Thursday 30 September 2010

Playing with Beautiful Things...


For the last couple of days I've been playing with my favourite things - scrapbooking supplies!  Created 5 layouts, 4 for submission to Creative Scrappers Sketch Blog here and the last one for the latest challenge over at The Colour Room here.

All our due in today so I need to display them here to link them all up! 
 
Supplies List:-  Bazzill Steel Grey Cardstock, Glitter Alphas - Pink Paislee, Pearls - Prima, Velvet Ribbon- Stash, Printed Paper - Sassfras Indie Girl, Watermelon Cardstock Bazzill, Decorative Pins - Pink Paislee, Webster's Pages Cameo, Crinkled Ribbon courtesy of Pearl.  Mini-alphas also Webster's Pages.
 
I don't much like masculine-looking scrapbooking products so I love using feminine ones & making them work on my boy/Unisex pages.  I also prefer to hand-journal because it saves time!  This photo was taken in the car, with me in the front, turning around to photograph the kids in the back - it's a good spot to corner them & I have a number of nice photos of them all in a line over the years, as a result ;-D

Supplies List:-  Red Bazzill cardstock, October Afternoon Thrift Shop Printed Paper, Making Memories Alphas, Prima Glitter Flowers, Kiwi Bazzill cardstock, paper flowers & die-cut tendrils & brackets courtesy of Vicki here.  Colour Box Ink - pink.

I received these lovely die-cuts in the  post from my bloggy friend Vicki from New Zealand & have finally put them to good use...I LOVE this October Afternoon Thrift Shop line.  LOVE...and the Prima Flowers in real life are very beautiful, with the bottom layers in tulle.  As they're the only embellishments I paid for on this page I could afford to use two ;-D  I never tire of the border around the edge look.

Supplies List:-  Sassafras Indie Girl Printed Papers x 3, journaling sticker, border sticker & flower sticker.  Zva Creative Diamante swirl {reshaped}Pink/Burgundy flowers Prima/Petaloo, Bling - Bo Bunny, Beaded Ribbon/twisted braid - LSS, Fiskars border punch, Webster's Pages alphas,  Pink Paislee Decorative Pins, Dear Lizzy by American Crafts organza rose ribbon.

I flipped this sketch clockwise because I wanted to use this pretty photo to match the pretty sketch!  This Sassafrass Indie Girl paper is THE BEST because it looks stitched but isn't - and, while I love stitching & am quite capable of doing it I'd rather not LOL...I got the idea for the rose ribbon from Piradee's blog here.  I've already scrapped this photo for big daughter's album so this is little daughter's version ;-D

Supplies List:-  Brown Bazzill Cardstock, Tan Bazzill Cardstock, Mustard Bazzill Swiss Dot, October Afternoon Thrift Shop Printed Paper, Red Flower - Clicks {repurposed hair accessory!}, Die-cut tendrils from Vicki as before, Mustard & Tan ink (Colour Box) Alphas by Prima.
There is one advantage I can think of to getting BEHIND on your scrapbooking.  You are able to make emotional connections between photos, like these 2 above, and scrap Stacy Julien style, about character traits & not just events.  I like how the red pops in this one & how it only ties in to the photo via the flower - no red at all in any of the papers but I think it still looks 'right'.

Supplies List:-  Turq Cardstock - Bazzill, Purple print (ancient one from my stash ;-D) Dotty blue print by 7 Gypsies, Lilac Cardstock - Bazzill. Purple ink- Colourbox, Glitter alphas & swirls - Pink Paislee, Glitter flowers - Prima, Crinkle wool & glitter fur - my stash,  Decorative Punch - Martha Stewart, "for" lettering - Pink Paislee, other alphas American Crafts Rainboot Thickers.
Anyone following my blog for a while now will KNOW that I would NEVER scrap a colour scheme like this.  Show me the colours together & I would shake my head (side to side not up & down...) but that droolworthy confectionery photo did it for me ;-D  Sooo pretty I had to give it a try - and it was a hit in this household!  Again, another photo set put together because of an emotional connection, not even photographed on the same day, but yes, that was DD's favourite T-shirt @ the time!

Wednesday 29 September 2010

If you think his hands are full {you should see his heart}.

I saw this title somewhere online but just can't remember where now...

Printed papers are October Afternoon {stars}Making Memories {Lovestruck}. Moulded rubber corners {inked} from my LSS. Pink Paislee glittered chipboard accent {cut in half & both halves used}. Dear Lizzy Fire Berry alphas & felt accent. Royal & sky blue American Crafts Remarks alphas. Ribbon from my stash.
Love those moulded corners & should've bought more...
Can't get any butcher's twine here so had to make do with this nice narrow ribbon.
Another long title...what can I say? I like 'em...





Tuesday 28 September 2010

Barbeques & Roasties






Friday was a public holiday here.  Heritage Day aka National Braai Day so I decided we'd go with it & join in wholeheartedly.


 We were invited over for a braai with some very social friends but decided to stay @ home & enjoy our very FIRST family meal together @ our dining room table!  Disgraceful that we have only just managed to achieve that after over 4 months in our new home!  Truly indicative of our VERY busy lifestyles. Jack had a vocal training/dance session in the morning {quite far away so we weren't left with tons of prep time} so I delegated chores to every family member. 
 
DH was in charge of the fire & the meat {entrecote steak, boerewors {local speciality sausage} & chicken kebabs}.  I cooked roast potatoes.  Chelsea made a wonderful salad & boys were the runners.  Laying the table, clearing up & drying up & putting away.  Taking these photos wasn't my top priority as I was busy having fun with my family & cooking up a storm, but I did try to get some pics of the preps & the finished meal ;-D

Cami was my assistant potato cooker & also helped the boys tidy up the kitchen.  She is crazy about an English cookery program broadcast here called "Big Cook, Little Cook" so was singing the theme song & having a whale of a time!  The roast potatoes are simple to cook but do take time to prepare.



So here is the finished result. Pretty yum hey?!  And that red & white bowl from @Home is also pretty special {got that for our Christmas Dinner last year}.  Behind it you can see our paper napkin holder woven out of banana leaves...very cool.

Added some fresh sweetcorn all prehulled & cut, from Woolworths of course.  Enjoyed a Grolsch {beer} you can see there in the background.  LOVE beer but don't often indulge myself due to the calorie content LOL.  The aubergine is my timer - cute huh?!
Also got some lovely pre-prepared roasted veg @ Woollies as a treat. 
Isn't the colour of that olive oil gorgeous?  And those artichokes are AMAZING.  Only available at Woolworths & incredibly moreish...The Steers Barbeque sauce & the All Gold Tomato sauce are staples in our home.  Kids can't live without them.  Very brand conscious kids they are too as nothing else will do LOL.  The paper napkins in the white basket were chosen by Cami for their cute cat design!



Hope you all had an awesome weekend.  Kids are on school holidays this week so I am being pulled in all directions!  Still busy "sorting out" my scrap room.  Definitely doing more of that than actual scrapping these days.  Finally able to find all my stash though so it is definitely worth it & should be a once-off if I can keep it tidy!  Have a nice new layout that I'll put up tomorrow.





Friday 24 September 2010

Our Sweethearts Layout





Used all matching papers here from the Making Memories "Be Mine" line. Getting over my "can't be too easy" attitude & using co-ordinating papers at times these days. These papers are great because it looks as if you've pieced strips together but you haven't...that's how the paper's printed...sneaky huh?! ;-D
I've started sorting through my really old photos & am going to have to scrap them, even though their quality is going to embarress me on this here blog...just remember, I wasn't a scrapper then & I wasn't a photographer's ----...okay, moving on...
Inked with a bit of turquoisey blue there. And used some Pink Paislee Artisan Tape as it matched so well don't you think?! Even the alphas are MM Be Mine. Cut the scallop design above the title by tracing around a chipboard element & cutting using my smallest scissors.
I used my craft knife to slash open the printed paper along the line just under the quote there then just slid the photo corner underneath see? Added a distressed effect to the side of the newsprint print by sticking down some cellotape then ripping it off quick {think of waxing your legs except this is infinitely more fun...}
I raised up the "crazy for you" element & used one of the strips from the pps to act as stems for my flowers. Each flower is significant of a child. The little pink one is Cami of course, the next size up is blue for Reilly, then white for Jack & the tallest one in the most striking colour is our stunning big girl Chelsea!


Big flower is a gorgeous Prima alabaster one & little flowers are my LCS. I layered up quite a bit on this page yet it still turned out pretty clean & simple. I was very happy with the result. Thank Goodness Cami was wearing a pink jumper so I could use some pretty paper! Love looking at my kids when they were all such cute little monkeys ;-D

There's actually something to be said for scrapping older photographs as it adds in the reminisce factor & that sure does something for the old feel good endorphins...




Happy Heritage Day to all you South African bloggers.  My roasties are in the oven this very minute just crisping up & the steak, wors & chicken kebabs are almost cooked!







Thursday 23 September 2010

Photo Editing Time! {Chelsea @ 17}

Finally I have been able to sort out all my images for September 2010. For those of you using or wanting to use a photo editing program with no time to learn anything beyond pretty basic you know I am a huge Picasa {free Google software} fan. Be careful when you instal Picasa, that you ONLY tick/check that Picasa brings in images from "My Pictures" {or My Picture Library in Windows 7} or you will end up with a katrillion images from all over your computer - which I'm pretty sure is not what you would want...

I try to keep on top of my photographs as there are so many of them. Being in my library so often brings about some interesting observations. For example, this month I noticed that I had only taken ONE imprompto photo of Camryn & it was off focus so I had to delete it. She is usually queen of the camera yet I have NO photos of her for September! Weird...Going to rectify that over this long weekend.

If you can't read the text on these photos I suggest clicking on them to make them come up larger. The font is a nice one but not clear unless you print the photos fairly big - which is what I intend doing - because I'm going to do a single page for each of them. Teenagers don't allow you many opportunities to photograph them so you need to take every opportunity you can get ;-D

These are the only photos I got of her in September & they were all taken within the same hour! After spending a fortune on Chelsea's matric dance her boyfriend, Kiran, had his college dance & she needed another dress! Eeek I said no ways am I paying to get another one made & going for all those fittings etc...{as so many of the same people attend these dances the girls can't possibly wear the same dress TWICE - talk about a Paris Hilton mentality} unfortunately we just don't have the same funds available as the Hiltons so we hired one!

A beautiful one it was too. She looked absolutely gorgeous with big peacock feather earrings & a variety of gold & jewel coloured bangles. She is working so hard towards her finals, even harder than we would ever expect her to, but she claims to have no choice in the matter, as there is just a massive volume of work. She loves chemistry but hates physics so is looking into a BsC Pharmacy degree now that she is set on the idea of attending university in another state.

She is such a good girl. So much better than I was at her age, and it is all down to good parenting. My theory is that there are very few problem children, coming from a house of problem parents as I did, as half the stuff I did I just did to make a point. I set out to be the mother I always wanted & I believe I've achieved that.

Wednesday 22 September 2010

The Secret Garden




It's been a good week. Getting my computer loaded & sorted has been a mission but I am finally reaping the fruits & it's all been worthwhile. Windows 7 seriously rocks & yup, I love being a geek...Picasa is back in & I love the new Picture Library that has taken over from My Pictures & the way you get a sneak peek of what's in the folders. Makes it so quick if you're looking for something that may have been misfiled.

My bloggy friend Linda brought me an American Crafts raw chipboard D ring album with a peach canvas spine, especially ordered for Chelsea's Matric Dance photos. It's going to be a lovely album. I have about 8 layouts in there so far & about as many still left to do so it won't be too full & I may add in the ones from Chelsea's boyfriend's dance too. Will probably do about 4 layouts of that so everything will fit in just perfectly ;-D

The Secret Garden was the theme of this year's dance & it was VERY pretty. Last year's fund-raising all suddenly took on a new meaning when we walked in to this set-up & saw just how much time, effort, and, not to mention, money, had gone into it all. Well worth it. This is the entry page of the album & sets the scene. I like that I now have so many sets of new alphas that I can mix it up in the titles.

The alphas are from Pink Paislee {top & bottom}& American Crafts {centre}. The paper is a VERY old Deja Views "Fresh Print" from 2006! in the ever-so-trendy colour "de jour" - currant! Black scallop bazzill was already pre-cut {thank Goodness for that!} The photographs were all professionally taken {on a Nikon I noticed ;-D} & I decided to bite the bullet & pay through the teeth for them so that I could relax & enjoy my evening. Very good decision...

The red-glittered chipboard swirl is also Pink Paislee & that pretty sheeny flower was sent to me by Jessy in my RAK. Just added a red feather & a bit of pink bling. The black & white printed papers were all offcuts from my left-overs container. Needless to say this layout came together ever so quickly & easily. The butterflies are from my new Martha Stewart punch & I hope they stay in fashion for a LONG time because I can't resist punching every offcut in sight & now have little containers of them all over the place hee hee...

I finally got to HP to return my printer & a brand new one is on it's way to me from Dubai...by this coming Tuesday so I'm told...I DON"T think so...but you never know so let's hope it makes it here that quick! I have spent today {between attending an awards assembly for Reilly - for getting an 83% average this term - taking Jack out for breakfast as he was off school today as he has finished his syllabus for the term - collecting DD from her sports day & lifting her friend to her work experience - popping in on my LSS to collect the new Kaiser Craft Hippy Girl Line & buying our must-have toiletry requisites from the local Clicks!} editing & backing up all my September photos so can't wait for my printer to come home so I can PRINT, PRINT, PRINT!

Looking forward to HERITAGE DAY {aka National Braai Day} here on Friday! It's nearly here people...only one more day to go...{bought a new salad bowl especially...} well, not really, more because I needed a new salad bowl as mine has turned into the "where we store the potatoes" bowl...veeeeeeeeeeeeeeery nice, will photograph it to show y'all soon!

Tuesday 21 September 2010

Roast Dinner!

This is not the post I had planned but, you know, I don't care! I feel like talking about other stuff, besides scrapbooking, & if that means I don't get as many comments as usual or whatever...well, so be it ;-D Anyhoo...all keen scrappers are keen photographers right?! So I thought I'd show y'all some snaps of our dinner on Saturday night!

DH bought this pork roast last week & I was a bit horrified, seeing as I loathe pork, having lived next door to a pig farmer for many years as a child, & having eaten pork in every different configuration imaginable to humankind, complete with hairs! Yup...think that's probably what did it...the fried pinky white hairs!

But perhaps my abstinence for a decade {or 2 or 3...} has cured me as I have to say it was deeeeeeelicious! And as you can see I did an okay job on it right?! All praise to Delia Smith, considering I had not a clue what to do with this hunka meat & DH was seriously delayed at a cricket match & arrived home after 8 in the evening...

I felt sorry for my boys, stuck on the freeway for hours, & thought I'd dive right in & cook a nice big family dinner for us all for when they got back. Not sure if it was fluke or I'm just a natural LOL but once I had actually commited to spending a good few hours in the kitchen I actually focused & got over my domestic ADD long enough to produce something not "cajun" {ie:- burnt!}

Good thing I don't stress about calorie counts over the weekend as I don't think this would fit into my low fat, low GI eating plan ;-D Let me tell you that a crunchy roast potato is a big hassle to make but worth every bit of peeling, fork scoring, dry-pan tossing, par-boiling & basting... Think I may make the effort EVERY weekend from now on!

Sweetcorn has ALWAYS been one of my all-time faves. Give it to me from a tin & I'll happily accept too...creamed...yum! So there you have it. Forgot to get a pic of the scrumptious roast butternut...soz! So this weekend we got a phonecall from some old friends from Zimbabwe, here on a "holiday" {back surgery} & I invited them to lunch on Sunday! Brave, yes?!






Monday 20 September 2010

Jessy's Challenge




Well this computer is taking some getting used to let me tell you! Not enjoying the process at all despite the crystal clear graphics LOL. Finally here are my images - taken FOREVER to upload whereas before they loaded almost instantly! Anyway, enough moaning...here is my layout for the "Friendly Challenge" over at Jessy's. Not sure how it happened but I got a slightly different Inspiration Picture that you can see I printed out in the photo below. Anyway, the colours were the same LOL {Thank Goodness hee hee...} This was the only photo I had that matched & as my printer is now broken {yes....grrrr...} I had to make do with it ;-D

I pulled out my new stash bag & immediately my eyes fell upon the October Afternoon "Fly a Kite" line with the blue & orange shades. The photo is an old one from a frame. Not in the best condition as it somehow got "stuck" to the glass & I had to try to steam it off, rather unsuccessfully, so I had to trim it down quite a bit. Pre-digi photography days so not simple to just reprint {especially as my printer is broken in any case lol} Have a basket full of negatives which I need to scan into my pc one of these fine days...

Decided on white bazzill for the base as it's always so crisp, clean & modern, & some swiss-dot bazzill in the most gorgeous shade of cornflower blue. Also added in some candy pink bazzill to tie-in with the pink flowers in the vase on the inspiration photo. Then used 2 prints from the OA Fly a Kite line & added in one from the new Cosmo Cricket Line too. {Delovely it's called & it sure is...} Sun, flower & pinky polka dot scallop border stickers all from Echo Park Sweet Summertime Line & date sticker & multi-coloured alphas from OA Fly a Kite line. "Holiday" alphas Dear Lizzy by American Crafts.

With stash like that it's not hard to pull off something sweet quickly & easily. Took me 2 hours from start to finish which is speed scrapping for me. We all LOVE this photo in our family...especially Cami's vibrancy at 3 & the way Reilly {at 5} is grabbing on to Chelsea's arm! A rather chubby arm at that I might add...she has certainly slimmed out since being 10...

This pleating is seriously easy if you precut your strips {you need 3 times as much as the distance you want to cover} - helps that I am very used to pleating from my sewing & pattern-making days. You just line the strip up with the cm markings on your cutting mat & bring the 3cm back to the 2cm, etc, continually pleating so that there is a one cm space between each pleat.

On my latest stash shopping spree I bought tons of alphas & am so glad that I did. I have a great selection now & use these all the time so they are never wasted. The Dear Lizzy ones above are a re-order so now I am getting to use up all the consonants I never used up before!

Here is a list of all the other ladies participating in the "Friendly Challenge". If you are interested in playing along with Jessy leave a comment on her blog & you can join in next time! I have come to learn, through this wonderful blogging pastime, that scrappers from Malaysia/Thailand/Singapore/etc are seriously talented, with a free, artistic style that really appeals to me so I am honoured to have been part of Jessy's challenge & have already signed up for her next one! Hope your week got off to a good start Blog People...