July for July

I won a really hefty kit from Fireside Crafts for winning the 123 Challenge for June. Here's one layout (I think I have enough product for 20 layouts!!!) using the WRMK Precious Metals pp and other bits and pieces. The WRMK Designer Eyelets are cool too!! Pauline's third kit is ready now....really is very good value for money and some great scrappers on board too.

The quote is from Bon's Scraps "Quote of the Month" challenge. I seem to be double-dipping a lot but it seems to be getting me through a lot of creative blocks and photos LOL!!

I'm really loving the Just for July challenge at Bon's Scraps. I knocked off these 6x6 pages in one afternoon. Charmane has another challenge next month....might be a little more "artsy-fartsy" so can't wait for more details.

Here are days 4 to 11 in July. I think I'll still be updating well into September LOL!!









Have been joining some challenges at Scrap Therapy too. Might even apply for the Design Team. I know I vowed not to apply this year and concentrate on family, but I feel like I'm in a good scrap/family place now. The worst thing that could happen is they can say NO THANKS and my life continues!!

Here's my Christmas in July layout. Had to use green and red which I really don't like using for Christmas...but found these cool Imaginisce papers at Inkredible and thought YAY!! It's 8x8 and part of my Book of Me.



As well as Alicia resigning from the DT at Scrapbook City, Sara has followed this week, focusing on family and her photography business.

I love that people move and change and adapt when necessary. It's actually comforting to know that I'm not the only one!!!! I admire people who stick to something for a long time, but it's just not me. I know I'm a different person than I was a year ago....and a different scrapper too.

Good luck to both of them. I'll be checking their blogs more regularly now they're gone. The rest of the DT at Scrap City are great so although they'll be missed the talent there is awesome and inspiring too.

BE STRONG...

Another BIRTHDAY and other bits....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAINER!!!!


Gosh, it feels like I've just celebrated a birthday and BAM...another one appears!! Serves me right for conceiving them so close together (heh). Made the most tasty gluten-free patty cakes in the history of gluten-free baking, and sent them to AEIOU where he had a proper party. The first birthday celebration in the centre, so that was special.




Big celebration on Sunday with family. I think he's understanding more and more what "birthday" is.

Saw Burke and Wills on Sunday with Michael (yes, alone!! thanks Nena...love you!!) and I must say I was MIGHTILY impressed!!!! Haven't seen a movie that good in YEARS and on a budget of just $20000, gotta love that! Well done boys, look forward to PARASITE!!

Still have a terrible head cold which has turned into a bit of an infection. Really should go to the doctor but I know I'll be digging up a whole lot of other complaints that I'm not ready to share with a NEW doctor, just yet.

And of course, there's the scrapping!! Not much doin' this week. Behind on Just for July but at least the photos and journaling are happening, just not the actual pages!!

Finished the 123 Challenge for this month. God love 'em BLOODY FELT!! Thanks for that girls. So the challenge was paint, felt and ribbon. Two of those I can do without, but I guess that is what a challenge is all about....true!?

I actually love how the arrow turned out....









The beads are from a RAK from Charm. Fit the layout perfectly!!!

Will hopefully have some good news to write next week. Getting tired of being tired and sick.

A Mixed Week.

MACKINLEY SCORED HIS FIRST GOAL AT SOCCER TODAY!!!! and I missed it because I was having a "me" day. Typical!!!!! I'm soooo very proud of Mackinley who has been going through some really tough emotional stuff this year with Rainer, and not really liking Year 1, missing his best mate Rory (who's at another school) and not really sure if he wants to play soccer. He really needed this confidence boost, congratulations Kinna!!!

What a day!! Sat in on TWO classes with the very giving and very very funny Ngaire Bartlam. And I mean "SAT" because walking to the shop from my car....I sprained my ankle on the edge of the footpath, dropped the champagne bottle (didn't break, phew!) and IT HURT!!! Spent most of the first lesson with my foot on the table being iced by a bag of Woolworths frozen broccoli and cauliflower pieces....thanks Tamara, what would I do without you!!!!

Man, Ngaire can work a room!!! Not only did I survive the whole day on one coffee (I'm actually drinking my second now, at 6pm!) but I managed to get a heap of ideas on how to use felt, buttons and ribbon. I have the most difficulty with incorporating these 3 scrapbooking items into a layout. But looking at what Ngaire and the other ladies were doing with them....I have a renewed vigor and can't wait.

BUT...tomorrow I am hoping to find babysitters so Michael and I can see "Burke and Wills" before it finishes on Wednesday. A previous post I uploaded an article from The Weekend Australian about Matt Zeremes who I taught at Villanova....SOOOOO MANY YEARS AGO (seems like a lifetime ago...but the school was a fantastic support to me and the Arts, nuff said).


If anyone reading (and I found out that a lot read but don't stop to comment....I know who you are now LOL...but I still love you!!) wants to spend an hour watching a great Independent film by 2 Brisbane boys, head to the Dendy tomorrow at 3.15pm and from Monday to Wednesday at 1.30, 5.10 and 8.45pm. I'm not sure if other Indy cinemas in Sydney and Melbourne are showing it, but the boys are based in Sydney now, so you might be lucky.

Finished off one more project on Friday. Fran Tynan's sketch challenge at Bon's Scraps.


And here's my effort. Mackinley hard at work with some very intricate drawing. He gets a lot of inspiration from movies and playing Star Wars on the computer. Not entirely happy about that but it fires him imagination, and a mother has to be happy with that!!

Used Pebbles Inc. paper which I wouldn't normally buy. It was in the June Kit from Scrapbook City. Lovely stuff and so I guess it was a challenge to use the papers and the sketch. In hindsight I should have used a darker cardstock. Oh well, that's all I had in my stash. There are also 2 more of those funky Buzz and Bloom arrows. So cool.

Oh and more Buzz & Bloom news. I have 2 layouts in the Guest Gallery which is pretty cool. Thanks Helene. Great products and a great honour.

Thanks finally to Karlene and Charmane at 123 Challenge for choosing my layout of Rainer sleeping as one of the winners for June. I get a cool kit from Fireside Crafts. Can't wait for that to come so I can play some more!! YAY FOR ME!!!

On a more sombre note, another ABC Brisbane employee has been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Thankfully it's not Kelly, although I am worried as hell for her!!! Around half the women diagnosed with Cancer from the Toowong studios all worked at the same production desk, so anyone would assume that emissions from the equipment MAY have been a contributing factor. Unfortunately, assumptions don't count in these cases. More testing on the equipment is being carried out and the staff get some medical expenses reimbursed, which is good. Prayers for the Ekersley family.

BE STRONG....

Tagged again....

...this time by the lovely, and now happily pregnant Alicia Barry...all the way from NYC these days.

Here's the deal:
1-post these rules
2-each person tagged must post 8 random(... hopefully interesting) facts about themselves
3-those tagged should write a blog post of these facts
4-at the end of the post, 8 more bloggers are tagged and named
5-go to their blog and leave a comment telling them they're tagged


1. I have a large birthmark on the sole of my left foot that changes colour with the weather (like a weather owl)
2. I travelled the Northern Hemisphere on my own from March to September in 1992
3. I like to hang clothes on the line with the same coloured pegs
4. I have never been published (I know… HOW SHOCKING– rotflmao!!)
5. I am a fan of music that keeps me awake. That slow, soulful stuff puts me to sleep (including Missy Higgins, sorry!)
6. I would prefer to live by the ocean than the bush and Michael is the opposite.
7. I have a Bachelor of Arts and a Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary). Put myself through Uni (with Michael’s help) and used to fit Uni around work just to pay the HECS.
8. I’ve never been part of a RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) swap, until this month!!

I tag: (sorry if you have already been tagged)
Bon
Charmane
Tanya
Bec
Sheree
Beth
Rach
Caz

Wow, I know 8 people who would probably be okay with being tagged!!

Other interesting tid-bits....
School holidays are FINALLY over and I can almost see the floor again and the furniture (although the dust through the sunlight keeps Rainer occupied).

Whenever I blog I always seem to have done much more scrapbooking than I actually FEEL like I've done. Maybe there's something in that????

Bon's Cyber Crop:
Challenge 1: hand stitching, machine stitching (different colours), a quote and a photo of a friend. Here's me and the delightful Angela at my birthday last December.

Challenge 2: (by Fran Tynan) scrap a 6x6 area on a 12x12 layout space, and journaling strips. Me and Michael at the Breast Cancer Ball last October.

Challenge 3: (by Sheree McGee) use at least 4 photos, 3 brads, and your own handwriting. Actually used about 15 photos, 9 brads, and yep, my own handwriting for the title.


And here's the inspiration for the layout which has inspired a few more on the site too. Thanks to the creators of this advert.


Also moving ahead with the Book of Me. Haven't done one for a while. Still taking topics from Scrapbook City and materials list from Bon's. It's working for me and I'm getting more done this way. Thanks to both sites for this.



Also at Bon's, we're doing a mini book named "Just for July". I'm taking a photo each day in July and journaling something poignant about that day. Again, really easy to do.






Amelia (neighbour)has dropped in today to show off her new boy, Griffin, who is 6 weeks old. They are the most gorgeous couple and he is the most peaceful baby. He even puked on my jumper!!! Haven't had that happen for a while....after a bit of a grizzle, he DROPPED off to sleep. Couldn't stop laughing....couldn't believe her luck!! He was still asleep as she stepped out in the beautiful sunshine to walk him home. NEW BABIES....JUST LOVE THEM.

Doing 2 classes with Ngaire Bartlam at Inkredible on Saturday. Can NOT wait....as you'd expect.

BE STRONG.

End of Year...

Well, okay. Maybe it's the end of the FINANCIAL year but it's a good time to revisit my New Year's Resolutions and re-frame a few goals for the next 6 months. I am committed to doing another Resolutions layout just to stay accountable.

The school holidays are half way through so very little scrapbooking has been happening. I achieved almost all my goals for the month with only the Book of ? challenges, Loretta Grayson's class work and one of the 123 Cyber Crop challenges left behind. Unfortunately, the 123 challenge I DIDN'T do was my Kitchen String layout so I was a little embarrassed about that. But I did use kitchen string on my "Go Wild" layout, so not all was lost.

Heard that my Circle Journal that was started at Scrapboxx in August is nearly home. We were supposed to have it finished in February, but life gets in the way and one of the participants had a baby during the journal's journey, so we all got a little behind. I think mine's the last one to come home. Can't wait. (Come on Toni.....you can do it!!!!)

Michael and I had a great day at the movies on Saturday. Although Michael was extremely hungover (grrrr, end of financial year party...a huge one at his work each year) I managed to get everyone ready and to Mum and Dad's and then straight to Garden City's Gold Class to watch the new Fantastic 4 movie. Love Love Love Marvel Comic movies. Escapism is very healthy.

Scoured the shops afterwards and spent a heap of money on Michael. He desperately needed new clothes and I was only too happy to throw lots of items at him while he was a little hazy (hehe) and wouldn't put up much of a fight!!

I bought 2 coats for the park, shops, etc and a new pair of boots. Mine died last Winter after 10 years of loyal service (including getting married and 2 pregnancies). Could have bought more but was thinking about more scrapbooking supplies that I need!!

What had I finished this month??? Here's Ngaire Bartlam's class minibook from the Expo. Really like this concertina book - quick and easy with not much mucking around with fiddly bits. (Slider isn't playing nice, so here are 2 shots of the cover)



The 123 Cyber Crop Challenge 1 was to use a sketch from Forever Always (love that place too), a song from the Cyber Crop Bingo List which were all from the 1980's, and white cardstock. Good to have a double page spread to use up more photos from when Mackinley and Tristan were at the Museum in January.
(this is the left hand side)


(the right hand side)


123 Cyber Crop Challenge 2 watned the coolest speech bubbles from Buzz and Bloom (these are the best value for money...you get HEAPS), 2 or more fads/fashion/slang terms from the 1980's, and flourishes.




In hindsight, could have entered this one into Bon's Monthly Layout Challenge. Oh well, maybe next month I'll be luckier ;).

Not bad for a week's work. Looking forward to a miriad of different challenges next month. Charmane's already got our "To Do..." list up at Bon's (she cracks me up).

Speak of the devil....look at the Happy Mail I got from Charm this week!!!!





I think this was for one of the games at the 123 Cyber Crop. I won the second round of Bingo too, but don't know what I win for that yet...it's always a pleasant surprise!!

Clearing out the old stash now and looking forward to working with new stock and new inspiration.

Be Strong...and organised (yeah, right!)