Monday, March 27, 2006

Ethans Party


My baby is turning three on April Fools Day! I put these together last night (typical me - running late for my own son's birthday). We only decided what to actually do at the time I needed to write in them. He has a couple of friends & his cousins coming along with his sisters & Granny - not sure about Pa - Nana & Grandad live a bit far but I'm sure they would have loved to be here. I hadn't sanded patterned paper before but gave it a go after adhering some to some chipboard - quite enjoyed it. You can't quite see it here but I inked the edges of the green card with brown. It looked a bit plain so I wrote some stuff about Ethan & the purpose of the invite around the three. I'm not really a card maker - but I enjoyed this one - it's definitely a 'scrappers card' but I think I'll be distressing more patterned paper in the near future! It's funny how some scrappers (like me) struggle with the whole card thing where as people who started with making cards are able to move between the two a bit easier - or is this just my perception of things? Love to know what you think.
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Friday, March 24, 2006

Scrap Space


There have been a few discussions about scrap spaces and storage lately. We have a small house for the five of us so my scrap room is also the dining room and the living room with a kitchen in there too. I have taken over the corner around the dining table with my workbench (with a book shelf underneath) - it's made for me (vertically challenged) to stand at. I recently dragged the long shelf in from the carport to put some 'overflow' in & we altered a shelving unit by adding doors and some horizontal shelves in to keep the majority of my bits - it isn't often tidy -as you can see by these pics - but it works for me and means I can scrap and be in the room with my children - I can also keep an eye on dinner (when Jase won't cook or I feel like being a nice wife & moher) while I play!
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Thursday, March 23, 2006

A Royal scrap camp

A Royal scrap camp
Fancy spending Queens Birthday Weekend (2nd – 5th June) in beautiful Queenstown – scrapping or taking photos to scrap?  
A few of us ‘Wakatipu Scrappers’ decided that we wanted a camp too so we are having one.  We will be staying at Lakeland Park for the weekend, getting pizza etc delivered for our evening meals & having the other meals catered – all for a total cost of $160 – three nights, food & scrapbooking!  There will be some workshops – with class packs, a big screen for some chick flicks & scrapbooking dvd’s – all included in the price as well as a goodie bag for all ‘full enrolments’ + at the end of each month all enrolments with deposit paid will go into the draw to win some supplies.
If you want more info email me wakatipuscrappers@yahoo.co.nz & I can answer your questions or if you give me your address, can send you an enrolment form.  I also have the enrolment form as a pdf document if you would prefer that I email it to you.  This is a really ‘open’ camp & will hopefully be the start of an annual event where the focus is scrapbooking and uninterrupted opportunities to do this.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

my week so far...

This week is turning out great!  Having time on Monday (Otago Anniversary Day) to scrap with Lynley was just the best beginning!  Lynley was putting together some beginner class stuff that she intends to do soon – it looked great!  I got home to an email from The Scrapbook Outlet NZ asking if I would be a casual/oncall designer for their Design Team – of course I accepted – can’t wait to learn from Rach, Donna & Shani!  Then today I get an email from Jo (subeditor @ Up2Scrap) accepting one of my submissions – I did send a few mind you so as you can imagine I’m buzzing!  I have packaged the LO ready to send tomorrow after Playcentre.

Need to get back to reality though – Mum & Dad’s 50th Birthday this weekend, have to work out what I’m going to say, sort some table decorations & not to mention some way of sharing pictures of them when I only have Friday night & Saturday to do it!  Have to do some Playcentre Admin work this evening while Jase is @ Bible Study & then perhaps work on some speeches & table decoration research.  But first, dinner!

Autumn Playtime


Autumn is definitely here in Arrowtown. The tamariki & I had heaps of fun playing in the fallen leaves & throwing them at each other. We had fish & chips on a blanket in the park followed by lemon merangue & hokey pokey fudge from the Remarkable Sweet Shop. Jase just watched and snapped some pictures as he's got a cold & not feeling 100%. Love Autumn!

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Monday, March 20, 2006

OK so I got tagged

O.K. so I got tagged, thanks Donna! Here goes:
1. What scrapbook lines/products do you dislike?
I’m not very ‘antique’ so old fashion style papers & gold embellishments aren’t used much.
2. What is the hardest thing you ever had to scrap?
The abc album I’m currently working on – started with the papers I have to use (for a competition) & am making the photo’s fit – the opposite to how I normally approach a layout.
3. What technique do you use more than anything else?
Cutting! (It’s a technique isn’t it?)
4. What is the smallest scrap you save?
Keep 30 x 30 strips but anything smaller than 5cm in the way of offcuts is out – or donated to the children’s craft supplies.
5. Have you ever had any scrapping related injuries?
Stress & withdrawal when I haven’t had a chance to scrap for more than a couple of days.
6. If I wasn't a scrapbooker/stamper I would spend my money on... a great camera!
7. Give your best storage or organisational idea:
An altered cupboard – my dh & I added shelving and doors to a cabinet we acquired so I can keep my stuff in the family room & we built a wide-topped bookshelf so our books go in the shelves & I have a workbench on top that is my standing height and wide enough to keep layouts in progress on.
8. You just won a scrapbooking cruise for 5. Who is going with you?
Well, this is really hard – there are so many fantastic people I have met through scrapping and who I admire & learn from but they say blood is thicker than water so my dh – cause I like going places with him & know he’d take me if it was round the other way, my sister Anna, my SIL Cindy (cause they are family & they scrap)  My mum –so she can actually use all the supplies and tools she has & since Donna would take me, I’ll do the same for her!
9. When you received your first publication notification, who did you tell?
Jase – cause he lives with me, & Ali – she is a scrapper & our daughters are in the same class at school so I saw her that afternoon.
An now I tag (only tagging one cause I hate being tagged!): Lisa  (sorry Lisa – thought you might enjoy some blog visitors though).

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Harvest Festival


We checked out the Harvest Festival at Perigrine Winery in the Gibbston Valley today. Got some fantastic pies from the Waitiri tent - handy when you know the chef! The tamariki had the vennison & in true Lara style I had the rhubarb & berries one (I'm not a great meat fan). Was also able to give some tickets to Kiri & Cal - hope you enjoyed it guys (Jase had some extra's at work). It was a fantastic opportunity for people to experience the wine and produce of this area without too much expence. The highlight for the children was the bouncy castle and a lucky dip - the queues for the face painting were a bit long so we let that slide.

Check out the steri-strip on Katya's right eye - she split it open on Monday afternoon before Alicia's 'meet the teacher' interview - she has a nice bruise on her eyelid too. It's healing really well though and hopefully the strip will be able to come off some time this week.

Daylight savings ending tonight - extra hour in bed -depends on children's waking times! Jase is out with youth group at Moke Lake tonight - hopefully I'll stop feeling so tired (end of a cold) and get some scrapping done. Have some more grandparent photos I want to scrap to submit - whether successful or not - to up2scrap as their submission date is the 20th.

Still waiting to hear about the Scrapbook Outlet Design Team - wonder who it will be? Posted by Picasa

Friday, March 17, 2006

Paddock Cricket @ Waitiri

Jase called me up at Playcentre yesterday & suggested I head out for their Paddock Cricket Fundraiser lunch. I went out, knowing fully that it was because he wanted some pictures! The BBQ was great - met some fascinating people & sat in the sun watching cricket for an hour - the Waitiri team playing the radio station team. The whole event raised $18,000.00 for a local family who have a child that was diagnosed with Leukaemia just before Christmas. I had to leave to pick Alicia up from school. I'm now looking forward to a long weekend - Otago Anniversary Day on Monday, though Jase is working on Saturday & Sunday - I'm heading out of here on Monday - the company of another scrapper beckons!

Man - I'm so proud of me - just figured out how to put in the URLs!


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Tuesday, March 14, 2006

New Project


We've had this frame sitting up under the apple tree. Jase decided on Saturday (while I was in Clyde running a communication workshop) that it was time to build! He has been scavanging all around the house and yard for bits to complete this project - He is even lining it & putting vinyl in! There will eventually be a porch and maybe a deck out front. He has made the window size match a piece of clear perspex he found too. There's going to be a working tap (at an old sink on the outside of the hut) too! He managed to pick up some roofing off cuts from a roofing place in Frankton so it's going to be pretty cool - the girls have been out with their resene colour swatch working out colours they could paint it - pinks have rated highly so far but I'll keep you posted on that one!
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Feed the baby mum

My wee man is soo nurturing (when he wants to be). He found this 'baby' in his toy barrel, hauled it out and continued to cradle it in his arm. First I was told it was sick & I had to give it some medicine. I played along and got out my imaginary spoon with medicine on. "Baby needs a drink of milk" he says next - well you feed it was my reply - so he did!

This baby was my cabbage patch doll as a child (a boy one) so Ethan's sisters both have girl ones and this has become his. I enjoy seeing him playing along with the girls and on his own as he is here (they wouldn't let him colour at their desks), it's much better than drawing on the walls or throwing golf balls down the hall! Posted by Picasa

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Play Time


Finally I have played with some of my new bits - I've kind of been in a scrapping rut over the last week or two (I think thats why I've had to buy stuff???!!!). Wit these two layouts I just had to get something done & I have. I am now inspired to do some more - just what I hoped. Loved using the papers in both of these - Statue in the Park is on one of the 3 Bugs in a Rug Jovial PP's, loved using the scenic route chipboard letters & my new little davis foam stamps too. Silly uses papers I purchased specifically for these photos - check out how they match Ethan's top! I don't normally buy pps just for a photo - usually just use what I have! The new Basic Grey is lots of fun! I never used to like BG much but I've come round - is that scrappers peer pressure?? Posted by Picasa

Friday, March 10, 2006

Coffee

I like coffee a lot! I love Jase bringing me a coffee in bed. I love that it keeps me awake for the many busy moments of my days & I love the texture and taste of a really good cup. I love knowing when the espresso starts coming out of the head of my machine whether it will be a good cup or not & then seeing the mottled crema as it waits for some creamy milk to be added. For a year I had made do with a coffee grinder that didn't really do it's job properly but mum got me a fantastic grinder for my birthday & now I'm almost guaranteed a good cup (part from when I need to clean the machine!).
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Thursday, March 09, 2006

more goodies

Me's thinking I'm doing this a bit too much at the moment - especially considering the amount of time I don't currently have for scrapbooking! But here are some bits I chose with a birthday voucher from www.kiwiscraps.co.nz . The whale of a punch - retro flower - is one I've admired for a while & my children have had a fantastic time using it - Ethan tried to punch my cutting mat though so I decided they needed to choose something else to play with. I love the new basic grey (have some packs coming my way in a few weeks but couldn't resist a couple of the colour me silly range & the monograms - love bg monograms. Got the pc 'swell' stamp as something a bit different, not sure how much I love it yet though. Anyway should stop wasting precious scrap time. Posted by Picasa

imitator

Do you think he's seen someone else doing this before?







He's using my old camera - it stopped working - so we got our digital one - I'm still amazed at how good our pictures are now. Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Messy Play


We got the clay out at Playcentre (the dough was sticky & my playdough never works!). It was fantastic (I made a nice pinch pot too). I modelled for Katya how to make pinch pots & she came up with a couple of stunning efforts. While busy creating a mum came with some freshly picked English Lavender - mmm it smelt so nice! We put some into our clay creations along with other natural 'found' materials like shells & drift wood. The concentration that went into this creating was amazing. Katya worked here for at least an hour - Ethan came and went but still put lots of concentration in for an almost three year old boy.
Ethan kind of made a slab in which he made lots of imprints then poked in some different materials including the lavender. He then put another slab on top & declared "sandwich". Our creations are now drying on top of the puppet theatre - maybe we'll put some paint/varnish on them - maybe not - they are a bit fragile as is though & I wouldn't want to put them in a kiln as we don't know how many air bubbles are in there.
A mum brought in some gorgeous cards today as a possible fundraiser for our centre - they were fantastic- she paints pictures on mini canvasses & has had some printed onto cards - most beautiful!
Our centre celebrates 50 years this year - 50 years of Playcentre in Queenstown - how to celebrate this is the question at the moment.
I love Playcentre - I love that I work there, I love that parents get the chance to be there with thier children too & I love that I get to know so many children and adults in our community through my job - I also love that I get to work with my own pre-schoolers and see them as great learners and be able to foster and encourage their interests to extend their understandings and skills.

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Tuesday, March 07, 2006

a package

This came from www.scrapbookoutletnz.co.nz today. I so can't wait to use the three bugs range & those doodlebug sequins are soo cute! Thankfully I have a scrap 'n' chat this weekend so can put some to great use. If I can get dh's data entered into his database I might even be able to have some scrapping time later in the week - but then have some Playcentre paperwork to get on with too! Posted by Picasa

Monday, March 06, 2006

My Angels

These three were so gorgeous running ahead of us on our walk around the river! Katya even has her angel wings on! Posted by Picasa

Saturday, March 04, 2006

today's efforts


well some of them any way - did a couple of others but haven't taken the pics & did some CJ entries - can't post them or the owner might peek!

Ethan is finally out of nappies in the day time - the inspiration for this layout, for which I had the pp all ready and waiting.

The next is from a challenge where last week I had to get pics of me & my babies, then this week - had to scrap them!!(Thanks Vicky). I got to use my new Lil Davis foam stamps along with some of the HS chipboard letters I got for my birthday (love the self adhesive letters).

The last one is one I have had waiting and taunting me for a while & I used things I used to use a lot of but till about 5 weeks ago didn't use much - bright colours & hand journalling - I had started using the computer a lot but I found that I would put off journaling till later & sometimes it wouldn't get done till much, much later (I'm thinking of 2 LO I did last year still waiting for the 'official journaling' - there is a draft). Lately I've been doing it all manually - sometimes using computer fonts - but hand drawing them then cutting out or writing straight on the LO - I think this is more me. I'm enjoying it more & getting more complete which has to be good?
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Friday, March 03, 2006

Piano

my latest layout - about the piano I was given on my 30th birthday - used to be my Grans - Purchased in 1960 with family benefit money. It is so nice being able to sit down and play - I've really missed this over the last couple of years (borrowed one in Auckland for a while). I don't love this layout though - not sure why?? (ideas welcome). I have extra photos so may have a play when I'm able. I think it needs more of a CathyZ clean and simple look??
I'm currently stalking www.scrapbookoutletnz.co.nz as three bugs in a rug is due in over the next 24 hours & I really want some. I just redeemed a $50 birthday voucher at www.kiwiscraps.co.nz - getting (if it's in stock) a retro flower - whale of a punch, 7 Gypsies stamp & some of the new bg papers & monograms. Hope it all comes through though - hate reading my accound online and realising not everything is coming & finding out later in the week (often takes a week for delivery) what isn't there - I am so hard to please!!! Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Morning Walks


A whole lot of talk at www.scrapbookoutletnz.co.nz has made me decide that I need to update this more often - so it's worth people visiting! I have enjoyed checking out some other blogs tonight from links there.

I've been going for walks in the morning - we have a fantastic track less than 200 metres from our doorstep - the Arrowtown Anniversary Track. I get to walk around a beautiful river and enjoy stunning early morning skies - just check these out. The first two I took on Monday morning, the third - on Tuesday - winter is sooo on it's way - but don't the Mountains look stunning?
Today I went part way up Tobins track - a gradual climb. I was quite happy to keep going but only had half an hour so had to turn and come back down - watched the sun emerge which was fantastic - hugely pink skies - red in the morning, shepherds warning - and boy did it pour down less than an hour later - wonder if I'll get for my walk in the morning? Posted by Picasa