Oh my where is the time going?

I am so tired today, two meetings so far this week and I am teaching tonight!

I must admit that I am rather looking forward to it though, it seems like every now and then I just have to play with paint, and ink and other mucky stuff. Trying to keep the adhesive where it should be instead of sticking my fingers together is always a good laugh as well.

Tonights class is a canvas class, looking forward to encouraging the ladies attending to stop hiding their pages in albums and every now and then create a piece of meaningful art for themselves instead of buying someone elses! And I am sure that would rile more than a few painters!





Okay so don't get me wrong, I love my girls, but they are more than a lot like me and have strong wills, and sassy attitudes. But sometimes just sometimes that is more than a mama can cope with. So when I saw a page created by the lovely Sharon Kenealy I knew I had to lift it, the above is my big girl with her attitude showing!

Background Paper – Karah Fredricks @ thedigichick (Foundation – Dark Rust)
Other Paper – Dianne Rigdon @ thedigichick (Pink Paisley – Hippie Chic)
Template – Cheryl Peacock for cherpea designs

Inspired by Sharon Kenealy, thanks Sharon this quote was so perfect for this photo!




and since I was on the subject of attitude I thought I may as well share this one as well!

Paper – Lisa Whitney @ ScrapArtist (A Beautiful Mess Kit)
Flower & Staple – Lisa Whitney @ ScrapArtist (A Beautiful Mess Kit)
Doodle Star – Lisa Whitney @ ScrapArtist (Painted Doodle Stars)
Stick Pin – Nancie Rowe Janitz @ ScrapArtist (Fair Trade Kit)
Curled Frame – Nancy Comelab @ My Digital Muse (Vintage Frame)
Journalling Spot – Katie Pertiet @ Designer Digitals (Curled Journal Spots 3)

Journalling reads

She got the look, the look that said Mama I am not getting out of the bath!
No way, no how. I love you anyway!



and this one well its going to be a wee surprise for my friend Sandy and her hubby Phil. I took these photos late last year, and digi scrapped some pages for them at the time, but this photo was just hollering right on out at me I need to be scrapped (again?)

Everything from Lisa Whitney's A Beautiful Mess Kit, from the minute I saw this kit during the ScrapArtist Apprentice challenge I knew I had to have it!
So very VERSATILE! A must have staple for any digi scrapper!

Over at the Hub this week which you can find here (closes Thurs US time) the featured kit of the week this week happens to be Lisa's absolutely fantastic Beautiful Mess kit.
So if you have the kit, scrap with it and enter, if you don't what are you waiting for go get it from ScrapArtist and scrap some!



I don't think I said that it was Chris' birthday on Sunday just gone, and apart from the odd requests on his wish list for things like gasket goo, a couple of new tyres for his "new" bike, chain lube and the Gloomy Sunday DVD (which has yet to turn up!) he wanted to go to a performance in the Christchurch Cathedral. The Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (CSO from now on!) were playing several pieces one being the Brandenburg Concerto # 1.
So off we went all four of us! The girls first ever experience of live ballet music as they refer to it! The were very very well behaved little girls, though about 40 mins into it got a bit antsy so Daddy took them and sat with them in the ailse so that they could see the orchestra!

Do you know how proud you can make parents with a few simple words? We had some elderly folks sitting behind us that when the concert was over praised our girls for being so very well behaved, and for having such beautiful dresses on! They were both wearing the flamenco dresses that Chris bought back from Barcelona for them!

I'm shouting out! Its time to CELEBRATE!!!!!!

Okay I have to tell you I have been sitting on a secret for a wee bit now, do you know how hard it is for me to keep a secret this good??????

Correct answer is very hard, very hard indeed, but at last I am able to share my most excellent news with you all!

Now it would not be hard to figure out that I am a fan of the very talented and thoroughly delightful Lisa Whitney! Well colour me thrilled, because Lisa asked me to join her personal Creative Team!!!!!!!

Woooohooo I get to create with Lisa's amazing creations!!! So yes you can colour me very happy indeed!

And I have to tell you that if you hop on over to her blog right here and read this thread you might find a little treat in store for you, but you will have to be extra specially quick!
If you miss out you could always got to her store here and check out her amazing creations.

You can find some of my pages using Lisa line in my gallery right about here

I've been inspired

lately. Have got a lot of scrapping done, mostly all digital! And I have had some absolutely wonderful comments made! For which I thank each and every one who has left me a comment.

Its surprising how much of a difference it can make if someone says something nice or not about your creations.

You have probably heard me waffle on about the fact that I was asked by Rachael Giallongo to be her guest CT member for next month, well naturally I was thrilled by the opportunity to showcase her amazing sketches and to get to work with such a lovely lady for a month as well.

And of course the amazingly talented Lisa Whitney has to be thanked also, she creates the most amazing papers and elements to use. And to top it off she is such a nice person too!

Papers – Lisa Whitney @ ScrapArtist (blue – A Beautiful Mess kit, green – Believe Paper Pack)
Stitching - Lisa Whitney @ ScrapArtist (Ultimate Stitches Vol 1)
Hearts and flower - Lisa Whitney @ ScrapArtist Painted Doodle Hearts & Flowers
Sketch Template – Rachael Giallongo @ TheDigiChick (Going Postal)
Font – Century Gothic

Paper – Lisa Whitney @ ScrapArtist (Believe Paper Pack)
Stitching - Lisa Whitney @ ScrapArtist (Ultimate Stitches Vol 1)
Cardboard Edge overlay – Linda Gil Billdal @ ScrapArtist
Doodled Alpha – Kate Hadfield @ the Lily Pad
Fonts – Harrington and Century Gothic
Journal Spot – Katie Pertiet @ DesignerDigitals (Curled Journal Spots 3)

Journalling reads

Okay so Daddy hoisting you up over his shoulders in a
fireman lift was not quite what you were expecting
when you asked him for a ride near the end of our
walk around part of Glenrock Station, but you were
soon squealing with delight, and asking for more!

I love this photo of Chris, even if its not showing his face, its so him! He is so not into having his photo taken, must be pure torture living with me and my camera all but permanently attached to my hand! So front or back, this man rocks my world. Love you darling.

Paper – Lisa Whitney @ ScrapArtist (Chocolate Covered Maraschino Cherries)
Circle Stitches – Kim Christensen @ ScrapArtist (Scribble Circles)
Curled Frame – Nancy Comelab @ MyDigitalMuse (March Grab Bag)
You – Katie Pertiet @ DesignerDigitals (2nd Hand titles – love you)
Font – Georgia

If you are a digi scrapper and haven't checked out Nancy Comelab's store over at My Digital Muse you really need to! Another amazingly talented lady with amazing products!

Here's a link to her store there.

http://www.mydigitalmuse.com/boutique/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=4

Okay I read somewhere that typically in a family of four that only one maybe two people can actually roll their tongue like this! The scarey thing is that we can all do it! Anya calls it doing the twist tongue.

Paper – Lisa Whitney @ scrapartist (Be My Valentine kit)
Doodle – Dawn Moore
Fonts – AL Afternoon Delight & BlackJack
Teamplate – Dawn Moore (doodle) & Cheryl Peacock
Photo border action – Jen Caputo (blog freebie)

Fantastic news

Well we have been away for the weekend up to Glenrock Station near the headwaters of the Rakaia River. A beautifully amazing, quiet spot overlooking the river, which is only a short walk away. And up in behind mountains! Bliss, is all I can say.

Will download photos later and post them here, but in the mean time I got home to have some fantastic news!

First up on ScrapArtist one of my layouts got picked as the Layout of the Week!
http://scrapartist.typepad.com/the_hub/2007/03/feature_friday_.html

This is after it appeared on Lisa Whitney's blog that is!


And over at The DigiChick this layout got picked as Layout of the Day for the 16th of March.
http://123-scrap.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=11631&cat=500&ppuser=182

Wooohoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you colour me thrilled?!? Yeah you could do that!

Oh my gosh how cool is this???

I was doing a bit of surfing of favorite digi designers blogs and what did I come across?

Anya, thats what! A page of mine is on what would have to be my all time favorite designers blog!!!! I am so happy I could burst!

Go have a lookie yourself! Heee hee colour me happy!

http://lisawhitney.typepad.com/eclecticmommy/

a couple of very recent pages

Both created with templates from Rachael Giallongo and mostly using papers and elements from Lisa Whitney.





Have I said that Rachael asked me to be her guest CT for the month of April? I am so happy and so looking forward to creating with more of her amazing sketches.





And I know I asked if you had seen the fantastic new doodles Lisa Whitney has in her store over at ScrapArtist. Well I simply couldn't resist so grabbed me the flowers. I swear each and every time she creates something new it just rocks my socks! I could seriously go broke! Lisa just creates the most amazing elements to create with, talk about fun and so easy!






Papers – Lisa Whitney & Linda Gil Billdal @ www.scrapartist.com (Lisa Whitney -Artsy Fartsy Vol 2, A beautiful mess kit) (Linda Gil Billdal – Frosty and Fabulous kit)
Background paper & Journalling box paper – Cheryl Peacock
Staples – Lisa Whitney @ www.scrapartist.com (A Beautiful Mess Kit)
Flowers – Lisa Whitney @ www.scrapartist.com (New! Painted Doodled flowers)
Curled Frame – Katie Pertiet @ www.designerdigitals.com (Curled Frame Distressed)
Sketch Template – Rachael Giallongo @ www.thedigichick.com tdc sketch challenge # 8
Font – AL Afternoon Delight


Journalling reads

Your bright blue eyes manage a smile even when your mouth doesn’t.
Anya, Jan 2007




Paper & flower – Lisa Whitney (A beautiful mess kit)
Flower Doodles – Dawn Moore
Bulldog clip – Sharon Kenealy (Summer Sweetness kit)
Amazing (word art) – Katie Pertiet (Second hand titles – Love)
Sketch – Rachael Giallongo (TDC sketch 24 – altered)
Font – AL Afternoon Delight
Programme – Photoshop 7
Photography – Cheryl Peacock


These are just two that I can share, I have submitted a couple more to US magazines, not that I really expect to be picked up or anything! But wouldn't it be cool? Hey I guess a girl can dream huh?

And on the subject of dreams, have you seen Men in Trees? Uhhhhh talk about serious eye candy! I swear I am hooked! yep throw in the line and sinker too!
Okay so I am married but I can look can't I? And yep I would seriously have to agree that my darlin is eye candy too!
But I seriously hope that there is a series two otherwise there is gonna be a whole lotta noise going on! Cause even though I am not a huge tv watcher this one has got me hook, line and sinker. Eye candy and some fantastic scenery, sure makes me wanna visit Alaska!

OMG have you seen Lisa Whitney's new

doodles? Oh boy if you haven't hop right on over to her blog to check them out! They quite simply ROCK!!!!!
Doesn't matter if you are a paper scrapper only, buy them, size them to what you want, print them out, run them through a xyron! Go on they will look simply awesome!

Lisa, fantastic, what else can I say?


I have created two pages with them already, duh on me though one of them is gonna get submitted so now I just have to decide which of the two to put in and show off the other one proud as punch!

Heres the link to Lisa's blog for you! http://lisawhitney.typepad.com

don't forget to sign up to her new yahoo group too while you are there!

Well maybe there is still hope

But I am sure as heck not going to hold my breath hoping for the lost parcels to arrive!

Why is there hope? Well I got a small package from my dear friend Judy this morning, the significance of this is that Judy lives in the US! Thank you so much Judy the rolo cards are simply awesome! Thinking back to mine now I am seriously concerned at their over simplicity!

Uhhh this whole new blogger thing is a pain in the patootie! Can't seem to do anything at all anymore! Like change fonts, colours, though it does appear I can still add images! SO sucky not fair that they forced the change!

a wee vent! Parcels going undelivered!

Well the trickI mentioned in the last post only lasted one more post, so I am coming to you today from the new blogger, mmmm hope nothing has gone totally haywire during the process! So far so good though!

My wee vent has to do with the fact that NZPost for some reason unbeknownst to me has managed to not deliver several parcels for me coming from the United Kingdom, United States, Portugal and a little closer to home, Palmerston North, this following on from the birthday card my mum tried to send me last october which has still to this very minute not turned up!

What on earth is going on?!?!?!?! NOT sucky fair, get your crap together is what I would love to say to NZPost but whats the point? If you ring the local post office, they advise you to ring the regional mail centre, all well and fine there but the fact that you get to speak to a customer service person who really in all honesty can do absolutely jack about sorting out the problems, wanna speak to someone higher up? Huh you have to be kidding! NOT that they could do much for you anyways!

So if by chance you have sent me something since about October last year and have not had a thank you email from me please email me and let me know that you had sent something, the approximate date of posting, whether you sent it airmail or surface mail, a tracking/shipping number if you have it (you should be able to find it on your postage receipt if you still have it).

And if obviously I haven't received it can you go down to your local post office and complain to them and if you have your receipts for a) what you sent me, and b) the postage costs, put in a claim for reimbursement! Make them pay is what I am suggesting, maybe that is the one way to get someone higher ups attention, since if they all of a sudden have a huge jump in postal insurance claims maybe just maybe they will start looking at their services! And how they are failing!

Hee hee looks like I have tricked blogger for a litte while longer!

Well at least one post longer anyways!

Boy have we had a day of it!
Sanded the door frames while Chris sanded the window, now while I had four to do, who do you think got the better end of that particular little stick?! And good news we have the sealer coat and one coat of aquanamel on them and are they looking soooo much better? Yeah you really could say that! Hopefully one coat more will do it, and with luck I can get that done in the morning after dropping the girls off at school and kindy!

Oh and Chris bought a Daihatsu Max, NOT a winter car! Well it better dang not be anyway! Thankfully this time its NOT in the North Island! It is however in Blenheim so next Sunday he and one of the sproglets will be taking the train north to pick it up! Yep only one of them going, since there aren't any seatbelts in the back seat, YET!

What else, well I should be working on some ATC's for a swap I am in, but the mojo had kinda just gojo'd! Dang it all what awful timing since they are meant to be leaving me soon to wing their way to the US! Anyone who has found my mojo laying around somewhere, give it a kick back my way will ya?

Ooooh but the bestest news would be that I saw two episodes of Men in Trees last night! Woohooo and Chris even watched them with me! Double wooohooo. Man I so hope it lasts more than one season! Colour me gutted if it doesn't!

My bad!

Oh brother I knew it had been a while since I blogged what with Chris getting home from Europe and all, but boy it really has been a while.

Why? Well, first up the weekend after Chris got home he was off again for the weekend to pick up a new motorbike from Napier!

And that weekend also happened to be a crop weekend at the world famous 123-Scrap. Like I live there, so how could I not join in the third birthday celebrations?!

Then as you know I had a problem with my tooth that split a while back, it decided to give me grief and you know me when it comes to dentists, I PROCRASTINATE!!!!!!! Well it got to the point that I could no longer procrastinate, and I really needed to get something done about it. NOT fun but a visit to the dentist was involved and I was brave if I do say so myself! And he came out with all fingers unbitten! Though typical of me, the root of my tooth was strangely shaped and it gave him and me more than a bit of strife! I am still taking some fairly heavy duty painkillers to dull the pain nearly a week later! Though ditched the super duper ones he gave me after they broke me out in hot and cold sweats and made the world spin! The nausea I could kinda cope with it was the room spinning that really pee'd me off!

The number two decided after an enjoyable day at kindy Thursday morning to come down with a tummy bug! She started LATE Thursday night dang it. I had just gotten home from the class I was teaching and up she gets, Mama I don't ... And you get the picture!

Pages? Well I got a few done last weekend. Paper mostly but I loved playing with the paper again, hadn't done it in a while! Well apart from class stuff that is!



There were two challenges I met with this page, one was to use 8 pieces of ribbon on a page and the other to use the poem in the journal box. This photo just kinda screamed out for it so used it was, and one more page for Anya's book! The photo was taken at Nana's house Christmas Day. And yes as you can plainly see if I like a photo I will rescrap it over and over and over!



See more photos you have seen! But I LOVE them! This page was done for the birthday bash layout contest (still in judging, thanks to the poor judges incompetent workmen who cut her internet cable! Boy would I be giving the workmen a piece of my mind! Can you imagine being stuck with no internet service?!?!?!?!)

Anyway part of the challenge was to use three photos, three different pattern papers and the number 3 on it somewhere! The photos just kinda tell the whole story about the lowercase one during the christmas photo shoot last year! She loved it, she loved it, okay mum are we done yet?




And here is another created last weekend, once again for a challenge, this time the challenge was to pick three numbers between 1 and 10, well my number choices left me with cork, paint and the quote you see. All I was able to use otherwise to create a page that didn't look like a brand newbie scrapper had created it was cardstock, pen or the computer (for journalling or titling).
This is the result.


Will try and share more here really soon! But I am being forced to flip over to the new blogger! Here I thought my luck would hold and I would get to stay on the old blogger for a while yet! I have heard that the new one even out of beta is still plagued with problems! Uhhh just what I need! Hopefully it won't be too painful, but if you hear any sudden hollering and wailing coming from here you know what the problem is!