quite anxious about it at times.

Unfortunately, James did make a bad call but fortunately Liam was not in the car and it did not involve any sort of accident.
James felt he couldn't stop safely at an amber traffic signal - the policeman disagreed! Damn it!

A Night Off

I gave myself the night off!

I had dinner ready when James came home and after I had made lunches etc, I parked up on my bed amd watched TV. Such a rare treat for me.

I stayed off the phone, I stayed off the net (more or less) and only missed about 10 minutes of my program while I put a happy Liam to bed.

Liam went to sleep with a smile on his face while looking at his new Wiggles night-light, lol. We went into Spotlight after school yesterday and I am sure he found every piece of Wiggles merchandise they stock!

He came away with a cushion, a night-light, a toy bag, a pop-up hamper and face crayons!! At least the face crayons were on special. No wonder The Wiggles are multi-millionares! I am sure most of that money comes from us! In saying that though, his expression was priceless.
The cushion went to school with him today, inside the toy bag.

Having no issues getting Liam to school on time this week - it is his job to ring the bell! Sounds a bit silly, but I was so proud of him come 9am Monday morning, I had to ring James as soon as I got out to the car. Yes - a few tears did sneak out Andrea!

A Layout Completed

As a continuation of Scrapbook Dreams' Birthday, this beautiful sketch is being used as a chance to win a Birthday Present. I can't win, of course, cause it was my idea but that's not what motivates me anyway.


So - this is what I came up with:


I love the softness of this layout. I used some Prima Collage Flowers over inked plains ones and the Tim Holtz Mini Masks from the Scrapbook Dreams shop. I used Brushed Corduroy and Tattered Rose Distress Inks.
For the brown flourishes, I used the negative of the mask, taping over all the other open spaces. Then it became a stencil that matched the inked corner below the photo.
These masks are so cool. Can't wait to play with them a bit more.