Something to share...

Well, I'm still at home enjoying some relaxation and quite time so I thought I'd share with you the Christmas cards I made this year. Last year I made some and didn't get the time write them and post them out unfortunately. But rather than use those though, I made some new ones with a recent photo of my kids with their Santa hats on. I used pre-cut cards and envelopes by K & Co in red and green, some Jenni Bowlin scalloped journalling cards, my new favourite tool - the 'Threading Water' border punch by Fiskars (which I have in stock), a Christmas flourish stamp, some scrap paper and some bling. It all came together and this is how they turned out...

...simple.

I have been working on finishing the mini album I did with Lynette Carroll and now I need to find photos to fill it. The stock has started arriving for the kits which is exciting so I'll be busy busy busy making up kits when the last of it gets here.

I have so many photos from recent events that I cant wait scrap so I have quite a bit of work to do and I'll show as I go! I'm loving scrapping again with all the inspiration I have bottled up. Just wish I could scrap with the rest of you! Maybe soon when your lives are back to normal. In the mean time I have some major cleaning and sorting jobs to do in preperation for classes in the new year so I'd better got to it. Bye for now!

Merry Christmas...

Hi there! I wish you all an incredibly happy Christmas time and a wonderful year ahead. I have finally wound down and now that the rush of harvest and Christmas preparation is over I am enjoying some quite time with my family at home. It has been so good to relax, celebrate our Saviours birth, eat good food, hang out with family and even have a Nanna nap or two! I was on a mission to find an ornamental nativity scene this year and I finally came across this one that I love and it is so simple but says it all. I mustered together the wooden box and straw from my garden to finish off the scene - no need for tinsel and all that.

I did decorate a little around the house and my favourite piece is this flower arrangement my sister-in-law made for me for a table centre piece. I cant believe how lovely it is. I don't want it to die!

So much has happened in the last few weeks that it'll take me forever to report on it all so I'll have to do it in bits and pieces. My precious Phoebe had her first school concert and performed a little song and dance with the kids from her class - I was so proud my heart swelled! Here she is (fourth from the left)...

We finished harvest on Saturday the 20th of December and now we are left with the aftermath of delivering grain and cleaning up - no complaints though.

I'm very excited about what the coming year has for us even though it's not New Year yet. I've been thinking and planning and hoping I can pull off all I want to fit in - we'll see. Mostly I want my brother to get well and have his life back to normal. He is alive and so far the transplant has been effective although he lives with side effects that we hope will ease over time - at least he is here.

That's all for now. Have a safe holiday season.

Layouts to share...

Well I found my creative juices recently and have been scrapping my heart out - when I'm not doing a billion other things like driving the harvester, cooking, cooking, cooking, looking after my kids (debatable) and ferrying men around the farm. True, I have had to drive the harvester which is quite therapeutic (when the kids aren't in there with me). Here's a pic...

Anyway, I have been scrapbooking with K and Co ranges because I love them and because of the inspiration I got from Lynette Carroll. I finished the layout I did in her class, then I came up with my own simpler version for a starter class while I wait on stock for the original layout. I am sooo happy with these layouts. It has brought me back to paying more attention to detail and putting in a bit more effort to do intricate stuff instead of the simple layouts I've been producing lately.

This first layout is the one I did with Lynette. Its a beautiful layout with a lot of detail and technique. I cant wait to teach this one!

Then there's my version with some of those techniques and a different sketch and paper range. I'm quite pleased with it! I'll post the dates for the classes after Christmas when I have a schedule worked out, along with the dates for the Cricut class.

I mentioned to some of you at some recent classes that Matt and I have sown a summer crop of sunflowers. I have been checking its progress and it turns out that the bunnies and kangaroos love the sunflower seedlings - apparently they taste good - but we still have quite a few and here's a pic of them taken today. In late February/early March these will be in full flower and will be a stunning sight to see. If it is, I will let you know as some of you are keen to come and take photos. I cant wait to frolic in the crop with the kids!

We are about one day off finishing harvest which is a wonderful thing. Then we are off to finish Christmas shopping and food shopping. We are having our first Christmas in Varley so I have been decorating a little more than usual - nothing too fancy though . My family are coming to spend Christmas with us. Dean is doing well so we are grateful that we will be having Christmas together and hopefully will have some more wonderful memories to remember. It is 3 months since Deans transplant and although it has been difficult at times for him things are looking good so far.

I'll be back with more projects to share soon. Thanks for looking!

2 days in a row!

I'm back already...believe it or not. I had a few queries about the scalloped punches so I thought I'd show a picture of them and a sample of how I've used them. I have 4 sizes in stock from EK Success and the one in the middle is my trusty Stampin' Up punch which fortunately is in between the sizes of my EK ones. I usually punch the scalloped circle I want then punch a slightly smaller sized circle to sit inside it and use them for labels and journalling spots. Cute huh? I am a sucker for anything scalloped! Here are the punches...

...and here is a sample...

The gift bag is a cute little idea I got from Jennifer McGuire, a truly talented stamper/scrapbooker, who I admire. I'll show more about this project soon. I've been busily wrapping Christmas presents too using some scrapbooking tools and products. It's great that my supplies are so versatile.

Now I'm going to try to find time to finish my class projects from the Cricut Clinic and Lynette Carroll so I can show and tell. Here are a few sneak peaks...

That's all I've got for now...be back soon.

The silly season...

They call it that for obvious reasons and yes things are a bit silly around here in my neck of the woods. I've been snowed under with harvest as I've lost my helpers but I'm keeping my head above water...just...i think. It's rained cats and dogs for the last couple of months which has complicated things a little but we are soon to wrap up our harvest for this year. I have managed a little scrapping in an attempt to stay sane so here are 2 layouts I recently finished. The first is very predictable - square and boxy but I like it, especially the colours watermelon and cyan. These papers are by Stampin' Up - love em.

The second layout is also very square - surprise surprise! - but I like this one a lot. These papers are Basic Grey and October Afternoon.

Well I have some exciting news...I've been to Perth earlier this week to attend some trade classes with Printblocks who import the Cricut machines by Provo Craft, and also some very inspirational classes with Lynette Carroll from Boston USA (from K & Co design team). This was a huge privilege to have these classes in Perth and I enjoyed them immensely. It meant that I didn't have to go all the way to Brisbane again, and I am now an (almost) full bottle on the Cricut machines and accessories. I am also truly inspired by Lynette's work and cant wait to show you what I learnt and to hold classes when I finally get my hands on the beautiful products we used. I will show photos of the products soon. I'll be holding Cricut Clinics in January and February for those of you who have a machine or are thinking about getting one or even just want to have a go at using one. I didn't realise the potential of the machine and its many amazing features. I have to admit at one stage I thought I had wasted my money on the dealership but now I am glad I have it because I can see how useful the machines and accessories are. Stay tuned for some layouts I have done with the Cricut and for class dates.

I have had bits and pieces of new stock arriving. I finally have scalloped circle punches in a range of sizes (one of my favourite tools). I intend to get some creative time soon to sit down and play with new products and ideas and I am going to attempt to make Christmas gifts and cards this week...better late than never!

Sorry to be such an irregular blogger at the moment...cant wait to get back on track. Cheers!

Update...

Well I have just finished a marathon of class preparation and then some classes so I'm home again and sorting through all my stock and cleaning up a bit. Because I go on the road with the stock I have to sort it out again occasionally and it's in need of a bit of that. So I have been unpacking today and hope to get some scrapbooking done soon, perhaps over the weekend.

I have a layout to share from classes as well as another heritage layout which I will share first. My Mum recently came across a photo of her Dad as a child that she never knew existed. The photo was taken at a Christmas eve dance. I love it and couldn't wait to scrap it so I used the Blue Awning range once again from K & Co. Because I am scrapbooking in A4 format and I like to keep my photos quite large I had to hide the journaling on this one. My Grandad is the boy who is second from the left (fourth from the left in order)...a cutie!

This next layout is one I prepared for a class. I wanted to do a Christmas layout with not too many Christmas themed supplies and focused on one the presents Phoebe got. I also wanted to incorporate circles, which I achieved but I'm still not convinced I like them although I love this new scalloped circle paper by Crate.

I have layouts with grungeboard to show soon. I'm hoping to get on to making Christmas cards and gifts in the next week. I have some great ideas...just got to put them into action.

Thanks for looking...catch you soon!

Sneak peak and new stuff!

I had a great day at Ravy last Saturday with the local girls as well as the Condy girls who drove all the way over for the class...troopers!

Well, as promised I have been working on layouts using Grungeboard and I have a sneak peak to show. Here is one from one of the layouts I have been working on...

I have been experimenting with paint again and have found a renewed love for the medium because of a few tricks I have learned and some awesome products that make painting a lot easier and less messy. You will have to attend a class to find out more so I'll let you know when these classes are being run.

I have got some new goodies in lately. The new Basic Grey 'Wassail' Christmas range is stunning and very versatile. I have already seen it used for themes other than Christmas and it looks great. It is very vintage so I used it for cards rather than layouts but I intend to use it on layouts eventually. I have this problem where I cannot keep up with the new stock that arrives...I literally don't get the chance to use everything that comes my way which is a shame but I never get bored with the products I have!

I have a special running while stocks last on these Scrapbook Solutions papers storage units. They are worth $105 and they are on special for $90 each. Check them out and email me if you would like one...

I love this new range from Autumn Leaves by Heather Bailey. It's very fresh and pretty...can't wait to try it out...

I've been working on some heritage layouts and have found the perfect range to suit photos of my Grandfather. The range, Blue Awning by K & Co, is stunning and perfect for the photos. I have tried to scrap these a few times and it never comes together, until now. Here's the first layout that I've finished and there are more in progress. I am doing my family history in A4 format which is perfect for family history albums where you dont have a lot of photos. I find this format so easy and quick to do.

I've got local scrappers here tomorrow so hopefully I will get to scrap myself...here's hoping. Thanks for looking.

Some layouts to share...

Hi there readers! Slacker, aren't I?! Well I cant say I've been busily scrapping - just busy with life, but I do have some layouts to share that I have done in the last 2 weeks. I have used the same sketch from my Puppy Love layout (previously posted) to do 2 more versions and have slightly changed the photo sizes but used the same formula. The first is a Christmas layout for Jett. I used some of last years Christmas papers and embellishments and came up with this one...

Then I took Phoebes birthday party photos and came up with this version using one of my favourite ranges - Urban Rhapsody from K & Co...

I also managed to finish a layout from the October retreat, from Lis Cassey's 'Schools In' class. I tweaked it bit because I put her class photos on a separate page, but here it is...

Also - can you believe it?! - I did a layout during my local scrapbooking day here on Tuesday of Mothers Day 2007. I have had the photos printed for over a year but haven't been able to come up with what to do with them. I did a layout using alcohol inks and acrylic tiles for my Newdegate class last week which is very simple, so I decided to use the same sketch for this layout together with K & Co's Classic Margo range - another one of my favourites. Here it is...

...and here is the layout i did with the alcohol inks, etc...

I am currently working on projects using Grungeboard by Tim Holtz. I love this product and have not seen much of it used so I'm giving it a go myself along with some other Tim Holtz bits and pieces. This guy is a genius - love his work. I'll be teaching layouts and a mini album late in November here in Varley and in Newdegate. I'll show and tell when they are done. (very excited about this project!) I'm off to Ravy on Saturday for classes then back home to create some more. I hope to post more regularly now - I am lucky enough to have a helper for harvest. We have started harvest but it is very slow due to wet weather - who would have thought?!

Lastly, Dean is well enough to work again - not because he has to but because he wants to and is managing some complications with medication. So far so good, so here's hoping...

Toodle Pip!

Birthdays and layouts...

I do apologise for the delay in posts. I got rather busy leading up to the retreat and having been recovering from it since then.

Firstly, I want to make mention of my little brother, Dean. He had his 33rd birthday on Wednesday so we headed off to Esperance for a night to celebrate with him, and Cassi who also had a birthday on Sunday. He is doing better and it was so good to be able to celebrate this momentous birthday with him and see him looking good. I love this guy...

The class that I had in Newdegate during the holidays turned out to be excellent and although the preperation was huge the class went really well and I ended up with 32 kids attending! Thank goodness a few Mum's stayed to help!

I have a few layouts to share; 2 that have been on the go for what feels like months, and one from the retreat. I put the finishing touches on them today and it feels good to have completed something! The first if of Jett playing with some puppies that he fell in love with. The sketch is mine and I intend to do quite a few layouts in this format...

The second is my parents-in-law's wedding day in 1973 which is the year I was born. I love this Making Memories Noteworthy 2 paper that suited the era and the colours of their wedding. A few blossoms and a title on the Cricut was all it needed...

Then the last layout is from Gayle Smith's Cricut class at the retreat. I was itching to do them all but was absorbed in running the shop, but I did manage to fit this one in on Saturday night after dinner. I am pleased with how it turned out and the girls at the retreat must have loved the class too as some of them did 2 or 3 versions.

The retreat was a huge success with 40 ladies attending. We had a bit more room to move than the previous retreat and a few improvements which made things run smoothly. I get the impression that all the girls had a good time from the comments they made and judging by the amount of layouts being pumped out I think everyone achieved a great deal including having a break from the run of everyday life. The tutors were amazing and exceeded my expectations. We had Lis Cassey back which was awesome but we sadly missed Alli Paterson this time. We are hoping she will be back for the next retreat on the 27th of March next year.

I am hoping to get some scrapbooking done this weekend and next week to prepare for classes coming up in early November. I also want to do some of the class layouts from the retreat and use some of the product I've been getting in lately. I will have some new Christmas papers to show for my next post.

Thanks for looking and stay tuned for more!

The best news ever...

Yesterday was my birthday and I'm sad to say I am now 35 years old. I don't feel that old and I stand by the saying "you're as old as the man you feel" (I tweaked it a bit) and my man is only 29 so that makes me 29...I can only wish. As long as I age gracefully that's OK. I had a lovely morning tea with my neighbour and a couple of friends, then later in the day my Mum came to visit and stayed for the night...love that woman! I got some amazing diamond earrings from Rosendorffs from Matt that I love and a gold filigree heart pendant for my necklace from my Mum and Dad...very spoilt I must say! And of course I got chocolate...what more could a girl want? Well...one more thing, and this was the best gift of all. My brother, Dean, is now out of hospital and at home with his family. He had the transplant almost 3 weeks ago and now has to wait for the outcome which will take time but he no longer has to wait in hospital which is miraculous and awesome. He still has some discomfort but on the whole is improving and doing much better than expected. I cant tell you how good this is. So relieved.

Sharon Manning's off the page project is now complete and I have a sneak peak to show so here it is...

I've been preparing for my first kids class ever this week and I am overwhelmed with it in some respects. I agreed to hold the class for 12 kids from Newdegate which is celebrating 10 years for its Telecentre this month. I now have 27 kids attending the class and have frantically put together the projects and 29 kits. I hope I can pull it off. Could be my toughest crowd yet!

Kits for the retreat are also coming together. I also have Christmas papers, embellishments and stamps in stock for the silly season which is now less than 3 months away...shudder! Thanks for looking!

Counting down the days...

The retreat is only 2 weeks away which is scary for me and very excitement for those of you who are coming. I have sent out class requirements and class kits order forms so if you haven't received yours then let me know and I'll get onto it.

I didn't disappear off the face of the earth...I have been busy with ordering and getting class kits ready. New stock is arriving every day and its all starting to come together. I'm really looking forward to the classes myself!

Sharon Manning's off the page project is ready and too cute for words. I now have class requirements for it ready to send.

I've got my first shipment of American Crafts Thickers arriving directly from America soon as well as an assortment of journalling cards by Elles Studio, also from the USA. I'm excited about getting these popular products in to stock, especially in time for the retreat.

I had a great long weekend away in Esperance with family and friends and we had some much needed rain while we were away which has helped the crops a great deal.

My brother Dean is battling an infection at the moment and there have been a few complications but the daily blood tests show a rise in his counts which we understand is good news. Still early days but he is getting there...daily. His wife Cassi is incredibly strong and committed but spare a thought or a prayer for her if you can.

Thanks for looking and stay safe and well over the school holidays. I'm enjoying a few sleep-ins!

More sneak peaks...

I've been busy today finishing projects for my classes this Wednesday in Newdegate. It's the first really productive scrapping I've done in ages. I had a class in Ravensthorpe on Saturday that went well and some mad girls travelled all the way from Condingup to Ravy to attend the class. Hope you weren't disappointed girls! I did start a layout at Ravy using some new Noteworthy II papers and when it's finished I'll show and tell. I still haven't finished a double page layout I started weeks ago...where does the time go?!

I have Sharon's first sneak peak to show. She is doing a single page layout using some really awesome die cut paper and her theme is Sunrise. The layout works well for sunset photos as well and because everyone I know has sunrise or sunset photos I know this is going to be a much loved class. It is stunning I'm sure you'll agree, but you can only see a snippet for now...

Sharon is also doing a tutorial on Wedding albums. Some theory on how to plan a wedding album and the option to do a layout using her suggestions. More information will be available to applicants very soon. Lastly, Sharon is working on a mini album that I'll show previews of at a later date.

But that's not all...Gayle has been a busy girl creating layouts for the retreat as well and Gayle will be focusing on teaching ideas using the Provocraft Cricut and Cuttlebug machines. Her layouts are going to be of great interest and she has prepared 5 layouts in total using slight variations in papers. Here are some previews...

That's all for today folks but there is more to come so stay tuned. Thanks for looking. By the way...Dean is doing it tough with the side effects of chemo but all is well otherwise.

Sneak Peaks...

The count down is now on. There is only 4 weeks til the retreat...AHHH! or YAY! as some of you would be thinking.

Firstly though, do you like my new blog background? Gayle put it there for me and apart from being quite busy I think it suits the rustic theme I go for.

I have some sneak peaks to show for the retreat classes. Lis has both of her classes ready and she is busily doing some bonus layouts using the ranges. Here are her snippets...

I'll show some more sneak peaks shortly. Sharon's layout is to die for and you can see her sneak peak on her blog and I'll upload it soon. Plus there's more to come from Gayle so stay tuned!

I've been everywhere man....

This time to Geraldton for a family break. 5 days in total which is not long, but long enough. I feel as though I haven't been home for a month so I wasn't at all disappointed to be coming home. It's a bit like that at this time of year, otherwise you have to sit and wait for rain which is like watching paint dry in the last couple of years. Cant complain though, the crops are looking pretty good, which is fortunate. I spent the first 4 days while we were away battling the stomach wog. I was looking for the silver lining, hoping I would loose a couple of kilos but it didn't work. Oh well.

So i dusted of my supplies yesterday and had a crack at scrapbooking. I started to finish off a layout but I still haven't finished! I will get it done this week I hope. I've had lots of jobs to catch up on...one being to stock up for the retreat. I have had a look at a couple of class projects that the girls have been working on and they are great - very diverse. I'll be sending out class requirements very soon.

During one of my rare days at home this month I put up a new shelf to store some of my supplies. Its a cute Making Memories shelf that I pre-ordered a while ago. I felt that I needed to get stuff up in a decent eye shot view so I could use things up. It seems that when things are stored in boxes you tend not to use them as much. This little beauty costs around $180 and has to be pre-ordered, if anyone is interested drop me a line at scrappinoutback@bigpond.com

I also got a cube unit from Officeworks to hold my personal supplies. I love the size and it feels great to have everything within easy access. I cannot get started with scrapbooking until my stuff is in order, but then once I'm on a roll it starts to get very messy, but I don't clean up until I'm done or out of creative juices.

My brother, Dean, is having his transplant tonight so I'm praying all goes well. We wont know for a few weeks how effective it is, so although it will be painful waiting for the result we will just hope and pray for the best.

Hopefully I will have a layout to share sometime this week. Thanks for looking.

A little to share...

Thought I should share the layouts I did for my last class in Newdegate. I used 3 ranges of paper with coordinating embellishments and all three almost sold out. I have reordered the ranges to put back in stock. Here are some of the layouts. Firstly the Vita Bella range by Little Yellow bicycle...

...and the Zach's life range also by Little Yellow Bicycle which is not new but very popular and versatile.

Also, I thought I'd show the party favour boxes I used for Phoebe's party. I cannot take the credit for these. They are pre-made by K & Co and they are to die for. There are a few styles and I used 2 - one for the girls and one for the boys. I filled the girls with fairy lip balm, butterfly stickers and a bracelet. The boys got dinkies and car stickers. All the kids loved them.

I did make the invites with pre-cut cards that I stamped and embossed, embellished with 3d stickers and typed the message inside on the computer. They are simple but cute. I love making my own invitations now - something I haven't ventured into before.

Then there's the party girl in her butterfly outfit with her Jesse and Woody dolls we gave her for her birthday (the kids love Toy Story 2). It was so much fun and I loved making it a themed party with all the trims including the butterfly cake with candles that had coloured flames!

I was hoping to get into the studio today to do a layout so here's hoping. I'll have to dust off my stuff its been so long! Thanks for looking.