Scrappy Kea

here goes.... check the blurb at the end of the next post titled 'twelve days'. continued below...

and the rest.... 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 :-)

Busy, busy, busy! Looking forward to a six week break starting Thursday this week. Have a 'Christmas at the Beach' planned & then off to Christmas Camp till after new years. I've done a couple of online classes this week - on Wednesday with Nik & last night with Chris - the inside of the tin I did in Niks class is the first pic on the colage below - can't show you what I did in Chris's class last night as it has bare bottoms! The pics from Left to right starting at the top (also on the bottom right corner) - Niks online class tin. My trusty wooden cake box. The kids reading a new book. Firt Ribbon night at the Arrowtown Pool. The gingerbread house I didn't win. The kids with santa (who is their dad!). Looking at some of our beautiful scenery. Alicia on the water slide at the Chefs Association Barbecue & Niks tin again! I have been busy creating these for Andrea - it's been fun playing with different versions of 'the boot' & playi...

a few competitions: 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 ...

Here's my single layout that didn't get published: 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!

Well, it's really a winery now but once it was - the building was relocated from somewhere down south! 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 ch...

Yep - this is kind of how they were on the jet boat too! Katya laughed out lout at the excitement of it all, Ethan went quiet & growly as he got cold & Alicia was kind of 'stoic'! Great scenery despite the rain & cold - would happily do it all over again though (would wear thermals though). My CJ from a recipe Circle Journal swap came back home yesterday & here's a collection of the pages! I really appreciate all the work & the fantastic recipes in here - Thank You!

Ok, it's been a while, sorry. See I love Picassa - so easy & soo free! but for some reason, when I click 'blog this' nothing happens any more - any ideas? I'm having a go at using photobucket so bare with me please.... 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...

Well, here's a use for them! Jase is growing some lavender from cuttings and ran out of seedling trays - who needs em??!! So instead of saying to dh, here's another scrapbooking supply parcel or hiding it in the cupboard till later just say "hey, I got another seedling tray for all our fabulous plants" - do you think he'll fall for it? 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! 

It was nice while it lasted! Lazy mornings, no rushing off to school or Playcentre and cruisy days - just because we didn't HAVE to be anywhere! But all good things come to an end right??? Ethan and Katya were really happy to be back though E's a bit tired now. Check out the goop play above! Was great to see some of the children at Playcentre again though. 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 a...

Spread sliced bread with Cheese Spread (see below). Roll up. Toast in oven & serve hot. These may be frozen and heated when required! 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! 

Jase took this pic on a walk with the youngest two! This was done as part of a challenge at the Scrapbook Outlet's Cyber crop on Friday night - thanks for the challenge Lianne - we had to use '4' in it somewhere - whether the number or the amount of an item we put on it. We had to use red & we had to use paint! 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 car...

Was inspired to take photos including an umbrella as a prop from a photography website. The kids have been playing with this one for a while so I took my chance! I used the manual mode of my camera focussing on the girls faces in an attempt to remove depth of field (after the fabulous Vicky Gibsons online classes at the Scrapbook Outlet NZ ) and moved to below the girls (they are actually on the trampoline) but to keep out as many background distractions as possible I had to take them with my side to the sun! the girls & I had fun any way. Might try again at dusk! 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! 

So what would you make of this picture? 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! 

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!