Woodsy whimsy

Some of the little details

When I first received my Klic-N-Kut for my 40th last year I loved it but was a little intimidated by it and rarely used it. Then of course I felt extremely guilty that I had an expensive piece of equipment that I seldom used other than titles (I did use it for this quite frequently)but knew there was much more to it than that. Now almost a year later I have discovered so many more uses for it in the ability to use dingbats to cut out different shapes. I'm still to scan and cut an image but now I have the confidence to play with it more that is the next step. A bus load of us crafty girls are off to Paperific in Melbourne in a few weeks time and skatkatz, were it was purchased from, have a stall there so I hope to learn more from them. I made this layout yesterday so quickly using My mind's eye papers and diecuts and the Klik-N-Kut. The little bird and tree were cut using the woodsy font, a super cute little dingbat set that has birds, trees and owls(I guess owls are birds too,lol). I painted the tree trunk using Tim Holtz's crackle paint and was happy with how much like wood grain it turned out. I would have preferred a darker shade of brown but didn't have any on hand so rubbed a bit of distress ink into the grain. Still not probably quite as dark as I would have liked but happier with it than what i was.

It's finally finished

Page one and three, I forgot to photograph page two, it has a tag that says you and me on it and various other bits and pieces. Page three contains photos from our younger years, one from when we were first engaged the other on our way out to a wedding in around our third year of marriage. Pages four and five. The scalloped edged photo frame swivels on the eyelet to reveal journaling underneath. Page five has a frame around it that came with the album.Page five without the frame and page six with a photo of our wedding day.
The final page has a little pocket made from an envelope underneath that can hold either extra photos, journaling or any bits of memorabilia, it is held down with a magnetic snap.

I have mixed my pages around a little in order and I later realised that the photos are not totally in chronological order (the wedding photo is in the wrong spot) but I am still happy with how it turned out.

I have a bad habit of starting projects and not finishing them so I was really pleased when I stuck on the final photos the other day of my Kim Archer workshops at home 'celebrate' album. I think it has helped that I have moved Brendan's old writing desk into the lounge area and can scrap at night next to the fire while either watching tv or chatting with the family. I still have my nook out the back of the house in the kids playroom (all my stuff would never fit into one tiny little antique writing bureau,lol) but when they go to bed at night it often gets very cold and lonely in there, love it and the silence through the day though. Now I pack up a little basket of the goodies I need and potter off into the warmth, I have kept an extra lot of adhesive, and basic tools in the new little desk so I really only need the bigger stuff.

A few random bits and pieces

Our oldest cat Chocolate. Thank goodness he has mellowed with age. He was the type of cat that would not come near you unless he wanted something, now at least he will very occasionally sit on a lap and for some reason loves it when we garden, getting all smoochy and affectionate while we pull weeds. Ta da, my first Christmas card of the year. I am a little disappointed in how it has photographed but will share anyway. On any winter Saturday you will find these boys running out enthusiastically, what ever the weather, even thick fog like this.

Coach's award

Last Sunday the footy club the boys play for had their junior presentation day. The day started with a fathers versus sons match, a great giggle, and then the presentations to the footballers and netballers with a break for a yummy lunch in between. Paddy was really excited to receive the coaches award, even though he doesn't look it here, he had to race off to work straight after and wasn't happy to have to stop off for another one of Mum's photos.

Turkish Marbling

Inspired by friends

I have decided to share my little nook, thanks Sandie . Remember that this space is only a little over 2 by 2 1/2 metres so you will have to excuse it for looking a little cramped. Even cramped as it is I am still grateful to have an area that I can set all my stuff up in and leave half finished projects out instead of the old way of having to pack everything up. I do still dream of one day having my own space with four walls a door and my choice of colours on the wall but for now this is quite adequate.

this view is as you are walking towards it from the kids playroom, it is in the back corner and you can just see the (unpainted) edge of Paddy's wall to his room on the left.

My desk which is an old one from the Fletcher Jones factory when it shut down in Warrnambool. It was a great buy at $50.00 as it is as solid as a rock. I have it up on blocks because I prefer to stand or perch on a stool. The back is just some old pine shelving that happened to fit on top and is great for storing all the things I use on a regular basis.
these shelves are right behind me, the advantage of having a small space is that everything is within arms reach.
I love the huge pin board,this was already here when we moved in. You might just faintly be able to see the ring of holes on it from where a dart boards used to hang.
You can't see it and I forgot to take a photo but these little ikea drawers sit on top of a larger set of Ikea draws named Alex, they store all my wood mounted stamps (yes I do think I have a problem,lol)
The black cd rack below holds stamp sets as well as cd's

the computer part of my area, the printer sits on the floor under my desk.
My chair warmer Mo.
An old kitchen dresser that sits next to my computer. The black albums are from albox and are going to house all my unscrapped photos in different categories, eg one for each of the boys, family, holidays and scenery, friends etc. Well that's the idea anyway. The bottom of the dresser holds projects in the waiting like mini albums and things for OTP projects.

the jars and cane basket hold ribbon (another collection problem I have) Each of the jars has ribbon wrapped around a dolly peg in different colour schemes and the larger jar holds all the bits and pieces that are left over from projects and are not large enough to wrap but to big to throw out.Well I think that is about all, not a lot else to show as I said it is very small. It will probably be different than this again in a month or so because I seem to spend as much time changing things around as I do scrapping but that's half the fun of having a space to yourself.

A blast from the past

My friend Kathryn has dug up some great old video clips and songs from the tv shows of my childhood. I had to put this one on mine as it was one of my favourites. Check oout some of the others she has on hers, all good fun.

Just stuff to share.

What else would a nine year old do with left over plastic cups but make the Eiffel tower? We had a pot luck dinner on Saturday night to hear a talk from three of the young adults in our parish who went to world youth day. Each table had plastic cups which not many were using so Seamus and one of the other young kiddos had competitions on how high they could build a tower. I think 15 was the highest. Cheap entertainment for them. Cute Little Miss Lucy with the giggles.
Guess who has square new punches, well they were new when I did this layout a few months ago.
A simple layout using my new border stamp set that arrived from

JenniferMrGuire yesterday. I think I am really going to like these. The parcel even came with a handmade card (which was as exciting as the stamps themselves)Righto I'm off to have a quick walk, I've been trying to go for days and something always seems to stop me, and then come back and vacuum my floors with my new Dyson. don't think I have ever been this excited about vacuuming before,lol.

Cheers.

Daisy had a playmate

We couldn't let her go home with out at least one photo shoot,lol. Joseph and Pixie
Joseph and the two dogs
Our own cute but slothful dog Daisy (in her defense I will say that when she does start to run there is no stopping her, she can run for miles)
Food, did someone say food

Over the weekend we minded Kathryn's dog Pixie. She's a lively little bundle of energy compared to our fat Daisy, that's until she finds a lap or warm spot by the fire. the photos don't show just how tiny she is or just how fat Daisy is,lol. Daisy has been advised by the vet that she needs to go on a weight loss program, just a couple of kilos but for a dog that adores food as much as she does it's not going to be easy, sadly I can relate so well to her,lol. Pixie on the other hand ate up a storm and never seemed to change, lucky girl.

Cool

I was wrapped today to receive this award from the uber talented Beck Spicer. It means so much when someone whose work you really admire does something like this. Check out her blog
here and the links she has to some awesome talent from this district. I am meant to pass this on but as with the one Donna gave me I am going to leave it up to you to put on your blog. Just check out my sidebar for some of the talented people around, both near and far, they all dererve awards in my opinion.

Page one, workshops at home

I am doing one of Kim Archers workshopsathome classes. it started on the 20th but I have only just started mking it, luckily her workshops are left up for ages.. The litttle album is one of Maya roads and is really cute. It's a little hard to tell because it is laying down on a piece of card but it's a gorgeous sheer not clear plastic so you can still see through it but not as clearly as acetate, it makes it a lot easier to adhere the parts because although the adhesive might show a little it is certainly not as bad as the clear albums. I have used papers and ribbons by WR memory keepers. there was a kit you could buy from Tarisota but unfortunaly it had sold out by the time I went to purchase mine. I have added a few extra elements to mine like the extra buttons and bird and also made my own pin from a hat pin and beads. I get more satisfaction from making my embellishments than I do buying them, although sometimes if time is a factor the premade stuff might be hauled out. I will share the rest when I'm done. It's going to contain photos of Bren and I from the 20 plus years we have been together. It's a little sad that I can only fill a mini album with them as we seldom ever seem to have photos taken of just the two of us.
cheers for now.