Let's Get Messy!

I'm a winner!

2012-02-03T18:03:00.001+10:00

Okay, so it's only a random drawing but I'm still a winner! I won a wonderful chipboard pack from Imaginarium Designs by entering the Jan 15th competition at Once Upon a Sketch. I love chipboard and had been thinking about purchasing some from this company so I'm so happy to have a chance to check them out free of charge! :)

Stamp Giveway

2012-02-01T21:26:00.002+10:00

I actually completed the clean-up part of the Stamps mission of the 2012 Scrapz.biz challenge and found I have a LOT more stamps than I actually need. Because I don't like to throw things away though I've decided to offer these as a giveway. As you can see from the photo, most of these are actually unused.

Entry is open to Australian residents only. I'm sorry but I can't afford international postage. Sinply leave me a comment below with a way to contact you if you would like to enter. Bonus entries if you follow my blog or share details of the giveaway, just be sure to mention you've done this in your comment. Entries close 29.2.12.

Remember 2011 - Mission 7

2012-01-29T19:47:00.002+10:00

After the dramas of my last LO, I'm happy to report that I actually LOVE this one! A lot of the challenge blogs have been setting topics of either looking back at 2011 or looking forward to 2012 this month. I was hesitant to do one of these style LO's but recently remembered I enjoyed doing a re-cap for 2009 (completed in 2011 but better late than never I guess) so I decided to give it a go. 2011 really was a big year for me, so I've only been able to include details of the major highlights. There are 5 photos in the pocket and each one has some extra journalling on the back.

For those who like to be able to read journalling, here is what I've written:

I know a lot of people who were happy to see the end of 2011 but for me it was a pretty great year. Health: After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, mum was able to stop chemo by 2011 and appears on the road to recovery. Personally, I was the fittest I’ve even been prior to my wedding but also the heaviest I’ve even been by the end of the year. Career: I started my PO2 permanent position on 3.1.11 and secured a PO3 permanent position by the end of the year, I was also the Court Advisory and Prosecutions officer for Burleigh. Scrapbooking: I started having friends over for crop sessions. I landed a spot on my first Design Team, The Lollypop Ladies. I had my first LO accepted for publication, due out in 2012. I was the most successful exhibitor in Scrapbooking at the Gold Coast Show. Activities: Ben and I spent a day kayaking to South Stradbroke Island in March. I rode Puffing Billing (in April) and went to Werribee Open Range Zoo (in December) with my mum and dad. Ben became a Gold Coast Suns member and we went to six home games together. I continued to play basketball and ten-pin bowling and started playing indoor netball with some girls from work. Wedding: I married the love of my life on 1st May. I had two hen’s parties (one on the Gold Coast and one in Melbourne). We went to Thailand for our honeymoon, which is somewhere I’ve always wanted to travel to and was my first overseas holiday. I can’t wait to see what 2012 will bring!

This one was designed for entry into a few different competitions. Firstly, Once Upon A... Sketch had their journalling criteria as "Hello 2012 or Goodbye 2011". They were the real inspiration behind me finally completing this LO. I love the style that most of the DT and entries have for this challenge blog, they are all so detailed and full of layers. I always find myself trying the mimic that style with my entries. Of course, I also love the big focus on journalling and think I definately qualified this time. :) You need to combine the journalling criteria with Nadia's lovely sketch below:

Second challenge entry is an easy one. Bird is the Word's chosen word for this fortnight was 'Remember', which I've used as part of my title. I've never played along at this blog before but a lot of the people I watch do so I thought it was time to try it out.

Finally, this is my last entry into the Scrapz.biz 2012 Biggest Loser competition. This was for Mission 7 which focused on Punches, Dies & Embossing Folders. Given I only have 7 punches and no dies or embossing folders it didn't take me long to tidy my collection. :) The challenge was to use those items to create your own embellishments. I've used my scalloped circle punch to create the paper pattern flowers. I've also used all four of my edge punches.

Biggest Loser 2012 Completion - 8/14!

1. Your Desk - completed.

2. Cardstock - completed.
3. Patterned Paper 1 - completed.
4. Patterned Paper 2 - completed.
5. Scraps - completed.
6. Basic Tools
7. Punches, Dies & Embossing Folders - completed.
8. Stamps, Ink Pads & Embossing Powders
9. Alphas
10. Chipboard
11. Rub-ons, Stickers and Journal Cards - completed.
12. Embellishments
13. Buttons - completed.
14. Ribbons

Greeting Cards - Mission 11

2012-01-28T20:44:00.001+10:00

Mission 11 of Scrapz.biz Biggest Loser 2012 was focused on rub-ons, stickers and journal cards. I have a small collection of each of these and they really do need a good sorting through as I think I will be throwing some of these out simply because I can't see me ever using them. So far I'm at the stage where everything is piled on my desk though. :) The challenge was create a card or two using a bingo / journaling card, at least one sticker/ rub-on from your stash

This is an extra card I created (which I actually did first), but upon reviewing the critera I realised it didn't fit at all! :) Loving the Lil' Red Rocket journal spots at the moment, bit sad there weren't any availabale in the latest sale.

Family Portrait - Mission 13

2012-01-28T15:05:00.001+10:00

Do you ever have one of those LO's that just doesn't work for you? This was one of them! I've battled with this LO for three days and am now admitting defeat. I wanted to scrap this family portrait from the early 1990's but just couldn't decide what colours to go with. At least the photo itself kept making me laugh while I struggled. I honestly have no idea whether we had tried to dress up for this or if we had just wandered into the studio during a normal shopping trip. I'm the one in the purple jacket in case anyone was wondering.

Anyway, this LO was created for the Show Us Your Stuff January sketch challenge. I'm not sure what I was going for with the purple ribbon flowers but they are my hand-made embellishment.

This LO is also my entry to Mission 13 of the Scrapz.biz 2012 Biggest Loser comp. Don't worry, entries have to be in by Jan 30th so you'll stop seeing entries for this comp soon enough. :) This mission was focused on buttons. I already keep my buttons nicely stored in by colour in zip-lock bags so no extra organisation was needed. The challenge was to get creative and do something a little different with your buttons on a layout. As you can see, I've decided to use mine as a frame.

Biggest Loser 2012 Progress

1. Your Desk - completed.
2. Cardstock - completed.
3. Patterned Paper 1 - completed.
4. Patterned Paper 2 - completed.
5. Scraps - completed.
6. Basic Tools
7. Punches, Dies & Embossing Folders
8. Stamps, Ink Pads & Embossing Powders
9. Alphas
10. Chipboard
11. Rub-ons
12. Embellishments
13. Buttons - completed.
14. Ribbons

Charms Creations Giveaway

2012-01-28T10:06:00.002+10:00

Charm's Creations are a cute little embellishment range and they are promoting their upcoming Feb 3 sale with a giveaway. I really want a chance to win one of their new Charm's Creatures (the little blue guy in the image)! I also had a chance to check out their sneaks album recently and it's got a lot of bright funky designs.

THE PRIZE:

1 Charms Creature - worth $15 {your choice of colour}

2 Lovely Lollipop Packs - worth $9 {your choice of colours}

2 Heavenly Hearts - worth $6 {your choice of colours}

2 Super Stars - worth $7 {your choice of colours}

Including postage the total of the prize is over $40!!! {43.60}

Kisses - Mission 5

2012-01-26T12:57:00.000+10:00

Another LO using a wonderful pre-wedding photo by Daniel Sheehan Photographers. I seem to be going through a patch of making just 'pretty' LO's, rather than ones which are containing meaningful journalling.

This LO is an entry to two challenges. It was created for Mission 5 of the Scrapz.biz 2012 Biggest Loser challenge. Mission 5 focused on tidying up paper scraps and the challenge was to create a layout entirely from your scraps and the page must have a banner. I made my mum an album for her 50th birthday back in 2010 using the Pennyroyale range from Kaisercraft so I still have heaps of scraps left over. To prove even the large background paper was made from scraps I took a photo of the back to show how I pieced it together from scraps of 2 pages of the same pattern I had left over.

I have also made this one as an entry for Scrap Jacked. I love scraplifting LO's from this site, it's such a great way to experiment with different styles and techniques to what I normally use. The last two times I've played I used Bec's LO, today I went to Kylie Symons' beautiful LO as seen below.

D'oh! As I went to enter this LO at Scrap Jacked I discovered they need to be exclusive creations. Oh well, I'm very happy with the LO I created and I think that's better than possibly winning prizes anyway. :)

Lil' Red Rocket Sale

2012-01-25T20:49:00.001+10:00

Lil' Red Rocket is having a sale right now! They produce limited quantity handmade embellishments. I purchased some in their last sale and found them to be very good quality. If you're looking for some cute little buttons in particular you need to stop by, I think the prices are very reasonable.

Here is what I've ordered from this sale:

All images remain copyrighted to Lil Red Rocket.

I can't wait to start using these in my LOs. :)

Merry Christmas LO - Mission 3

2012-01-22T18:34:00.000+10:00

So recently I think I've been a bit depressed in that I'm coming home from work and spending 4 hours on the computer doing nothing really before heading straight to bed. Weekends were spent almost entirely on the computer and housework was piling up. I decided I need to be pro-active to change this and decided getting back into my scrapping was a good way to go. This weekend I've managed to create TWO layouts and also cleaned almost the entire house and put away the last months worth of clean clothes. Hopefully I can keep this up and get the motivation to get back into the gym as well.

On to the information about this LO. It's another one for Scrapz.biz Biggest Loser 2012, mission 3 this time. The clean up part of mission 3 was to sort out your patterned paper into 'keep' and 'give-away' piles. I couldn't bear the thought of giving away any of my paper so I skipped the clean up stage, despite really needing to put some new purchases away, and went straight to the scrapping. :) This was originally going to be for Mission 5, which is to create a LO entirely of scrap paper, but as I made the background I realised it was looking a lot like the Unleased LO I'm previously made in a class so I decided to make it my Mission 3 submission instead. Criteria for Mission 3 was to scraplift a LO of your own and use a minimum 5 patterned papers. I've used a range of Kaisercraft Christmas papers as I have a number of these from multiple years. I love the photo of my brother and sister and I, taken by myself this year.

Biggest Loser 2012 Progress
1. Your Desk - completed.
2. Cardstock - completed.
3. Patterned Paper 1 - completed.
4. Patterned Paper 2 - completed.
5. Scraps
6. Basic Tools
7. Punches, Dies & Embossing Folders
8. Stamps, Ink Pads & Embossing Powders
9. Alphas
10. Chipboard
11. Rub-ons
12. Embellishments
13. Buttons
14. Ribbons

Engagement Party LO - Mission 2

2012-01-21T19:36:00.000+10:00

This LO has been a major headache for me. To start with, I decided to use one of the new Kaisercard cardstocks I purchased yesterday but I didn't notice when I bought it that this one had already warped. Given I then misted the background and put acrylic paint over it it's now VERY warped. It's based on a lovely sketch from Scrapz.biz but for some reason it just didn't come together for me. :( Anyway, the photos are some more from my engagement party in September 2009. Top photo is with my brother and sister, middle is the cake and bottom two are with my grandparents and Ben's grandma.

This was created for the Scrapz.biz Biggest Loser Mission 2. The focus of this mission was cardstock. I don't keep too much cardstock. I store it in two pockets of my accordian paper storage folder, ordered by colour gradient and put new purchases away quickly so I didn't need to re-organise it. The second part of the mission was to create a LO using cardstock as the base for your layout using the following sketch by Nati. Since I normally use cardstock as my base I thought this one would be easy.

I also combined the sketch with the latest challenge from Punky Scraps. I've been watching Punky Scraps for quite a while but it seems I've never managed to get around to creating a entry. This is for Challenge 39, which was to pick at least 3 suggestions from the following list by the DT:

Kerry: Since it is the month of fresh and shiny new starts I'll choose something shiny

Cheryl: in the same vein as kerry, since you might wish to turn over a new leaf in the new year, let's have something to do with books
Misty: stenciling or masking
Jolanda: Use some charms
Ashley: have some negative space
Celina: Use silver or gold
Marie: Use Stickles
Kat: bubble wrap

There is a whole heap of shiny things on this LO (title alphas, glimmer mist, star). I used some hand-cut masks for misting the stars in the background, they only show up in the light though since I misted blue-gold on the blue background and it dried lighter than I expected. There is some negative space in the top right of the page. There is gold throughout the LO. I've use red Stickles to highlight the emblishments and finally bubble wrap for the background.

Enjoy the Moment - Mission 4

2012-01-15T17:05:00.002+10:00

Here is another completed challenge for Scrapz.biz Biggest Loser Competition. This one is for Mission 4- Patterned Paper 2. The tidy-up part of this mission was to sort out the patterned paper you had decided to keep. I already keep my paper pretty organised, with the older stuff sorted by colour and the newerstuff sorted by manufacturer. The challenge here was to scrap a layout using 4 different patterned papers to create a patchwork background using the below sketch of Sheree's as an inspiration.

I again managed to use paper scraps for the circles. I decided to distress to cover up how badly I hand cut them. :) The butterfly is from a $2 shop and the wonderful time quote is from Lil' Red Rocket. Here is the sketch we had to work from:

My Scrapz.Biz Biggest Loser Progress:

1. Your Desk - completed.
2. Cardstock
3. Patterned Paper 1
4. Patterned Paper 2 - completed
5. Scraps
6. Basic Tools
7. Punches, Dies & Embossing Folders
8. Stamps, Ink Pads & Embossing Powders
9. Alphas
10. Chipboard
11. Rub-ons
12. Embellishments
13. Buttons
14. Ribbons

Sydney Getaway

2012-01-14T21:04:00.001+10:00

My husband, Ben, turns 30 this Wednesday. He was adamant he did not want a party to celebrate so I suggested a quick getaway instead as I thought it was a milestone worth celebrating. At the very last minute he agreed and chose Sydney, NSW as his destination. We stayed at the Sir Stamford on Circular Quay and enjoyed a lovely three days wandering around the harbour.

This is the view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from the Botanic Gardens right near our hotel. I was playing with camera angles and the self-timer for this one.

Another self-timer photo, I've edited this one in Picassa.

As we walked around The Rocks we actually ended up walking under the Bridge. I liked the angles of this shot.

I have so many different shots of the Opera House from this trip. I became obsessed with the ferry boats they use from transport and often tried to capture them in my photos.

The Bridge looked amazing lit up at night. I've taken this photo after attending La Soirée at the Opera House, which was an incredible performance.

We hopped on a ferry to get from Circular Quay to Darling Harbour on the last day of our trip due to my fasination with them. I managed to not get seasick so I think it was a success! The original photo was a bit washed out so I played with it in Picassa too.

Scrapz Biggest Loser 2012 - Mission 1

2012-01-08T22:06:00.000+10:00

I had heard of the Scrapz Biggest Loser Competition last year but didn't have a chance to participate. This year however my scrap room is getting quite out of control to the point where I'm putting off scrapping because I don't want to clean it up first. I decided that meant it was time to join up and clean up.

The first mission went live today and was fairly simple: clear your desk. Put everything that doesn't belong on your desk in its rightful place. Below you can see how my desk started the process (and perhaps understand why I was putting off cleaning up).

The second part of today's challenge was to do a quick LO based on this sketch:

I was all set to do a LO using another one of my wedding photos but then I realised I've been doing a lot of those and wanted a change. I found this picture of me and my pet cat, Artemis, who still lives with my mum and dad in Melbourne and decided it would be perfect. I couldn't resist funky-ing up the background a bit with some acrylic paint and adding some bling. The kitty chipboard is from Scrapmatts.com. The paper's are all REALLY old ones I've had sitting around so it looks like I'm using up my stash already. :)

The most amazing part of this challenge is the fact that I actually cleaned up my desk again after completing the LO! See:

This year's comp will start on January 8 and will run until January 21. Every day for the next fortnight, Scrapz.biz will guide you through a step-by-step overhaul of your scrapping gear and give you a challenge to use up some of your old stash.

1. Your Desk - completed.

2. Cardstock

3. Patterned Paper 1

4. Patterned Paper 2

5. Scraps

6. Basic Tools

7. Punches, Dies & Embossing Folders

8. Stamps, Ink Pads & Embossing Powders

9. Alphas

10. Chipboard

11. Rub-ons

12. Embellishments

13. Buttons

14. Ribbons

Whilst I think I'm generally pretty organised I can surely use a hand in some of these areas, plus it's always good to go through your stash on a regular basis. You never know what you might re-discover. :)

Birdie ATCs

2011-12-31T08:50:00.000+10:00

I painted up a couple more ATCs for the All-types-of-art-athon over at ATCsForAll. Australia birds are one of my favourite themes to paint and I think I've actually used the lineart for the crimson rosella previously but I had an extra copy lying around so decided to use it. It's been quite a while since I've painted anything but it wasquite fun so I might get back into it.

X-mas with Pa LO

2011-12-30T09:52:00.000+10:00

I was looking over the inspiration LO's at Scrap Jacked recently and was again inspired by the work of Bec Miller. I'm not a very up to date scrapbooker, so there photos were from last year's Christmas but it's better late than never, right? :)

I've never done the pleated paper thing or made pattern paper flowers. The flower was a lot easier than I'd expected but the pleating was a LOT harder. Still, it's always great to try new techniques.

Below is Bec's LO that I jacked.

If you're looking for some last minute inspiration for your Christmas photos, please don't forget The Lollipop Ladies Pudding Challenge ends in 4 days! The prize this fortnight is The prize this fortnight is a $10 gift voucher to Annabelle Stamps.

1920's Lady ATC

2011-12-27T10:17:00.000+10:00

I've been home for Christmas and mum is really into Artist Trading Cards after I introduced her to them a few years ago. The forum I used to spend a lot of time on is having an 'All-types-of-art-athon' which is basically an excuse to go craft crazy for the new few days as you can create ATCs or inchies or chunkies or anything else your heart desires. You then load them to the forum and see if anyone wants to trade with you. I'd been feeling like I wanted to get back into some hand drawn art for a while so I decided to whip up a card. The athon goes for quite a few days so I'm not sure if I'll continue with some more cards once I get home or if the scrapbooking bug will bite again when I'm back to my supplies.

Anyway, after all that rambling, here is my 1920's Lady card.

Happy Holidays

2011-12-26T21:17:00.001+10:00

To all my readers, I wish you a safe and happy festive season. I hope you got to spend it doing exactly what you wanted to. Best wishes for the coming year!

My brother, sister and I on Boxing Day 2011.

Decorating the Christmas Trees!

2011-12-22T18:39:00.002+10:00

2011 has definately been the year of decorating the Christmas tree for me. It started with my family Christmas tree the first weekend of Melbourne while I was down for a wedding. My sister specially went out to buy the tree so I could take part in the decorating this year. I think my brother felt left out though, he came through a couple of nights later around 4am and accidently stumbled and took out the tree. :)

We flew back to the Gold Coast and put up our own Christmas tree the following weekend. I chose a simple gold/silver theme this year, but our lights and the star are multicoloured so it still looks funky at night. Poor little tree only managed to get one present underneath it. I thought I'd picked a winner of a present in getting Ben a new wallet since his old one is getting a bit worn, but he came home and shock the present and somehow guessed right away what it was without me even letting on that was what I was thinking of getting him! :(

Finally, we're back home in Melbourne for Christmas and we got to decorate Ben's family's tree too! This is the wonderful face my husband pulled when I asked for a nice smile. :( It was a lot of fun to be a part of their family tradition this year.

Just to finish up this very photo-heavy post, I wanted to share this photo Ben and I had taken with Santa at one of the shopping centres we visited today. So many of the big ones try to make a mint from this and charge $30+ for photo packs. This centre took the photo for us on my camera for free. Now that's what I call the spirit of Christmas!

Gold Coast '98 LO

2011-12-22T16:15:00.002+10:00

I'm spending the next week in Melbourne at my mum and dad's place and I felt like scrapbooking yesterday. This lead me to two challenges. The first is that the only photos I have done here are the ones I chose not to take with me when I moved out 5 years ago. The second is while my mum has a huge craft room, she's more into ATCs and card making so a lot of the supplies I consider staples were not available. I decided to view this as a challenge and a chance to use materials I wouldn't normally have access to.

This LO uses photos from a family holiday to the Gold Coast in 1998. Looking over the photos I was struck by two things: how badly I used to fram my photos (these weren't re-printed, they were cut from 4x6) and how little the theme parks have changed between 1998 and 2009! I have based this design on the Get Picky sketch challenge for this month.

Christmas Morning LO

2011-12-21T08:57:00.000+10:00

Good morning readers. It is with a touch of sadness I write this entry, as it showcases my last Lollipop Ladies DT submission. My term has unfortunately come to an end and they will be looking for a new DT at the start of the year. It's a great one to try for if you're just starting out working on design teams.

The inspiration over at The Lollipop Ladies was a beautiful Christmas pudding with the added challenge of Christmas. I took inspiration from the colours and the holly cluster at the top. The photo is one of my favourites of my siblings and I, a selfie taken at breakfast last year.

I have combined this LO with the challenge over at Once Upon A... Sketch. (I've decided I love challenge blogs that let you combine challenges!) The challenge over there this month was journalling about your Christmas traditions. On this LO I've journalled about the Christmas morning routine we have. It's only been in effect since my siblings and I were old enough to have partner's Christmas functions to attend as well, but I do really enjoy getting the start the day with just the 5 of us. We have so many different Christmas traditions, like mum making her fruit salad (and always running late because of it and somehow blaming us), the relaxed BBQ dinner at Nana and Pa's house, spending Boxing Day over at Chris and Tracey's house with the annual bocce tournament and watching the cricket. It's funny how as a teen you hate these things but once I moved away and wasn't able to get home for a few Christmases you really start to miss them. Anyway, the challenge also had to be based on the sketch below. I've rotated it but otherways stayed true to the design.

Just in case I don't post anything else before then, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Wedding Card

2011-12-07T17:53:00.001+10:00

I ran a bit short of time for my submission to The Lollipop Ladies this fortnight (I thought it was due next weekend!) so had to settle for a card rather than a LO. The inspiration was milk bottles with the added challenge of mostly white. Given I recently attended a friend's wedding I couldn't go past whipping up a wedding card.

Now I know it's hard to find time to make cards/LOs in the lead up to Christmas but I hope you are expired but the criteria this fortnight. The prize this fortnight is from Mad for Markers (thanks to Sammi).

Lil Red Rocket Giveaway

2011-12-06T18:56:00.001+10:00

Lil Red Rocket is having a giveaway! I was lucky enough to get in quick and purchase some of their buttons during the last sale. They are good quality so I highly recommend their products. This draw ends Sunday 11/12/11. They will be having a boy themed give-away after that.

Weekly Weigh-in: Week 3

2011-12-04T20:38:00.001+10:00

In terms of enjoyment, this has been a good week. In terms of dieting/exercise, this has not been a good week. Combining the work Christmas party wine tour last Saturday with a trip to Melbourne for a friend's wedding this weekend and associated catch ups with family has resulted ina massive jump in my weight. This probably wasn't helped by the fact I completed the weight session at the gym on Sunday but followed it up with a 5km run on Monday and couldn't walk for the next 3 days due to muscle pains. I think I need to ease my way back into it a bit more.

A friend at work has suggested we train to compete in the Gold Coast half-marathon mid next year. I've only ever taken part in school fun-runs but agreed anyway. There is a training plan provided so I'll start on that and hope having a set cardio routine helps with the weight loss. I might look at adding weights in the new year.

Week 3
Weigh-in: 75.2kg
Progress since last week: +1.7kg
Overall progress: +0.9kg
Fitness goal: 3 x 40 minute runs
Food goal: better effort at healthy snacking at home.

Also, please don't forget this week's Lollypop Ladies challenge: toffee apples and acetate. Entries close on Tuesday.

Christmas ATCs

2011-12-02T12:19:00.001+10:00

Wow, how long has it been since I last did some Artist Trading Cards? Mum was hosting a 'Christmas' swap with the critera being NOT hand-drawn or painted cards. I decided to get back into the swing of it considering how many different scrapbooking paper ranges and embellishments I have with a Christmas theme. It was a challenge to ge thte design principles happening again.

Sorry for the bad scan, I had to do it in a rush before I flew to Melbourne to give them to mum.

Weekly Weigh-In: Week 2

2011-11-26T07:31:00.001+10:00

I'm squeezing in the weigh-in early this weekend because I have my work Christmas party starting at 10.30am. We're doing a wine tour in an area that also specialises in fudge and cheese, so I think my weight may go up by the end of it. :) I was doing really well with my goals for last week for the first two days: I went to the gym for 5km runs on both Monday and Tuesday and only snacked on 5 Malteasers at work. Wednesday and Thursday I didn't get to the gym because I start work at 8am (I normally go to the gym around 6am) but I did play centre for netball rather than goal keeper so lots more running. It all came crashing down on Friday though. I only went to the gym for 20 minutes on the cross-trainer as the running had been giving my trouble with my calves. We had an 'offline day' at work, which is esentially a planning/catch-up on work day but they always involve a lot of sugary snacks and take-away for lunch.

Overall I did make some progress and lost 0.8kg which is encouraging. I'm also keeping track of measurements for my waist, butt, thighs and arms and it appears I lost all of that from my thighs so my goal now is to spread that loss around a bit more. I'm hoping if I go back to adding in some weight work at the gym that will help. I'm also going to focus on eating healthier at home. It's previously been common for me to come home from work and have a handful of chocolate biscuits and some ice cream before dinner. This week I've picked up extra fresh fruit and some yoghurt.

Week 2
Weigh-in: 73.7kg
Progress since last week: -0.8kg
Overall progress: -0.8kg
Fitness goal: Continue with 3 gym sessions, one to include a weights session.
Food goal: healthy snacking at home.

We are the Apples of his Eye

2011-11-23T19:33:00.001+10:00

This photo is one I've been meaning to scrap for a while now, because I don't get too many ones of most of my family all together anymore. It was taken after we had gone out for breakfast and bowling for Father's Day last year. Not a bad effort for a self-timer effort. :)

The background was fun, I love getting to mess with paint and I use really bubble wrap rather than the Kaisercraft stamp (though I'm starting to wonder if the stamp would be easier). The cute button down the bottom is from Lil' Red Rocket, the two flowers are from Pretty Paper Petals (so upset this store closed, I loved their stuff).

This is also my entry for The Lollipop Ladies DT. This fortnight we were inspired by toffee apples. I went with the green/red/brown/white colour scheme and used a lot of circles in my LO.

The added challenge was to use acetate. I've use a little piece for an embelishment, as you can see in the close-up below.

You can add your entry any time in the next two weeks to be in the running for a $10 gift voucher to Annabelle Stamps.

Weekend Weigh-in

2011-11-20T21:39:00.001+10:00

In the lead up to to my wedding I was going to the gym quite a bit because I wanted to look my best on the big day. I started 2011 weighing around 71kg (I'm 175cm, just so you can put it into perspective). For the last month or two before my wedding on the first of May I was going to the gym 5-6 times a week, plus playing basketball and netball as well. This resulted in me getting down to 68.5kg and looking like the photo below which was taken whilst on honeymoon. Would you look at those abs?! I had totally forgotten I had them. :)

In the 6.5 months since the wedding I have not been to the gym once and netball attendance has become sporadic. I've also started snacking on a whole lot of junk. As a result, my weight has soared to 74.5kg which is the heaviest I've even been (I managed to gain 1kg just this past week!). I've decided it's time to take action and get my butt back into shape. I work best with some kind of accountability and right now I don't have the funds to pay a personal trainer to provide that so I'm going to detail my fitness goals for the week, and hopefully my weight loss progress, here. If I can work up the courage to get back into my bikini I might add some 'in-progress' photos too.

Week 1

Weigh-in: 74.5kg

Progress since last week: 0kg

Overall progress: 0kg

Goal: attend 3 gym sessions

Food: no snacking at work

Unleashed LO

2011-11-20T08:34:00.001+10:00

My husband is down in Melbourne this weekend for his best mate's bucks party so I've been left to my own devices since Wednesday night. I decided to fill in some of the time by attending a scrapbooking class at my LSS. It's been AGES since I've done a class. The last couple of times I've had the time I haven't liked the pages that were due to be taught. Anyway, I couldn't go past this fantastic design so I decided to sign up and do another page of Ben's lovely doggie Bonnie.

Class was by Lynda of Addicted to Scrap, who now teaches at The Stampers Hut in Ashmore, QLD. Papers are by imaginessence.

Giveaway Winner

2011-11-09T21:31:00.000+10:00

So my blog giveaway ended over the weekend and I only had two entries. :( The winner was Toni Cartwright, with the runner up being Crafterkhush. If you could both get in touch with me by email at loz_ritchie @ hotmail.com and let me know your addresses, I'll get the prizes out ASAP.

You Make Me Happy LO

2011-11-09T18:55:00.003+10:00

It's been a while since I've worked with a palette of such mixed and vibrant colours, but a couple of the challenge for this month called for just this. I had a great time using up some of my left-over paperscraps making the background on this LO. The banner is differing fabrics and was such a pain! The big orange flower is by Pretty Paper Petals, the green button by Lil' Red Rocket and the other two buttons by Ronnie Doll.

The first and primary challenge I made this LO for is The Lollipop Ladies blog. Inspiration this fortnight is sour gummi worms with the added challenge of sparkles. The prize this fortnight is from Mad for Markers.

The colours of the gummi worms also tied in nicely with the Get Picky inspiration challenge #13. This challenge has the addition of having to use fabric, which can be found in both the banner and the flower.

Lastly, I used the sketch at Handmade by Suzanne as my inspiration.

Young Crafters Unite Blog Hop

2011-11-04T17:31:00.001+10:00

As you probably already know, since I'm assuming this is why you're here, Young Crafters Unite is having another blog hop. You should have come from Jessica's blog, Country Scrap.

The current challenge for this month is to create a masculine themed card. I thought I'd whip something up using some of the scraps I had from the Blue Awning range. The chipboard is from Scrapmatts and the saying is from Kaisercraft.

While I've hopefully got some new visitors to my blog I thought I'd also take a chance to promote my blog giveaway, which is ending this weekend. Full details can be found here.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you again. If you're following the blog hop you should be popping of to Scrapping and Life by Alanna. It's a blog well worth checking out, she's a lovely lady and does beautiful work.

Byron Bay Lighthouse LO

2011-10-31T22:16:00.001+10:00

If it wasn't for the last minute I don't think I'd every get anything done! :) Here is one last entry for an October challenge, this time for Scrapbook Savvy's October Sketch challenge. Even though the sketch itself is pretty simple, the design really appealed to me for some reason. I again went with a painted background, so I'm now two from two when doing LO's about Byron, I think it might be the hippie-town influence. The adorable chipboard is from Scrapmatts, I picked it up at the craft fair last week. The details of Ben's proposal are included on the blue tag hidden behind the photo.

Here is the sketch. I used it more as a guide than something to follow exactly. The LO also had to have a decorative edge, which allowed me to play with my new Martha Stewart punch on the brown cardstock.

Treasured Moments LO

2011-10-26T18:49:00.001+10:00

There's a brand new challenge up at The Lollipop Ladies so I can reveal my DT submission for this fortnight. The inspiration this fortnight is chocolate spiders with an added challenge of thread. Chocolate spiders are normally made with peanut butter which I'm allergic to and I'm none too fond of regular spiders so I was a bit stuck on this one. I decided to go with a chocolate/brown colour scheme instead and used another photo from my wedding.

The prize this fortnight is a $10 gift voucher to Annabelle Stamps. We haven't been getting too many entries recently so you'll be in with a good chance if you submit an entry. :)

Don't forget I'm having a blog giveaway with the prize pack below up for grabs. All you need to do to enter is spread the word about the giveaway and post a comment on this blog post. Entries close 6 November!

21 - Stuck?! Entry

2011-10-23T16:26:00.000+10:00

I had some friends over for a crop last night and started working on this LO. I now understand why people don't get too many pages done while on crops, we spent more time talking/laughing/eating pizza than crafting! :) Anyway, I decided to finish it up today. It seems to be missing something and Ben thinks it's too plain as well but I can't figure our what else to add. Maybe some paint splaters?

Anyway, the photos are of my brother, celebrating his 21st birthday. He's the troublesome one in our family but he has a good heart, I think it's just taking him a little longer to mature than for my sister and I. Papers for the LO are from a mix of manufacturers. This is also my entry for the Stuck?! October 15th challenge. Here is the sketch I had to work from:

Edited 31.10.11: I took another crack at it and added some more details, such as the banner to the top right, outlined the numbers and added some bling to the big patterned paper circle. I think it looks a lot more complete now.

Thanks for looking at my many blog posts today! It's been a very busy weekend for me, I also completed my DT entry for The Lollipop Ladies. Sneak peak is below. Don't forget the current challenge with the Boogey men lollipops for inspiration is still open, I'd love to see some more LO entries.

Brisbane Craft & Quilt Fair

2011-10-23T13:14:00.000+10:00

I went to the Brisbane Craft & Quilt Fair yesterday with two of my friends. They are both more into beading than scrapbooking so we ended up having to stop at almost every stall there! :) We signed up to do two classes, the first was a beading/wire work class to make a bracelet and the other was to make a wish bear. It's fun to try out new hobbies at these expo's.

I was able to complete the whole bracelet during the class. We had to make the wire beads from a length of wire, so that was a cool thing to learn. We only had time to complete this little heart from the bear kit.

I finally got the depth of field thing to work in this photo! :)

This is what the bears will eventually look like if I get around the completing the kit. It's from Krazy Kreations.

I also managed to pick up some great new products at the fair. I got that Martha Stewart corner punch set for $30, looking forward to a chance to use it. I also finally caved in and purchased some Liquid Pearls. If anyone has some tips for how to use these please share them. And of course I had to pick up some new Scrapmatts chipboard!

Blog Layout Template Dramas

2011-10-23T12:29:00.000+10:00

So I have spent the past hour trying to update my blog design and in the end I think it looks worse than when I started! :( If anyone can help me to fix the following issues it would be most appreciated:
1/ How do I centre my title?
2/ How do I get rid of the shading at the left and right edges of the reading areas?
3/ How do I get rid of the semi-transparent overlay right at the top which is changing the background colour?

Also, does anyone have recommendations for good complete design sets?

Thanks!

Giveaway extension

2011-10-21T09:04:00.003+10:00

I am running a blog giveway at the moment. It was due to end yesterday but since I only received one entry I've decided to extend it for another two weeks! The giveaway includes alphabet sets in pink and aqua, two sheets of die-cuts, 15 brads, 4 fabric embellishments and a pack of acrylic stamps, all by Kaisercraft.

As an added incentive I will also be giving away a second place prize of 15 cabochons.

How to enter:

1) Spread the word about my giveaway - this can be a post on your own blog, an update on your facebook or twitter account, anything else you can think of.

2) Leave a comment on this post telling me how you completed step one. I'd prefer the comment to also tell me what kind of blogs you follow (personal/craft/product/challenge etc) and what makes you decide to follow a blog.

Bonus entries:

For your chance to get bonus entries you can also complete the following:

1) Become a follower of my blog (please only do this if you like my work).

2) Leave a comment on any of my other blog posts about my work (maximum of three extra entries).

Competition closes midnight 6 November 2011. Entry is open to everyone, I'm happy to post internationally.

Halloween Cards - Lollipop Ladies Reveal

2011-10-12T21:06:00.000+10:00

Time for the reveal of my Lollipop Ladies design for this week. The inspiration this week was Boogeyman Lollipops with an added challenge of Halloween. I don't have any Halloween photos or papers so I went with a set of three cards instead.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with these cards now though. Anyway, the prize this fortnight is a TGF stamp (Lula) from Mad for Markers. I'm looking forward to seeing what the image below inspires you to create. :)

Also, don't forget I have a blog giveaway going on at the moment. The giveaway includes alphabet sets in pink and aqua, two sheets of die-cuts, 15 brads, 4 fabric embellishments and a pack of acrylic stamps. Entries open until 20 October 2011.

Shall We Dance LO and Lollipop Ladies sneak

2011-10-09T16:55:00.000+10:00

Scrap Jacked is another challenge blog which I've been watching for a while but never entered anything before. They pop up a variety of different LO's and you chose one to scraplift to create your entry. Some of the LO's in previous months have been pretty amazing and I think it's a great way to try out a new style. As soon as I saw Bec's wonderful DT LO for this month I knew exactly which photos I wanted to use. I probably should have interpreted the design a bit more, but I really thought it was perfect to start with. Here is my LO:

This is the LO by Bec Miller that inspired me:

I also managed to create my DT submission for The Lollipop Ladies. Are you after a sneak peak?

The current red frog challenge is open until midday on Tuesday so you've still got time to create a design to enter. I'm loving seeing all the cute frogs entered so far.

Lime Tree and Scap Addict Giveaway

2011-10-06T20:57:00.001+10:00

I'm a big fan of doilies and it just happens that Lime Tree Creations is giving away at $20 pack this month! How could you go past a chance to win this colourful lot?

Scrap Addict is also having a fantastic giveaway with the Fancy Pants Baby Mine line. I already have some of these papers but they are SO adorable! In fact, they are the only baby range I've ever bought.

Don't forget my giveaway is still open too. Since no one has commented yet your chances are looking good at being the winner!

Embellishment Giveaway

2011-10-01T14:50:00.000+10:00

I think it's important to share the good luck around when things are going well and I've got a bit to celebrate at the moment. My scrapbooking is going pretty well: I've made it onto a DT; I was the most successful exhibitor at the Gold Coast Show this year; I've managed to talk a couple of friends into taking up the hobby. My little blog is also chugging along: I've recently posted my 200th post, I've had over 2500 visitors and just made it to 40 followers. So to share it around I've decided it's time for another blog giveaway. :)

The giveaway includes alphabet sets in pink and aqua, two sheets of die-cuts, 15 brads, 4 fabric embellishments and a pack of acrylic stamps.

How to enter:

1) Spread the word about my giveaway - this can be a post on your own blog, an update on your facebook or twitter account, anything else you can think of.

2) Leave a comment on this post telling me what kind of blogs you follow (personal/craft/product/challenge etc), what makes you decide to follow a blog and how you completed step one.

Bonus entries:

For your chance to get bonus entries you can also complete the following:

1) Become a follower of my blog (please only do this if you like my work).

2) Leave a comment on any of my other blog posts about my work (maximum of three extra entries).

Competition closes midnight 20 October 2011. Entry is open to everyone, I'm happy to post internationally.

Wedding Mini Frames

2011-10-01T13:58:00.000+10:00

As anyone who checks out my blog on a regular basis might know, I'm rather fond of Kaisercraft supplies. I like the designs, I love the versatility of their double-sided paper, I have an outlet shop close by however I do wish their off-the-page projects came with assembly instructions sometimes. Maybe I should be able to figure out how to assemble an accordian book by myself but in the end it took me just as long to get these mini-frames to stand up as it did to decorate the fronts! :(

I've used the Chapter One collection of papers here, some Scrapmatts chipboard, Same & Lucy word sticks and to finish Kaisercraft rubons, pearls and rhinestones. Embelishments were deliberately kept pretty plain to keep the focus on the photos. I'm planning on setting this up on my desk at work if I can work out how to transport it there.

Close-ups of the frames. The chipboard was all embossed with UTEE to get a shiney finish. I'd forgotten how great this looks and the chipboard didn't warp like often happens when I try to get a similar effect with Dimensional Magic.

Frog Prince LO - First DT reveal!

2011-09-28T21:37:00.000+10:00

It's time for my first DT reveal for The Lollipop Ladies! The challenge prompt for this month was the delicious Red Frogs. You can see I took inspiration from both the colour and the theme. The background paper is actually from an old Kaisercraft Christmas range but where else do you turn when you need paper with both red and green? This fortnight came with an added challenge of 'movement'. I decided to make my little froggie able to slide across the page.

Below is an example of froggie in action. It also shows the original version of my LO, before I decided it was too simple. My husband Ben says he prefers the simple version - let me know which you prefer.

I've also entered this LO into the September 1 Show Us Your Stuff competition. I'm hoping they count the fact I had to hand paint the chipboard as hand-made embellishments. The challenge was sketch based, you can see the sketch below.

I'd love you to come join us at The Lollipop Ladies if you're interested in any kind of paper crafting. The prize this fortnight is a $10 gift voucher to Annabelle Stamps.

I'm on a Design Team!

2011-09-24T20:20:00.000+10:00

This is my 200th blog post and I have some exciting news to share: I have been selected to be part of The Lollypop Ladies design team! The Lollipop Ladies set fortnightly challenges for both card makers and scrapbookers alike. There are no rules, just some sweet-inspired themes set for you to use in your projects. Open to anyone to join in - come and join the fun!

The next challenge goes live on Wednesday and it's a good one. I can share a sneak peak with you below to get you interested.

Life with you is joyful LO

2011-09-18T15:25:00.000+10:00

This is a multi-challenge LO. It uses a lot of Heidi Grace designs Sweetest Bug range, which I've been holding on to for ages for just the right LO. Not much journalling on this one, but I decided I just wanted to do a pretty LO for a change.

Anyway, the Show Us Your Stuff September 15 challenge was Multi Photos, stripes and of course hand made embellies!! The flower in the bottom left if my take on their Try This technique. I didn't have any yellow felt so I had to use a fabric sample and I wanted mine to look more like a daisy than a frangipani.

The other challenge I incorporated into this LO was for The Lollipop Ladies. This is a cute little blog which provides different sweets as inspiration. I've been watching for a while but this is my first time playing with them. The Gobstoppers packaging below was this weeks inspiration. I've used the yellow background and the white-on-black title. I also think the colourful flowers on the green sheet look like little gobstoppers and I picked a smiley photo.

Wedding Dress LO

2011-09-10T15:23:00.000+10:00

I've decided to split up my previous post into seperate ones for the LO and details about the show. The LO below was completed 4.9.11 before I headed off to the Show. This is for the Challenge Heaven September sketch challenge. As soon as I saw the sketch I just knew I had to use these photos from my wedding. The doily was originally white but I've coloured it to match the LO with a mixture of tea and three different Glimmer Mists. The majority of the papers are Kaisercraft Dancing Jewel with the music and card from the Timeless range. Dress form, flowers and pearls are also Kairsercraft.

The sketch:

I've also found yet another challenge blog I look the look of. This one is called Young Crafters Unite. The challenge for this month is to colour a stamped image. I have entered my LO above as I painted the dragonfly in the top right using Tinkling H2O's. Entries are open until 15.9.11, new challenge comes out 23.9.11.

Gold Coast Show Results

2011-09-04T21:37:00.000+10:00

Today was the last day of the Gold Coast Show so Benny and I popped down to check it all out and pick up my scrapbooking entries. We have a tradition of buying a dagwood dog when at the Show but we always share it since they're really not that good.

I cleaned up in the scrapbooking competition this year! Five firsts and two thirds which lead to me being the most successful exhibitor in the scrapbooking section. Interestingly, in the two years I've entered I have placed 11 times but never come second. Anyway, here is the photo of my standing before my winning work. :)

In case you are interested, here is what I entered.

Category - Thumbnail - Place

Heritage First

Baby/Children Did not place

FestiveThird

Holiday First

Celebration Did not place

Wedding First

Pet First

Off the page First

Open Third

Please vote for me

2011-09-03T08:23:00.001+10:00

I have entered a competition Spotlight is running over at Facebook. The top five entries will each receive a $100 gift card. If you are a member of Facebook I would really appreciate you voting for my LO. Thanks!

This is my entry:

Christmas LO

2011-08-27T08:16:00.001+10:00

Here is my final LO I will be entering in the Gold Coast Show, just got it finished in time too since I need to hand these in tomorrow. I was starting to feel like all my LO's were looking a bit too much the same so decided to try a different style. This LO is inspired by the wonderful Leanne Pearce. I don't think I've got quite an much going on in the page as she does, but it's a good departure from my normal style. I really like the finished result of these sorts of pages but I struggle to busy them up when creating them.

LOTS of Kaisercraft products on this LO because I picked up a whole heap of embellishment packs from there Moorabin outlet store last time I was in Melbourne. Who could walk past 20 packs for $10? Especially when each pack normally retains for between $5 and $15. I don't care that they're 2 years old.

So, I'll be dropping off my entries tomorrow and the Show will be next weekend. I'll let you know if I win anything!

Bonnie and Thai Cooking LO's

2011-08-25T17:49:00.001+10:00

Here are another two LO's I will be entering into the Gold Coast Show. This first one is Ben's dog Bonnie for the Pet category. I purchased the frame from Scrapmatts over a year ago and have just been holding onto it. I think it works really well with the little photos of her.

This second LO is for the 'Open' category so you can enter any theme. I chose to use photos relating to the Thai cooking class Ben and I took on our honeymoon. I love this page because of the orange, it's my favourite colour and it seems to be a big favourite of the Thai people too. The class was a lot of fun and has inspired Ben to cook a lot of curries now we have returned.

My Scrap Room and Happy Birthday LO.

2011-08-23T22:05:00.000+10:00

Some people are very clean scrappers and some people are disorganised scrappers. I have to admit that I am just a disaster when it comes to organising my scrapping. I'm constantly getting halfway through projects and then just putting them on the group behind my desk. Here are some examples:

My mum recently purchased an organisational trolley for me so I could have some more storage space. This lead to a pretty big re-arrange of the entire craft room, including the wardrobe to the right of these photos. So far I've managed to keep everything nice and clean. You can see the improvement:

For those of you who are just after the scrapbooking, here is the LO I created for the 'Celebration' category for the Gold Coast Show. I think it's almost there but seems to be missing something. The photos are from my 8th birthday so almost 20 years ago.

New Sister and Eternal Love LO's.

2011-07-31T09:46:00.000+10:00

As I've mentioned earlier, the Gold Coast Show is coming up soon and I want to get a few scrapbooking entries in this year so expect my blog to get busy for the next few days. This LO is my first baby themed LO ever. I've used the sweet Baby Mine range by Fancy Pants Designs. Photo is of the birth of my little sister some 25 years ago.

This is my wedding double page LO. For some reason I really struggled on this one. I normally sit down and complete pages in a day, two at the most. This one dragged on for a whole week and I while I think it looks nice it doesn't have the punch I was hoping for. Any suggestions for improvements are appreciated.

Timeless LO

2011-07-17T09:07:00.000+10:00

Here is yet another wedding LO. :) I have so many wonderful photos to scrap I just can't help myself. Anyway, I've tried to do something a bit out of my normal style for this time one, since I was starting to feel all my LO's were looking a bit samey. This one has lots of fabric and texture. I've used two different kinds of lace, flowers from Prima (I don't normally splurge on these but figured since it was for my wedding I was allowed!), Kaisercraft, Pretty Paper Petals and some unnamed ones. Chipboard is by Kaisercraft, Scrapmatts and House of Scrapbooking. Doily is handmade by my mum. :)

On a more personal note, the Gold Coast Show is coming up again soon and I'm thinking of entering again. Those who have been reading my blog for a while will know that I entered back in 2009 and did quite well. The only reason I didn't enter last year was because we were going to be down in Melbourne that weekend and I wasn't able to collect my entries. Anyway, I've just seen the categories for this year and about half of them require the submissions to be double pages. :( I've only created about 4 doubles in the five years I've been scrapping and two of those were done as classes! Any tips or advice would be most appreciated.

Happy Harvest and Purple Pumpkin Giveaways

2011-07-15T16:04:00.002+10:00

Want a chance to win a great Happy Harvest pack? Me and the Little Rascals is giving away 6 double sided papers and a bunch of matching embellishments. It's well worth becming a following of Sam's blog as she does some lovely LO's. I really like her crisp design work.

Sam is also the owner of Purple Pumpkin which is having a massive giveaway too. Purple Pumpkin sell a great range of brads, buttons and embellishments.

Baby Card

2011-07-13T20:35:00.000+10:00

One of Ben's work colleagues is going on maternity leave and she stated she would enjoy it if everyone made her a card rather than gave her a present. I made the card below to go with our gift of a nappy bag and blanket. The elephant is because the lady has a very healthy baby growing inside her and Ben made the comparison to an elephant earlier in her pregnancy and the nickname has stuck. :)

The card itself was a bit challenging because the gender of the baby is unknown and I have NO baby supplies in my stash.

The Walk LO - Kaisercraft Saturday Sketch July #1

2011-07-10T14:49:00.000+10:00

Here is my entry for the #1 July Sketch for Kaisercraft's Saturday Sketches. I have a whole heap of different Christmas papers by Kaisercraft but my problem is none on them match the whole pile of Christmas embelishments I have! For this LO I've used the Home for Christmas paper range, Christmas Carnival stamps and Belle rub ons and brads. Wooden florish, pearls and rhinestones are also all Kaisercraft products.

Here is the sketch I worked from:

My Husband LO

2011-07-04T22:12:00.000+10:00

This is my entry for the wonderful Once Upon A... Sketch blog. The Journalling Criteria: Who is in the photo? Name the person in the photo and at least 1 fact about them. This can be personality, character, talent , achievement etc. but it must be at least 2 sentences long.

I was actually inspired from the journalling criteria to use the journalling card below and the rest of the design flowed from there. The photo is one of those taken by Daniel Sheehan on our wedding day. The brown scalloped circle is actually quite a few individual punched circles which I stuck to the back of the vine circle. Chipboard by the fantastic Scrapmatts.

The sketch provided by Nadia:

Greatest Gift LO

2011-06-27T20:34:00.000+10:00

Another 'just because' LO. I created this one during my first home-crop with two girls from work. They hadn't done much scrapbooking before and asked me to give them some pointers. It was good to have people I could share my hobby with and they have decided we should get together another day to do it all again. :) It did make me realise I have purchased a LOT of supplies over the last 5 years so I might need to go without any new purchases for a while.

Anyway, the LO just came together pretty easily and is of my and my dad on the day of my wedding.

Rock Star LO

2011-06-26T09:48:00.000+10:00

I got a bit fed up with creating so many 1-photo LO's with flowers so I decided I wanted to try something different. This month's sketch at Stuck?! was perfect! The background spray is actually more purple in real life.

Here is the sketch:

Challenge Heaven CC Blind Crop LO

2011-06-18T12:56:00.000+10:00

Last night I took part in the Challenge Heaven June cyber-crop event which will be continuing all week. They started with a game of bingo and then provided instructions for a Blind Crop. I normally wait until all the instructions are up, sketch out the general design of the LO and then pick papers and embelishments to suit. Last night I decided to just go with the flow though and am actually pretty happy with the resulting LO.

It was fun to get my stamps out again. Those leaves have turned out to be so versatile. The two-colour title was due to the fact I had run out of green 'e's. :)

Teaching Suggestions and Advice Request

2011-06-17T19:54:00.000+10:00

I have finally had a couple of friends express interest in joining me in my scrapbooking hobby, which has me tremendously excited as I think about being able to share projects, techniques, materials and tools with people. However, they have approached me to 'teach' them how to scrap and I have no idea how to proceed. As they are both very new to the hobby themselves they can't even give me any idea as to whether I should come up with a mini-class or simply display my LO's for inspiration or if I should just provide my materials and give advice as requested. Does anyone have any tips for making sure we have a good afternoon together?

Also, if you find you have some spare time this weekend feel free to stop by Challenge Heaven who are having a Day/Night themed cyber crop. Blind crop and bingo tonight, 4 challenges to come over the course of the weekend.

Kaisercraft Saturday Sketch - June #2

2011-06-15T22:03:00.000+10:00

Do you ever have a LO that you work really hard on and you're loving the way it's turning out but then you stuff it up with the finishing touches? This was one of those LO's for me. I had spent a few nights working on it, carefully cutting out those roses and piecing it all together then finally went to do the journalling and totally ruined it! Hence the paint where I had to cover up the original writing and do it again. In the end I'm pretty happy with how the LO turned out.

This is my entry for Kaisercraft's Saturday Sketch June #2. The wonderful sketch we had to work from for this week can be seen below if you want to give it a try yourself. I mixed up the English Rose and Dancing Jewel collections for the papers. I also used some Kaisercraft bling, rub-on and chipboard.

She is Beautiful LO

2011-06-12T13:06:00.000+10:00

So this is my first LO using the profession wedding photographer's work. It's for Once Upon A... Sketch,which always has a beautiful sketch and an extra journalling criteria attached. This time you had to write about a female and I chose to focus on my mum.

Papers are by Kaisercraft, I just love this Lilac Avenue collection of papers and the last time I used them was for a LO about my friend's wedding. I've used my favourite Pretty Paper Petals flowers as well as some of the stunning Scrapmatts chipboard.

Here is the sketch I had to work from. As you can see, I'm one of those boring people who doesn't really change the design too much. If you want to see what the really creative people can do check out the blog, they have an amazing design team and very talented followers.

What a Memory! LO

2011-06-05T15:05:00.000+10:00

This is a 'just because' LO, meaning I made it just because I could rather than for any particular challenge. It's the first time in a LONG time I've done that, but I just loved this photo so much and remembered I had the tiger paper and chipboard already sitting in my stash. The netting I picked up yesterday at Reverse Garbage along with some wonderful fabric samples which I'm hoping will come in handy in other projects.

I've also started working on creating a mini-album of our honeymoon, so I'm not sure how many LO's I'll have to share in the coming weeks until that is done.

Some of my favourite wedding photos

2011-05-27T19:51:00.000+10:00

We have received the DVD with the professional wedding photos and I just wanted to share of few of my favourite with you.

I am married!

2011-05-15T18:15:00.000+10:00

I've been pretty quiet on the crafting front for the last few weeks because I got married on 1 May 2011. I married my darling partner of almost 10 years, Ben, at Chateau Wyuna in Lilydale, Victoria in front of 70 friends and family. It was an amazing day. Everything went very smoothly on the day and I was very impressed with the service provided by everyone over the day.

Hair and make-up was by Rachel Rayner. She gave me exactly the natural look I was after. I thought she made my sister and bridesmaid look beautiful. She's very willing to take on advise and requests for last minute changes. A lovely person to work with and ensure you are stress-free in the preparations.

Flowers were by Suzanne's Bridal Flowers. Suzanne describes herself as providing a boutique flower service and I really think she delivered. She makes the stems of the bouquets as thin as a pen so your hand doesn't sore from holding it all day. She delivered the bridal flowers to my home at 11.30am then went to the venue at 2pm to pin on the boys button holes to make sure they were all done correctly. She stayed around during our pre-ceremony photos right until the ceremony started to make sure there were no problems with the flowers. She also provided some lovely yellow petals for our memorial display at the last minute for no extra cost.

Photography by Daniel Sheehan. The photography was one of the most important elements of our wedding day to me and Daniel was the second booking I made after securing the venue. Daniel did a wonderful pre-wedding photo shoot with us so we could ensure we would be happy with his style. We picked him for his preference for candid photography shots. He was very easy to work with during the day and took the millions of shots I asked of him. I've only seen the sneak peak shown above but I'm looking forward to seeing all the images in the coming weeks.

Transport was provided by Fleetwood Chauffeured Limousines. I can not speak highly enough of this company. They arrived 15 minutes prior to the booking time. They set up a red carpet walkway for the bride. Both cars and drivers stayed for the entire pre-ceremony photos, with the drivers coming around to all the photo sites with us and offering to help me with my dress and flowers while we walked around. The cars looks great and the ride was very smooth.

Music was provided by Ruby Strings. Unfortunately as the bride I missed most of their beautiful music but what I did get to hear was lovely. A very professional organisation they played a wonderful mix of classics and more modern songs.

Celebrant was Susan Green. When we started planning our ceremony we really didn't have much of an idea what we wanted to include. Susan helped focus our vision and was happy to give us the simple ceremony we wanted.

The ceremony and reception were held at Chateau Wyuna. The site was beautiful and just what we wanted. The staff dealt with the neverending emails promptly. Even having our co-ordinator call in sick on the day of the wedding wasn't a problem and everything went smoothly.

We went to Thailand for a 11 day honeymoon the day after the wedding. It was my first time overseas and an amazing experience. As you can see below, we patted tigers and rode elephants. We also did a 3 day trek across the mountains, white water rafting, cycling tour, windsurfing and so much more.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T21:41:00.002+10:00

Just a quick selfie to wish everyone a very happy Easter. Ben's mum hid 40 eggs in the backyard just so Ben and I could have an Easter Egg hunt! I hope everyone is enjoying some time with family over this long weekend.

Bonbonairies

2011-04-17T07:53:00.000+10:00

I've been doing fairly well creating one craft project a week for the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately, my upload for this weekend is wedding related. I had to create 72 bonbonairies which will double as place tags for my wedding, which is coming up in TWO WEEKS! After spending hours looking through all the different products we could order, we decided just to make our own. I couldn't bring myself to be spending $5, or more, on each person for something they generally forget to take or throw away anyway. We went with the bottles below filled with jelly beans to match our colour theme.

Another reason for my lack of craftiness this weekend is the fact I'm in Melbourne this weekend for my second Hen's Night. We did burlesque dancing and life drawing followed by dinner down the road. It was fantastic and very funny! You can see a group photos of us, including the lovely model, below. :) If anyone is interested in doing something similar I highly recommend Hen's Love Art in Fitzroy. Miss Tanleea is a wonderful hostess and is happy to accomodate most requests.

Hair & Make Up Trial LO

2011-04-09T20:51:00.000+10:00

I have been watching the Show Us Your Stuff blog for a while now and really enjoy their challenges however I haven't found time to enter prior to now. This month was a pretty specific challenge: you had to use pink, blue and yellow along with their sketch and include a handmade item. I received a pack of new Pretty Paper Petals flowers as part of their monthly club and was so happy to see these adorable yellow/blue/white felt flowers included. I've added the pink buttons to tie them in to the overall colour scheme.

I mentioned a few posts ago that I noticed a lot of the published LO's contain a number of more layers and details than I normally add so I made an effort to add more to this LO. I hope you can see the distressing and the stitching around the circle. I'm happier with the result.

Here is the sketch we had to work from. I had to change it a bit because of the size of my photos. I didn't intend to use so many flowers but the clusters both just built up as I went. :)

Engagement Party LO

2011-04-04T17:48:00.000+10:00

I'm getting married in less than a month which means my two year engagement is about to end, so I figured it was probably time to scrap some photos from the event! :) This is my entry to the Once Upon A ...Sketch blog for their first ever competition. Nadia is one of the founders of the blog and she does the most wonderfully detailed LO's, as do a number of the other DT members. I tried to incorporate more layers and details into my LO than I normally would. Chipboard is from Scrapmatts, love their stuff!

Here is the sketch I worked from, in case you're interested in entering. You also had to have handwritten journalling of 25 words or more.

Gold Coast Hen's Night Celebrations!

2011-04-03T07:58:00.000+10:00

I am getting married in 28 days and to celebrate some of my friends here on the Gold Coast decided to throw me a Hen's Night. Their offer to throw the party was unexpected and most appreciated. We had a High Tea at Lauxesin Broadbeach. Just a tip - it's not a good sign when you have to ask for the pots of tea to be served, at the end of the high tea! :)

This is me before we left home showing off my pretty new dress. :)

With my friends Emma and Emma.

Back at home with Lynda and Amanda.

It was a fantastic afternoon/evening with lots of laughing and just general catching up with friends.

CraftExpo Cards

2011-03-27T16:52:00.000+10:00

Today I went to the Brisbane CraftExpo with my friend, Sarah. We did a beaded necklace class to start with but I sucked at that so there's no picture. :) We also did a card marking class with Scrapmatts. I love their chipboard so I couldn't pass this up. Here are the three cards we created:

We also did a really quick make and take at Kazazz which was the cute frog card.

I got to check out Papercraft Showroom with 50 scrapbooking LO's. It was great to see them in person rather than in magazines. I think the thing that stood out the most was the depth in these LO's, so many different layers and so many with 3D effects. Maybe me feel like my work isn't up to scratch but I guess it really just shows where I've got room to improve.

Giggle LO

2011-03-27T16:28:00.000+10:00

I have finally managed to create 4 LO's in the one month for Challenge Heaven so I'm eligable for prizes this month. :) This is entry number four for the themed challenge: Smiles, frowns and funny faces with twine on the layout. My twine is on the tag and I think I've covered all three expressions with these photos. I handmade all the flowers on this LO, pretty proud of myself there.

Kaisercraft Saturday Sketch Card

2011-03-26T18:48:00.000+10:00

Kaisercraft went with something different for their sketch this Saturday and gave us a card rather than a LO. I don't make too many cards but decided this would be the perfect chance to use up some of my left over Christmas papers. So here is my entry for MARCH SKETCH CHALLENGE #4.

Here is the sketch Kaisercraft gave us to work with.

Once Upon A Sketch Giveaway

2011-03-23T20:55:00.001+10:00

I have found a new challenge blog which I wanted to share with you. It's call Once Upon A ... Sketch and it has been created to try to get people back into journalling on their LO's. I think this is a great idea, as I'm normally very passionate about ensuring I include some kind of journalling on my pages but recently I've noticed a lot more of them have just the basics.

The blog has just started so they're running a competition to try to increase awareness. If you're interested in journalling or just want a chance to win the yummy prize pack below, check them out!

Challenge Heaven embellishment swap

2011-03-22T22:00:00.000+10:00

Besides running great monthly challenges, Challenge Heaven has also started running monthly swaps. I missed last months, which was ATCs. :( This month they decided to run an embellishment swap with two themes: robots and Easter. I signed up for both and came up with the following items.

It's odd but whenever I sign up for embellishment/journal block swaps I always head straight to my rubber stamps. Yet when I'm actually scrapping for myself I almost never use them. I hope these are acceptable to the group. Both are stamped in plain black in and coloured in watercolour pencil.

The Dress LO

2011-03-20T12:56:00.000+10:00

Here is my third entry for Challenge Heaven's March contest. This is for the sketch challenge. As soon as I saw the sketch I thought it would be perfect for these photos of my picking up my wedding dress. It's not often I get to do a flowery LO so this was a change. The tissue paper flowers are from Pretty Paper Petals, I love these and will probably order more soon.

The sketch I had to work from:

2009 -What a Year LO and a look at my craft room

2011-03-19T14:53:00.000+10:00

First up we have my second entry for Challenge Heaven this month. This is for the Word challenge: it had to have 'year' in the title and strip journalling. Why would I chose to do a page based on 2009 in 2011? Well, for one I almost always seem to run about a year behind on special events but the other reason was I cleaned up my desk last weekend and discovered a list of major events in 2009 so I decided to scrap them. Pretty simple LO, really wanted to keep the focus on the memories.

In case anyone was wondering what my newly cleaned and re-organised scrapping area look like, I have taken a photo to show off. Please ignore the mess under the table, I didn't quite get around to cleaning everything on the floor. :)

Healesville Sanctuary LO

2011-03-12T08:51:00.001+10:00

Friday is the one night of the work week I don't have an activity scheduled so I decided to celebrate by creating a new LO. This is for Kaisercraft's March Sketch #1. I have used the La Di Da Collection of paper here, as well as rhinestones, pearls and a mini clear stamp for the bird. Chipboard swirls are from Scrapmatts, tissue-paper flower is from Pretty Paper Petals. I've only changed to sketch slightly to suit my photos better. If you like Kaisercraft products then stop by their blog to check out their Saturday Sketches. They offer a first prize of $50 worth of new products!

An amazing giveaway

2011-03-08T21:10:00.000+10:00

If you're interested in winning some great scrapbooking supplies then head on over to Me and the Little Rascals because they have a fantastic giveaway going on at the moment. Entry is easy and Sam's work is beautiful so well worth signing up to watch.

Smile LO

2011-03-06T10:56:00.000+10:00

Entry number one for March at Challenge Heaven. This is for the colour challenge which this month was red and blue, extra criteria was to include a love heart. Turns out I don't actually have a lot of simple navy or red patterned paper so this was difficult for me. I ended up changing the colour of the chipboard, the doily and the title stickers to get them all too match. I really love the photo and the chipboard florish from 2Crafty.

Pancake Preparation LO

2011-02-21T17:54:00.000+10:00

My entry for Kaisercraft's February Sketch Challenge #3. I've used a mix-up of different Kaisercraft Christmas themed paper ranges, as well as rub-ons, journal tages, chipboard, pearls, rhinestones and mini alphas.

Here is the sketch I had to work from.

Love This City LO and Pencil Eye ATC

2011-02-20T10:27:00.000+10:00

This is my first entry for February's Challenge Heaven. It's for the 'transport' theme and had to use inks. I've picked a photo of Ben and I on a tram at Melbourne and used some old packaging paper which has different maps on it as the main background paper. The big embellishment cluster is a bit different for me but I'm really happy with the end result.

This ATC is the final one in the series for the pencil/charcol swap I'm taking part in.

Giveaways and Pretty Petal Club

2011-02-18T14:11:00.000+10:00

Hello blog visitors! If you're anything like me then you're always looking for a way to acquire new craft supplies. A lot of the blogs I watch often run giveaways and I thought I'd take a moment to let you know about two of them which are running right now.

Stuff 2 Scrap are giving away 2 packages of their new goodies (as well as some old favs). This is a fantastic chipboard company and I have been very happy with their products any time I've used them in the past. I would be SO happy to be able to add some more to my collection. Comp Details.

Purple Pumkin is another small store/blog I stumped across during my blog hopping. They do a whole range of cute vibrant buttons, doilies and brads. Their current give-away pack can be seen below. Comp Details.

Lastly, for anyone who is a bit of a hand-made flower addict like me you simply must check out the Pretty Petals Club. The store sells great quality products all hand-made to order. If you join the club you get: 2 packs of the most popular flowers each month; 1 pack of the newest flower release each month; Exclusive Discounts; Inspiring Tutorials from the talented Design Team and Automatic entry into the monthly prize draws. Here is the pack being sent out for Feb.

The Life I Imagined LO

2011-02-14T21:27:00.000+10:00

I recently stumbled across a new challenge blog, which unfortunately has just announced it's closing, and it had this fantastic tutorial for a paint-covered LO. I've kept my LO pretty close to the example as I just loved it so much. Photo is me in around Grade 10, stumbled across it on my last trip home and it just cried out for me to scrap.

Pencil Portrait ATCs

2011-02-13T08:37:00.002+10:00

ATCsforAll.com has a pencil/charcol swap running at the moment. Since I enjoy working with lead pencils I just had to sign up. It's taken me a while to decide what theme I wanted to go with but last night I decided on portraits. Here are the two I completed last night.

Devoted LO

2011-02-07T14:43:00.000+10:00

I'm a BIG fan of Kaisercraft products and I recently found out they run Saturday Sketches which provide the chance to win a stash of goodies. I've used the Love Notes range of papers here. I went with only one page of the sketch as I don't often do doubles but kept the idea of a pouch by creating a little envelope in which I've placed some love notes on journal tags I created.

Here are the love notes, created using the Kaisercraft 'Forever' rub ons.

The sketch for Feburary Challenge #1.

Cherished Memories LO

2011-02-06T15:12:00.000+10:00

This would have been my fourth entry for last month's Challenge Heaven competition, however I didn't complete it in time. This was for the themed challenge which was 'Grandparents' and had to have a Kraft base. The journalling is Ben's words reflecting on the death of his Grandpa in November.

Landscape ATCs

2011-02-02T21:40:00.000+10:00

ATCsforAll.com has a swap running with the theme of painted landscapes. Even though it's been a while since I've done any painting I decided to sign up and use the swap to give me a reason to get messy again. I went with Australian landscapes because I think I live in a beautiful country, even if we're facing way too many natural disasters at the moment. :(

2011-01-15T18:45:00.000+10:00

My third entry for the Dec/Jan Challenge Heaven competition. This one is based on the sketch below. I found these papers by My Mind's Eye, part of the Alphabet Soup range, in a new scrapbooking store near my work. They're not the kind of colours I would normally use but for some reason they captivated me and I had to buy them.

Old Time Fun LO

2011-01-09T17:05:00.000+10:00

I'm on fire at the moment. :) This is my second entry to Challenge Heaven's Dec/Jan challenges. I originally made this LO for the Sketch challenge, however after I finished I realised it also suited this month's colour challange of Brown, Green and White with 2 photos. I decided I'll pop this into as my colour challenge entry and do another Sketch LO. The green is actually more vibrant in real life, but disappointed with how this one scanned.

A day at the races LO

2011-01-08T16:04:00.001+10:00

My first entry for the combined December/January challenges over at Challenge Heaven. This is my entry for the Quote Challenge, criteria were to use the title 'A day at the ...' and it had to have ribbon or twine. I thought this was perfect since I've been meaning to scrap these photos since July 2007 and I used the ribbon I actually wore in my hair that day.

I actually hand-stamped the entire purple background paper with Versamark watermark ink pad and a Kaisercraft stamp to get that effect. The crocheted flower was originally white and made by my mum, however I sprayed it with Glimmermist to fit the LO. I'm pretty happy with how the papers worked together, I've been a bit lazy recently using the same paper schemes so it was good to mix and match this time round.

Make Me Happy ATC's

2011-01-04T07:37:00.000+10:00

Since I had some time off over Christmas/New Year, I spent a bit of time back over at ATCsforAll.com. One of the games they play is called 'Make Me Happy'. It's a kind of pass-it-on swap, where you select a topic from the post above you to make an ATC in that theme and then list three themes for an ATC you would like to receive. Over time a few off-shoots of the game have sprung up with specific restrictions. I volunteered to make a cow in the 'All Media' game, a gnome in the 'Colourful and Whimsical' game and a white rabbit from American McGees Alice in Wonderland in the 'Character' game.

2010 Santa Hunt LO

2010-12-28T21:24:00.000+10:00

I saw a great sketch over at Get Picky and have been waiting for the right photos to use. Since the competition closes tonight I only just scrapped my entry in but I'm actually really happy with the end result. The Santa Hunt really is my favourite part of Christmas and I'm so happy I finally got a chance to scrap about it. The Santa chipboard on this LO is adorable and his fur actually is puffy.

Anyway, if you like doing multiple photo LO's then check out Get Picky.

This is the sketch the LO was based on.

Christmas and Whimsical Bird ATCs

2010-12-24T22:37:00.000+10:00

It's been a while but here are a few new ATC's I created in the past few days. Since it's so close to Christmas I was feeling festive, hence the Christmas Pixie and Christmas Fairy. The birds were just because I was in the mood for something easy. While I'm happy with the sketches for the birds, I'm not happy with the colouring because they were both done on weird backgrounds. I might try them again once I get home and have my own supplies at hand.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas!

Christmas with Grandma T LO

2010-12-22T10:02:00.000+10:00

It's been a while but this LO is actually a 'just because' LO, it wasn't created for any challenge or competition. We had a family photoshoot at the Christmas dinner with Ben's gradma and I decided I wanted to scrap it. Since I'm staying with fmaily in Melbourne at the moment this could have been a bit of a problem, but I have already purchased a huge new stash and also raided some of my mum's supplies. Pretty happy with the end result and I enjoyed getting to use Mum's cuttlebug for the photo mat.

I hope you all have a great Christmas and if you get to spend it with family enjoy it for the blessing it is.

30th Birthday Rock Star Costume Party

2010-12-19T09:05:00.000+10:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything crafty and since I'm in Melbourne for two weeks it may be a while longer still. I wanted to prove I'm still alive though, so I have some photos from a recent 30th's birthday party we attended where you had to come dresses as your favourite rock star. I chose Pat Benatar and my fiance Ben chose Freddy Mecury from Queen.

My inspiration pictures (The book isn't too bad a read if you're interested in Pat Benatar):

My costume consisted of a stripped shirt from FCUK which I purchased at the airport on my way to Melbourne for the party (nothing like last minute to get things done!), some vinyl leggings from Supre which were actually my finace's (he had purchased them the previous year for a work Christmas party), a belt my mum purchased for me, my mum's wig and lots of blush to get those cheekbones. Unfortunately, I hadn't packed my boots for Melbourne so I had to make do with sky high peep toe heals.

Christmas Advent Calendar

2010-11-28T17:20:00.000+10:00

I decided I wanted to make our Advent calendar this year using the Kaisercraft kit rather than buy a cheap one from the supermarket. It took me a whole three-day weekend but I now have it completed and filled with lollies ready to start on the 1st!

Bird-A-Thon ATC's

2010-11-27T13:36:00.000+10:00

I normally trade my ATCs over at ATCsforAll.com and even though I haven't been making too many of them recently I still pop in every now and then. I found out they were having a Bird-A-Thon this week, which involved everyone getting together and making as much bird themed art as they could and then we all go crazy with trades. Given birds are one of my favourite themes to collect I just couldn't pass this up.

Here are the four I've come up with so far:

Family Fun LO

2010-11-14T17:08:00.000+10:00

For the sketch challenge at Challenge Heaven. This month the sketch was by Inspired Blueprints. Couple of old photos from my childhood on this one.