Christmas cards not done?

Well I have a quick answer to your dilemma! A friend asked if I would make up a card for her after seeing the ones I have done for us. How could I refuse? Hey I got to take more photos, and play in PS 7

I you want the templates follow the link and don't forget to leave a message.
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Card Template updated Dec 7
http://download.yousendit.com/D2D6DAF731464603
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Here is one I have created using the template.




And a quick look at the card templates themselves.






Okay so I forgot to add the card template examples to a black background so you could actually see where they finish. What I can tell you is that they are sized at 6 x 4.

Template freebie

http://download.yousendit.com/1501D638303A5940

There you go, there is the link to the template I created to in turn create the layout in the post below.

I have to admit, I am loving the whole template thing, it makes digi scrapping a breeze!
Okay so if you are like me and are creating the sketches as well it takes a little extra time but once you have it and its saved well its just soooo easy to reuse them, and not have them come out exactly the same each time. Well unless you are like me and love the look of one and have to do it again exactly the same for the other daughter too!

and there is a preview of the template itself. Remember be nice and don't pass this off as your own, and a comment or two if you use it would be great.

a quick layout for you, expect to see the digi template I made to create this one in a day or so.
Supplies
Papers and staples - ksharonk (Amble kit)
Circle stitches - Karen Hunt
Embelishments - Tracey Ann Robinson (Dear Santa kit from ScrapbookBytes)
Font - CK Maternal
Background paper and photo mat paper - Me
Sketch template - Me

Okay I have been a slacker again

but in my defense I have to say I have been rather busy here this weekend.

I got some jobs finished up and only have one more lot of photos to edit before sending them off to be printed. So that will be this mornings job after I take Anya to school for the day and Dannielle to kindy for the morning. And I really do have to remember to take the toy library toys back!

Uhhh that was meant to be a Saturday job but it just didn't happen. Anya had a wee school friend come to play and I got to sit and chat with her Mama and not do anything much which is fantastic, since as you know I am usually juggling at least half a dozen things at the same time. Then Saturday afternoon my dear friend Justine looked after the girls while I had to go to a course so that I am able to tutor next year at the local college. Mostly it was just getting boxes ticked off for the govt who fund adult education in this country. Thats done now so won't have to worry about it for a while again.

Looking forward to tutoring next year, hopefully we get plenty of people signing up for my classes which I will be taking here at the local college and with luck in Ashburton.

I want to check out the possibility of taking a photography class at the summer school program at the University of Canterbury as well. I have been told they are really rather good and if it will help improve my photography well all the better.

Speaking of photos I whipped up a digi layout yesterday using the same template and colours I used for the one of Dannielle below, this time with Anya as the focus. I love this kit that I used, its sooooo versatile and I was thrilled to get it at $2 (US) while it was part of the final round of the Scrap Artist Designer Apprentice competitions, thankfully for all those who didn't get it then they can now purchase it. I swear you will not be sorry you did, this kit is just sooooo versatile!

The doodle on the page is by the amazing Dawn Moore, I am thrilled to call her friend and she has been so wonderful helping me sort this whole digi thing out! Without her I wouldn't be creating the templates etc. Thanks Dawn for your amazing help.



Oh and I just found the photos I took after Dannielles trip to the hairdresser to rectify her crazy haircutter moment. Uhhh I knew I had taken them but obviously when I took them off the memory card I had added them into the wrong folder! Duh on me, well anyways I found them again yesterday and here is a shot of her new haircut! NOT much changed thankfully but it is considerably shorter than it was and slightly thinner (they layered the sides of her bob) on the sides so that she could keep her style. Very lucky girl, and hopefully she has learned her lesson!



Once again, if you click on the images you can see a bigger version of them.

a digi freebie for you

And here is the link for the sketch template. Remember the no piracy rule applies to freebies as well, if you want to share it put a link up to my blog thanks.

http://www.yousendit.com/download/KUAeCuw8p3k=

a quick layout

Big D the day before she chopped into her hair! She was sure working the camera and I am glad I got this series of shots since we all know what happened the following day!

Supplies
Paper - Lisa Whitney (a beautiful mess kit)
Doodle - Dawn Moore (Thanks so much Dawn)
Sketch Template - Cheryl Peacock (hee hee thats me!)

Photos by me, taken the day before Big D decided to chop her own hair!

I am really rather proud of this one since not only did I take the photos but I also created the digital sketch I used to create the layout. I swear it makes creating a work of art so much easier. And with only minor tweaking it can be changed to look completely different!

So not only do I have to thank the amazingly talented Dawn Moore for the doodle I used on the layout but also for helping me figure out how to create the sketch templates in the first place.

trouble with a capital T

How much trouble can one 4 year old get into in a matter of minutes?
Lots if you happen to be this girl!

And this is another layout I have done in the last couple of days. I took the photos on Sunday and got commissioned to create a digi album for them.

Five week old baby photo shoot

I was lucky enough yesterday to get to shoot a gorgeous wee 5 week old girl, such a joy to photograph. And her Mum was thrilled with the results which is even better.





Theres just a taste of the shots I got yesterday. Gotta love it!

Camera Club trip

I got to spend the better part of the day yesterday away with the camera club up at Castle Hill. Talk about amazing! And getting to spend a decent length of time there just dithering, as a young Scots visitor to the same area yesterday put it. And so beautifully too with his lilting accent. It truly is a perfect place to dither!

Okay so I do not consider myself a landscape photographer, in fact I struggle with the whole thing. But after some advice from a very talented fellow photographer I was able to get some shots that I was mostly happy with. His one, two or three cigarette theory worked. If you want to know more about this theory then you will have to ask.

Anyway here are some of the small picture results. Still didn't quite get the big picture landscapes, another day perhaps.
You will want to click on the photos to bring them up a little more to get a decent look at them.



A matagouri tree in the shadow of one of the huge boulders found at Castle Hill.



"Seed head" this is growing in the lee of a huge! boulder. Do you think I got a photo of the boulder that I like?



"Mother and child". This wee pebble (about the size of a womans closed hand) was simply resting up against this much much larger boulder, for some reason it caught my eye and my imagination.

School Sports day

It was Anya's first ever school sports day today. HOT was what it was! The kids seemed to enjoy themselves though. The D girl and I went to check out the events. Here are some of the photos taken today.



Anya after the sack race. (above and below)



Click on the next photo for a better view.



The very tired cheer squad.

I recently took some

photos of the girls for the front of our Christmas cards. Not one of these made it! Thats how much I like the one I did end up choosing! NOT saying at all that I don't like these ones! Just that I like the one I chose better!

Title - Happy



Title - "You better not pout!"




Title - "Naughty and Nice"

I did quite well this year

at the Ellesmere Show. I had several images in the photographic competition, a few layouts in the scrapbooking competition.

Got a highly commended for one of my layouts, but it was in the photographic competition that I really did well this year.

2 firsts
4 seconds
and 3 third placings, but the biggest news of all was that I took out "Champion Print"
And with a simple black and white too! I have added the Champion Print below.
Please be nice and do not claim this print as your own. I worked long and hard to get this so don't ruin it!



Anya and Dannielle also had entries in the photo competition (photographer under 18 class) and they both did really well.

Dannielle picked up a first with this shot.



While Anya picked up third place with this shot.

Dannielle turns 4!

Miss 4 on her birthday, yep still in her jammies so that tells you how early the photo was taken. Couldn't wait to get dressed before getting her pressies! Totally and thoroughly spoilt! Thank you very much to everyone who sent her pressies and cards. She loved everything.



Four is such a frustrating age for a mama! The girl is just so photogenic but more often than not is looking away from the camera! But when she does look at the camera for me what do I get?
The cheesey grin!



The last two photos above there were taken at her playcenter birthday party. Duh on Mama she forgot a cake! BAD Mama, BAD Mama! how could I forget to get a cake for her? So quickly whipped up a playdough cake, decorated it up a bit, shoved some candles in, and there you have it a cake!