An announcement....

Ok in yesterday's post I promised I'd make an announcement, and here it comes.  After over 3 years being on Design teams I have decided to make a major pull pack.

Over our Christmas break I did a great deal of thinking about what I wanted out of 2012 and I have decided that it is more family time and focus on my boys.  My boys are at an age that I can do so much with them and I know the years to come are just going to go quicker– I just don’t want to look back and say ‘gee I could have spent more time with them’.  

I will still be scrapping but for myself and without deadlines that I feel I have to meet because I have made a commitment to them.  

I have been VERY privileged and honoured to be part of the team at Tomorrow's Memories who saw something in my work that wanted them to ask me to be on their team of extremely talented ladies.  I have loved EVERY minute of my 3+ years on that team and have made some VERY dear friends as part of it.  

Although I have not long been on teams for Scrapware and Scraphaven, I have also enjoyed my time on those teams as well.  Both owners approached me about being on their teams to which I was also honoured.  I have met a whole lot of lovely ladies through both these teams, and I am sure to be around scrapping at Scraphaven on some friday nights as well as sharing future work using my stash of Scrapware chipboard!

You will still see my work appearing in Australian Scrapbook Ideas with more work yet to be published, as well as part of the Helmar USA team blog.  I will also still be posting here, but I can't make a commitment as so how often as I really want to put life first, for a little while at least. 

I LOVE my scrapping and well I couldn't give it up if I tried, just want to make sure I am making the memories as without them scrapbooking just isn't as much fun!  

Long overdue post.... and therefore long LOL

Heading into my blog to make this post I realise that I haven't posted for 2 whole months!!  Some might think it is unacceptable, but hey I've been busy living life.

December was VERY busy with my youngest son turning 1 a week before Christmas.

Organising his party as well as getting organised for Chrissy proved to be a great deal to do for this mum of 2 under 2.5.  We did have a wonderful day celebrating his birthday and more importantly he had an absolute ball.  Although I haven't had a chance yet, I can't wait to get stuck into scrapping some of these photos!

I busily made his birthday cake as well as all the decorations and party favours.  I just loved how it all came together and definitely made all the hard work worth it.  Here are some pics of what I did.

 I made the bunting and covered the front of the hats to match the theme of the party which was 'Giggle and Hoot' who are of our kids channel ABC2.  My son just loves when Hoot comes on so it was easy to decide the theme pretty early on.

 This was the birthday cake I made for him, it was a 9 blue and orange layer 3D cake of Hoot.  I even made some mini cupcakes with the left over mix!

 I made various labels for the food using some great free printables I found on the net at Marabous they were just perfect for the theme party.

 Here I added some of the printables that were cut out with a circle punch and then glued onto some tooth picks - so easy to do but make the food all tie in.

 For the punch bowl, I added one of the punch outs onto a wooden peg that I covered with a piece of orange card.

 Although not themed, I made this card hanger as well.  I have actually customised it so that it can be used for everyone's birthday in the house, the name is just added with a peg that has the person's name on it.  The other pegs are stored behind it when it is someone's birthday.  So much better than having all the cards land on the floor when some wind comes through the house!

Oh and one extra I had to share of the birthday boy just after devouring his birthday cake.

I have also been busy with some projects I have done for Helmar posts recently.
These are the layouts I did as part of the monthly challenges.  They were sketches created by Lydell Quinn.

I have also done a couple of posts that you may be interested in checking out as well.  The first is a layout I created of my son and I at the park.  The post which details everything I did is here

The next two posts are actually part 1 and 2.  Each large projects in their own right, but are also one.  Part 1 details the Mini Album and part 2 the Watering Can.

Other than that I can't say I have done a whole lot more, but hoping to get into some new projects over the coming weeks.  I also have an announcement to make, but that can wait until tomorrow... so stay tuned if you are interested!

Helmar Holiday Hop 2011

It’s that time of year where we all start thinking of the holidays so what better way to get your Holiday spirit than a great Helmar Holiday Hop? Filled with so much Holiday cheer and some amazing projects featuring all the different Helmar Adhesives.

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Helmar Holiday Hop. If you have been following along, you should have hopped here from Linda Baldock’s blog. If not, you just have to stop at the Helmar Blog and start from the beginning. There are goodies along the way and we don’t want you to miss a thing.

I have kept it a little simple to show you just how easy it is to create some beautiful decorations for your Christmas festivities.  

The first share are some napkin ring holders that I created using Helmar 450 Quick Dry as well as some Helmar Fabric stiffener and draping liquid.  

To make these I simply cut some strips out of coloured felt squares.  I dipped them into the stiffener and then tied them around a cardboard tube (from an emply plastic wrap) with a little string.  I did leave a little plastic wrap around the tube to ensure the felt wouldn't stick as it dried.

When dry I simply removed it from the tube and covered the centre with some paper that I had used a border punch on each side of the strip adhering it with my 450 Quick Dry.  I also used this glue to add a layer of ribbon in the middle and some festive flowers to the top.  So quick and easy and I can't wait to put them on my table for Christmas lunch this year.

This is what they look without the napkins - as you can see they hold their shape really well!

My second little share are these personalised Christmas balls.  I love to make these every year and my Helmar 450 Quick Dry made it the EASIEST process this year.  I simply did the writing with the glue.  I had to work quickly but snuck in this photo so that you could see the process.

I  then sprinkled over some glitter and then tapped the ball to remove the excess glitter. 

 I just love how they look on my tree!

Make sure you leave a comment at every stop because the elves of Helmar will be giving away prizes to some lucky Helmar fans. Now hop on over to Nikki Sivils' blog to see another amazing Helmar Holiday project. The Holiday Hop will be open for comments until 11:59P.S.T (American time) December 4^th  (6:59pm December 5th AEST), so take a look and enjoy a little holiday spirit from all of us on the Helmar Team. Thanks again for stopping by today and Happy Holidays.

Splish Splash with a little Helmar Acid free

Well here I am with another fun and easy Helmar project.  This time I am sharing how you can get more out of your Helmar Acid free glue. 

I have ALWAYS loved those clear looking droplets of colour for boy layouts as what I call ‘boy bling’.  I have since gotten to creating my own allowing me to be more in control of how big they are.  I absolutely love them for water layouts too, and well in this one I have brought the two of them together!

If you would like to know how I created these glue droplets, head over to my post 'Splish Splash wth a little bit of Helmar Acid Free' over at the Helmar DT Blog.  I have provided step by step instructions with pictures.

To create the layout I have also used some Liquid Scrap dots to lift the ‘splash’ created out of the patterned paper. 

I hope you enjoyed my share today and have a go at creating these yourself.  

Helmar Step 1 & 2 Crackle Demo at Scraphaven

When I just finished a project with my beloved Helmar Crackle I am always asked how it works SO I have decided to run a little demo tomorrow night over at Scraphaven.

The demo will run for about 10 minutes and will commence tomorrow night promptly at 6:45pm.

This will be followed by my class which is decorating some cute noodle boxes (see the post below) and a layout class run by Narelle.  Details for both can be seen over at the Scraphaven Blog

Along with the demo, Di will be having a pre-order special on the Helmar Step 1 and 2 Crackle at $5.50 each.  This is over a dollar off the recommended retail price!

There are still a couple of spots available in my noodle box class, but be quick as there isn't much time left to book in.

Come and create some cute Noodle boxes with me on the 25th November

Come and join me for a little fun getting into the spirit of Christmas with these little Noodle Boxes.

We will decorate 3 Noodle boxes ready for some yummy chocolates.  They will make great Teacher's gifts or that little something you would like to take to a host of a Christmas party you may be attending.  In any case, they will be ready to go at the end of the class!

The class will be held at Scraphaven which is located in Sunbury Victoria on Friday 25th November at 7:30pm and will run for approximately 2 hours.
Please contact Di for bookings on 0404 266 296

Create @ Home Kit 5 at Tomorrow's Memories.

I was asked to design the projects for Tomorrow’s Memories Create @ Home Kit 5 which is now out and I’ve been told selling quick.  I am so pleased to hear that everyone is loving the layouts I created with the step by step instructions (for one and brief instructions for the second) that they can create in their very own home.  The kit includes EVERYTHING from beautiful papers, co-ordinating cardstock to beautiful flowers, trims and embellishments.  This kit EVEN has an acrylic stamp which can be used on SO many other projects as it is very versatile. 

Here are pictures of the layouts I created. 

The first is a layout of me and the boys that I had a friend take to surprise my hubby for father’s day.  The colours were perfect to go with this paper range.

The second layout is from a photo I took on timer mode on the camera when we went out for the day as a family.  It is the norm for us to get out and do something with the kids on the weekend, and this photo is a great memory from our day out.

I hope you have enjoyed a peek at the layouts I created, and if you would like to have a play with the kit and re-create my layouts or tinker with them yourself, head on over to Tomorrow’s Memories Create @Home page to order your kit.  

The kits are limited numbers, and this kit sold 10 in just a couple of days without any advertising, so you will want to get in quick with this one!

The big announcement!

I am SOOO excited to be able to let the cat out of the bag (well have been for a couple of days now) that I have made the Helmar Design team for another term.  I am really excited to be able to continue to share my Helmar uses with all of the followers, and continue to promote 'in an official' way (I don't think I would ever stop promoting Helmar products - on the team or not!!).

So stay tuned for another 6 months of my Helmar Blog posts and competition shares!!

You can check out the list of awesomely talented ladies that have also made the team by heading over to the DT Blog on the official blog post here.

While you are there, check out the challenge for November by clicking here  the challenge is another beautiful sketch by Lydell and here is my take on it.

Well I hope you enjoyed my share today, and thanks for taking the time to read about my VERY exciting news :D

Scraphaven Retreat

Just a quick share from me today.

The other week I got the opportunity to teach at Scraphaven's annual retreat.  I was really pleased when Di asked me to teach the class, and I really wanted to create something a little extra special for them to create.  This of course included some wonderful Prima product, Scrapware Chipboard and Helmar Glue.  With those three, you really can't go wrong!

This is the layout I came up with (probably about 4 months ago now!)  and finally get a chance to share it.

We had fun adding a shabby chic feel to the embellishments with the help of some cream paint, as well as playing with texture paste on the chipboard wings.

This range of Prima papers has been one of my favourites and I just loved working with it.

A Whopper of a post so grab a cup of tea!

Ok so the truth is I haven't blogged much over the last couple of months.  Aside from dealing with the usual winter sickness that goes along with having kids, we have had a little one with reflux issues that has kept me busy and sleep deprived.  To top all of that off I have had heaps of migraines which keeps me away from the computer a heap more than usual.

GREAT news is that the boys are fighting fit and healthy again, my migraines seem to be under control and I am getting more sleep.  SOOOOOOO I thought I would do a LONG but worth the read (that is if you enjoy seeing my work LOL) post of some of the things I have been busy creating.

I would have to start back at Helmar's August Sketch Challenge (sketch by Lydell Quinn).  I created this layout using the perfect Scrapware Chipboard ka-boom clouds and alphas.   I had fun using my Helmar scrap dots on this one to lift the fine chipboard up off the background of the page!

The next project I did as part of one of my regular Helmar posts.  I just LOVED creating this very personal item.  You can check out the full details of the project along with how I created it HERE

 

The next project I worked on was this layout for Helmar's September Sketch competition.  I just love working with these sketches they are just so much fun.  I had fun adhering some thick natural twine down with my Helmar 450 (I don't think anything would have worked better - it was awesome).  The twine was a little thicker than I would have liked for the layout, but as luck would have it - I just didn't have enough of the red and white twine I wanted to use!  Might re-do this one one day for each of my boys to have a copy of it in their albums :D   I didn't use much patterned paper on this one - only the tag at the top, but I did use some yummy Chipboard lettering by Scrapware on there!

This next layout was also posted to Helmar DT blog.  It is a layout /i created of my little boy and his love for hanging in the garden with his dad and picking strawberries.  I have obviously used some great Helmar product as well as some yummy chipboard from Scrapware.  Check out the full post with details on how I put it together here.

I also created this next layout for one of my Helmar Posts in September.  My paint, rub-ons, glimmer mist, liquid pearls and Helmar 450 & Scrap dots really got a work out on this one!   Check out the story behind it and how I created it HERE

The new October Sketch challenge is up over at Helmar NOW!  Just complete a project (doesn't matter what it is) and upload it onto the blog for a chance to win.  This is my take on the sketch.  Again my 450 and Scrap dots got a workout on this one!  My 'Outside the box' is working with sketches and I don't do it very often.  I do enjoy Lydell Quinn's sketches though, they make it all too easy!

My latest post for Helmar is this book I made to record all our little family outings that I would NEVER have enough time in the day to scrap on layouts.  We are always heading out on the weekend (weather rarely stops us) doing thing and enjoying time as a family.  If you would like to know a little more about it and find out how to create your very own hard cover book from scratch, check out the post HERE.

OK and the last share I have is more of an opportunity than inspiration.  If you would like the opportunity to be part of this amazing team, check out the latest DT Call for HELMAR.  They are calling now and entries close October 26th 2011.  So what are you waiting for.... GET YOUR GLUE ON!

I have also been busy creating for Australian Scrapbook Ideas with work coming up in the next few issues.  I currently have an article in the current issue with more ways to create texture and dimension on your layouts.  If your local scrapbook store or newsagent don't carry the magazine, you can easily order it online by ordering it through the website HERE  The layout pictured at the top of the sneak peak strip down the left side of the issue is one of the 3 I have in this issue.

As it has now been 6 months I am allowed to post for you some layouts that were published back in March.  These layouts were part of a feature on using Chipboard pieces on your layouts.  They now hang proudly up in my little boy's room as the colours match perfectly.

You can get a back copy of Australian Scrapbook Ideas Issue 6 by going to their website.  The feature includes full instructions on creating the above layouts.

So my last little share is the layout that gave me my first Magazine cover - Australian Scrapbook Ideas Issue 5.  It isn't the best photo as I had taken it at an angle, but I will upload a better one in time.  This layout was part of the issue to celebrate the Royal wedding.  It is not me in the photos on my layout, but a friend of a friend that allowed me to create this layout using her photos.  There is full instructions to create this layout in the magazine and it too can be bought on back order!