How exciting!!!!

Crop for Kids 2008 is underway!!!! The committee members have all been hard at work to get this happening early. There are lots of very very exciting things that are going to happen very very soon. As people who attended know....this years event was big....it was exciting...prizes were fantastic...everyone had a great time.....so for next years event...for those who are interstate or overseas and can't make it....we're bringing it to you!!! Yah....you now get the chance to support this fabulous fundraiser for the Royal Children's Hospital via online classes!!! First off is the fabulous Louise Spiden who will be doing her first class on the 20th September from 7.30 - 9.30pm. So please head on over to Crop for Kids blog to check out the details and the ever so delish sneak peeks!! The classes are a very affordable $10 and there is no kit to get, you get to use things which are already in your stash...which is great because every scrapbooker I know has a stash of photos and products to use in their every growing stash!!

I have been a busy little bee as usual.....let me try and recall.....

1. Got my hair done....wanted to cover up the greys epidemic...and I wanted some foils for highlights...told the hairdresser that I just wanted the foils a couple of shades lighter. Hah!!! What did I get....chocolate brown hair which I lurve.....and blonde foils. Not a great look for me! Fast forward to a week later...I went back and they fixed it for free. Yay!!

2. Migraines - I got hit with migraines this week....pretty bad...I just wanted to take tablets, curl up and die!!! A trip to the chiropractor really helped.....I'm much better now. Hate how debilitating migraines are!! The family had to make do with steamed rice and sunny side up eggs for dinner because I really couldn't cook.

3. Went to Felicity's house for a crop last Saturday night. It was sooo good to get out of the house to scrap. I haven't been out to scrap since Crop n chat which was ages ago!! As usual I chatted too much and ooogled everyone's work....investigated Felicity's stash....ate, drank....and did two half done layouts. Typical me!

4. OPAAT kit layouts. This is the gorgeous gorgeous September kit. Head on over to One Page At a Time and check out the kit. It is absolutely gorgeous. The first 4 layouts are done with the kit. The stamp is absolutely delish and I stamped with the watermark ink pad which you must get if you haven't got it. The top two layouts are of my gorgeous niece Shania and the two just under this sentence are some old photos of Jeromel.....yah....working through my box of unscrapped photos!!
The next layout was done a while ago...at Scrap n Chat...I don't know why...but I forgot to share it...came home...put it in an album and forgot all about it!! Yeah...it's Jeromel at 10 months old being a very very reluctant reindeer. I was very into dressing him in Osh Kosh when he was little....don't you just love the stripey Osh Kosh bib???This is a layout which I half did at Felicity's place. It's of Jeromel and how he put a hole through the knee of reinforced tracky daks in a week. Yah...one week...through 3 layers of tracky material. I haven't done a layout like this in a while...and I totally love it...it's very me...lots of 7 gypsies stickers, epoxy stickers, bits and pieces and brads in a circle.

I think that's about it....I've got a Scrapping Angels kit to work on....and then an Arty Pants kit and before I know it....OPAAT kit will arrive too!!! Thought I'd post a little piccie.....of my pandora bracelet and my nails!
Those who have met me or know me irl will be very surprised that I have long nails....why? I'm not very girly...I usually have short nails.....I'm a no fuss kind of person.....like unstyled hair, no make up....jeans....simple top.....that kind of person. But once in a while....I like to grow my nails...and when I have long nails....I will paint and decorate my nails. I will do this until one of the nails break......and then I cut them all short.....and then might not grow my nails for 6 months or more. But right now....I have pretty nails....which I did myself...so I'll capture the moment. Like my pandora bracelet? It's filling up quite quickly!!! Love the glass bead....I think I'll keep my colours to red and green and silver. Pretty! Due to some miscommunication....I ended up with another Pandora bracelet....so if anybody wants a 21cm authentic silver pandora bracelet with the barrel clasp.....please let me know!

What a week!!!

It's been a great week!!

Tuesday I went up to Paper Doll Boutique to catch up with Wendy and Christie. Gave Christie a movie and she rakked me some gorgeous Heidi Swapp and Bella flowers. Yay....I have big blooms again! Wendy got to have a quick flick through my EDM album while teaching a class.......and even made me a coffee too. Queen of multi tasking I tell you!! Then it was off to Arty Pants to their new store. Oh my goodness.....it's a gorgeous store......it's large, bright and sooo spacious!!! The crop room looks great and I can't wait to scrap there!! The store is stocked with sooo many goodies and the 7 gypsies wall is always my favourite bit. I'm sooo glad that Jodie shares my love for 7 gypsies....and Arty pants is by far the best store for 7 gypsies stuff that I have ever ever ever been to. I got more 97% complete stickers.....totally love these stickers....tell you....it's by far the best embellishment that $3.95 can buy.....for that price, you get circle, rectangles, squares, strips. it was fabulous catching up with Judy and Jodie and it's always a long chat. If anyone hasn't been to Arty pants....go and visit......and my EDM album is up there....so you're most welcome to have a flick through.

Wednesday Felicity and Brodie came around for a chat over some Norm and lunch. I had the most delightful surprise when Brodie walked in with a big bunch of gorgeous orchids and a big red chocky heart. I truly feel sooo spoilt. Felicity is such an amazing friend.....can't believe we only met at the retreat earlier this year and since then....we've become really good friends. Felt bad because I had to rush them out to take Jeromel for his dental appointment.

And then in the evening Jane came to visit. Well...to borrow some snow wear...but also to have a cuppa and a nice long chat. The butterfly card that I did with the beaded feelers....I gave that to Jane last week......she showed me what she did with it......the woman framed it!!! yah...put it in a hot pink frame....it's sooo cute!!! Anyways....Jane's daughter Chloe also loves it....so I will make beaded butterfly and dragonfly for her so that Jane can frame them and put them on Chloe's wall. Jane and I have always had a bit of a barter system....lol....I absolutely love her ceramics and always tell her that she can pay me in ceramics. Tee hee.....I can never get enough of the love hearts....I heard Jane call them the Ruey love hearts. Totally love them...and now I have some bisque ones that I can jazz up myself!! I picked out love hearts and these very very very cute smiley faces...I have a layout in my head that includes them..so hopefully that layout will materialise soon.

Thursday I had a quick catch up with Sheena from Rasberry. To hand over my DT project which was just soo fun to do. I didn't get to stay long because I had Jeromel in the car. His asthma and eczema has flared up very badly so he hadn't been to school this week.

Friday....was a fab day.....I took the boys to school, dropped off Joseph at the station and went to Springvale to do some marketing. Also grabbed some Vietnamese noodle broth Pho and some pork rolls and then headed home by 10am because I was having a little catch up lunch with Mich, Shirley and Vita. The kids were also here....Ellen, Phaedon, Abby and Riley....it was a bit strange not having Jeromel around. I had a fabulous time chatting to everyone. It's been a while since we've done that...and we must do it more often!!! Mich also brought me more large blooms.....i most definately am not in a hurry to buy them now!!We also had a bit of a photography session as Vita and Shirley had their cameras and were trying out some stuff. I had a bit of a play with Vita's and took a couple of really nice photos....hopefully Vita will post them soon. On the shopping front...yah.....I have packages coming...one from Blue Bazaar......a big big big one from A million little things and on ebay...I have pre-ordered my Fancy Pants Soho Swirls and the new Queen n Co felt swirls and leaf trims. Yummo!!! Been very very naughty...and some more beads for my Pandora bracelet. Yah....I am now the proud owner of the Pandora bracelet. It's all Christie's fault.....she showed hers on her blog...and then Kim showed hers.....and then I found out a bit more online then had to get one. At the moment...I have two fixed clips, 2 silver beads, 2 silver beads with bling and two spacers. I need more!!! LOL

I'm also shopping for a new camera...very undecided between Canon and Nikon. I am an 'idiot proof camera' kinda photographer.....but would obviously like to learn more. So I want a mid level camera. Any suggestions??? Any advice???Sharing two older layouts because there's nothing else I can show yet. I've also received 3 acceptances from Scrapbooking Memories this week which I am very happy about!!

Why do I like dragonflies???

When faced with the challenge of having to do a fantasy layout for the Aussie Dares blog 'How Dare You?'.....I dug deep....and thought about what fantasy meant to me....harry potter, dragons, unicorns, fairies, wizards, and somehow I was drawn...compelled to do a dragonfly layout. why? because the dragonfly invokes a feeling inside me...almost mystical, magical, surreal....
So I came up with my journalling first and then came up with the layout.

Journalling:

I am really unsure how it began or if there was a defining moment, but I have always been fascinated by dragonflies. Even as a little girl, I’ve preferred them to the pretty colourful butterflies that most little girls prefer. In the past 5 years, something in me has changed, this fascination has evolved into something more. I started seeking out dragonfly jewelry, seemed there was a calling, a need to wear it…have it on me, near me but I didn’t know why. The results of my online research into the symbolism of the dragonfly were astonishing .

Wikipedia: Dragonflies are mystical, magical creatures, sophisticated & alluring yet somewhat ethereal. Exquisitely beautiful, steeped in mythology & rich in symbolism. The dragonfly’s shell is designed with special facets that reflect and refract their beautiful colors in the light of the sun. This almost sparkling appearance has leant added meaning to the dragonfly’s form. They’ve taken on a mystical and magical symbolism. The dragonfly’s magic is its light magic, and all of the wonderful similes, metaphors and cliché’s that light has inspired. In Japan, the Japanese people have chosen to honor the dragonfly as a symbol of joy and new light. Thus, the dragonfly has come to be an image that inspires us to not only learn to practice the shedding and mirroring of light in our own lives, but to learn to see when others are doing it, too! Additionally, dragonflies certainly aren’t limited to women! In Native American astrology, there is a strong belief that each person has a totem animal spirit which serves as their guardians and guides through certain phases of life. Often, an individual would have many different totems throughout life, some for just a time, and some for their entire lives. And one of these totem spirits was the spirit of the dragonfly. It would adopt men and women, young and old. The dragonfly spirit means you must consciously make an effort to express your hopes, dreams, needs and wishes. The dragonfly spirit is the essence of the winds of change, the messages of wisdom and enlightenment; and the communication from the elemental world. Its medicine beckons you to seek out the parts of your habits which need changing. You can turn to the dragonfly to guide you through the mists of illusion to the pathway of transformation.

So maybe that’s it, the dragonfly is my totem animal spirit, my spirit guide, the symbol that my spirit chose to guide me through life. For certainly there have been many aspects of change in my life, of spiritual growth, emotional turmoil, challenges of life and of learning through my mistakes. It’s certainly comforting to find that my spirit has chosen the dragonfly as my guide. For this creature is not only beautiful but it is the link to the past, a promise for the future and a reminder of the magic of the moment.

I hope you enjoy that journalling...it's very analytical, revealing and from the heart. There aren't many dragonfly lovers that I know of, but I know that Michelle Grant and Kim Arnold are. In fact, Kim gave me the beautiful beaded dragonfly that I have on my layout. I've been saving it for a special layout...and this is it.

My next layout is a Becky Fleck sketch challenge layout for the Fireside Crafts competition. Go check out the competition. You have the chance to win a $25 voucher to spend with Fireside Crafts.

And lastly.....to continue on the dragonfly theme.....a card made with my new stampendous stamps and the Stampin' Up! crayons....beautiful intense colours!! I couldn't cut out the feelers...so instead I made some beaded feelers. Totally love this card. I gave it to Jane and will be making more soon!!!

Asides from that....it has been a good weekend....relaxing....because I didn't have to cook all weekend...and .....I've watched 2 movies...Transformers and Sentinel...plus an episode of Fallen. And very productive.....in about 10 days.....I've scrapped 10 layouts and 4 cards. That's a pretty good effort for me. Plus there is a half done layout on my scrap table. I told Mich that no shopping for me until I've done 10 layouts......and can't believe that I made it. Maybe I can do a few more before caving into the urge!!

What do I want to shop for? Let me know if you find them online and on sale!!!

1. Heidi Swapp large blooms - some how I lost my flowers. I have them all in a large blister pack....and I can't find them at all....truly can't find them.

2. Fancy Pants biggest chipboards...boho swirls - anyone seen any around? come find me if you do.

3. Pins.....like vintage pins....long with something decorative on the top of it.

Alive n Scrapping!!!

Let's start off with a very exciting announcement. I was invited to be part of the Rasberry design team!! Rasberry are a locally designed scrapbooking range of papers and embellishments. The range that I have used in the layout above is called the Classic range.....very masculine/boyish papers which are absolutely perfect for those Father's day projects and the most gorgeous gorgeous round coasters. The coasters are sold in a pack of 6 in Rasberry punnets - how cute!!!!! anyways, go check out the Rasberry website.

Other exciting exciting news.....Arty Pants have now officially made the move from Hampton Park to Cranbourne....it's a bigger store with a permanently set up classroom. The Hampton Park store was great....but everytime they had a crop, they had to move the stock to the sides of the store to accomodate trestle tables and chairs. I haven't been to Cranbourne yet but I am going next Tuesday to check it out! Arty Pants put up a congrats notice for my EDM win on their till....saw one of the opening day photos....so I'll bring my album in for show n tell.....lol.

Now onto One Page at a Time boy oh boy....was this kit lovely or what??? Beautiful cherry arte...summery.....beautiful....deep sunset colours teamed with the blue skies of summer. Great for the USA girls as it's summer there! With OPAAT, I've always made it a point to use my photos for the month with my kit....so I used my snow trip photos and they came out a treat....well I think so.....wdyt? Ok....don't be tooo critical.....these were the first layouts scrapped in 3 weeks....that's right...I hadn't scrapped a layout in 3 weeks!!!

We had the first committee meeting for the Crop for Kids 2008 event last night and it was a fabulous turn out and it was great to catch up with a lovely bunch of ladies...some of which I haven't seen the retreat!! Yes....Crop for Kids 2008 is 7 months away and we're planning already. This year, we raised $7.5K but next year, we're aiming for a bigger event. The Crop for Kids blog has already been set up....so go check it out regularly for updates as we will be starting our fundraising efforts very soon!

I had my stampin' Up! workshop a couple of weeks ago and it was soo much fun. Thanks to everyone who came, we had an absolute blast and learnt so much from Fleur. I fell head over heels in love with the watercolour crayons....the colours are just so beautiful and intense!! Look out for them on a layout soon.

On the home front, we have another Learner driver in the family. Jarryd just got his learners permit last week!! Jordan seems to be cruising through his VCE.....I'd like to see him study more but he seems to be confident in what he's doing so I'll leave him to that. He recently sat his UMAT test which he quite enjoyed. Jeromel is absolutely loving Prep...and it's quite amazing that at the start of the year, they consolidated the alphabet sounds...and doing readers and sounding out words and last week.....first spelling test...in which he got 3 out of 3. It was a surprise test so I was pleased that he knew the words! They now have to learn 3 words each week for their spelling test!

I think that's about it......I promise to update my blog more often!!