My computer...Again....

My poor hard working little computer has died again :(
I can't access emails. Sorry if you are trying to contact me!
I can only access the interwebz through my iPhone, so not much foruming or blog hopping happening :(
I knew it was bad, when my techie brother ( who magically fixes any and all technological problems) said "oh that's bad. Have you backed everything up?" (um that would be a NO!)
Hoping to somehow fix things over the weekend. I have a big assignment due next week, so cross fingers!

Kraft it up!

I managed to get this month's challenge for Kraft it up done today.
Yes, I should have been studying. Yes, there is washing to be done. Yes, the floor is filthy LOL
I don't care!
I had fun ;)
This month's challenge was to incorporate the saying 'there is no greater gift than today' into your LO (using a Kraft base of course).
As soon as I read that quote, I knew that I wanted to use these photos. These were taken the weekend before we found out that mum was sick.
The past 9 months are divided up into two times for me....the time before and the time after mum got sick and died.
At the time these photos were taken I truly had no idea what a gift that day was.
A last fun, carefree family time before I disappeared up north and my life changed.

The Kraft envelope has journalling inside explaining the reason for the title.

I had no idea this day that mum was even sick. We packed up the kids
and drove to Mount Perry for lunch. At the time we were disappointed that the
restaurant was closed, but I look back now, and think about what a fun,
special time it was. I feel that mum's sudden illness and death has changed me
forever. I still don't feel the same as I did 'before'.
Mum's death truly made me realise that this life we have, every day we
have, is a gift. Not to be wasted. Who's to know when it will be our last happy
day?
We should tell people that we love them. We should fill our days with
happiness and fun, and people who matter.
Truly, 'there is no greater gift than today'

And, I promise that the wonkiness is the fault of the photographer...the title is straight!!! ;)
I really wish i could take better photos of my LOs!
Thanks to Lauren for the gorgeous Graphic 45 papers!!!


Thanks so much for stopping by!

Exciting!

I recently entered the DT call for the Wholesale site DownUnder Direct.
Last night I got the email telling me that I had been chosen! To say I was bowled over is the understatement of the century! I have been grinning from ear to ear, and am now eagerly awaiting delivery of this baby ;) As part of the selection process, DownUnder Direct sent each finalist a pack of Cardstock and die cut papers to create a LO and a card. MINIMUM PATTERNED PAPER TO BE USED (yikes!!!! I almost gave up then and there lol) I loves me some PP :)
I ddn't have any photos to suit at the time (and nowhere to print any off in this town) so I left that area blank and hoped the judges were imaginative;)
And some simple cards. I must have started and pulled apart these cards 100 times.
I waited until this afternoon to share my news, because I was convinced it was someone playing a joke on me LOL...its okay, I spoke to Deb and she seems real ;)
I remember I did the same after making it onto the KaiserCraft team!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

White With One

I saw that this month's White With One challenge was all about hot pink, and I KNEW who this page had to be about :)
My mum LOVED pink. The pinker the better in her opinion. No icky pale pinks for her! When we told the funeral director that we wanted a pink coffin for her funeral he smiled and said "I have this cream one lined in pale baby pink"
NO!
We wanted PINK!!!!
She would have loved it :)
Anyways...here is my entry for this month! My artisan shape was hand drawn, cut out, shabbied up, backed with some bright pink paper and stitched back together again. Which was fiddly and ended up making everything wonky :-/

I get these ideas in my head, and they just don't *quite* translate to the paper.

And then lots of pink :) Just how she would have liked it.

I am trying to make some pages like this all about her. With the grandbabies arriving thick and fast, we need to record these things.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Lets Get Shabby #21

This month's challenge over at Let's get Shabby was to combine denim and lace on a scrappy project :)
I love lace and I love denim, but I have never really used denim on a LO before. I figured I may as well give it a go;) And this is what I came up with :)

I wanted the pocket to look stuffed full of 'stuff' (like Sam and Charlotte's pockets usually are lol)as well as hold my journalling :) I spent about an hour tearing my room apart looking for some skeleton leaves that I *know* are in there somewhere...*sigh* they are still AWOL.

And some lacing using my favourite string :) I have now used up the last of this gorgeous thick string that I received tied around a parcel!

Thanks so very much for stopping by!

Nan's Favourites

This month KasiCraft released two gorgeous collections. Bubblegum Hills, and Nan's Favourites. I have to admit, I fell a little in love with Nan's Favourites. I just love the slightly muted reds, greens and yellows. I love the patterns that look like my grandma's couch.
My first project was this free-standing recipe book.
The recipe cards from the collection are gorgeous, and made this project easy! Each card is laminated for easy clean up (I am SUCH a messy cook!)

I also made this cute little card...already used I am pleased to say!

And this LO of my gorgeous girly :)

I was a bit thrifty with this one, and cut one of my last remaining doilies in half so that it could appear twice on the page :)

I love these doilies!

Some kitschy cute cards...

with a cheeky twist! (surely you also need sugar to make lemonade? tequila seems much more appropriate ;))

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Sunday!

Saturday Sketch :)

This week's sketch is up over at Kaisercraft. Did you know that you could win one of their collections just by playing along with their sketches?
I did this one in a bit of a panic lol
I got an email from the gorgeous Ali, gently reminding me that my sketch was due ASAP.
I did this in about an hour. For me, that is SUPER fast. I tend to fiddle and shuffle papers for days as a general rule LOL

But, following a sketch, and sticking to the one co ordinated rang (Up, up and Away) made it quick and easy!

And I may have added a little bit of Prima blingage that arrived in my mail box this week ;)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend! I am off to enjoy the last day of having my dad here with me before he goes home tomorrow :(

Holy Pink!

Have you seen the Bubblegum Hills collection from Kaisercraft released this month?
I am loving creating with it! Its full of springy, gorgeous Eastery colours like pink, aqua, green and blue. (there is an aqua and cream polka dot paper that I am totally hoarding for a *perfect* project-gorgeous!)

I went all out girly girl for this little set of treaure drawers :)
Charlotte has had a new set of shelves put up in her room, and is determined that only *pretty* things will be put on them...not the boring books I had intended them for LOL


So this is the result :)
Perfect for little treasures, and yes, it was pretty enough to be displayed on the new shelf ;)

Thanks for stopping by, and thanks so much for your messages of support for today. It means alot. xxx

10 Year Ago...

I became a mum :) Best thing we ever chose to do.
Happy birthday my Nat. Love you so so much!

Tomorrow...

The 2nd of March is a special day in our family.
It celebrates the arrival of two very special people.
My mum, and my Nat.
Yep. I cleverly gave birth to mum's first grandchild on Mum's birthday. I'm just cool like that ;)
So, understandably, this year, I am approaching the 2nd of March with such a jumble of emotions. I am trying so very hard to be excited for my big girl who is thrilled to be turning 10, but I am so so sad to be facing the day which SHOULD be celebrating the life of another amazing person.
I felt as if mum and her and Nat's special together day needed to be honored in some way this year. I didn't want anything maudlin, or sad, I don't want Nat's day to be marred by my sadness.
It came to me one night...
Mum loved jewellery. Nat is starting to love jewellery, and it has a certain permanance to it.

So I got her a locket.
Engraved on the back is what mum and Nat used to call themselves 'Twinny sames'.

And inside, a picture of the two gorgeous birthday girls.

I hope she treasures it for forever.

Please, if you are the praying kind, keep my family in your prayers tomorrow. Its going to be a tough day.