Monday, September 22, 2008

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.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

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!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

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.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

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.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Catch-up

Hi there folks, I'm back in the land of the living once again...finally! I've had a couple of huge weeks and it was very successful. I was in Newdegate this last week for the annual field days and had a ball meeting new scrappers and chatting to old ones. Many thanks to my friend Ann who helped man the shop and did a little shopping herself! I was exhausted, but elated with how it went. Previous to that I was in Perth for my Mums birthday and that was a great success as well. Mum enjoyed a low key family gathering at Kings Park overlooking the city of Perth, eating fantastic food and enjoying great company. Happy Birthday Mum - you are a gem! If any of you wonder how I manage all that I do, I have one very inspiring role model who is the mother of organisation and has fit a lot into her life - Mum. (OK Mum, I'll stop going on now!)

My Phoebe turned 5 on Friday and we managed a party at home with friends. She had the time of her life dressed as a butterfly, flitting around and enjoying all the attention - wonder where she gets that from? My husband always turns to me and says "APPLE - TREE" which is derived from the saying "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" and I always turn to him and say "there's more than one tree!". I made a few bits and pieces for her party which I'll show when I upload the photos.

Also on a personal note, my brother Dean who has been battling with Luekaemia has just had about 8 weeks break since he was released from hospital. He has been gaining strength and weight - in preparation for a bone marrow transplant which will take place this week. I cant believe it has finally come around. This transplant, if successful, is his ticket to immunity for life from the disease. The next 6 weeks are critical and may be brutal but hopefully it will all be worth it and he will be on the road to recovery and a happy and healthy life. I have been making the most of his wellness in the last few weeks, spending time with our family and making more great memories together. Hence the reason I've been a bit slack on the blog posts. Spending time on what matters most. Dean and Cassi are very positive and have faith that they will get through this and that Dean has many more years ahead. I am gaining strength and faith too. Thanks again to those of you have been concerned and supportive.

I have bits and pieces of new stock coming in dribs and drabs, some of which I wont show yet as we are preparing for the October retreat with new products and great ideas and techniques. I am so looking forward to this retreat. We'll be showing sneak peaks in the coming weeks.

I hope you all have a great week and I'll post again soon with pictures...I promise!