Finally got the chance...

to try out my Cuttlebug (which I won over at ScrapbookOutletNZ). Wow it is so easy to use, it even comes with a die/embossing set! I have ordered this (amongst other items) from SBO so hope the nice courier person turns up soon so I can play some more.

I see the new sketch has been uploaded to SBO - the second best thing I enjoy doing (scrapping-wise) is to create a layout based on a sketch. In case you didn't already know it the first best thing I enjoy doing (scrapping-wise) is to SCRAPLIFT/JACK a layout.

I am all about getting photos/memories into albums, so by scraplifting/jacking or following a sketch I don't need to think too hard. I do have to choose the photos, papers/cardstock, embellishments etc but that is the fun part, don't you agree?

Well I am heading back to my scrapping desk to create a layout based on the aforementioned sketch challenge. ( I will upload it to this blog post when I'm finished).

edited to add the layout...


I have blurred the last line of the journalling as is not very p.c.
R

Pink pjays & a Santa hat

It got to 8pm Christmas day/night and I realised that there were no photos taken of me, so I popped on a Santa hat and took some self portraits.


I am hoping to take a 'self-portrait-a-day' starting on 1st January 2008, and on seeing my poor result realise I am going to need a gorillapod (bendy tripod thing) or something similar. LOL

Anyway this post is to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I can't wait to do some scrapping but may need to spend a few days sleeping as I am not feeling very well. Dontchya hate it when you finally get a chance to slow down after a busy few months only to get sick?!!!
R

New Kiwi Jack Me Up challenge posted

Looky here for the newest layout to jack. It was my choice this time around and I love love love how my jack layout turned out. (Just need to do one similar of Alyse now).


I was rapt to win the second prize, of a Cuttlebug in the recent Twilight Gala Bash over at ScrapbookOutletnz. How exciting, I have absolutely no die cutting machine so can't wait for my prize to turn up!

Wendy Smedley recently linked my blog on her blog! WOW that is soooo awesome, I have no idea how she found my blog in the first place, but find it she did. You have to know how famous Wendy is, to realise that to be linked is very special.

R

Crafting Connection

(warning... this is a very long post)
Sadly Crafting Connection has been and gone and it was even better than I could have imagined. KiwiScraps put on an awesome event with Stacy Julian, Wendy Smedley, Renee Pearson and Nic Howard. I took classes with each of these talented scrappers and couldn't possibly pick a favourite tutor or class. I was inspired in each and every class but learnt the most in Renee's digital classes. I can see me doing some Hybrid scrapping real soon.

I travelled to Wellington with friends Liz and Wendy and we had such fun, eating, rooming, shopping, scrapping and talking together, we made a great team. We stayed in Wellington from Friday till the Monday. It was a fairly quick drive down to Wellington but the nine hour drive home was way better than any trip I could do with my DH and kids (they prefer to go from A to B in the quickest time possible). We stopped whenever we liked to take photos, to shop, to eat, and to shop and eat some more!

I managed to get some of my CC2007 projects finished on my return home, before I was struck down with a rotavirus type bug (my travelling companions and others that were at CC2007 got the same bug). I didn't even feel like scrapping so that will tell you how yuck I felt for almost a whole week!

However we are all well again. So without further ado here are some of the projects from CC2007...


This is my first attempt at a Digital layout using the Tinkering Ink kit, WOW its amazing what you can do in Photoshop! Thank you Renee, for all your tutoring and advice. Also a huge thank you to Kayce Rehn and Kent Pearson for your assistance in class. (Kent made me feel famous see his blog post here. Kent is a lovely lovely man)










The design for this layout was based on a magazine cover (as seen here). I thoroughly enjoyed Wendy Smedley's class about how Simple Scrapbooks go about choosing layouts for their mag covers.






This LOVE layout design was based on the cover layout from this issue of Simple Scrapbooks.

(These photos of Dad with Alyse and Taylor as babies are very precious to me).

This layout is one I can see myself using again and again, and by rotating the design, using different patterned papers and/or embellishments it will look different each time.




This was project was from another Wendy Smedley class. It is mounted on a huge piece of chipboard. Wendy intended the board to be hung in our scrapping space and to include a statement while we love to scrap. The plastic pockets at the bottom were to house various inspiration pieces cut from magazines etc. I wanted my project to hang in Alyse's bedroom at school so changed the statement to a family one and added fave family photos. That reminds me, Wendy wanted to see my final project, I must email a photo of it to her soon.

Nic Howard had us all working fast to complete our notebooks. I loved the stamps Nic had commissioned for her classes, I can't wait till my sets arrive. Nic is so down to earth and what she says makes sense. I want to scrap like her, well I will never be as creative as her but I want to learn to journal just like her!

I have quite a few projects to complete including one more of Nic's mini albums, Stacy's finish line album (boy she had me scurrying to crop crop crop the 6x4 photos that I vowed never to crop - I love how they look now LOL) and a mini album of Wendy Smedley's.






BTW - we got a TONNE of product in our class packs, and some awesome freebies as part of our event registration. These alone were worth the cost of the classes.

Oh I wish sleep, work and chores didn't get in the way of my scrapping!
R

The new jack is up...

this time Monique/Meek has chosen Andrea Senn's beautiful layout, and here is my version in its entirety.

Go and check out the blog , then give this jack challenge a go yourself and link us up!

R

Kiwi Jack Me Up

The next challenge should go up tonight, so keep checking HERE for the new one. I love my version as it is using colours that I love.
R

All day cropping

Here are a couple of layouts I completed at a recent all day crop (will share the rest another time).

The "You are a beautiful poser" one of Alyse is a scraplift of Cathy Blackstone and the one of me as a 'tween-ager' (untitled at this stage) is a scraplift of Stacey Sattler, both are Garden Girls at 2peas.

Music challenge layout

TIME AFTER TIME...


is the song title for the latest Music in Me challenge. One of the lines in the lyrics of this Cyndi Lauper song is suitcases of memories, I was going to base my challenge layout on those three words and use the photos of my Nan's old leather suitcase. While researching the journalling about Nan's suitcase I realised that it would involve researching a branch of my family tree. Now whilst I really want to get into geneology, I do want to get my kids scrapbooks sort of up-to-date first, so have changed my mind of the layout for the challenge to this one about something I repeat, time after time! (I will do the suitcases of memories layout one day for sure). Thank you for the challenge Neen.
R

Last minute scrapping

Instead of packing for Melbourne I created a couple of quick layouts for the latest round of Garden Girl scraplift challenges at 2peas.




My YOU layout is a scraplift of Tracy Miller's
LAUGH layout















and this layout titled SUMMER FUN is my scraplift from Carrie Owen's gallery, based on her CONFUSED layout.





I had better get back to that packing now.
R

More scraplift layouts

Here are the rest of my layouts for the Garden Girls scraplift challenge (now I can get back to the washing so I can pack my bag for my little Melbourne holiday with Wendy)

This is a scraplift from Amy Grendell's 2peas gallery

This one is a scraplift from Anne Langpap's 2peas gallery


and this one was scraplifted from Wendy Bretz's 2peas gallery


I am starting to add different sized layouts into our albums after being inspired by some of the other Garden Girls. This was a big change for me who prefers to have everything 'uniform' in shape and size. See the idea here, I have been adding 6x6, 8x8, 8.5x11 (landscape and portrait orientation) and even 6x12 sizes into our albums!
R

Scraplift challenges

In case you don't know already, I love a good scrapping challenge, they motivate me to scrap layouts, now that's not a bad thing is it!?!?!

One of my favourite challenges is the Garden Girl Scraplift challenge over at 2peas. Below is my scraplift of Veronica Ponce's beautiful layout



Aren't we just such a cute couple of people!?LOL
(6x6 layout with 1.8 x 1.8 photos)

Hope to get three more scraplift layouts done over the weekend, will upload those when I can (also have layouts to upload that I completed whilst on holiday in Auckland recently).
R

it's NOT the real thing

In the 1970's the slogan for Coca-cola (a.k.a. Coke) was "is the real thing" based on a song sung by the New Seekers...

On a hilltop in Italy We assembled young people From all over the world To bring you this message From Coca-Cola Bottlers All over the world It's the real thing - Coke. And they sang...

I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing
New Seekers

(Coca-Cola 1971 Commercial)


I'd like to buy the world a home
And furnish it with love
Grow apple trees and honey bees
And snow white turtle doves.

Chorus:
I'd like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I'd like to buy the world a Coke
And keep it company
That's the real thing.

(Repeat chorus)
I'd like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I'd like to buy the world a Coke
And keep it company
That's the real thing

Chorus 2:
What the world wants today
Coca-Cola (background)
Is the real thing

(Repeat chorus 2)
What the world wants today
Coca-Cola (background)
Is the real thing

I'd like to teach the world to sing
Sing with me (background)
In perfect harmony
I'd like to buy the world a Coke
And keep it company
That's the real thing

(Repeat chorus)
I'd like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I'd like to buy the world a Coke
And keep it company
That's the real thing.

(Chorus 2)
What the world wants today
Coca-Cola (background)
Is the real thing

(Repeat chorus 2)
What the world wants today
Coca-Cola (background)
Is the real thing

Anyway when I read Neen's latest challenge about the Gwen Stefani song "the real thing" I started singing the Coke ad song (showing my age yet again). Soooo I just had to create a layout about my new addiction (well new since June 2006) which is actually NOT the real thing, as my Coke flavour of choice has no sugar. It is my once or twice daily treat to have a can of Coke ZERO. (I used a photo of the bottle for the layout rather than of the cans I buy, cos I liked the shape of the bottle, oh and the 'be COOL' Urban Lily chipboard accent on the flower was too bright for my colour scheme so I inked it then sealed it with dimensional magic). Thanks for the challenge Neen.



Now anyone who is 40 years old plus, put your hand up if you sang the above lyrics! hehehe

R

Yes another challenge layout

Hmmm even for me this one is a K.I.S.S. layout (keep it super simple). I think if you click on it a larger view will open up so you can read the journalling. (if you can be bothered).

I have been wanting to record the memories of some of my fave childhood TV programs and the latest dare (no#30) over at NZDares was the perfect kick in the rear to get this one done. If I have time before I go away then I will try and create another layout for the challenge, this time about "H.R. Puf n Stuf". It's the TV show I loved/hated as a kid, actually it was only Witchiepoo that I hated. I have been able to watch the old episodes of both Little House on the Prairie and Puf n Stuf on youtube.com which brought back even more memories.

I have a tonne of page kits made up to take to Auckland with me so if the boys (DS and a student from his school that we are having to stay over the school hols), go to sleep reasonably early then I can scrap away quite happily and not feel so guttered that I am missing out on a ScrapPink crop.
R

The grocery shopping challenge

I think I used to enjoy grocery shopping, many many years ago, before I got fat! Then I could buy anything I wanted and ate it! (no wonder I have a weight problem)!!! LOL

Nowadays it is just another weekly chore. I created this layout in response to Vicky's challenge over at SBO. Thank you Lisa for coming to my aid and taking the photo of me with the trolley, you did great even though we had cars whizzing around us in the carpark!


I am wanting to create another layout about groceries for each of the kids albums. I want to include photos of our staple items (eg bread, milk, meat, ice cream (LOL), bananas, cleaning products etc etc) and compare the prices from the year they were born and the year they turned ten and maybe if I remember I can add to the layout when they turn 20years old and so on. Could be very interesting. (may even check out the old newspapers at the Library and include the cost of those same items when I was born)!!!

R

Wendy - you asked for it!!!!!

Some of you may remember my good friend Wendy from a layout I uploaded in an earlier post, well it turns out she is a blog stalker!!!! We caught up for morning tea today and she gave me one of those proverbial kick in the butt lectures cos I haven't updated my blog for awhile...well Wendy, I do try to keep this blog scrap related so here is a photo of YOU - scrapping!!!!! hehehe


If anyone else is a blog stalker then please leave me a comment to let me know who you are, then I can add you to my favourite blogs to stalk!!!

btw - I may have some layouts to share over this coming weekend.

R

My latest KJMU layout

I thought I would post my latest jack layout here too, its a little bit different for me, but still ultra K.I.S.S.

I took inspiration from the white/pink/black of Christi's layout and of course the butterflies. I love smoochy photos and this one of my Dear Dad and Alyse is extra special.


This layout will easily fit in a 12x12 page protector and I think I will make a few more layouts with shaped backgrounds (star, flower etc).
R

No#8 Wired challenge

The latest NZ Dare challenge...

Your mission if you choose to accept it is.... to use those quirky phrases or words that are without a doubt 100% pure Kiwi, that curious Kiwi slang that sets us apart from the rest of the world! You can use it as your title, in your journalling or on an embellishment...anything as long as there is a phrase or word on there somewhere!

Here is my layout...

Not the best photos of my brother and I but I love these fun photos all the same!
R

Rainy weekends are the BEST

...well maybe not the best days to get washing dry but they are the best days to get some scrapping done!

Not the clearest of photos on this one, but still, they are a snapshot of me at seventeen. I wonder if this concrete elephant is still at Kuirau Park in Rotorua, must have a look next time I am there.


I would tease TJ almost every day, asking him this question... and he always had a cute reply!


The you you you you you and many hats layouts below, I created for a "limited ingredients" challenge by Vicky Gibson at ScrapbookOutletnz, during a recent cybercrop. (hmmm seems the title is a bit hard to see on many hats)




I hope to get some more scrapping done before heading off to see Mum and Len.

If you have created something this weekend then post a link in the comments section so I can check it out.

ETA: the next KiwiJackMeUp layout has been posted, check it out and post a link to your layout, to be in the draw to be a guest jacker, its a doozy, so what are ya waitin for, click on that link!

R

Keep checking...

The next jackee will be posted on the KiwiJackMeUp blog today, so keep checking back to see the fantastic layout chosen by Neen, and the jacked layouts by Meek, Mich, Neen, myself and our guest jacker Hannah.
Here's to a scrappy weekend.
R

I won another prize!!!

I recently answered a survey for Janine about a product she and some others are "designing" for a technology paper.
I was excited to read an email from Janine this morning saying my name had been drawn out to win a voucher to spend at Scrapbook Essentials, by way of a thank you! I bought these...

I have wanted some of these cool rub ons for awhile now and am so looking forward to using those humungous brads. Thank you Janine and uni friends!
R

I am on a winning streak

I think I should take a lotto ticket this weekend cos I am on a winning streak.

A few weeks ago I submitted a layout for the ScrapbookOutletNZ forum challenge (the SMILE layout below) and won an autographed copy of Nic Howard's book "that's life". I recommend this book for great journalling ideas, plenty of beautiful layouts and zillionz of hints to find scrapbook inspiration in "the everyday". Love this idea!

Then I got a shock to see my name had been drawn for this lovely Fiskars prize package for my layout "the call" (see layout in the July 24th post) for the NZDares birthday challenge. I love Fiskars products, even DH was impressed with my prizes and agrees that I should be buying that lotto ticket. LOL

I have to admit that neither of these layouts were chosen for their wonderful style but you gotta be in to win ay?! I prefer the prize challenges where they pull a name from the hat so everyone who enters has a chance to win. Congrats to the other prize winners too. We rock! LOL
R

Kiwi Jack Me Up deadline looming

Don't forget to post your Roo-Jack layout over at Kiwi Jack Me Up. The deadline is this Saturday 4th August.
R

NZ Dares 1st Birthday

Here is my layout to celebrate the NZ Dares 1st Birthday.
This is about something that is heard quite often from our place when the kids are hanging out around the neighborhood. DH hates it when I "coooeeee" but it works, it has the kids running back home straight away!!! (I have actually been known to call out "coooeeee" in the supermarket if the kids have lagged behind!! hehehe).
(this layout is for my DS's album, but I have recreated it in different colours for DD's album and my BOM).
R

Challenge layout

I love a challenge, especially one challenging me to create a Book of Me (BOM) layout. Check out the original challenge blog here. (Challenge #2)
It reminded me about some photos I had taken in September 2006 to mark my turning 15,000 days old... and here is my layout for the challenge using these photos!

Yay it's Friday

No plans today, so once DS is out the door to school (at 7.30am) I am home alone till 2.45pm when I need to get out the door to pick up DS & DD from school.
I may scrap, I may surf the net, I may read some magazines, I may watch a movie or two on SKY and I may even draw the curtains closed, lock the door, turn off the phone and put up a PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB sign. (You know I may even catch up on some sleep as I have not slept right through the night for months!)
I am so looking forward to today, lets hope the hours drag by!
Oh btw there are only 89 sleeps till DF Wendy and I go to Melbourne!!! Yaaay. Hopefully they will not be broken night sleeps! LOL
R

Kiwi Jack Me Up challenge

I have been on tenterhooks all week. On one hand I have been excited about my choice for this round of the Kiwi Jack Me Up challenge, but on the other hand I have been worrying how Ruth would feel about being chosen. Phew thank goodness she feels honoured. Thanks mate, love ya and love your paintings and layouts!

Here is my jack, but please head to the KJMU blog to check out Ruth layouts and the others created by the team, Monique, Janenne, Michelle and our guest jacker Julie.
I can't wait to see what everyone else's jacks look like.
R

layouts and more layouts

I have been scrapping up a storm and these are some of the 15 layouts I completed recently. Can you tell I am just trying to get photos onto layouts?? LOL Will try and upload more later.

btw - check out Kiwi Jack Me Up site later today for the next Jack... I am so excited!
R

busy busy busy

I haven't even touched all that memorabilia yet, but in my defense, I have been making page kits for upcoming crops. One crop was yesterday, and I finished 17 layouts in total! I will upload some pics later.
I do want to scrap a few more layouts today but if you see me online again, please send me a cyber-kick as I do need to sort this memorabilia out once and for all!
I have added my 1st Kiwi Jack Me Up layout here for safe keeping (the Vicky Gibson jack). JulieMaree from Turangi was drawn as the winner for the first jack challenge, and she will be a guest designer for the next challenge. Keep an eye out here for the next jack challenge layout, I am very excited about this one as I chose the layout to jack this time round.

R

School holidays

yaaay! DS has been off school for a week already and will have another two weeks hols, DD finished up yesterday (as did I) for the next two weeks too.

SO over the next two weeks, I intend to sort through all our memorabilia - you know the pamphlets, newspaper clippings, certificates and STUFF that we have collected over the years. I have a large plastic box for each of us, with a divider for every year. Once that is all sorted I can start making up page kits using some of the goodies. Still have to scrap our overseas holidays so definitely need to sort through the tonne of pamphlets etc.

I also hope to fit in some scrapping so fingers crossed it all goes to plan. (My plan is to do an hour of memorabilia sorting per day, an hour of chores, and the rest of the day divided between hanging out with the kids, movie watching, scrapping, oh and showering, sleeping and eating)!
R

In the past I have been called the PAGE KIT QUEEN, cos I can front up to a crop laden with kits full of the photos and product I want to put on each layout including a wee layout sketch. Even though these can take me hours to put together at home, I can sit at a crop and chat away all day (I'm quite shy but believe it or not I can chat ALL day still), and know that I can complete several layouts and not make a complete mess of them.

I am however, rather disturbed to find out last weekend that I can complete six layouts from scratch (ie: not from page kits) in the same length of time that it takes me to put together eight or nine layouts from page kits (where all the deciding has been done previously)!!!

The beauty of page kits though, is the fact I can go to a crop with very little 'luggage'. All I need is my W.I.P binder full of page kits, my supply tote/tool bag and a lunch bag. I don't need to make several trips to the car to bring in endless supplies that I MAY need for my layouts.

So I'm still going to make up page kits and not be too disturbed. LOL
R

I hope I'm not boring you by sharing more layouts...I know whenever I stalk blogs, I am always looking for inspiration, so if you are looking to create a K.I.S.S. layout then here is a couple more that may inspire you. The FAIR one is based on an advert challenge at 2peas, and the KAHLUA one is for a scraplift challenge also at 2peas. (I have to admit that I get most of my inspiration from 2peas and I scraplift 90% of my layouts).

Just needed to get permission to upload these two layouts of two of my good friends, Wendy and Paula but I created these layouts for my Book of Me last weekend at the retreat too.

R

Excited to say...

I have been invited to join a new scrapjack team... Jack Me Up (kiwi style). We will be going 'live' next week and have super cool first layout for you to 'jack'. (see link to the Jack Me Up blog in the left hand column).

Recent layouts

Last weekend I joined some scrapping friends at a 24hour scrapcamp. These are some of the layouts I produced. I especially like the Valentines one. I had to chuckle while adding all those embellishments. They cost way more than the rose that DH plucked from our one and only rose bush.




R