Today we started packing the trailer for the holiday - and I still haven't worked out how to automatically load the blogs. Luckily we're taking the laptop and will have some interent access - so every now and then I'll be able to blog the rest of these layouts! I did spend all of yesterday packing the craft stuff that I want to take on holiday... it's about 1/5th of the trailer...


Layout #6
This page was such fun. I'd wanted to do some machine stitching for ages and now that we have a big workshop space I have been able to use it.

Shown in the photo is my good friend, her 2 boys and her neice. Theo was celebrating his 1st birthday in this photo. Today he celebrates his second birthday! (It only took me a year to scrap the page...)


All the bits and pieces were from the Daisy D's Wonder Years Sticker Collection and Daisy D's rubons. I love them!


Layout #7


Here we are in Laos at a Tourist Village with our good freinds Andrew and Karen. Strangely enough in the middle of nowhere there is a little photo booth set up to take advantage of us tourists. I wasn't going to say no! I'm not sure if I like this page or not though. I love the papers (Basic Grey Wistera Collection) and the matching stickers are fun too - but for some reason I haven't decided if I really like it or not. It might get a tweek in the New Year. Maybe the title 'friends' needs to run down the right-hand side of the page...


We're off on holiday tomorrow - I hope you get a break too!

We love summer holidays! We go to the same place each year to relax and enjoy the Nelson sunshine. Each year we go with friends and this year we enjoyed the company of these sweet children. We enjoyed going down to the estuary area and playing in the shallow river that runs to the ocean. The water is really warm and is perfect for pulling a boggy board along. The kids love it too! The Cherry Arte papers are bright and lovely for summery photos.

This year our friend's daughter turned One! I created a gorgeous Kaisercraft cupcake album for them to keep and then sort of wished I had one myself....! So here's the layout with Bella's Kindred Spirit range (love that) and a bit of pink fozz felt. I love that stuff. Makes me think of Candy Floss!!
A bit of Kaisercraft Rhinestone bling, some sticky flowers and a Bella journalling tag and it was all finished.

Talking about Candy Floss, I'm looking forward to my yearly chomp this summer...

This layout was the first one I did. I LOVE the paper from Creative Imaginations.The edges on it so beautiful. A couple of years ago I went around to see her to talk to my Great Aunt (right) about the family history and to borrow her photos albums. I spent some time scanning them into my computer hoping that one day I will get around to doing to a Heritage album. Anyway, she had 3 copies of this photo and so I was allowed to keep one.

I have kept this page relatively simple - since the paper is very fussy and detailed. I used a lovely big black Petaloo flower followed by a couple of Prima flowers, a bit of bling that I shaped from the Kaisercraft rhinestone strips and some lovely antique looking lace. I originally had another title - but I didn't like it and changed it. So this one is Take-Two! I also painted the big letter S and added a touch of gold glimmer mist...


I can just see me not getting through these before Christmas (and we do go away on holiday for 3 weeks) so perhaps I had better show you another one. One of my lovely customers mentioned to me that you can set up your blogs to come on when you're away - so I might have to investigate that option.

Layout #3

I'll just keep to the Heritage theme today! This is my Grandad (brother of the 2 ladies shown in the first picture). This is also Creative imaginations paper and as I love doing double layouts I decided to use the same Prima flowers and Rhinestone bling.

I'e also used the Basic Grey Mini chipboard again. (You'll see that more than once). It's a perfect size for the layouts and it's alreay coloured... I also found an old frame that I had been hoarding for something - I just hope the glue holds it on.

Please enjoy and pop back tomorrow for another one or two...

After many weeks of renovating, moving and opening shop (then moving house, cleaning and gardening) I decided I really needed a weekend off. I was dreaming of scrapbooking layouts and planning them in my head. So I penciled in a weekend and 2 weekends ago I actually did it!

I started crafting on the Friday night and went through until Sunday night! Firstly I went to the computer and randomly selected a whole lot of photos that I thought I might like to scrap up. Just random ones - of friends and family. I banned myself from doing travel ones (that's what I normally do!).

I tottered off to Harvey Norman and printed out a whole heap of photos 7x5 (and was pleasantly surprised to see them on special!). I've never really done layouts with 7x5 before - and I had decided that I was going to scrap in a style that I'd never really attempted before - that really heavily embellished style!

Next I cleared all the tables (6 of them).

Then I proceeded to dig through all my papers. I was looking for those papers that I have been hoarding. You know the ones - the ones that are too nice to use!!



Then I got all my boxes of embellishments and laid them across another 3 tables...


Then I gave myself a little space and started working. Wow! What fun! Every now and then I'd open up a magazine - but on the whole I didn't need any inspriration - I was full of it just looking at the papers and the photos!


I had the best time. I went from layout to layout - about 15 mins on each one. I didn't let myself think too much about them - I just started sticking stuff down.

I did have a few interludes - the Christmas Parade on the Saturday and then a Christmas Service on the Sunday. My lovely husband even did the final tidy up at the house we'd just moved out of and went off to the dunp by himself to let me scrap. (xoxox)

But apart from that, my weekend was exclusively for crafts. At about 9pm Sunday night I just felt like stopping. (A bit like Forrest Gump where he just stops running and turns around and goes back home). So I photographed all the layouts (with the intention of blogging them the next night...) and then I started to tidy up. What a mess I made in such a short amount of time!

So, now the photos are on my computer and I plan on showing one or two of the layouts each day or two until they run out! You'll get a few days worth - I completed 18 in total...

So, please enjoy... Here's the first one. And maybe one of my favourites.. we'll I couldn't decide actually!

We have been working hard (neglecting the blogging) to bring you...

Artfull Christmas Store

and our old favourite Christmas Candy...

Candy is back, we've missed it so
So many goodies, so little dough!
Christmasy bits and crafty delights
To keep you busy on Advent Nights...

I'll say no more. Head to the website. But be quick...

I love getting mail. So I was excited when Graham came in with a handful of letters. 6 of them ... but they were all from the IRD!! All in one day!

I grabbed the camera and thought I'd share it with you. This Government Department sent me 6 separate pieces of mail in one day. All the letters had different information - but it was all to do with the fact that I am now an Official Ltd Company and I'm employing staff. What a waste of postage!

Anyway, on a more interesting crafty note, we had a stall at the Timaru Roses Festival in the weekend. It's a big event and we spent a good week or so preparing for it. We made heaps of packs for Christmas projects rest of them will be on the website this week at discounted rates.

My lovely husband was the helper on the stall. He has a really important job to do ... he talks to the men who are waiting for their wives to finish shopping!!

We had a fun day seeing lots of people we knew - but the wind sure got cold and people starting packing up early at 3pm.


And on an even more exciting, about 3 weeks ago I booked in a weekend of crafting. I decided not to agree to do any other activities that weekend (unless I really really wanted too)! So I'll be doing that from Friday Night - Sunday Night (hopefully... apart from the Pea Straw in the garden, Santa parade, Christmas Carol Cafe and our friends moving back to town...)

So think of me rattling around in the big classroom, listening to Christmas Carols and playing with the loveliest papers I own. I've decided to dig to the bottom of my paper boxes and find the nicest papers and scrap them. I've hoarded them for long enough!