Kaisercraft January Colour challenge

Hello, this layout is for Kaisercraft's colour challenge this month. This is when his soccer team (u 4's)
had their breakup, he would wait in line, have a go and then line up again for Laser tag.

Blooms are always a little scary for me having just used more boy inspired embellishments but the flowers that were in the embellishment packs really were the perfect colours and a subtle touch, I used texture paste and a mask for the arrows and love the Kaiser embellishment kits, which make up most in this layout, I really enjoyed layering them.

 My favourite stamp is my set of butterflies, I used some coral coloured paper and fussy cut around it. I loved layering them, I am going through my photos and my little man is almost 4 years older now, but with every photo I pick up having so much to tell I will be catching up for a while I think.

Mel

Cheshire Cat - Scrap the boys January layout

Hello, its been over 2 years since I scrapped and thanks to dear friend Cathy Cafun I have after her visit to my house found some of the Mojo again. This layout is for the scrap the boys January competition, had heaps of fun doing it.

 My boy is now almost 8, that is still very hard to believe, and we have moved house and my old boy Maxi (dog) is still going strong and was 20 in November just gone, I am looking forward to blogging again and getting the inspiration from you all and of course seeing what you have been up to.

My struggles with Depression in the last 18 months have led to me take time off from working and I look forward to sticking more paper to pages to get me back into doing some creative memory keeping again.

It's been a while so if you leave a comment I will go to your blog from there. Thank you Cathy for today. Melx

Scrapfriends sketch challenge #11

 Morning everyone, this is my layout for the Scrapfriends sketch challenge #11, I think I will use this sketch again and again, I loved working with it.  This picture is DS with his friend from school, we were at the waterpark and just ran into his mum and dad, ended up staying for another 2 hours and enjoyed a BBQ lunch with them, spontaneous fun.

If you can see in the bottom right side just near the title there is a mark, this is because I went to photograph the layout and of course the battery was flat in the camera (does that happen to anyone else) and put the battery on charge for about 10 minutes and in the meantime 2 lazy poodles just had to walk on it....lol this is where the layout themselves becomes a memory....my old boy Maxi (19 in Nov) is partly blind and deaf but still the clown in this house, no hard feelings Maxi, I will remember you when I look back at this layout.

Still overcast, we had 3 really hot days with nice sun and now back to spasmodic showers and overcast..... but YAY to PHIL AND AMITY, so glad you won the ALLSTARS......

Melxx

Scraptherapy Sketch challenge

Good Morning, well the sun has been up and stayed up for the last 2 hours....so fingers crossed that it might for the whole day today. This is my layout for the latest Scraptherapy sketch challenge, as I have just come back into scrapping, I am loving the banners that stick out from photos trend, helps me to add dimension to my page. I made a couple of mistakes on the back page, I used a stamp that was a little too dark, then I went over it with some Vanilla ink.....smudged but it still works. Nice to do a multi photo layout for a change, and I love these photos of Master 6 being silly.

I used some impasto paste and some texture on a crafters circle mask and then when dry went over it with the pinecone ink.  I was happy with the outcome.

Off to work today, I now work 3 days but they are full on, gives me Thursday to catch up on appts and things you have to do during the day and then Friday I am volunteering to learn at Early Years at Redbank School to improve my chances as that elusive job I aspire to be working at....

Hope you all have a great day, Melx

arTastic March challenge

Morning everyone, well this is the 2nd layout in my week so I am very excited I may be back and finding that balance that is motherhood, house cleaner, bread winner lol, and also realising that now DS is a little older it is time for mum to do some things she really enjoys doing.

This is my layout for the arTastic challenge this month, the gorgeous portrait here is my inspiration for this layout, DS is only 4 here but I have always loved this photo of him, gave me some time to reflect on how time has flown and how much he is growing at a rate of knots.

Had a go with some muslin and enjoyed 3'ding the elements on the page, most of this paper is Teresa Collins, getting plenty of mileage out of them.

It's Friday here, so last day of school for Master 6, quite a busy weekend coming up, but am starting the night with scrapping, and hopefully visiting Cathy Cafun on Sunday, she has just come back from Melbourne Craft show, so looking forward to hearing all the news.

Thankyou for visiting me, the comments have boosted my confidence and made me feel welcome back after my long absence. Melx

Athentique Lovely cards

Good morning, well it is still overcast and rainy here, that little glimpse of sun here yesterday was just to tease us, great days for scrapping except I have to go to work and take Master 6 to school, the school had a renewal dinner last night, so glad I made the choice so many years ago to send him there, the amazing community and wonderful teachers far outway the fees and levies. Needless to say we are both a bit tired this morning, Col  (grandpa) had the honour of babysitting whilst Jan and I attended the dinner.

So since getting back into all things paper and glue I have found a love for making cards, I never enjoyed them years ago and it was only layouts but I think because they are a little quicker was the reason I first started, now I have embraced fussy cutting and just love it, most nights I will cut out something, I store the bits in little envelopes where they await the perfect card to adorn.

I have made a couple of late, I hope you like them.

 Authentique
The above card was made using the cutout sheet of the new Lovely range and those flowers in the corner are from the gorgeous Uncommon range. I cut out the boy and girl and 3d'd the cutout on top of the card cut out.

Again the Authentique Lovely range and again 3d'd, the flowers this time are from Kaiser paper and I cannot remember the brand of the stamp I used to make the frame with Congratulations on it.

Teresa Collins this time, my all time favourite papers are these, "Tell your Story" they are just perfect for my fussy cutting addiction and the flowers this time at the bottom which are 3d'd are from an older Graphic 45 paper.

I am stuck into another layout at the moment, wow please keep alive within me Mr. Mojo, too scared to say I am back, don't want to jinx myself, but so enjoying my crafty time.

Off now to get Master 6 out of bed, myself dressed for work and to the daily grind that is life until around 7pm tonight when I head into the craft room, Master 6 on the arm chair behind me, watching "The Block" doing something crafty.....now that is enjoyment to me.

Melxx

Scraptherapy sketch challenge

This is my take on the gorgeous Mandy Sea sketch this month at Scraptherapy. After a call from Leanne, the lovely owner of Scraptherapy, I felt some mojo move within me and just sat at the desk and started remembering all the reasons I loved and started scrapping 6 years ago.

I started by using a crafters workshop stencil and some texture paste, then some mists, then some stamping, add a bit of grid like tapestry weave material, and it just came together for me. I love this picture of Master 6, this is his soccer photo from his last year in the Ipswich Knights mini's in 2012.

Thanks for encouraging me to scrap again Leanne.

Artastic Challenge Blog DT layout

Hello dear friends, hope you and your families are well and warm, super cold here in Ipswich it is 11am Sunday here and Nate and I are still in our Pj's - I am not sure if I should be ashamed to say this or not.....never stayed this long in them.

This is my DT submission for arTastic Challenge Blog for August.This month
Becci Sunberg from Lime Tree Creations gave us some gorgeous products to work with, those doilies are made so beautifully, you just have to pop over and check this lady's amazing products.   Criteria for August is 1 ribbon - I used the gorgeous product from Lime Tree Creations. 2nd criteria - a child playing - Well this is playing to my little man - I have to add that the Whipper Snipper or SHIMP SHIMP as he calls it was not plugged in. 3rd criteria was to put paint on your background, I love the colour blue and used it on my Kaiser grid stamp.

Mum and dad recently came back from Cape York for a holiday and she bought Nate lots of goodies, but in the packet was a little tiny crocodile figurine but mum said to him "careful he bites" and this is Nate pensively openning the bag and he just laughed when he openned it.

Because I print out my blog I have started to add achievements of Joy that I receive so when it is printed I can see them. I was honoured to be mentioned on the Get Picky site for this layout from July. Wow I was stoked.

I am getting much better at the time management thing and looking forward to spending time catching up with you all, your work so inspires me. Thanks for your friendship. Melxx

From Screen to Scrap,

 Hello dear friends, you haven't seen me around this week I just had so many work committments to complete, alot of these I do from home but I am finding cutting off from work mode a little hard, I am not shifting from this chair until I have visited you all today though.

This is my entry for From Screen 2 scrap and the criteria this month was to add 4 coloured arrows, some hearts and a photo ith 1/2 or 1/4 face in it. I used this photo to document that every 2nd Friday Nate comes to work with me and whilst I am delivery the week's programme to the mother's Nate attends Hippy School, the co-ordinator of the creche school is amazing and the kids have an amazing time. It goes for 3 hours and Nate says he goes to school now....

In this phot Nate is openning a gorgeous RAK I got from Lynnda, his face says it all. We watched Evan Almighty together (on tv) last night, wow we both loved this movie. Going to have to buy it now because Nate wants to watch it again.

Aunty Jan is still very active despite her illnesses (she is a chronic Asthmatic) but of course kids don't understand, Nate is starting to get bigger and we talk about making the most of this little man wanting to be on our shoulders.....

Jan and Col were never able to have children so Nate is an amazing blessing in their life, I have so many blessings in my life, and this includes the wonderful friends I have made just by enjoying scrapping, thanks for being a part of my life, you all mean the world to me. Love to you and your families, Melxx

Get Picky

 Hello everyone, hope your week started out well today. Work for me today and tomorrow and Nate to Kindy.

This is my Get Picky layout for the last half, I just had to use bright colours on it, I really enjoyed doing this whilst it was raining and the sketch gave me reason to use my wonderful chippie circles.

Hate sometimes loves to have a (weak) cup of tea....I think he actually loves saying Cheers and the tea is just a sideline to say it.

Here Nate is telling me that Maxi is his favourite Hoggy, and I couldn't resist sharing it with you.  By the way, I have seen Transformers I & 2 - 12 times now, so I bought him the cartoon episodes (the entire season - 17 dvd's) big mistake by the way, that is all he wants to watch in his sleepy/quiet times....thankfully he is such an outdoorsy boy....

He always wants to help so we started last week by practicing peeling potatoes. He is so precise, and enjoyed his new challenge and he then couldn't wait to eat them which was a great thing too.

Hope you are all well, I have noticed on lots of blogs you are all struggling with time committments and I know I am certainly feeling the same, I still think about blogging and scrapping everyday, just don't seem to find the time to sit and do it....

Will be over to visit you all during the week ahead. Love Melxx


My sister had to put her darling little Maltese doggy "Snowy" to sleep on Saturday, pray for her strength to get her through this tough time, he was 14 and had cancer very bad, her and hubby Morrie are not going to have children and he was her little man. Thanks Melxx

Do More with Less - Lynnda's challenge,

Hello dear friends, I have got a bit of mojo back thanks to dear friend Lyndda this week, she is Guest DT at Yvonne's blog "Do more with Less" and this is definately my sort of challenge. I feel I always struggle with the less is more thing. I used my RW circles and coated them with my Ranger crackle from My2angels (almost finished now as I am using it heaps) and I used some fussy cut flowers out of Bo Bunny's Flower child range and some MME brads that are Halloween orientated but they fit well.

I mounted the lettering onto transparency and placed it over the top of the layout. I hope you like it.

Here is Master Hog - 16 years and still going super strong, he is on a cane chair in my bedroom with lots of covers and can stay there until about 10am and then goes out and sits in the sun......Who said it's a dogs life.

And here is Junior Hog, Stan, he is on the spare bed, wow, this cold weather snap has us all snuggled up in this house, although at night time it is 2 hogs, 1 mum and a small boy on the lounge......

Here we are just about to go into the Ben 10 play last Saturday and I have to inform you that I have now seen Transformers 1 & 2 - 12 times.....I am so hoping his obsession with Optimus Prime and BumbleBee dies off soon...but in saying this, we love snuggling on the lounge and after a day's work it is so relaxing and of course Josh Duhamel is perfect for this mum's eye candy......

Don't forget Shell's 2nd candy and all you have to do is follow her......

Until next time my friends, thanks for all the inspiration on your blogs and I look forward to catching up with you all. Mel and Nate, Max and Stan.......xxxx

a2z Scraplets July sketch challenge, Ben 10

 Hi everyone, it is super cold here this weekend so what better time to scrap, I just love A2Z scraplets challenges, they always have gorgeous sketches, for this challenge, I layered some papers over a My2angels felt frame, they are so versatile, I misted the centre of the page with a LYB mask, and had some gorgeous screw brads to add to the centres of the cogs. You don't have to use A2Z products on your layout but I have lots. I just couldn't resist using the little My2angels phone charm, how cute is it....

Nate is here talking with Jan on the phone, gosh at 4 and already hogging the phone.......

Here is the gorgeous sketch for the A2Z challenge. 

 On Saturday I took my boy to the BEN 10 Time Machine live show here in Ipswich, he had a blast, and it made me understand the show as I have never watched an episode.

Of course they have all the merchandise (super expensive) lol but I got him a show bag - $25 mind you and he was super excited. He wanted to dress himself for the show and decided on his skivvy with his Spiderman shirt over the top........??

 Here is a pic of what the play was like, lots of lights, noise and that ventolin type smoke that comes out at you.....So all the kids had a ball.










The showbag had a phone in it, so when it rings he thinks Ben is on the phone, and it is so cute, he says "Hi Ben" - these are the things that make me smile as a mum, he is still so cute and innocent......

If you haven't already checked out arTastic's challenge this month you can find it HERE.

Okay some housework and washing and then I am going to scrap.....cooking a pork roast for tea which should be nice....no masterchef here though.

Love to you all, getting better with the juggling, Melxx

Get Picky, Shell's candy.

 Hi everyone, I really don't know how you mothers who work full time manage, still juggling time this end, but managed to do the Get Picky challenge this month, wanted to try to use a busy background paper, not sure if because my mojo has been a little low is the reason I was not 100% happy with it. Needed to scrap though. Just click here to see the Challenge Poster for inspiration.

Here is little man, after he wakes at 8am on my work mornings, still in his Broncos pj's, making a toast and peannut butter breakfast that he just has to do himself of course.

Was super happy QLD won the State of Origin rugby league challenge for the 6th consecutive year......it's a record. Wow what a great game, I hate missing my Criminal Minds but I had to channel surf.....

Good friend Shell - who is an awesome scrapper has this gorgeous stash to send to someone, she has heaps of prizes and all you have to do is to follow her blog. How easy is that, she lives in Texas USA and this prize is open for International followers too.

I was fortunate to win the A2Z Scraplets Blog Hop sketch challenge last month with this layout, just love their chippy bits and look forward to doing their next challenge. Just pop over HERE to see it.

Well we went to see Transformers III and it was awesome except that each night since last Friday I have watched either I & II each night. I think I have seen them at least 8 times each now. At least Josh Duchemel offers that little bit of eye candy to look at.

Will so try to be better with my blogging, miss you all so much. Melx

ARTastic Challenge DT Layout,

Hello everyone, hope this post finds you and your family happy and healthy, this is my ARTastic DT layout for this month, using the gorgeous inspiration picture below as inspiration, the criteria is to use a photo of yourself, shades of red or maroon, and have a hat or glove on the page. I chose to use a gorgeous My2Angels hat charm for mine.

For me going back to the workforce was a little daunting, it has been a while and leaving Nate was probably the hardest thing, but with lots of wonderful supporting words from you guys it has turned out to be wonderful for both of us. 

 
 I absolutely love my job, I am a H.I.P.P.Y tutor and am loving every minute of my position. Starting from grass roots to bring this education programme to Ipswich is so rewarding.
Nate is loving Kindy, although my mum stays with him whilst school holidays are on. Part of my position is working from home also, I find on these days putting on a Transformers DVD occupies my little man whilst I
work.

My friend Bernadette went with her family to visit her parents in South Africa a few weeks ago and when I found out her mum made dog jackets, I immediately ordered 4 for the hounds. They are just beautifully made and the dogs are so warm.

This is the gorgeous inspiration picture to base our challenge at ARTastic on, this was meant to be under my layout but I just couldn't move it. lol 

A few weeks ago we found out it was Charlie's bday, (blonde on right) and it co-incided with my good friend Alana and her little girl Summer coming over, some quick thinking, and I made a doughnut cake.....oh wow the sugar....but the kids had fun and of course Nate with his addiction to blowing out candles was there to lend Charlie (3) a hand......

We went to see Transformers 3 this week and it was great. I have now seen Transformers 1 & 2 about 6 times......the things you do.


Look forward to getting on top of the blogging by tonight's end. Work tomorrow. Love to you all, Melxxx

A2Z Scraplets sketch challenge,

 Hello dear friends, firstly I want to apologize for absence from the blogger scene, I have a new computer now so hopefully no more technical problems and my job is in full swing now so I will be able to go back to my original 3 days per week next week.

The above layout is one I made just on Sunday for the A2Z scraplets sketch challenge, I did the awesome blog hop with them and this is the challenge for the month, I was fortunate to win last month and this is the awesome frame that was in the gorgeous stash I was sent as a prize. I used some amazing Ranger Distress crackle paint I got from Tracy at My2angels, and used the Toy box papers from Crate, again I layered everything and was happy with the result.

Here are Ambers gorgeous twin girls born 2 weeks ago, Issabella on the left and Matilda on the right. They are so cute, Amber is well but instead of a planned caeser she had them naturally,  oh the pain briefly enters my mind. But all are super well and happy.

Lynnda Hosni you are a naughty girl sending Nate these amazing gifts of Lego but can you see from his face how much he loves them. Thanks Lynnda you are an awesome blogger friend. I might add I picked up the gorgeous Playground kit from Echo park from the Post Office from  this arvo from this amazing girl and thanks Lynnda you have motivated this girl to no end.

Nate says a special "Hi" to Matin who is Lynnda's son, he says he is his bestest friend....

I just wanted to share how excited I was this morning to pop into "Bird is the Word" and find my layout (left) was featured this month, oh wow, it has been an amazing week. Work is full on, but so fulfilling. Life is good this end, tonight I will be hopping over to all your blogs, I am so sorry I have been out of action but I have so missed each and every one of you. Love Melxx