My very own Monster

Well I did my best ever 3 layouts in one day yesterday, had a scrapping ball, this is the sketch challenge for SCRAPLOUNGE. I used Glitz, Sass lass, Hambly transparency and AC pp's, an old dictionary page and the monstrosity cutouts for the embellishments, and added a barb wire A2Z chipboard die cut. Had lots of fun cutting and like the result. Thank you for looking.

Cheeky Boy

My layout for SCRAPLOUNGE technique challenge required me to make my own flowers, well lollipops are really fun so I cut out two circles 1 with pp, and the other with a chinese book page and added a DCWV little centre, I used up scraps of pp for the photo backing and the sass lass monkey card I cut out and the edging abouve the photo. The back ground paper had red behind so I cut it out to make it look more like a die cut then coloured in between with red ink. This is a photo of when we had the flood at our house in November 08, Nate put on his gum boots and had a ball running around the yard cleaning up??????? The photo isn't the best re: positioning but I had to scrap his cheeky face.

After the Xmas Party

This is my entry to BLACK WITH 2 this month, This one took me out of my comfort zone too, well all the challenges do really because they set criteria, I love it, the criteria for this was majority black with blue and white, lace, snowflakes and glitter. I used some Rusty Pickle, AC, Bizous, Pink Paislee PP's and Hambly transparency, flourish and snowflake rubons from Little Yellow Bicycle, lace? and fancy pants little Christmas tree with Hero arts glitter, asst buttons too. I love this pic of Nate, he was in his car seat and was just wasted from playing and running around, I knew from the conversation "Home mum" that it was time for a sleep.

This smile fills my heart with Joy

This is my January sketch for Crafty sketches, I used Basic Gray, Bizous patterned papers, Hambly screen prints transparency, MME transparency, and Fancy pants rubons, and a Jenny bowlin ticket and a2z little man figure, Nate has the best smile so I thought I would document this in this layout.

This boy loves to fly

This is my entry for the Inspired Blueprints blog for January, it was a great sketch and a wonderful American site for inspiration. This is a picture of the awe on Nate's face when we went to Sydney on the plane in October 09. Outside captured his attention beautifully and I just had to do a layout on it, I used AC and Sass lass papers and some fancy pants rubons, the plane is unidentified as I got it in a rak last year.

Scrap around the Clock January Challenge

I know there's lots of pinks but whilst Nate doesn't know any different I am loving using some of my girly papers, their is only so many pages I can do with me in it....right..I enjoyed the criteria for this challenge, lots of pinks, bling ribbon and flowers. I used an older paper I had from "Paper Salon" such a rich fuscia, and then used some of the fancy pants girl papers for the embellishments and a Heidi Swapp damask sticker and of course the gorgeous glitter stickers from AC. These photos are of last summer in his little whale pool, the wheelie bin man took this pool late last year and a bigger pool was purchased. He loves swimming and the bottom photo is of me blowing bubbles for him, he hasn't grasped the concept of blowing just yet, he just spits but he chases them around and laughs his head off.

Scrapability January Sketch challenge

This is my beautiful poodle Maxi Taxi, he has been sleeping on the end of my bed (and sometimes up further) for almost 15 years, a true friend and very loyal, I devoted this layout to him and thoroughly enjoyed doing this sketch, I am noticing I am using patterned backgrounds a lot more at the moment, just a phase I must be going through. I have always enjoyed doodly scollops and I also enjoy cutting out so the design of the paper encouraged them. I am actually happy with the layout but I had to paint over one of the bottom scollops because it was a rich green and so I dulled it with some ink and my water pen to tone it down.

Challenge Heaven Quote Challenge

Another entry for Challenge Heaven, I really like this site, the challenges are really doing that for me - Challenging me. I am thinking outside my normal way of scrapping. I used the lime rickey paper background and then used my monstrosity papers from Sass Lass, 3d'd them and had a great time creating this. The photos of us are of Nate and I when he was about 18 months old. Time to go through my photos and use up some of them as I am about to organise my albums, I am going to take a shortcut and put on them all, "NATE UP TO 3YRS" then I will hopefully be doing the albums on a yearly basis, he is 3 on the 27th of this month so a great time to start his 3 year only albums.

My baby is almost 3

I know, I sound awfully busy creating for challenge blogs at the moment, but I really find I can get so much more done when I am challenged. This is another layout for "Challenge Heaven" and this time it is based on a sketch they put up, I used the lid of the paint bottle to do the circles (the paint is nearly empty) and used again Sassafrass Lass pp's, just love the bright colours and some Teresa Collins worded paper behind the photo, this is a rare shot of little man concentrating, he is usually one who is running around madly but he loves his craft and sits with me and does his stamping and painting (what a mess) with me when I scrap. I have heaps of craft bit's and pieces I have given to him for his upcoming birthday on 27th January. He will be 3, boy where has the time gone, I think I have heard every mum say that and now I concur with them.

This boy is the best present ever

This was a challenge for "Challenge Heaven" this month, you had to use the word present in the title. I used some Love, Elsie, Sassafrass Lass pp's, a Cosmo cricket journalling spot, some fancy pants stickers and some flyscreen I found hanging around, I got these cool black Heidi Swapp sticker dots from Stick n' Giggle yesterday and they added a nice touch to the page.

This picture of Nate was taken whilst visiting my friend Josephine in Sydney, he loves wearing other people's glasses and well he just is so photogenic, how could I not take a photo.

Challenge Heaven Colour Challenge

I got Nate christened in October, and I have some wonderful photos of the things he was doing whilst in Church waiting for the action to start, here he is drawing in between the pews, priceless. His little suit that the Raco's bought him is so gorgeous, and at the rate he is growing he probably won't get any more opportunity's to wear it, so hence the many photos I took. This challenge was to use BLUE, PINK & CREAM and I actually made this one in record time, just had everything I needed on hand. I use the kitchen table so am often getting up to retrieve bits and pieces but this time I had it all there in front of me.

Scrap the Girls January entry

This is my entry for Scrap the Girls this month, the criteria for this was easy, "No boys allowed" which is funny that I should use majority blue colours when I had the perfect opportunity to use the girly ones I always say I want to use, but these Rouge De Gurance papers just seemed perfect, I have added the journalling under the pull out number 10 playing card. This is dear Jan, she is 60 just today and she is so dear to Nate and I, she is for all intense and purposes "Nana Jan". She only lives 8 houses up the road and fortunately we get together to get creative almost every day. This is a photo of us at Yarraman, Qld. We went for our Good Friday drive with her husband Col, we go somewhere different every year and this is our tradition.

2010 Big dreams

This is my entry for the SCRAP HAPPY KAT blog site it was a sketch and it challenged me a bit, I used the beautiful KI Memories background paper added an onion bag just to add a little texture but when I had finished I found I had a fair chunch of my Sass Lass paper showing, I received those beautiful butterfly cut outs in a RAK from a dear friend so I coloured them with ink and stuck them on, this made me happier, I usually do not do layouts on myself so this was a perfect way to relay my hopes and dreams for 2010 in a layout. Thanks Kathie for the inspiration.

Out of the Hat January challenge

This is my January entry for the "Out of the Hat" January challenge, I am so enjoying these challenges over the last few days, dearest Jan is on holidays and Melinda is enjoying some time with her partner so I have had some quiet days. This challenge had some criteria, 1. Use striped paper - I actually used some Heather Baily paper in the circles and criss-crossed pattern on the Hambly transparencies. 2. Put circles on the page somewhere and use 3. Just one word title.

This is a picture of Chester (1 of the Dulux dogs) I met him when I was visiting Josephine in Sydney and we visited a Bunnings store in Campbelltown. He was there and I took out my comb keeping my hair up and gave it to him, he was so gorgeous and I terribly missed Stanley and Maxi who were at home with Col & Jan. I enjoyed this challenge and it gave me the opportunity to make a girly page.

arTISTIC challenge blog entry

This challenge from the arTISTIC challenge blog really excited me, a gorgeous painting by Pro Hart so bright and random and the challenge was to design a layout inspired by it, you get 2 extra points if you 1. add a cluster of flowers or 2. add a bunch of flowers to your layout. This photo of Nate has been sitting there, I love the photo but it is not one with his face in it, so I guess this is a bit out of the box for me, but I do want to show him what a little monkey man he was when he was little. I used Rouge de Garance papers and some older Pink Martini ones, I just love their bright colours. I love how the layout turned out, I really like white space but somehow never seem to end up with any so this was nice. Thank you so much for looking at my layout, this is MY LIFE.

Screen to Scrap

This is my entry to the blog "From Screen to Scrap". A poster of a movie is given and some criteria and then you give your interpretation of it through a layout. It was a heap of fun to do and really boosted my mojo. The criteria was to make a black and white layout with another colour and use 3 or more b & w photos. These were the only photos I could find in b & W but it still was great because it portrayed what I wanted to say. Gee I have to say it took me 2 sittings over 2 days whilst little one was sleeping but I am very happy with the result.

Mums little gardener

Nate loves to rummage up the back of Aunty Jan's house, I am so glad I do scrapping so that one day he will look back with so much joy. He won't believe how cute he was, I wish he would stay this age forever, .....well sometimes...

Merry and Bright

This was a beautiful kit from The Scrappin Kats, probably my all time favourite, I love this picture of us too, the papers really had to have just one photo though, it's a simple layout but looks really embellished.

When you have one hand left free and you have to take the photos this is how it works, we just have a ball taking random photos, Nate has the most beautiful smile, so I think all the photos I take of him are to be scrapped, there in lies the problem, just so many days in one year to do the layouts. So multi photo layouts work for me, not always the most embellished but simple reminders of great times together.

I love these photos of Nate, he was sitting in the pram, (which is probably some of the last photos in it) we have now bought a stroller and he is just so independant, thank goodness for Coles at Riverlink, they have little kids trolleys, he runs around and puts heaps of things in it, but just wants to run around, so the confines of the big trolley are too restrictive too apparently.

When dad and mum moved to their new house, they kindly left Nate and I in charge of this one, I also inherited some old orchids of dad's, he said just throw them out, but with some TLC they have turned into such beautiful plants when they flower, Nate helps me water them about 2 times a week and at the moment they all look beautiful. These two are my favourites. The red plant is so amazing in full bloom, and the orchid just cheers you up with its bright fushia colours, I have to repot them all soon so that is a big job. Spent all yesterday springcleaning the kitchen and lounge rooms, walls and on top of cupboards. Feel so good it is all done for Christmas here at my place.

The Christmas tree

Putting up the Christmas tree was so much fun, Aunty Jan came down we shared a bottle of emery sauvignon blanc and put on the christmas tunes. This is a wonderful tradition we have made for ourselves.

The wedding

Good friend Tracy Firth took this gorgeous photo of our family minus Stanley the other poodle, what a great photo of us, Nate has chocolate milk around his mouth which is very normal and it was just a random "quick come here" type of shot and you know I love these the best, so mum and dad are getting one for Christmas too. I will miss my friend when she relocates to Melbourne to be with her in-laws and mum and dad but thank goodness for the internet and cheap phone calls I say. Nate has really made a great little friend with Zoe (Tracy's daughter) and she even told her mum she was going to marry Nate which was so funny, I told Tracy I only have to pay for the drinks so she had the bigger amount to spend. Then we started to encourage them to elope as this was even a cheaper wedding option. This conversation happenned after we were driving back from Indooroopilly in November '09 and we had the best time.

18 October 2009

This is Nate at his Christening, he was having so much fun, drawing under the pews, climbing them and then when the procedure started, he didn't want to participate at all, but the day was so wonderful, I feel so much more relieved his has had this big day. Just puts my mind at ease. He looked so gorgeous in his little suit. I was so proud of him.

Feed the man Soup

In this layout Nate is eating the soup I made, I always tell him it is hot but of course he always has to check for himself, this occassion was no exception, but capturing this photo is precious to tell this story, priceless actually.