Bits of Yesterday

Meet the new arrival :)

2011-01-31T13:49:00.001+08:00

Once again I have been an incredibly bad blogger... but this time I have a really good excuse! Proudly introducing Kayden James Mathieson Fairhead. Born 12/01/2011 by caesarean section, weighing 3765grams (or just a smidge under 8lbs 5oz on the old scale) This little man has captured all of our hearts and completed our family. I'm just a wee bit obsessed with him so be prepared for lots of photos in the future hehe

Man it feels so good to be home!! We had a month in Perth waiting for Kayden's grand entrance and by the final week or two we were all over it. The girls were fighting, I was missing my bed and hubby was bored out of his mind lol. We are all home now and settled in just in time for the girls to start school. Rachelle is into year 4 and so excited because it means she goes into the 'High rise' classrooms. Ashlea is into pre primary and loving the thought that she will be going to school every single day this year. I am just looking forward to the peace and getting back to some sort of normality around the house! lol

I am really looking forward to being able to get some scrapping done again. I'm just itching to get creative and have even set myself a scrappy goal this year. I am aiming to complete at least 2 online challenges a month. Doesn't sound like much but the way I have been with my personal scrapping lately it'll mean I get more done! lol

Just quickly before I go, I have a layout to share that I made before christmas using some Bo Bunny goodies from The Stamp Spot. I actually hate the title now - am thinking of stripping it back but that's a job for another day when I can think of something that flows a lot better lol

Thanks for popping by.

Luv Kirsti xoxo

They Grow So Fast

2010-11-08T13:23:00.000+08:00

I know every parent says it.. but I just cannot get over how fast my 'baby' girl has grown up. This year I have really noticed Ashlea has changed into a big girl. I mean, she is 5 so I guess that it's no real surprise... but it did sneak up on me!

One of my design team creations for The Stamp Spot this month is a cute acrylic mini album. I wanted to show the change in Ashlea over the last 5 years and the gorgeous Basic Grey Olivia Papers teamed up perfectly with the Echo Park Life Is Good Papers to create this project. It also happens to be the very first mini album that I have ever made and kept! Up until now, I have only ever created them for other people. I feel pretty proud of myself flicking through the completed album so might have to make some more mini albums just for me :)

Most products (or similar) used in this project are available from The Stamp Spot

Papers: Basic Grey Olivia, Echo Park Life is Good

Other: KaiserCraft Acrylic Album, Basic Grey Olivia element stickers, Prima Flowers, roses from The Stamp Spot, Kaisercraft Mini Alpha Stickers, American Crafts thickers alphas, assorted sheer ribbons, lace, Kaisercraft Rhinestones, Kindyglitz Crystalina, Stazon Blazing Red ink

And where would my blogpost be if I didn't show you a little sneakpeek of my next project for The Stamp Spot ;)

See you here next time!! :)

Luv Kirsti xoxo

Sneak Peek and lotsa scrappy news

2010-10-21T15:23:00.000+08:00

Well here we have a little sneaky peek at my latest project for The Stamp Spot...

Hmmm... looks like an acrylic album ;) Keep an eye on The Stamp Spot blog for the big reveal. And while we are on the topic of big reveals.....it's been pretty exciting at The Stamp Spot lately. Marcia unveiled the awesome new look website, introduced the very talented Melissa Hortin as our newest Design team member and now we have a lovely Ning community to play in as well :) Feel free to stop by Mel's blog and check out her gorgeous work... and then come over to the forum for a chat.

Ok so here is a layout I made a while ago using more of those Cosmo Cricket DeLovely papers from The Stamp Spot.

Paper: Kraft Cardstock, Cosmo Cricket DeLovely

Other: Kaisercraft alphabet stickers, K&Co butterfly embellishment, Kaisercraft rhinestones

My kids really are the light in my life and I just knew I had to scrap them when I saw the quote strip on the papers.

And the last two things I want to share are a couple of custom albums I made for some gorgeous ladies.

You can see more pictures of the albums on my facebook page Scraplily Designs.

Well in the words of Porky Pig... that's all folks ;)

Luv Kirsti xoxo

What a Week!

2010-10-01T10:41:00.001+08:00

We have had a wonderful week here...it's the first week of school holidays, we celebrated my 30th birthday, had a few lazy days and I even cleaned up my scrap desk to get ready to scrap just as soon as I have some spare time.

The kids have been kept busy with board games, movies, cooking, visits from my parents and the ultimate bribe - if they behave themselves I'll take them to the town pools hehe. My birthday was a lovely quiet day. Wayne was at work so I spent it with my girls. Got spoiled rotten with masses of cuddles, visits from my Mum and Dad and a gazillion messages that made me want to cry. Damned pregnancy hormones LOL

Anyway... onto scrapping news. Do you like to use Copic markers? I'm in awe of what can be done with them! Marcia at The Stamp Spot is looking for a new design team member to join the team. So if you are interested, pop past the blog here for all the info and let Marcia know :)

Now let me share with you another layout using the DeLovely Cosmo Cricket papers. Marcia has just restocked these in the store as the first lot sold so quickly and to make your shopping easier, I've linked my product list in with the store for you ;) They are such lovely bright papers with soooo many possibilities! Of course, I just had to team these papers up with this photo of my stunning niece Ebony.

Papers: Cosmo Cricket DeLovely

Other: Green Tara Flowers, Prima flowers, 6" Single Fower, Kaisercraft Mini Alphas, Kaisercraft rhinestones, Prima Got Flowers from own stash

And there we have it... another blog post on my often neglected blog LOL Hope you all have a great weekend. Time now for me to do the big cleanup before hubby gets home :)

Luv Kirsti xoxo

Scrappy Sunday

2010-09-26T16:40:00.000+08:00

Well, it's Sunday and I have a scrappy share for you :)
I created this bright layout using the gorgeous DeLovely Papers from The Stamp Spot. Aren't they so cute?! Now - while I remember The Stamp Spot has had a huge makeover so make sure you have a look! It is amazing!

Papers: DeLovely Cosmo Cricket
Other: Kaiser rhinestones, Bella flowers, lace trim, Prima alphabet, Making Memories notebook page, glimmer mist

The papers had these gorgeous flowers and flourishes all over them and I couldn't help myself... out came the trusty old craft knife and I cut away to my heart's content :)

This massive flower was originally white but I thought white was a bit dull for this layout. So I grabbed my glimmer mist, spritzed away and voila... one bright pink flower to match my layout :)

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend. It's a long weekend and the first weekend of the school holidays here in WA so we are having some great family bonding time cleaning the yard. Oh yay... I bet you can just hear the enthusiasm in my voice LOL ;)

Luv Kirsti xoxo

A Little Distracted

2010-09-07T10:55:00.000+08:00

Yep, I've been a little distracted the last few weeks with so much going on at home. I haven't got any new scrapping done in about 2 weeks and forgot about my little blog again! :( In family news, my big girl Rachelle turned 9 on the 29th August. She had a wonderful day with just close family kicking a soccer ball around at the park. Very relaxing for me and she had a fantastic time! Unfortunately a few 'family' members decided to ignore her birthday but Rachelle being the beautiful girl she is just took it in her stride and went on to have a gorgeous day. It hurt me more but hey, I'm an adult and I can deal with it. In the long run it will be those family members that hurt most. Anyway...here are some pics of my big girl on her special day :)

Somebody forgot to tell her that you are meant to kick the soccer ball LOL Here she is with my Daddy...

And of course blowing out the candles with a little help from her cousin Ebony...

As a special treat my Mum treated the girls to a pampering. Rachelle had her first ever visit to the hairdresser with a wash, head massage, trim, blow dry, straightening and a bit of glitter spray to top it off. She felt and looked like a princess. Ashlea was adamant she didn't want her hair washed so she just got the fringe trim and we convinced her to try curls for a day with some glitter spray. Don't they look so grown up!?! Thanks Mum xxx

In other big news... we've reached the halfway mark with Bub. Had the 'big ultrasound' a week and a half ago. Looks like it's a boy so we're all pretty excited :D (Secretly,I'm a little terrified as well - I don't know the first thing about baby boys! LOL) We've picked our hospital so now it is just time to relax and enjoy my last pregnancy. I feel sad saying it is my last but I have to be sensible about it. This will be my 3rd caesar and the Dr's have warned me against more. I've also got a common condition where my pelvis is basically shifting and pivoting on itself all the time causing a lot of grinding and clunking. There are about 5 joints in the pelvis and every one is affected so that is causing a lot of pain in my pelvis and lower back that is making things very uncomfortable. I didn't get the pains until the final month of Ashlea's pregnancy, but this time it has started at about the 3 month mark. So I'm taking it easy and not overdoing it... just a day of housework will make me barely able to move by the late afternoon. Great excuse to be lazy hehehe

I do have something scrappy to share with you :) First up is a great little money box I made for The Stamp Spot. This was so easy... I just reused the packaging from some Prima Flowers I had ages ago and decorated with DeLovely Papers by Cosmo Cricket

Paper: Cosmo Cricket DeLovely

Other: Prima Packaging, KaiserCraft Mini Alphas, KasierCraft Rhinestones, Prima Flowers

I also have one more layout from the DOTM Kit the lovely Peta sent me from Scrapbooking From Scratch. The kit sold out so quickly I was amazed! Make sure you check out the store often as Peta is always making up new stunning kits with limited numbers so you need to be quick to get them. I've never really scrapped Rachelle's ultrasound piccies so I figured after 9 years it's about time I did LOL Here she is at about 18 weeks... so tiny!

Paper: Sassafras Lass Indie Girl

Other: Sassafras Lass cardstock stickers, Sassafras Lass glitter alphabet stickers, twine, dimensional magic

Well, I think that should about do it for today :) Hope you are all safe and well, take care.

Luv Kirsti xoxo

Time Flies

2010-08-18T13:00:00.038+08:00

Isn't it so true... time really does fly. It seems like only yesterday that I held Ashlea in my arms for the first time and here she is now... a big 5 year old with a big attitude to match! lol
Today is DT Wednesday at The Stamp Spot Blog and my layout 'Five' is featured. I have used the stunning Basic Grey Indian Summer papers again - I just love them! Remember to check out the products at The Stamp Spot so you can recreate this layout for yourself :) Oh and to make it easier for you, I have linked my product list below to the items in the store. See, aren't I good to you? LOL

Paper: Basic Grey Indian Summer

Other: Prima Innocence Blossoms, Kaisercraft Mini Alphas, Basic Grey Mini Mono Stickers, Green Tara 2 Layer Flower, 6" White Flower, Lace, Kaisercraft Foam Tape, butterfly punch, Heidi Swapp Clock

Isn't that lace trim just gorgeous!?!

Hope you all have a lovely day. See you again soon!

Luv Kirsti xoxo

More Indie Girl Loveliness

2010-08-17T15:00:00.000+08:00

Ok, so maybe loveliness isn't really a word but in my world it is :) I'm still so in love with the DOTM Indie Girl Kit from Scrapbooking From Scratch and have a couple of layouts to show you. I'm still creating away with the kit so there will be more soon... but in the meantime, pop on over to the store and make sure you grab the kit before they all sell out. I personally guarantee you will not be disappointed with it!!!

I really wanted to do something different with this kit and thought why not create a 'boy' page from a 'girl' kit LOL Hubby will probably shoot me if he ever sees this up here but I had to use this rare photo of him. Like most long-suffering scrapbook widows he hides whenever the camera is out but this one day I got a gorgeous smile from him. At the risk of sounding all soppy, every time I look at this photo it reminds me why I love him so much. Aaaaawww... pass the kleenex ;)

Paper: Bazzill Cardstock, Sassafras Lass Indie Girl

Other: Basic Grey Basics strip sticker thingy, Sassafras Lass glitter alphabet stickers, Sassafras Lass cardstock stickers, Basic Grey buttons, twine

And another layout of my youngest daughter from the kit...

Paper: Kraft Carstock, Sassafras Lass Indie Girl

Other: MME Journaling spots, Sassafras Lass cardstock stickers, Sassafras Lass glitter alphabet stickers

Well, I have a huge mountain of shopping piled onto my dining table that I really should put away. I don't mind so much doing the grocery shopping... it's the putting everything away bit that I hate LOL

Hope you are all having a fantastic week :) See you soon

Luv Kirsti xoxo

Some More Sneak Peeks

2010-08-13T11:38:00.000+08:00

Seems to be all I'm showing you at the moment... but I promise you will see the full layouts soon :) These ones are for The Stamp Spot

Don't you love the bright colours!!! I admit to having a little trouble with them at first but now I am delighted with how these projects turned out :)

Luv Kirsti xoxo

Guess who's Designer of the Month @.....

2010-08-12T13:01:00.000+08:00

Scrapbooking From Scratch :) Yep... that's me up there on their home page with my layout. Please please make sure you go and check out the absolutely stunning Indie Girl kit that Peta sent me! It is so beautiful in real life and the papers are so easy to work with. It is also one of the best kits I have ever seen when it comes to getting your money's worth... I have got 3 layouts already from it and could easily get at least 2 more!! Oh and I haven't had to add any extras either... everything you see on my layouts is in the kit! How cool is that!?!

Paper: SassafrasLass Indie Girl
Other: Sassafras Lass Cardstock Alphabet stickers, Sassafras Lass Cardstock Stickers, ribbon and twine from kit

And just to tease you some more... here are some sneak peeks of the other two layouts so far. I will reveal all in the next few days ;)

Doesn't it make you want more? heheheh Keep an eye out on Scrapbooking From Scratch for the reveal :)

Luv Kirsti xoxo

Guest DT Sneaky Peek

2010-08-11T08:49:00.000+08:00

It has been killing me keeping this secret... I have a guest DT role this month at a fantastic online scrap store. The goodies I got in the mail this week have had me drooling and I can't wait any longer... I'm going to show you a sneaky peek of the first layout I have created. But.... I don't want to ruin the surprise so you will have to come back in the next day or so and see where I am hanging out this month. I promise - it will be worth it!!! :)

Luv Kirsti xoxo

Stamp Spot Layout Reveal

2010-08-09T08:40:00.000+08:00

Wow, so it seems I'm not so good at scheduling my posts LOL I thought I had set mine to go up over a week ago but nope... it didn't :) Oh well... just a quickie post this morning to share my first ever DT layout for The Stamp Spot. So... if you want to recreate this layout at all you can get all the goodies at The Stamp Spot... AND some of the products used are on sale at the moment.

Paper: Basic Grey Indian Summer

Other: Prima Say It In Crystals, Basic Grey Indian Summer Mini Mono Stickers, Green Tara Roses, Glossy Accents, Prima Velvet Leaves, Prima Roses

Thanks for stopping by :) I'll be back soon with my second reveal for The Stamp Spot. Until then, take care.
Luv Kirsti xoxo

July madness!!

2010-07-21T15:29:00.000+08:00

Wow... what a month this has been!! New DT appointments, new baby news, kids birthdays, local ag show, school holidays... I haven't had time to scratch myself let alone update my poor old blog!! LOL

First up I would love to proudly announce that I am now a DT member for The Stamp Spot :D Yay... I've been cartwheeling all over the place and busting to share my news with everybody. Make sure you stop by The Stamp Spot Blog on the 4th of August for my first layout reveal. Marcia sent me a fantastic pack to work with that is exactly my style. That woman rocks :) Here is a little sneak peek of two of the layouts I have created for her...

Also in my Big News... I'm 14 weeks pregnant with my 3rd baby :) Altogether it will make it 6 kids between hubby and I but we are just delighted! All of our family know now so I am able to tell anyone and everyone who will listen LOL

My 'baby' Ashlea just had her 5th birthday on Monday. She got spoilt absolutely rotten and had a wonderful day surrounded by family. We even got her ears pierced and there were no tears! I was gobsmacked... had gone into the chemist expecting her to scream the place down, or at least shed a little tear but the most we got out of her was "ouch!". So very proud of my not-so-baby girl :)

Ashlea and her cousin Jaxon with their birthday cakes...their birthdays are only 3 days apart so we had a little combined party for them.

Getting the first ear done....this is the 'Ouch' moment :D

School holidays have finally finished and we are starting to get back into the normal school routine. I can't wait for things to settle down again so I can properly catch up on my housework and get back into some more scrapping.

Well, that is about all for now. Take care peoples, mwah

Luv Kirsti xoxo

A new venture and one lonely layout...

2010-06-19T14:43:00.000+08:00

After a lot of thought and procrastination, I have started a new venture.... selling my scrappy creations. :) I used to sell on EBay quite some time ago but the market there severely dried up so I sadly stopped selling. But now, with the wonderful world of Facebook I have found a way to get the word out there and share my scrapping with others. Please pop by Scraplily Designs Custom Scrapbooks and have a look. I am amazed to have over 80 'fans' in just 4 days :D If my link doesn't work, I have added a little badge to the sidebar that will take you straight there.

So my personal scrapping has been a little slow again and I have just one layout to share. This is for the June challenge at Scrap The Girls Blog. My baby girl on her 4th birthday.......

I used up some of one of the kits I have got from Scrapbooking From Scratch. Luv their kits to bits!!!

Paper: Bazzill, October Afternoon

Other: Scrapbooking From Scratch buttons, Prima flowers, Prima Flower Centres, American Crafts thickers, Basic Grey buttons, October Afternoon alphas, October Afternoon Cardstock Stickers

love the bright colours of these papers... so much fun to use and with soooo many possibilities!

Well, really that is all I have to share for now. Better get back to my weekend with the family :)

Hope you are all well and enjoying your weekends! See you soon

Luv Kirsti xoxo

Ooops, I did it again!

2010-06-08T11:36:00.000+08:00

I am a terrible blogger! Almost a month between posts and I have hardly anything to show you! Life just gets busy every now and then and my scrapping is the first thing to suffer :(

Ok, so there are a few layouts I can share... nothing too spectacular though I'm afraid.

This first one was my final layout in the ScrapBoutique Postcards comp....

Bazzill Cardstock, Glimmer Mist, Kaiser Pearls, Prima Flowers, Crate Paper diecut, American Crafts thickers, Basic Grey rub-on, flower buds and crystal pin from The Stamp Spot

This cute layout is for the May Sketch Challenge at Challenge Heaven. I really need to make more time to get in the forum there with the girls. I always mean to but... well, you know how time

gets away from you.

Papers: Bazzill Cardstock, Basic Gre

Other: Glimmer Mist, Basic Grey Cardstock Alphas, MME Lush alphas, Kaiser border punch

Ok, so this is for the June Ebony/Ivory challenge at Challenge Heaven. The criteria was to use either black or white with green. Not sure I am happy with this... well, to be honest, I'm not happy with it. Certainly doesn't look like it did in my head during planning stage that's for sure!

Paper: Basic Grey, K&Co

Other: Prima Flowers, American Crafts Thickers, Heidi Swapp flower, Kaiser Pearls, FTI felt, Kaiser rhinestones, paper doily

May also saw a few of my creations in print :D Scrapbook Creations picked up a digital layout some time ago that is very special to me and seeing it in print in Issue 78 was wonderful!

Australian Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft commissioned a set of 3 cards from me also. Now... for those of you that might be interested I have donated them to an online charity auction for Fundraising Events for Barossa Relay For Life. Please, if you want to pick up these gorgeous cards and help charity at the same time pop by and place a bid starting 13th June. I would hate to see these cards go for a ridiculously low price - the higher they are bid, the more money goes to charity! So please spread the word :) Oh and I also have two premade scrapbook layouts up for grabs in the auction also.

My darling Rachelle is taking part in the MS Readathon for the second year in a row. I love how it encourages kids to read and also raise money for a worthwhile cause at the same time. I am taking donations/sponsorship now for her and would love if some of my wonderful friends could help. You will be issued with a tax receipt and any donation over $2 is tax deductible. Please contact me on kirsti9168@westnet.com.au for my details for cash, paypal or bank transfer options or you can sponsor online with a credit card at Rachelle's official MS Sponsor Page

Ok, so for someone with not much to share I sure have a decent sized post. heheh Now I am considering a RAK soon... stay tuned for my next post with details :D

Luv Kirsti xoxo

May Challenges so far....

2010-05-19T15:05:00.000+08:00

After having DH home last week with a bad back my scrapping got a little behind. All good though... I'm pretty sure the way I'm going at the moment I will manage to catch up... Mojo is on fire LOL :)

So instead of boring you with my dribble i will share the layouts I've done so far :D

First up is my take on Palette #5 at The Color Room...

Paper: Basic Grey, Prima

Other: MME Velvet alphabet, Creative Imaginations cardstock stickers, Carolee's Creations butterflies, Prima Flowers, SEI journaling spot, SEI ribbon, Crate Paper trim, Pink Paislee Paper Tape, unknown trims, handmade lace (thanks Mum xx), unknown pearls, Kaiser pearls, Basic Grey Chip Sticker, vintage lace doily, GlimmerMist, unknown sticker

Love the pearl glimmermist that I added to the purple flowers... a nice subtle glimmer.

Last week I went to India with the ScrapBoutique Postcards competition.... loved this one too!!!

Paper: Kaisercraft

Other: American Crafts thickers, Dimensional magic, Sass Lass alphabet stickers, Basic Grey Rubon, Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint, Kaiser rhinestones

Challenge Heaven's May Word Challenge is to use the word 'kisses' in your title and stitching. I made this layout last night using some of the Brook Crate Paper kit from Scrapbooking From Scratch.

Paper: Kraft Cardstock, Crate Paper

Other: American Crafts thickers, Creative Imaginations swatch book rubons, Crate Paper 3D Chipboard embellie, Carolee's Creations alpha stickers, Kaiser rhinestones

And then this week with the ScrapBoutique girls I jetted off again... this time to Japan. The challenge also called for a paper folding technique so I got busy with origami flowers, an origami crane and a pleated butterfly. Lots of fun with this layout!!

Paper: DCWV Cardstock, Prima, unknown, K&Co

Other: WRMK chipboard word, Prima Holiday Lights Glitter Spray?, Prima Say it in Crystals flourish, Heidi Swapp Photo Corners

Oh and while I think of it... I just went and had a quick look in the store at ScrapBoutique and I am in Prima heaven!!!! OMG! Soooo much goodness there... I'll be off shopping as soon as I finish here ;)

Ok now for the last layout... this is for this weeks palette at The Color Room. Gorgeous colours to play with and I really like how this one turned out...

Paper: Kaisercraft, Basic Grey

Other: Glimmermist, Kaiser pearls, Prima packaging, Prima flowers, Making Memories diecut, Heidi Grace word sticker, lace trim, buttons

Well now that I have finished... I'm off shopping :D Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!!

Luv Kirsti xoxo

Comfort Zones....

2010-05-06T13:02:00.002+08:00

Talk about comfort zones... sheesh... I've been nudged well out of my comfort zone with some challenges this week! It's been fun to see if I can meet the challenge though... and I think I might have :D

First up I will share The Color Room palette #4. I nearly died when I saw this one! OMG... boy colours! And ones I don't really have in my stash! Eeek!!! Here is the palette...

I had a few problems like absolutely no cream or even white cardstock or papers left in my stash!!! So I got creative and ripped up a pizza box for the base hehhe. The reds and autumn colours straight away made me think of the beautiful scenery around here so I chose this photo of Sleeping Buddha near Kununurra. Yeah, I know I spelt Buddha wrong on the layout.... has been fixed now but all the photos and uploads are wrong. Doh!! Anyway, here is my take on it...

Paper: Pizza box hehe, Kaisercraft, Basic Grey

Other: Basic Grey rubons, Basic Grey Cardstock Stickers, Basic Grey Alphas, Bo Bunny Cardstock sticker, Fancy Pants Rubon, Basic Grey Chip Stickers, Kaiser rhinestones, dimensional magic, Crafty Notions Copper spray

As if that wasn't enough of a challenge... then there was this one for Challenge Heaven! The colour challenge called for orange, grey and black with ribbon!! So while I had the orangey stash out I made this layout...

Paper: Bazzill Cardstock, Basic Grey

Other: Basic Grey Chip Stickers, Basic Grey Cardstock Stickers, Basic Grey Bling It On rubon, Kaiser rhinestones, dimensional magic, unknown ribbon, Crafty Notions Copper Spray

But wait... there was more to challenge me! I found the oranges and reds hard... but the yellow nearly killed me!! This layout is for the ebony and ivory challenge also at Challenge Heaven. Black or white with yellow and with polka dots! Phew... love how it turned out but OMG how painful was this!!!

Paper: Scribble Scrabble

Other: GlimmerMist Screen thingy, Prima ribbon, Prima flowers, Narratives swatch book rubons, Basic Grey brads, unknown spotty brads, buttons, Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint, Tim Holtz Distress Ink

The journalling reads: "I wonder if you knew when this photo was taken that you would have such a full life together? Your love lasted the trials and tribulations of a life that wasn't always easy. You made four beautiful babies who grew to give you seven grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Even when death separated you, I know your love never even wavered. At last you are re-united and the legacy of your love lives on in us. Thankyou for showing me what love is. xx"

I'm still playing along with the Postcards comp at Scrap Boutique so here is the last two weeks entries for there.... first up is the Week 2 entry for the France trip. Beautiful inspiration for me to work with!!

Paper: 7 Gypsies, Basic Grey, old book

Other: Prima notepage, Prima flowers, Kaiser wood flourish, American Crafts Thickers, Dimensional magic, Makig Memories Tiny Alphas, Kaiser border punch, unknown rosebuds, Grant Archival epoxy sticker, unknown brooch thingy, Kindyglitz

Week 3 was off to America and I was stumped at first! We also had to use a song title or lyrics in the title or journalling of our layout. American music and my first thought goes to The Boss Bruce Springsteen but his lyrics really didn't suit this photo of my gorgeous nephew Jake. I ended up going with 'Smile' by Nat King Cole. That song is so beautiful and brings back so many memories of my childhood. Anyway... after the first two destinations being so pretty and girly I should have expected the boyish theme but it threw me! I raided my whole stash and realised I am seriously limited when it comes to blue or red! LOL But I did it... and I like it :D

Paper: Bazzill Cardstock, Basic Grey, Little Yellow Bicycle

Other: Prima ribbon, Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint, Autumn Leaves stamps, Tim Holtz Distress Ink, American Crafts Thickers, Carolee's Creations Tiny Alphas, Making Memories ribbon, unknown ribbon

Oh and I must give credit to my gorgeous sister Nat for the photo of Jake... isn't it just stunning!?!

So that's what I have been working on the last week while I should really be sorting out the horrid mess that is my daughter's bedroom. Some huge challenges there for me but I loved the end result. Plus, it is good to push our limits every now and then ;)

Hope you liked, have a great day!

Luv Kirsti xoxo

A few challenge layouts

2010-04-30T09:29:00.000+08:00

Just a few challenge layouts to share today. First up I have my layout for The Color Room Color Palette #3.

I tipped the sketch on it's side and created a little window cut-out. This made it really hard to photograph though! LOL

Paper: Basic Grey, Kaisercraft
Other: DCWV chipboard, Basic Grey alphabet stickers, Carolee's Creations Adorn-It alphas

I had actually made another layout for this challenge but then I went and messed it all up with a black pen :( When will I learn lol Just imagine it without the black scribble and it looks much much nicer :D

Paper: Bazzill Cardstock, Lace cardstock for masking ( I think it was KI Memories?)

Other: Glimmermist, Fancy Pants rubon, Prima Flowers, Basic Grey Chip Alphas, Dimensional Magic, Making Memories Noteworthy Diecut, Kaiser Rhinestones and Pearls, unknown ribbons

This last layout was soooo quick. I guess you can tell that though just by looking at it LOL Still, I do quite like the simple-ness of it (is that even a word?!) Again though, I had trouble getting a good photo of the layout. It looks kind of washed out here where in real life the black is very black and the green is very green if you know what I mean?!! The April Ebony & Ivory challenge at Challenge Heaven was black or white with lime green and circles...

Paper: Bazzill Cardstock

Other: Prima Flowers, Kaiser rhinestones, Basic Grey Cardstock Alphas, Scenic Route Cardstock stickers, Kaiser Paint

Now that I have updated here I am off to clean this house (again) Have a wonderful weekend everyone and I will be back next week with more scrappy shares.

Luv Kirsti xoxo

Wahooo... mojo is in the house :D

2010-04-23T17:02:00.001+08:00

I've been scrapping my little heart out this week and I am soooo happy about it. I have missed this. The relaxation... the time to just sit and be quiet while I create something that is just me. I love putting my heart on a page. It's great therapy ;) But like so many people, when I am stressed or things are not going so well my mojo runs away. This time I think it packed a bag and went on a round the world trip... it was gone that long! Mojo... I missed you!

I finally used these 7 Gypsies papers I have had for soooo long. And I used this gorgeous photo my sister Nat took of her son Jake that I have had for a year. I've always wanted to scrap it but never had the layout for it. Until now.... andI must say I'm pretty pleased with it. I normally don't do boy layouts. In fact, I am a wee bit scared of them so the feeling of accomplishment I got from this layout is pretty darned good.

Paper: Bazzill Cardstock, 7 Gypsies

Other: Tim Holtz Distress Inks, unknown velvet ribbon, American Crafts Thickers, Dimensional Magic, Making Memories Tiny Alphas, Collections Ornamental Transparency

So that was a 'just cos' layout. These next couple are challenge layouts for Challenge Heaven. The first one is a scraplift challenge. We had to choose a layout from the CH gallery to lift and after hours of searching for 'the one' I settled on Ann-Marie's 'A Special Love' layout. I love her digi work and have wanted to paper-ise one of her layouts for so long.

Paper: Basic Grey

Other: Basic Grey Cardstock stickers, Prima Vine, Prima Flowers, Kaiser Pearls, Kaiser Rhinestones, Prima Ribbon, Dimensional Magic, lace trim

This next one I am not sure if I like. It was for the Cybercrop Puzzle Pieces Challenge. It certainly looks nothing like I imagined it...

Paper: American Crafts

Other: Fancy Pants Felt, Heidi Grace Transparent thingies, Cherry charms

And then we have what has kept me busy today... and caused me to create a big mess!! ScrapBoutique have a HUGE competition going at the moment so go check out the forum for info. The first weeks postcard is from Italy and we drew inspiration from the 'letter' on the postcard aswell as the photos. As soon as I saw the pics I knew the layout had to be elegant with rich colours and touches of gold and black. Now when I say I made a mess... I mean it. I decided to try gold leafing for the first time. Hmm... would help if I turned off the ceiling fans in future! The leafing is so super light and fragile that the fans blew it all over the place!!! Ooops! But I had fun and I like the final result :D

Paper: Bella, DCWV, old music page

Other: Petaloo Flowers, Prima Leaves, Prima Flowers, Prima Crystal Glitter Spray, Tim Holtz Grungeboard, Making Memories Ribbon, Bella Paper Ribbon, K&Co key and clock charms, Basic Grey Brads, Basic Grey Rubon, Delish Rubons, Tim Holtz Distress Inks, gold leafing

Ok well that is it from me for now. I am going to go and finish tidying up a bit before hubby gets home for the weekend. I do a good job of pretending to be a good housewife LOL Have a great weekend everyone and for those Aussies out there, I hope you have a great Anzac day filled with pride at being Australian. I know I will.

Luv Kirsti xoxo

Good To Be Scrapping!

2010-04-20T09:33:00.000+08:00

After so long without scrapping it feels simply glorious to finally be getting back into it. It helps that there are some great challenges out there at the moment to inspire me too. So instead of boring you with my ramblings, I will just share a couple of layouts I've made the last few days.

First we have Palette #2 up on The Color Room. OMG... what a challenge this one was! I went through my 3cropper hoppers and 4 pizza boxes of papers and had not one single patterned paper with the right shade of blue... or anything close to it! I had resigned myself to trying to do a digi layout when I remembered the blue flowers. Saved! Phew... so here is the second palette and my take on it.

Papers: Basic Grey, SEI, Making Memories

Other: Making Memories Journalling Book, Basic Grey Micro-Chip Alphas, Carolee's Creations Adorn-It Alphas, Prima Flowers, Prima Butterfly, Basic Grey Rubon, Kaiser Pearls, Dimensional Magic, Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Glimmermist

It's a bit hard to tell but I had some fun adding the dimensional magic to the rose to try and make it look like dewdrops. I think it kinda worked LOL :)

These next challenges are all for Challenge Heaven.

This first one is my second attempt at the Word Challenge. Criteria was to use the word 'Relax' in the title and some paint effects.

Paper: Bazzill Swiss Dot Cardstock, MME, Basic Grey

Other: Prima Flowers, Making Memories Diecut, Kaiser Rhinestones, Hambly Overlay, MME Diecut, American Crafts Thickers, Kaiser Paint, cheapie stickers

The flourishes on here are actually some cheapie gold laser cut stickers that I came across a while back. Don't they look just like the Basic Grey Heart Swashes!?! Anyway, I simply coloured them with a black permanent marker because I didn't like them gold.

Next we have the sketch challenge for Challenge Heaven... a great sketch from Inspired Blueprints. And I have also used some more of one of the kits from Scrapbooking From Scratch :D

Paper: Bazzill Swiss Dots Cardstock, Scribble Scrabble

Other: Carolee's Creations Adorn-It Alphas, American Crafts Thickers Alpha, Pink Paislee Alpha Stickers, K&Co Ribbon, Fiskars Border Punch

And the last layout is for one of the CyberCrop challenges at Challenge Heaven. This was a photo/colour inspiration challenge. We had to use chocolate brown with one other colour from the photo.

Papers: Basic Grey, K&Co

Other: Prima Flowers, Making Memories Brads, Basic Grey Alpha Stickers, Making Memories Journaling Book, Tim Holtz Distress Ink

And that's about it for now. I am going to pry myself off my computer chair and get all this housework out of the way so I can get stuck into a few other challenges :D

Luv Kirsti xoxo

Scrappity-doo-dah Day

2010-04-13T13:44:00.002+08:00

Well I've had a very scrappy day today. I scanned some old photos last night and had a play with editing them a little because they weren't exactly the nicest quality and I've just had the urge to get stuck into scrapping them! This first layout is for the April Theme Challenge at Challenge Heaven. The challenge criteria were to use handcutting and the theme learning. I handcut the butterflies, the fairy and some of the flowers from the gorgeous Websters Paper.

The photos are of me with Rachelle back in 2001 when she was just a teeny tiny bubba. I miss those baby days with both my girls. :( It was such a steep learning curve for me back then. I thought I was so grown up having a baby at 20 but in reality, I was still so young myself. I've made mistakes along the way but I think what matters most is that I love her with everything I am. It will be my love she remembers later in life, not the mistakes.Websters Pages Paper, Making Memories Notebook, Prima Flowers, Kaiser rhinestones, Prima Decorative Tape, American Crafts Thickers, Glimmermist, lace trim, $2 shop flower sprig thingy
The next two layouts are using some more of the kits from Scrapbooking From Scratch. The count for this kit is 4 layouts, 3 cards and still more product left! :-0

This layout is another one I have made for the challenges over at Challenge Heaven. The word challenge for April was to use the word 'relax' in your title... and I have just realised the criteria was to use paint effects too!! Ooops... forgot that part. Oh well, now this layout is a just-because layout :D LOL

Thanks for popping by! I do have a favour to ask though of anyone who has actually read this far... apparently I had problems with the comment box last week. Would someone please be able to leave a comment so I know if it is working? And no... it's not some ploy to get comments, I promise ;)

Bye for now... I'm off to ignore my housework and pretend my kids aren't trying to kill eachother and scrap some more. ;)
Luv Kirsti xx

New Challenge Site

2010-04-09T15:51:00.002+08:00

I came across this fantastic new challenge site in my blog-stalking travels this morning. It's called The Color Room and has an uber-talented design team from all over the world with lots of inspiration. Basically, each challenge will draw inspiration from a photo and you must create an item using the colours in the palette. There is also a bonus sketch that you can use to guide you. But wait there is still more... the site will have tutorials and videos to inspire everyone also!!! Well worth a look ;)

The very first challenge is up and closes on the 16th April. Here it is....Well I couldn't help myself with those colours and had to get scrapping straight away. Out the window went the good housework intentions... I got the scrappin bug and nothing was going to stop me :D

Basic Grey Papers, Making Memories Papers, Making Memories Spiral Notebook, Fiskars Border Punch, Basic Grey Cardstock Stickers, American Crafts Thickers, Prima Flowers, Making Memories Brad, Kaiser Pearls and Rhinestones, Prima felt stems, Carolee's Creations Alpha Stickers, trim

Ok so now that I have scratched that Scrapping itch, I had better go and finish my housework. Hope you all have a lovely weekend

Luv Kirsti xx

Easter fun and scrappy goodness

2010-04-07T11:01:00.003+08:00

Wow isn't this year just flying by?! I cannot believe Easter has just been... it feels like only last month was Christmas.

Last week I had the great idea to repaint Rachelle's bedroom. I figured I had a few days of school left and would have plenty of time to get it done before the kids started holidays. Pffft... yeah right! Her room is still half done... the walls and ceiling have been painted. But the trim, skirting and cupboards are still sitting there half done making me feel awfully guilty. I guess I should get back into the painting this week and get it finished. Tomorrow... yeah, that can be a tomorrow job.

We had a quiet easter here. The Easter Bunny came and hid some eggs for the girls. They had a great time finding the not-so-sneakily hid eggs on Sunday Morning. Easter Bunny must have been really tired when he hid them ;) We took the kids for a drive after that with my niece Ebony. A nice day out on the river sounded great so we drove and we drove... and we drove a bit more til we got to the Dunham Bridge about 90kms away. It was worth it though... nice shallow water and lots of fun for the kids. I took a stack of photos but will only pop a few on here. Ashlea found an old-lady walking stick that she just would not let go of. When her daddy asked her what she had it for she just looked at him and matter of factly said "So I keep my balance and don't fall over". Come on Dad... surely you knew that! PML
And of course Rachelle and Ebony had to have their old-lady walking sticks too lol. These two had a great time exploring the riverbeds while I was constantly looking around for any signs of crocodiles hehe. I snapped this pic of them as we were getting ready to leave. Don't you just love the essential footwear - gladiator sandals!!! LOL Oh and I didn't spot any crocs either ;)
So yesterday I had a slack day around the house. I decided to get stuck into another of the kits from Scrapbooking From Scratch and got three layouts done. Fantastic for me since my scrapping has drastically slowed down!!! Hoping to use the rest of the kit maybe later today.

This layout is forthe monthly sketch over at Scrapbooking From Scratch using the 'Scribble Scrabble Nana's Trunk' Kit. I'm not exactly sure who the photo is of... I think it was one of my Nana's old photos. Looking at it I kind of wonder if maybe it's the Queen? Is that silly? lol I'm hoping my mum might know and solve the mystery for me.
The papers in the kit made me think of my Nana who passed in November. This layout was so very difficult for me. The photo is the last photo of Nana and was taken in October when we popped in to see her on our way back up here. Oh how I wish I had known it would be the last time I saw her. I could have stayed longer. I would have hugged her longer and told her more that I loved her.

here is the second layout I made from the kit.... my favourite at the moment.

Well that's it for now. I guess I had better go and find something to entertain these girls. I don't know why kids look forward to the school holidays so much when they are soooo bored in the first few days!

Take care
Luv Kirsti xoxo

A Promise is a Promise...

2010-03-19T12:51:00.004+08:00

I made a promise... and I like to keep my promises. So here we go... a little scrappy goodness from me at last! Nothing extravagent but my scrap drought has been broken thanks to the gorgeous kits from Scrapbooking From Scratch. I've set myself a little personal challenge to see how much I can get from one kit... so far from the 'Afterthoughts' kit I have made 2 layouts and 3 cards... and I still have over half the kit left! Awesome value :)

The first layout is using the sketch over at Scrapbooking From Scratch. Peta has a sketch challenge every month to win a $15 store credit. I couldn't resist!

Kraft Cardstock, MME 'Abbey Road' paper, Tim Holtz 'Black Soot' Distress Ink, Scenic Route Rubons, Scenic Route cardstock stickers

And then after being inspired by the simple design of the sketch came this layout. I love this photo of the girls. It is so peaceful and we could be just miles from anywhere, when really we are only 10 minutes from town. Love the beauty of the country up here and the papers in the kit are perfect for highlighting that.

Scenic Route Paper, MME 'Abbey Road' diecut paper, Jenni Bowlin paper, Scenic Route cardstock stickers, ribbon

And then I made a few cards just because the urge struck me :D Love it when my mojo plays nice with me lolBazzill Cardstock, MME 'Abbey Road' papers, Scenic Route rubon

Bazzill Cardstock, MME 'Abbey Road' papers, Scenic Route rubon

And that's all my scrappin for now. I'm off to finish off this dreaded mountain of folding... that's the one thing I hate about doing the washing - the folding afterwards eeeugh. Once that is done hopefully I'll fit some more scrapping in before hubby gets home for the weekend!

Take care
Luv Kirsti xx

Uhmah!!!

2010-03-17T18:28:00.003+08:00

oh wow... I have been such a naughty blogger! I go and make a new blog with all the best intentions and then forget all about it! lol

I haven't really done much scrapping lately. I think it's been one layout in about 3 weeks! I've ben seriously lacking in the inspiration department but that might be about to change. I have taken a whole stack of great photos lately and just received a delicious parcel today from Scrapbooking From Scratch. Check out Peta's kits... I've not really gotten into the whole kit thing before but her kits are just wonderful! There is so much in there and I have set a little challenge for myself to see how much I can create using one of her kits. They are so well priced and arrived really well packaged (that well done it took me 10 minutes to get into it lol)

Anyway, this is just a quick post to at least have something new on here.... and in the next few days I promise to be back with some scrappy awesomeness :D For now, here are a couple of my photos that I am dying to scrap....

I'm off now to feed the kids before they chew my ankles off and then tonight I will be scrapping away :D

Luv Kirsti

The Link Between Internet and Sanity

2010-02-10T16:06:00.003+08:00

Over the last two weeks I have discovered a very strong link between internet access and sanity. I've found that no internet access causes insanity and never want to do it again! For two and a half weeks I have had no internet thanks to Telstra stuffing up bigtime. But all is good now... my net is back on with Westnet (luv them to bits!) and Telstra have lost me forever before they even had me! I spent over two weeks ringing every day, talking to a different person every time and getting very frustrated. When I wasn't on the phone, I would find myself sitting at my laptop just staring. Not doing anything... just staring. Man I missed my internet!!!

Last week saw the kids going off to school. Rachelle into Grade 3 this year and very keen to get back. My baby Ashlea started kindy and is loving it! There was no separation anxiety (well, not on her side anyway LOL), there were no tears... she just went on in like it was something she always did. That first day was so so hard! I was lost without her for that 3 hours and really struggled. It was the first time my Ashlea had been anywhere without me... and she didn't even care!!! But I have to say, I am very proud of my girls :D

So while I had no internet I got a few layouts done for the Feb challenges at Challenge Heaven. First is the Ebony and Ivory challenge...

Kaisercraft paper, Cherry Arte paper, SEI paper, Kaisercraft Mini Alphas, American Crafts Thickers, Basic Grey rubon

Then I had a go at the Quote challenge... to use the quote "Sugar and spice and all things nice"

Basic Grey Sultry Papers, Prima vine, Basic Grey Sultry sticker, Kaisercraft Mini Alphas, doily

And then we have my take on the Theme Challenge... christmas themed with Kraftbase and 4 photos smaller than 4x6

MME Life Stories paper, Basic Grey Dasher Paper, Basic Grey Dasher alphas, Kaisercraft Mini Alphas

And then just for fun I did this layout....

Fancy Pants papers, Making Memories spiral notebook page, K & Co Paper, Prima flowers, Kaiser pearls and rhinestones, American Crafts Thickers, Making Memories Tiny Alphas, Bella Paper Trim

That's it for now peoples... I'm off on a bloghop to see what I've missed while I was away.

Luv Kirsti xxx

Some layout shares

2010-01-19T13:14:00.002+08:00

Just a few layouts to share today. I'm hoping to get into some scrapping this afternoon but have been spending ages adding all my photos to my new external harddrive. It seems to be taking forever!

This first layout was for the Scrap the Girls January Challenge. They have teamed up with Scrapbooking From Scratch this month and OMG! I checked out the store over there and it is the coolest! Their kitsare really well priced and look sooooo gorgeous. Definitely another place to add to my "When I have money..." list.

Ok, so this is my take on the sketch. Ihope to do a school album for the girls with layouts of their class photos and their individual portraits too. I wish I had something like that to look back on for myself...

Fancy Pants 'All Fall' and 'Daily Grind' Papers, Basic Grey 'Recess' Paper, Making Memories Noteworthy spiral notebook page, Making Memories Noteworthy Diecuts, Prima Flowers, Kaiser rhinestones, American Crafts thickers alphas

This one is for Challenge Heaven's quote challenge. The quote is 'being together is the best gift of all'. I agonised over this layout!I mean, it was really really hard to find a photo to suit it. I had so many ideas in my head, but no photos! Until I came across this one of Rachelle's 8th Birthday party last year. It was her first party with friends from school and she had a blast.

All My Memories paper, Bazzill Cardstock, Crate Paper, Making Memories tiny alphas, unkown glitter alpha, Prima petite flowers, Kaiser rhinestones

This last layout is using a sketch by Wendy Smith I found on Anna's Craft Cupboard blog. Going through some of the old photos I have here I found this one of my grandmother and her sister. I think it was probably taken in the early 70's? Perhaps at my Aunty's wedding? I love the photo though. It has captured such a beautiful moment between two sisters. I have been missing my Grandmother since she passed in November. There is this emptiness... the feeling of something missing. Christmas came and went without the usual card from Nana. I found some old emails from her the other week and I had a good cry while I read them. Her number is still on my phone as I can't bring myself to erase it. I was going through some papers the other day and came across some letters from her. It's funny how often I am reminded of her in my normal day. She will be greatly missed but I know she is happy now, reunited with Pop and probably dancing their hearts out, waiting for everyone else to join the party.

Basic Grey Stella Ruby Papers, Prima flowers, Carolee's Creations adornit alphas, American Crafts thickers

Til next time, take care folks
xxx

Let's Get Shabby Challenge Seven

2010-01-12T10:23:00.003+08:00

I think I am in love. I know, I know... it's only early days. But everything is pointing in the right direction and I can see this being a long term affair. I'm talking about Let's Get Shabby :) I'm loving their challenges and how they inspire me. The other girls taking part are so talented and the DT examples are just gorgeous. So yeah, I think I have found something special LOL

Challenge Seven is running at the moment and really had me thinking. This is taken right from the blog...

And it’s an INSPIRATION one!

It’s all about SUMMER here in Australia

So whether you are in Summer or in Winter….
(We want to warm up all our lovely Shabby International Players)

Feel the sunshine by interpreting this
INSPIRATIONAL PICTURE

however you choose with a

SUMMER INFLUENCE

Now, I might have lost some of the shabby somewhere but this layout was certainly inspired by the image LOL This photo is of my super-stylish grandmother back before marriage and babies. Wasn't she just stunning?

Sassafrass Lass papers, American Crafts Thickers Alphas, Making Memories Tiny Alphas, Basic Grey Ambrosia Cardstock stickers, Prima lace ribbon, Kaiser Antique White Acrylic Paint, Making Memories Pearl Specialty Glaze, old book page

I have a few other layouts I have been working on that I will share next time. Thanks for popping by, seeya next time
xx

New Year Already

2010-01-05T15:00:00.006+08:00

Wow... Christmas is over, New Year's has been and gone and I am sitting here wondering where the time is going to!? Surely I must have blinked and missed something.

We had a lovely quiet Christmas. No dramas that we normally have so it was just wonderfully relaxing. I enjoyed the time with family and watching the kids play. Of course I ate too much but that is what Christmas food is all about. It was yummy and I don't regret one single bite of it LOL I'm still eating the christmas cake with custard! ahahah

We took the girls out on the weekend to see my sister in law and her family fishing. Now, I am not a fisher... I don't mind throwing a line in but I always seem to snag my shirt or snap the line or something stupid. And as for touching a fish... forget it! LOL So while my SIL and her kids taught my girls the art of fishing, I sat there and did what I do best - snapped 377 photos! hahaha Here are a couple of the photos to share.

This first one is my DH Wayne with his"I'm gonna win lotto tonight" smile. Saturday night was a massive $30million dollar superdraw (and no,we didn'twin) But I finally got a nice photo of him with a smile, and not a rude finger gesture in sight ;)
Then we have my DD Ashlea with her first ever fish. Hmmm, something tells me she is a little scared of that ugly slimy fish though. She won't be touching that anytime soon!
and here is my other DD Rachelle... so very proud of herself after catching this little brim. Of course the fish were all released again for another day :D
Ashlea does the best grumpy faces. Here she is getting grumpy cos she doesn't want her photo taken. Too bad kiddo... mum has the camera hahaha
So now that I have shared the family photos I can show you my scrapping I did yesterday. The new challenges for January are up over at Challenge Heaven and I had the biggest brainwave when it came to the theme challenge this month!!! The theme was Games with scalloped edges and ribbon on the layout and when I saw these Graphic45 papers in my stash it all came to me. I'm pretty happy with this layout and feeling very proud of myself. I might even try submitting it and seeing if the mags love me today LOL :D

Graphic 45 'Playtimes Past' Papers, Basic Grey Dark Choc Chip Alphas, Prima Say It In Pearls flourish, Prima Petite Fleur Daisy Vine, Tim Holtz 'Tea Dye' Distress Ink, Unkown ribbon and lace, monopoly money from the kids game cupboard, 3D Foam and Fiskars 'Threading Water' Border Punch

This one is for the word challenge to use the word 'present', a scalloped circle and striped patterned paper....

Basic Grey Papers - Wassail, Dasher, Figgy Pudding
Crate Paper 'Mia' Diecut, Basic Grey 'Dasher' Alpha stickers, Delish Designsrub-ons, Dimensional Magic

I was blown away to get an honourable mention on 'Let's Get Shabby' for my layout 'The Real Santa' and then I found out yesterday I was one of the December winners at Challenge Heaven! It definitely made my day :D

Well, that's all from me for now folks. I think this post has stretched on long enough to put some to sleep so I am gonna say thanks for popping by, happy new year and I'll seeya next time. Well, I won't seeya but you know what I mean LOL

Luv Kirsti xoxo

Time for a new look already

2009-12-22T13:49:00.005+08:00

Yeah, so I get bored quickly. Those who see me on facebook will see my profile pic change often. The blog is pretty much the same... I decided it was time for a new blog background and found this one. Pretty cute huh? See how long it lasts this time! LOL

I got a layout done last night for the Scrap the Girls challenge. My first time playing along over there and I'm pretty happy with the layout. I notice they have just had a CT call so I am dying to see who gets selected for their new CT! The work there is just gorgeous and I recognise a few names from around the place. Anyway... the December challenge is to use Christmas carol lyrics as your title and the letters JOY (J - jewels, O - orange PP or cardstock, Y - something yellow) So here is my little go at the challenge. I don't stand much of a chance against some of the other work and certainly don't expect to win anything but these challenges are proving a great way to get my mojo flowing.

Bazzill Cardstock, Basic Grey paper, Webster's Pages paper, Basic Grey alphas, Kaiser rhinestones, Prima flower, cheapie fern leaves

Well, I have been busy working outside in the garden trying to get some of these weeds pulled before Christmas. We are having christmas lunch at ours this year and I'm embarrassed at the state of my garden! LOL We have a bit of cooler weather at the moment so I am out there making the most of it. I guess I had better stop procrastinating in here on my laptop and actually get back to work. *sigh* I keep praying for those magic little house fairies to come do the housework and some of the garden fairies too.. just a little help would be great! I don't know why they refuse to comehelp me hahaha

Have a great day everyone and I will be back soon to bore you with more nothingness :D

Take care xx

Christmas Photo Shoot

2009-12-21T06:33:00.002+08:00

Well I attempted this year's Christmas photo shoot with the girls over the weekend... why does it need to be so hard?! It is so rare to get them both smiling and at least looking angelic so I flicked the camera onto continuous shoot and snapped a few little pearlers. LOL

This first one is Ashlea doin 'Little Peter Rabbit' for Rachelle.... so cute!She's a real little poser...
After not getting any pics at home that I liked I thought I'd take the girls into the national park for a few photos....

I always have such a hard time getting photos of my other half so I finally worked out if I take photos in front of the cars he is happy to pose :oD So here we have his baby car (the maroon Group A commodore) and my baby car (the orange one) but he says they are both his. That is seriously debatable LOL Secretly, I am soooo jealous of his car - it sounds awesome and is sooooo much faster than mine.
Maybe not the best photo of us but any photo of us is so hard to come by that I will take what I can get!
Now that I have got him posing in front of the cars I figure it is only a matter of time til I convince him of a proper family photoshoot. I'm determined to break him down and get him smiling and posing like a pro :D

Well, that's all for now. I'm hoping to get some more scrapping done in the mad leadup to Christmas so I will come back for some shares then.

Take care xxx

Let's Get Shabby Challenge

2009-12-18T14:06:00.003+08:00

Wow, I am finding some great challenge sites lately! Another one I have come across yesterday is Let's Get Shabby... here is my take on their December challenge. Go and check it out... their Design Team is awesomely talented and some of the other entries I took a peek at were just stunning!

The challenge is to scrap a Shabby Christmas. To me Shabby style is all about the pretty florals, pinks, pearls, lace and old world charm. Not sure if I have quite got the shabby look right but I am pretty happy with the layout and that is what really matters :D

Basic Grey Wassail Papers, old music sheet, Kaiser wood flourishes, Kaiser Pearls, Prima Say It In Pearls, Prima flowers, Tim Holtz Distress inks, Glimmer Mist, vintage lace, Kaiser Epoxy stickers, Thickers alphas

The girls were getting pretty tired last Christmas with me dragging them through all the shops. Little Miss 7 had noticed Santa just didn't look right and started questioning why he looked different sometimes. She had heard terrible rumours that he wasn't real and was starting to think maybe that was the case. So I explained to them that Santa can't possibly be everywhere at once so he gets normal people to help him by pretending to be Santa. They were pretty happy with this explanation for the fake beards and skinny Santas... and then it happened. We were coming out of the supermarket in the days before Christmas and right there in front of us was the REAL Santa. He had a real beard, real rosy cheeks and red nose, sounded just like him and even made lollies magically appear in his hands. This Santa had all the magic and spirit of Christmas that had been under serious threat last year. It was this 'real' santa that saved Christmas and my girls can proudly tell everyone about the year they met the REAL Santa :)

Thanks for stopping by xx

Challenge Heaven

2009-12-16T09:04:00.004+08:00

I've been trying out the challenges at Challenge Heaven and having a lot of fun with them. I've well and truly been bitten by the scrappin bug again and am lovin' every minute of it. So without further adieu here are my takes on a few of the challenges....

This one was for the 'Scrap Yourself' challenge to use a photo of myself as a baby with the year as part of the title....

MME Bella Bella papers, MME Bella Bella diecuts, Crate Paper diecuts, Making Memories Noteworthy diecuts, Crate Paper alphas, Making Memories tiny alphas

The next layout is for the 'Ebony and Ivory' challenge... white with pink and 3 patterned papers

Bazzill Cardstock, Basic Grey Papers - Two Scoops, Porcelain, Lily Kate
Prima Flowers, Glimmermist, Kaiser Pearls, Kaiser Rhinestones, Basic Grey Porcelain sticker, unknown frame

This next one was the sketch challenge which was a great PageMaps sketch. I'm not really all that happy with it though... might have to add some oomph to it later

Bazzill Cardstock, Pink Paislee Diecut Paper, unknown ribbon, Basic Grey Buttons, My Memories PP

And then just cos I felt like it, I made this layout of my Grandparents. Miss them so much....

Webster's Pages Papers, Websters Pages diecut stickers

Well that's it for now peoples.... I am trying to talk to my darling sister on the phone and getting myself muddled LOL

Til next time, take care and happy scrapping

'The Little Shabby Box' Card Contest

2009-12-11T12:37:00.000+08:00

I stumbled across 'The Little Shabby Box' the other day and found they are running a great card contest. All you have to do is create two cards using the sketches provided. Upload pics to your blog and link back to the contest, then add your name to the list on the blog. Easy peasy!!! There have been some gorgeous entries so far and I'm thinking this could be a great site to keep an eye on for inspiration. Check it out here.... the blog is linked to a store that sells the cutest card kits. I love the way they are incorporating unique handmade embellishments and vintage trims into their kits for that little 'something special' a lot of kits are lacking in. Perfect for my tastes LOL

Anyway, here are the sketches and my takes on them...
I love that little birthday fairy perched on the flower there... isn't she so adorable? :D

Well, that is all I am posting for today. I have a house to clean and a hubby due home again tonight so had better get cracking. Have a great day all

Luv Kirsti xoxo

Some scrappin to share

2009-12-09T15:21:00.000+08:00

Man it feels so good to finally be set up again to scrap. I have all my stash unpacked and put where I want it and most importantly I have my much loved scrap desk back. The whole time we were in Perth I had no designated scrap spot and found it so very hard to get my mojo on. How on earth do you scrappers out there with no designated space for yourself manage?

It has been so hot here... temps up to 44 degrees every day and my airconditioning is really starting to struggle. Even my poor little laptop is getting hot under the collar and randomly shutting down. Yeah, I know, it's summer and I choose to live in one of the hottest parts of Australia so I shouldn't complain. LOL Thank god for our little pool! It saved my sanity yesterday when I took the girls for a little cool off... and it had the added bonus of being a great photo opportunity ;)

Here are a couple of my favourite photos I snapped...

I really have no idea how I jagged this one... it is so much nicer than my usual point-click photos so I am feeling very pleased with myself LOL

Anyhow... I have a couple of layouts from the last few days to share with you. The first was a colour challenge for Challenge Heaven, a new site I have just signed up with for some inspiration. There are quite a few familiar faces in there and I'm looking forward to finding some time to check out the gallery and have a chat with the girls. Ok, back to the layout.... colour challenge was to use chocolate brown and teal with one other colour of your choice. So I chose cream cos it just lightens it so nicely.
And then we have a 'just cos' layout. God, I can hardly remember the last time I did a 'just cos' layout! I've had this Glitz peacock paper for sooooo long and finally found the perfect photo to match it. Feeling rather pleased with myself here :D
Well that's all for today folks. I'll be back soon with some more shares.

New blogging beginnings

2009-12-08T19:42:00.001+08:00

I am back blogging at last. I've taken a few months off due to family issues and moving (again!) but am ready to go again :D

This time though, I have a new blog. I figured that I have a new perspective on life so that deserves a fresh new blog. I'm going to share with you some of my scrapping, family happenings, photos and just anything that takes my fancy.

I hope you will join me... and I hope I will remember this time to keep updating regularly LOL

See yas soon