A new hobby

I haven't been scrap booking for so long.

I have now started to quilt. A hobby I never thought that I would ever do.

How it started. I met up with some lovely ladies who I had know for quite awhile for lunch with kids and grandkids. They met up each week for a sewing day. I thought I would come along even though I din't sew.

At the timed they were discussing a christmas quilt. I decided I would try a different one. From this web site. I had been a big reader of her blog for quite awhile. The quilt seemed a lot more basic because all of the squares were the same shape.

So since then I have finished another quilt and in the middle of another.

Hopefully soon I will publish the progress of my quilts so I won't forget what I have done.

What am I doing?

What am I doing?

I want so much to get back to the place where I can create.

I have all my scrap booking stuff in boxes. My artist trading cards that I h ave received and made in a basket.

I want to be able to get myself out of this rut that I am in.

How long has it been

It has been so long. I can't promise I will write more. Have had so much going on. But I suppose not the sort of thing I would write in a public blog.

My son has started high school. I think I have founded the adjusting almost harder than he has. He is growing up. I am so proud though.

I haven't scrapbooked much at all. I look at my supplies and I miss working on it. There is nothing really stopping me from starting it up again.

I am still a creative team member for Aussie Dares. There was a month or two that I didn't do anything. I do feel bad. This month the theme was white. I was inspired. So I thought I would start small. An atc. One thing about mixed media is that if you make a mistake you can make it work for you.

Here it is
I was going to put natural twigs. I didn't like it so I ripped it off and put a white tree stamped on a tranparency.

Finally a layout :)

Not scrapping too much lately. I enjoy it so much once I start. Just the motivation to start is difficult.

All the products are available from Scraptastic South West.

Being quiet

I have sort of been very quiet on here. Had nothing much to say. I think I just wanted to hide after my surgery. Even though all results were positive.

I want to get to a place where I can be gratefull for every moment in life and not let small things overwhelm me. When this occurs I am very quiet and I don't talk to many people and retreat into my shell. So my blog has suffered.

So to make a start I thought that I just need to type something. Even though its nothing very exciting.I thought I would share a photo of my son and I. I had to buy scarves so I'm glad they are in fashion to cover up my scar. I think we look alike :)

Hopefully post again soon and include some layouts.

Long time no post.

Well my operation did get postponed again. I was so upset. Almost right at the last minute. When I was contacted with the next date I was prepared not to go in. But I did.

I did come home from my operation yesterday. So I am quite sore and stiff with bruises all over my arms and hands because I don't have good veins. I'm so glad it is over and done with. But I still have to wait for the test results to see if there is anything nasty. If there is the other thyroid will have to be taken out. So I still have a wait.

I have an excuse to shop when I am better to get some nice scarves as my neck looks awful. I'm glad I saw some in Sussans on line catologue.

I did finish my How Dare you challenge before I went in hospital.


Have a look at the challenge blog. The inspiration is amazing.

I finally have my operation date. Next Tuesday. The same week my son goes on a camp. I'm glad he is leaving on monday. It would be awful not seeing him off.

I am trying to organise my home hopefully before the operation. Mainly by reducing the amount of clutter that I have. I want to change how I live my paperwork is awful and I can never find anything. Also I have thought a lot recently on why I consume. I have always felt better when I had purchased something. Now I feel proud that I haven't. I will see how I go.

There is a use your stash challenge in the scrapbook section of Essential Baby so I hope to use up some of it. :)

I have a goal not to purchase anything until I have used a lot of my stash or give it a way.

My organising did not really go to plan.

I ended up seeing a friend instead. Very typical of me :)

We did get our taxes done. YAY.

Did get my layout finished. I used Cosmo Cricket range of papers from Scraptastic South West. I want my son to do the journaling when he can. I'm not so good at boy layouts. I hope to do more of Ethan so I hope I do improve :) I am sure Ethan will love this though. Thats the important thing.

Also other news I am on the creative team on the How Dare You blog. I am quite excited. Its not all about scrapbooking either. So I like this quite a lot. Some of the girls on the team are so creative.

I hope everyone is having a nice weekend. the weather is bright and sunny. We were meant to get rain which is so badly needed in certain areas. So I hope it does rain soon.

Things to do

I am hoping by making a list here today will help me do the things I have to today.

I received my wonderful papers from Scraptastic South West. Need to make a start on a layout. I have the Cosmo Cricket Cogsmo range. So will be great for layout of my son.

I need organise documents to FINALLY get out taxes done. Took so long for one of my husbands employers to get the group certificate in. Then for my husband to make the appointment. I suppose I could have but he is the one that works and has to take time off work.

I am not very organised. I did purchase a filling cabinet. With dividers that are quite nice. A robin egg blue with a bird and branch on it :) But they are sitting there and not used.

Everything is in a pile in the top drawer and some scrapping supplies that don't belong in the second drawer. I need to do myself a favour and organise. I hate it so much. I k now where most things are in my mess. Often when I do organise that is when I lose things.

I am meant to be in hospital now recovering from surgery. It was postponed to 'soon'. Maybe Tuesday next week. The organiser of it rings on Thursday. Just want to get it over and done with.

So hopefully I will post later with a layout and say that I have had a day of organising :)

Something unexpected

My Mixed Media Tree book page is going to be published here in the Art Trader Magazine.
The formalities still have to be done.
I'm so surprised. I had so much trouble with my page. I almost thought it wouldn't make it in the swap in time. So I am glad the organiser in the swap liked it enough to organise and publish it.

Feels nice :)

Another post in one day!

My mojo is coming back just a little. Enough to scrap a layout at least.

I used a paper kit from Enchanted Scrapbooking.

I'm hoping to do more layouts. It is a lot harder to scrap as Ella is getting older. I havn't been into scrapping at night really lately. This might have to change if I want to get some done.

Something to share

Finished some ATCs for a swap.

The theme: Fairy Swap inspired by Cicely Mary Barker.

Its nothing like the talent of her work. I used a stamp and watercolours. Vintage music and Glimmer Mist.

May be one of the reasons why I don't do much. This time it is Textas.



Here is a random one of George and Whiskers saying hello. (Whiskers is the bird)


George was about to get a bit impatient. He was getting his whiskers groomed by whiskers.

Little Snow Girl

A few weeks ago my husband wanted to camp out in the snow. I really didn't want him to go. Just makes me scared. As a compromise we went as a family for the day at Mt Stirling.

Ethan wasn't able to come because of his broken toe. Skiing would have been quite painful especially cross country, so he spent some time at a friends house.

I am amazed at Ella that she can skii so well. She went by herself so well. So much better than me when I first started. I was awful and I swore quite a few times.

Here are some photos.

Arghh

I am slowly getting through some things.

I am halfway through some of my Artist Trading Cards.

I have some Layouts that I need to make a start on as I have plenty of new photos.

Just so slow right now.

Such a boring blog. Well I am getting a bit bored with it.

Here are a few photos from the weekend.

Ethan and I. I wish I had just smiled would have been a better photo.


Ella and Ethan playing soft ball. Ella insists on keeping her bike helmet on.




Ella is so confident on her bike it will be a matter of time when I will take off her training wheels.


Thats all for now :)

A vent

Why don't cars stop at pedestrian crossings?

We were waiting to cross. I teach my children to wait and make sure the cars are going to stop.

Three cars went across while we were waiting. Happened last week as well. I yelled at the man in the car and he just waved at me. IDIOT! This is a crossing where a lot of Primary School children cross. Children do not always think to wait for the car to stop.

Also Ethan had fractured is toe a few weeks ago. He hurt it again. The doctor is quite sure it is ok.

Thats all for the moment.

ok

I did say in my other entry that I would be scrapbooking to keep my mind off the looming surgery. Well. It hasn't really happened. But I have been looking at the photos on my screen saver thinking. I must scrap this one and this one :)

I am published this month both in Scrapbook memories and Scrapbook creations. Hopefully looking through my new Magazine will inspire me as I havn't purchased one in quite a while. It does feel quite nice. I haven't tried for a while to get something published. Maybe just one :)

Here is the published layout at Scrapbook Creations. The kit I had used for a few for the paper was from Enchanted Scrapbooking who will be soon opening a shop.
Also I had finally completed my chunky book page. I had started it ages ago but still ended up finishing it at the last minute. I was so close in it not being accepted because I was late. I was so inspired when I first started my page then I had a complete mental block as it didn't turn out how I had expected it to. I did 10 of them.

Here is the front. It didn't scan very well.



The back. I think I like it better somehow. So much simpler.

I will hopefully post more soon. If I get around to it.

Still waiting on my phone call :( I hate waiting.

Bit Scared

I got the phone call today. My pre-op appointment is coming up soon. Which means my operation will most likely be on soon. I need to have at least my right thyroid removed.

So I'm going to make sure I will get a lot more scrapping done to keep my mind occupied.

Can't wait until it is all over with.

I'm still alive

I have been very quiet on here.

Haven't a lot to say really. My scrapbook mojo is falling through the cracks right now so I don't post if I don't have much to show.

Here is a layout I did for Scraptastic South West. Check out here for the comp details for a prize.

Here is another layout from one of the kits at Enchanted Scrapbooking.

Thats all for now.

Been so slack at blogging and scrapping in general. So hard to get my act into gear right now. Maybe because my daughter has been sick. My printer has run out of ink. Still have to go out and get some. I'm quite run down.

I did however get a page done of my forever family journal. At Forever Always. This is something that is important to me to finish. I'm not so concerned about the competition. Just want to finish at least one journal. Mini book whatever they are called.

I have however been given some kits from Enchanted Scrapbooking they are wonderful little kits. So hopefully tomorrow if Ella is better I can get some scrapping done.

Here is my Forever Family Journal page. the challenge was to make a page about extended family and include hidden journaling and use a transparency. My extended family in this case is all the wonderful friends I have through the years that have been like family to me. that have filled the gap. have been there for me through grief, sickness, divorce and happiness.

Thanks for looking :)

Scrapping wise I have had ups and downs. I was a design team member of a blog and now I am not. I was quite down about it but now I am quite happy. The whole thing was quite strange. A whole lot of other girls for the same.

I have started a challenge/comp at forever always to make a 'Forever Always, Forever Family' Book. Perfect for me right now. There are 6 challenges but my album has more than 6 pages so I will continue after the comp is finished.

Here is the cover.
Also a layout from a challenge at Bon Scraps.


Haven't got much more to say.

Have a nice Saturday.