Lara. Christian. Mum of three. Wife of one. Primary Teacher. Struggle to get through day without espresso coffee (even take a stovetop espresso camping).
Saturday, December 30, 2006
twelve days
I've done a few more than the 12 layouts - but at this stage (while still not home yet!!!) I'm just putting up the ones that relate to the fantastic themes set for us! Thanks again Janine for the extrinsic motivation to actually begin & complete this project! Once again digitalmax came through & my photos arrived just in time :-)
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Stuff
I have been busy creating these for Andrea - it's been fun playing with different versions of 'the boot' & playing around with the Maya Road tins & fruitcake & dasher papers. Must finish some gifts & get some Christmas cards made & sent!
Sunday, December 03, 2006
well...
Keep an eye on the Scrapbook Outlet for the next monthly competition & for the new theme for 'Get Real'.
Check out Evana's Blog (links on the right hand side) for a cool comp & check out what's happening on Janines blog (this is the reason for today's post - but later...)
Also a cyber crop at the Scrapbook Outlet this coming friday so get your name on the list. These are heaps of fun with fantastic prizes for games and layout challenges too! Might mean an early Christmas present :-)
Can't wait to see the new out of the closet stuff at Up2Scrap either - I have some to play with & love it!!!
OK - the 12 days of Christmas... Have myself and 8 x 8 Maya Road Binder for this one & intend to make a kind of album that spells out some of what Christmas is for our family. Janine is setting the daily themes & I just can't scrap them till I get photos from Digital Max (my printer gets choked up if I put anything thicker than paper in!!!) so I'm going to add some notes in here every now & then so it's not such a tough job before the 31st of December!
Day 1
the Tree - the kids loved getting all the decorations out of the box & finding places on the tree to put them. Alicia & Katya diligently placed the decorations on the tree when we found a spot to put it. I miss the 'real' trees & how they smell - but wandering down the road, lopping one down & walking home with it isn't so easy here as it was on the farm... Each year the children get a special decoration each - so that when they leave home they'll have things to put on their tree... I'll be able to have a designer one then LOL. They have also made things to go on the tree and these are displayed proudly too. Our angel sits on top. A few of my special decorations were given on a 'hens' night leading up to my wedding where instead of 'kitchen' things I was given decorations for my tree, I love putting these ones up the most!
Day 2
Baking - the cake. We have a wooden cake box & the cakes that come out of it are sooo moist & delicious we have to make another as it's gone within the fortnight! We are making some smaller ones also to have as gifts or to take to friends when invited around for pre-christmas get togethers. This year the fruit was soaked in port (no brandy or sherry to be found!). I went to make the cake but we had no brown sugar so I'll leave the fruit soaking for a bit longer & make it during the week!
Day 3
Presents - Why does Christmas always end up being about what we want? I think I like the giving side better, trying to think of things that would make the recipient smile & I like gifts that keep on giving like mag subs or a family pass on the gondola or earnslaw. The kids 'wants' change every other day but for this layout I'm going to have to sneak into 'santa post' at Playcentre and find Katya's & Ethan's list & get Alicia to write one - it was so cute seeing miss 4 sound out the letters of the things Ethan wanted on his list & then write them for him! He wants a 'gun' & I can't say I like the idea much - his dad wants one too mores the pity! I think it will be water pistols for Mr 3. Katya loves bugs so we are wondering about a microscope but she also loves building with lego so maybe some of that and Alicia wants a bike. Even though these are 'individual' gifts the focus for us at Christmas is 'family' so each of the Christmas gifts are to be shared. Alicia is the only one without a bike so we are getting her one so we can go on bike rides together!
wonder what Janine has in store for day 4?
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Up2Scrap is out!
Wow, it now seems real! When I saw my stuff in Up2Scrap I finally felt like I was on the Elite Team! There's heaps of inspiration and ideas in the latest copy -so get one! Trina even altered a 'nappy' - yep a nappy - so check it out!
Sunday, November 19, 2006
going to the chapel...
Huge congrats to Andrew & Bex who got married yesterday :-)
The children came to the service and I pre-cut &/or painted up the below items to which they added embellishments - These came about through suggestions from some online friends and Rach at the weekly chat at SBO on Friday night!
The bride arrived in a helicopter - reminded me of my wedding :-) She looked aboslutely gorgeous! The food was stunning too - bbq crayfish, spit roasted pork, lamb & chicken and some really tasty salads. Dessert was creme brule, cheesecake or tiramisu - YUM - guess that's what happens when the groom and one of the groomsmen are chefs who initially trained under my DH - the groom works casually at Waitiri now though once was the full time chef & one of the groomsmen has done really well in chef competitions and is heading off overseas to further his career. Andrew has changed tack a little though still doing a couple of days a week in the kitchen but has just come 3rd in the NZ muscle man comps (don't ask me the proper names etc cause I don't have a clue - but a great achievement).
We sat in a Marquee for the meal - nice to escape the cooler weather and fine rain that fell at times!
Anyway, need to get on with some real work instead of playing on the computer on this nice - finally sunny - day!
Hey scrap campers - hope it was fantastic! So green jelly of you chance to scrap this weekend and look forward to seeing on some blogs what you all got up to!
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
the dart & a cj
I really appreciate all the work & the fantastic recipes in here - Thank You!
Sunday, November 12, 2006
ok, sorry!!!
First Tooth - Ali has been so excited to have wiggly teeth for the past few weeks.... & while munching on some snow (don't ask) she proudly announced that one came out! The tooth fairy came & took it that night leaving some $ in the glass instead (it's now sitting in one of those cute maya road tins that the 'ribbon slides' come in) awaiting attachment on a page - photos of this should be here on Tuesday!
It is November isn't it? Well last Wednesday you wouldn't think so - check out the snow angel on my deck! The kids had a ball!
The November kit at SBO is fantastic & must cruise some blogs to see how it's being used. Should be getting the December kit later this week & it's gorgeous too - with a theme of 'giving' so can be used year round - not just Christmas time I can't wait to play!!! Also got my first official Up2Scrap brief to work on - really enjoying it, but can't share yet.... Hope to see the latest issue sometime this week or next too - might seem 'real' then that I'm on the Elite Design Team for it!
The above is from the November SBO kit. I focussed on a holiday we had in Australia last year and created a mini album in a Maya Road book (in the kit) using gorgeous crate papers, Sassafrasslass pps, some Basic Grey and a really cool stamp designed by Rachel Hosking!
SCRAP RETREAT BANNOCKBURN
check out the fiew from the large living area! (above)
This venue was just perfect - 8 double bedrooms, 2 showers, 2 toilets a bath, three handbasins, great company & a view to boot. The weekend was soo successful that we are having another early-mid March next year - looking forward to that one!
OK, so there's a big catch up! Not sure how often I'll be here between now and Christmas - seems to get soo busy & stressful but I'll try to put something up each week now that I've sorted this photobucket thing - Oh if you fancy a $100 SBO voucher to spend at their online store, check out the forum for a 'banner' competition where you are to design a banner & a slogan for their website with the voucher as the prize! Oh, & have you checked out the worldwide dare on N0. 8 Wired yet?
Thursday, October 26, 2006
You Know those Pizza boxes...
Ah well - only doing a post to keep Vicky happy or is that my blog talking? LOL.
Off to a scrap retreat in Bannockburn tomorrow, can't wait though have a bit to get done and sort through tonight so I can actually get there in time!
Congrats to those who got onto the Scrapbooks By Design team WTG & fingers crossed for all who are entering the SE Dt call also :-)
see ya!
Monday, October 09, 2006
Back to Real Life!
It's snowing outside. Not very spring like at all - huge blustery flurries! But I like snow, just hope the lambs and calves are ok.
Check out the DT's work from September at the Scrapbook Outlet NZ (go to the 'gallery'). Andrea said the newsletter is going to be out soon - stay tuned for the September 'Get Real' winner.
Only 3 weeks now to the Bannock Burn Scrap Retreat - can't wait. Going to have a cricut to play with from the Scrapbook Outlet & Meg from Scrapbook Essentials is coming too along with some of her goodies!
Waving goodbye to Jo from Up2Scrap as she's moving on to another role!
Better go send an email out for the Wakatipu scrap on Saturday night :-)
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Cheese Rolls
cheese spread: 1pkt onion soup; 500g tasty cheese - grated; a 400g tin of evaporated milk; Put all ingredients in a saucepan and heat slowly until cheese melts and mixture thickens. Stir well. When cool store in jars in the fridge for sandwhiches etc or put in your cheese rolls!
Yep, the Up2Scrap Elite Design team has been announced - soo privileged & excited to be a part of it. Congrats to Donna, Rach, Lianne, Trina & Sue & thanks Steph & Jo for the opportunity:-)
We have been in Invercargill overnight - nice to get away even if it is only for a night!
We went to Queens Park & the Museum/Art Gallery today & the Art Gallery Cafe served these cheese rolls -yum! Such a lower South Island thing - but soo good!
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Some Scrapping
I put this up as an example of using chipboard for the SBO crop on Friday night. We sing this 'finger play' at Playcentre at the end of sessions. Perfect for the photo!
This layout I did for the Scrapbook Creations 'my space' competition. I didn't win - hence I'm sharing it here LOL but my letter said I was in the top 20 of hundreds of entries, so I'll be happy with that :-)
I've also been working on my Scrapbook Outlet DT work for September (watch out for the newsletter next weekend....) & working on some cj entries. I have an ATC or 7 to make soon - have been procrastinating over this one as well as some FR cards - again, been putting them off - I'm such a scrapper LOL!
Ethan got his stitches out on Friday. Wasn't too keen on the nurse getting near his head though! He now has a big white patch that we are to leave on as long as possible as the nurse said 'he's a very active boy & we wouldn't want him to bump it again so soon'. She put the stitches on some paper & taped them on - i didn't ask her too -do non-scrappers collect this kind of stuff too? Along the 'active' vein...The Plunket nurse wrote of Ethan on Friday lunch time: "Ethan bright, active, happy, playful, talkative. with the 'active' underlined LOL.
Feel the need to scrap some more, so off to play!
Monday, September 25, 2006
playtime
Can't believe how many comments a cheeky pic of my son inspired LOL. Yesterday he tripped and cut his forehead on a wooden traction engine - an ambulance ride, a couple of stitches and a lollipop later he's making mischief again -including cleaning my windows with mud - as if they weren't dirty enough. This is going to be an interesting term break, I can feel it now!
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
only Ethan
It's a bath, he told me!
Why are you putting your pants on Ethan, why did you take them off?
It's a bath!
I looked @ the other end of the box & a tell tale wet patch indicates mischief!
Why did you do a wee in a box ethan?
It's a bath!
Now I know what Ethan does in the bath (his poor sisters). Maybe we will give him showers from now on!
Sunday, September 10, 2006
The Honest Scrapper
Found a challenge on the honest scrapper blog (well I made it into a challenge for me) that I took on for the Wakatipu Scrap 'n' Chat last night. The other four layouts are in the next post down!
The challenge was to put the following in a box & do your next five layouts from it only (made for light travelling to a crop too - apart from taking my sewing machine):
* 15 pieces of cardstock
*20 pieces of patterned paper
*a few alphas
*a dozen embellishments (paint, buttons, thread & pre-fab ones)
Had fun doing this & I think it will be my 'crop thing' from now on in - no more getting annoyed that i didn't bring this one thing that I desperately needed....
any way thanks for visiting!