Ducking in

Seems all I ever do lately :-) Just sharing a card and the two youngest boys reluctanly doing  Santa hat photos, can I hear a cheese...

The little Holly fairy is a digi image from  http://digitalpenciltoo.com/

Great copic tutorials

Right here on the copic oz website. This weeks tutorial is  colouring poppies, lovley.
http://copicoz.blogspot.com/

See that

On the side bar of my blog, no not the December daily logo although I will share a bit about that too, the sweet little banner that says I am copic certified, yay, more details and photos of the weekend to follow. Been such  a slack cyber girl lately.

bit of this and that

  A little bit of card making. stamps SU bird cage, HA greeting and darkroom door, background.

Copic colouring practice 

I even made a start on my Christmas cards. digi stamp CC's sugarplums.

And made the neighbourhood kids some goody bags (with my silhouette of course)

Another Christmas card, grunge paper background, stamps HA and SU and various die cut snowflakes also cut out of the grunge paper.

And a layout of my sweet nephew.

Pulled out my itop brad maker again for the felt brads (they still make me happy) and some SU corduroy buttons (not sure why SU would even think to discontinue these little beauties, so much texture, yum) Felt scallop border cut with a quickutz border die. Stamps Technique Tuesday, love Ali Edward's designs.

And this makes me so happy. Our little plum tree in the backyard has fruit on it in it's very first year, not much mind you but still exciting for us. I love watching the trees blossom and the fruit start to grow, kind of satisfying.

two more

Firstly are some photos taken last year of Seamus. He loves all his holidays, Christmas, Easter and even a holiday that is not traditionally ours, Halloween. All he wanted to do last year was carve a pumpkin but at almost $30 for an imported pumpkin there was no way that was going to happen so we decided to make our own tradition and carve a watermelon instead. It was cheap, fun and best of all we got to eat the middle afterwards.

Photos were printed on an art mat paper by ilford and although you can't see it here look like velvet where the black is, quite cool stuff. The little spider, bat and pumpkin are cut with a die from felt, some sticky backed stuff that I found a couple of years back at craft store that has been hiding down the bottom of my fabric box ever since, so glad I found it as it is awesome stuff and die cuts so cleanly. Back ground stamp is a really old one from hero arts. title cut with some BoBunny paper using the silhouette and cobweb cut with the silhouette as well. 

ETA that little bug at the top right hand corner of this layot is not part of the holloween theme, just a visitor as I was photographing it outside,he he.

The next layout is totally inspired by this gorgeous layout by the extremely talented Nichol Magouirk. So nice for me to be able to use pink. I had printed this photos off last week and the next day walked into my lss to find these papers by KI memories that were the perfect match, love it when things come together like that.
title cut with my silhouette from one of their files, butterflies cut with felt and paper using a couple of SU dies and the brads were made by meeee, love that I found out how well the ITop brad maker works with felt. so cool. I did another layout a coupe of weeks ago using them to and it made me super excited (will share that one later). Stamps are PTI (and the matching places please die) and hero arts(September).
Have a large load of towels waiting to be hung out so HooRoo.

Hello

Just testing.

Free, yes I said free...

7 day PS workshop on this talented and generous ladies blog. Don't know about you but I need all the help I can get in photoshop. Have a look around her blog while you are there, free actions and textures as well a several paid ones. I recently bought the Parisian set, gorgeous for that soft vintagey look so in now.

I love the school holidays

Especially the days were we get a little bit of spring sunshine and Chocolate the cat and I get to stretch out on the grass and enjoy the warmth and gorgeous spring colours. And because there is not as much rush I get to play in my scrap nook.

Made this for the Pink Pixie monthly challenge. Although I love the papers and their vintagey collagey look they are not something I traditionally would work with. I am so not a collage girl, not that I don't love the look of it it's just so not me so I went with my linear style and hoped for the best.

the vintage camera I stamped down the side are not showing up too well, black is such a difficult colour to photograph.

And last but not least a cute little card for a cute friends birthday last week, happy birthday Sandie. We helped her celebrate with bubbles and cake, not sure who enjoyed that more, hehe.

Finished the football season in the nicest way possible

Short of a win in the grand final yesterday that is, with the two middle boys taking out best and fairest for their age divisions and Joey getting the player of the year award as well. An extremely proud Mummy moment, even included a few tears from me. Paddy Best and fairest

Joey best and fairest and player of the yearBeing dorky (on my instructions He he)

Happy days

Kept busy

Preparing for the two youngest boys grand final day and presentation day tomorrow(OK, Just checked the time, make that today) Unfortunately they didn't win but did well against a side that has been undefeated all season and were twice our size. Desperately need sleep now, been up since 5.15.

Joey, proud captain leading out his teamNice mark.
country football grand finals just don't seem complete without a dog running out onto the oval.

Just sayin' hi

And sharing a couple of things I have done. The first one, a layout of Seamus, from a photo I took a couple of weeks back when we home for a few days. The boys loved being back on their old stomping ground. This is the beach that Seamus took his first steps on, totally naked toddling around on the sand. His brothers of course had to tease him and ask for a reenactment,he he, all in fun though, of course he wouldn't submit to their idea. They had the best time in the winter sunshine, it was actually warm enough for me to take off my coat and the boys to strip down to Tshirts.
Paper is Bo Bunny with just a bit of Cosmo Cricket (the fish, so happy when the colours coordinated)Bo Bunny stickers, Brad maker from Imaginisce and paper clips are from Tim (Mr creative himself) Holtz. Font is Task list form 2 peas. All products except for the brad maker and font are from Sandie and Jane's shop Pink Pixie and I'm sure if you asked nicely enough the girls might even look into getting you one, he he, theyare a very cool tool. The second project is a quick card I made for my boss' birthday a couple of weeks ago. Stamps, ledger and background-Hero arts, the date-making memories magnetic date set and the greeting is PTI. The cardstock and ribbon is also PTI, rhinestones-Kaiser and the felt from spotlight cut with cuttle bug and bosscuts dies.

Yesterday we spent at the leagues best and fairest medal count. Joe came in fifth overall which was a great effort. He was also selected for the all stars team which is an on paper thing only, selected after a carnival played in Horsham a few weeks back. It is chosen out of four leagues, so not a bad effort to be placed in the top 24 of roughly a thousand kids across two states. We were impressed anyway.Footy finals start this weekend so a busy few weeks coming up.

Cheers.

These boots were made for walking

And that is what I am going to have to do a bit of over the next few days. Some people really should know that you can not pull out and do a U Turn in front of another car from a car park, silly man. All the boys are worried about is loosing the van, they love that old thing, all we are worrying about is the cost to replace it as it was only insured at market value so we won't get too much back on insurance. The old thing was totally mechanically sound and never missed a beat. In the 9 + years we have had it, other than a regualr service, the only thing that ever needed fixing was a new radiator cap, cost $12 and a new battery in it once. And really, as much as I may have complained about it's age at times I don't want a brand new car that I have to be constantly worrying about the paintwork and the interior getting dirty. It has safely driven my own kids and possibly half the footy team and definitely nearly all their friends and my friends and family around for years, there are so many good memories related it.

Taken with my IPhone.

Calling all diecutters

For those of you with digital die cutting machines pop on over to Kerri Bradford's blog
here and check out the fabulous design she has been creating. There is even a giveaway for those who become followers of her blog. Her designs not only work with the silhouette but also the cricut and several other electronic die cut machines. So what are you waiting for, off you go :-)

Gorgeousness

I found these today while blog browsing, here is the link to these and several others. I think I will print the first one to frame for one of the boys rooms and the second one on a smaller scale to make a fridge magnet. So many possibilties.

resuming regular transmission

If there is anyone out there who still reads this poor sad neglected blog you will have noticed a lack of posting lately. Several reasons, kids computer had died and they have been using my laptop (grrrr) they have their own again now and mine is back off limits again :-) , I did a complete scrap nook overhaul and getting to the computer for anyone for a few days was like doing a circus contortionists act and lastly the kiddo had 2 weeks holiday and Bren four so instead of living life via my computer I lived it via my family, hehe. We had some great quality time together both as a family and Bren and I when the kids went back, even managing to get a movie and lunch date. went and watched inception, as seriously cool movie, full of action and intrigue, not one for someone without a very long attention span though as you really had to watch it all the way through to follow the concept of the movie, so worth it though. Also saw this one (twice) once with the girls, thanks for the great day out

Donna and Wendy and once with my boys, another one I enjoyed.

Spent last weekend in Port Fairy stopping off on the way to Mum's at our previous hometown (only 15 min from Port) This rugged part of the coast is only across the paddock from were we lived, one regret I have is selling the house, sea on one side lake on the other, hindsight is a great thing.

Me, doing silly poses for Joseph.

It was lovley Jackson was able to come with us as he has a few weeks off work and decided he needed some family time (I think that equals me doing his laundry and cooking for him,lol)





The boys had a lovely time beach combing

and I did a few layouts. This one for the Pink Pixie monthly challenge and boy was it a challenge for someone like me who is very linear and those certainly are not my colours of choice to work with. I think it does us good to be made to step out of our comfort zone every now and then and I must confess I actually enjoyed doing something a bit different.
I think the papers are basic grey. after my scrapnook makeover I enjoyed pulling out items that I hadn't used for ages becuse they had been tucked away (I'm an out of sight out o fmind kindof person) I used my MM tag maker, micro beads and bitsof ribbon that were tucked away in a basket.

And made this baby card for my nephew and his fiance and there new little girl Laura Rose . the stamp is not a traditional baby girl image but I loved it and it is so feminine that I thought I would go with it anyway.
Stamps are stampin up and paper is fancy pants, love the colours, soft and vintagey.

And this layout which looks quite wonky but I can assure you is not,he he, of my youngest nephew Xavier. We had the pleasure of his company on Sunday for a few hours and all of us loved it and I'm sure he loved spending time with his big cousins at the beach.

All elements cut with the silhouette including grunge negative strip, ticket, all the words, numbers and waves(out of vellum) Stamps are PTI, his name and October afternoon, the camera. Cardstock is AC and Aussie scrap source.




not sure how this ended up down here, just a close up of part of the Mum layout above.

another one for a Pink pixie challenge a month back, this looks wonky here too, must start being more careful photographing my layout, getting a bit slack.
I was really cross with myself, when I went ot stamp the flourish it fell off the block and landed lower than I originaly wanted it to, the large flourish was meant to be tucked right up into the right hand corner not down, really annoys me each time I look at it.

Righto I'm off now, heading out to lunch with a friend,

Cheers.

She sells, sea shells.

Ten times fast? Aren't these shells just gorgeous. the apothecary jar has been sitting empty on top of my bookshelf for months needing something just right to put in it. Being the coastal loving girl I am and after searching for ideas(many hours spent browsing gorgeous decor blogs of course, he he) the idea for shells came to me, inspired by this blog. You would think living on the biggest island in the world pretty shells would be easy to find but a lot of stores either where incredible expensive or only sold them individually. I was so happy when they arrived today from here. Click on the photo if you want to see some of the array of shells that came in the large white pack I ordered.

Today I also played with a set of cool new actions from here there are some wonderful free actions as well as some paid ones like this mini set I used here which was only us $5.00 and has five gorgeous Parisian inspired actions called French connections I ran it, played with the levels, regrouped the layers folder and then reduced the layer so the effect was really subtle. The photo is one that I have posted here before of my cute nephew Xavier. I really love the soft, light whimsical look it has given the shot.

Cheers

Playing along

With the Delightful inspiration digi stamp challenge here , such a cute little guy. Drop on over and get your own cutie and then play along each week with a free stamp. This is what we woke up to this morning, brrrrrr. Not that I should complain really, our winters are fairly mild compaired to some places but still it had us shivering in our boots.

New do

OK, firstly let me tell you a little about Joe; he knows exactly what he wants and when, like right now. He was born that way,impatient to get into the world, impatient to get on with life, no messing around. It used to drive me crazy when he was little. he had a great imagination and loved to dress up as his favourite characters, either from books , movies or console games and would pressure any adult he could into making the costume for him, usually it was my Mum because she has the best sewing skills and if no one would make a start for him then he would try and do it himself, four year olds and sewing machines are not always a good mix. Not that he would nag or whine or even get nasty about it he just has that way of putting the pressure on that is distinctly Joe. He will probably do well in life by it , that single minded dedication to what he wants (and he drives himself as hard as anyone else, whether it be drawing, I've seen him sit for hours drawing and redrawing characters to get them just right, or his sport) but sometimes there are times when I just have to shake my head and count to ten, thankfully he has a pretty sweet nature because it could really drive me nuts otherwise if there wasn't quite a bit of sugar and charm along with it. So when he decided he wanted his hair cut after trying to grow it out and it turning into a curly boof that was it , it had to be done, there, that night no matter what else was on we were going to have to work around it. He even fidgeted during a demo basket ball training session put on by the pioneers, a team from a neighbouring major town about an hour away, something he would normally love to watch, and never mind that I was enjoying watching too. so home, google research and half an hour later I had one happy boy with his new (tasteful, lol) mohawk. Those years of hairdressing still come in handy at times.

Side view (with a catching flies expression on his face)

There are so many things wrong with this shot, missed the focus on his eyes, colour wonky etc but still I love it.
Photos taken at around 7. 30 this morning in the fog :-)

Just because

the weather is getting cooler and there is more of this going on inside And this outside
Enjoy Autumn