THEMED challenge at Challenge Heaven!!

I managed another layout for the Challenge Heaven monthly challenges - here is my take on the THEMED  challenge

One of my crazy boys  jumping off the  sand dunes after the big storms back in January!

Who wants to win some PRIMA BLING , Twiddleybitz or store voucher blog candy?

OMG - How could you not want to win this!!

Ness  at Scrap with V always  runs magnificent blog candies and this month is no exception - she is making it a double  whammy  because Mothers Day is also her birthday!!!!  So make sure you check out   all the details HERE and wish her a Great BIG Happy Birthday!!!!

Check this gorgeous Twiddleybitz  box that Ness made for herself!!

Isnt it gorgeous and shes SO  clever!!!   I love how shes used the bling and who doesnt  love black and pink!!!!!

I will be back later with some of my Twiddleybitz  pieces for Show and tell!!  And you know  I am going to have  LOADS  to show you!!

Check  out SCRAP WITH V   for chances to win PRIMA  blog candy, Twiddleybitz blog candy and a  $20 store voucher!!!!!

Challenge Heaven - WORD challenge

The word challenge  over at Challenge Heaven this month is BABY - and I dont have any babies in this house anymore - LOVE  babies  but well and truly  past that point!  So here is my take on the challenge

Challenge Heaven - Quote challenge

The school holidays and the long  Easter weekend  enabled me to complete some of the challenges over at Challlenge heaven - YAY

Here is the first one - the QUOTE challenge

Twiddleybitz love!!!

Last year saw me  meet one of my  quiet  scrapbooking goals!!  And that was to  have  DT gig with a Manufacturing  company.  The chance to work with BRAND NEW   products  - yet to be released is always  exciting.  Luckily  for me - the company is TWIDDLEYBITZ !! 

Fabulous  products and  Nic and Andrew are so generous - I   am a lucky  lucky girl!!  I am  going to get to spend 2 days at the June Paper show in Brisbane at the Twiddleybitz stall- so PLEASE make sure you pop in and say Hi!!!!!  I have been playing with some  Twiddleybitz pieces over the  Easter long weekend!.  One of them is yet to be photographed...but here is the first one...

Arent the papers pretty too = Kaiser  chanteuse.....I havent  bought Kaiser for ages but I loved these colours!!

School Hair

This is another one for the Scrapbook savvy cybercrop - we were given a very clever recipe and then  given some creative license to create a layout.  The theme for the CC is Easter but I dont have any  Easter pics left from last year - so I  have had to bend the rules a little.
For me I chose to do Teleahs hair - she never lets me put it up or do anything with it  unless its a school day.  Each morning she tells me she needs  plaits, piggies, pony, sideways  pony, two plaits  etc etc
I LOVE it so here is a layout of her with her plaits for school

This is my fave  of the layouts I have done for the CC

What do you think?

And another one - VERY bright for me!!

Yep - if you know my style and what I normally do - Brights  arent it !!  So the challenge over at Scrapbook savvy was a BRIGHTS  picture inspiration -  ARRGGGHHHHHH
So I trawled through my leftover papers and dragged out all the  appropriate  colours I had and this was the result......

WE have a  sloping front lawn and with all the rain  back in January - my kids had a BALL  sliding  down our hill .  This is how they presented themselves at the front door.  I think they were excited that they werent in trouble so they were happy to pose for the camera!!!
Im still not sure about the brights but Im glad I got to scrap these pics!!!

Scrapbook Savvy cybercrop

So  I stayed up very late  last night and in the peace and quiet I  got to actuallly  scrap a few layouts.  Its  becoming a long time between  creative blocks!!!  So I enjoyed this.  I  joined the Scrapbook savvy cybercrop and the first layout I did was Sars challenge....The criterion were  the word Egg ( in my journalling) banners and some paint.....I dragged out  these gorgeous papers and I only had a little bit left!

I love these colours -

So if you are looking  for something to inspire  you - drop into scrapbook savvy and check out the cybercrop!!

Its raining outside and inside.....

I am feeling incredibly FLAT!!  Most of you who know me  would know that I am usually a  pretty upbeat  kind of person ...or at least I try to be.

But this last week has taken the wind out of my sails a bit.....you know the  saying about things coming in threes...


On Saturday an old work friend of mine passed away suddenly - only 55...not old and he has kids and  a wife so I was shocked and saddened by that news.


On Sunday  our neighbour from my childhood  passed away.  He was a  lovely  man - always a true gentleman.  When I was a baby - he used to come over and have a beer with Dad.  He  has his own two sons and he has had a battle with bad health for some time.  So the news was less unexpected but its also that realisation that the people around you are getting older.....and that we dont last forever...our bodies fail us and sometimes our minds before that.

Today I received a phone call from My Dad to tell me that my   gorgeous Great Aunt is in hospital with  double pneumonia and not expected to come home.  She is an extraordinary woman  - who has had  more tragedy in her life than most people  could imagine.  And yet she soldiers on and  is the cheeriest brightest person. She really is inspiring. 

 As a kid, her and my Nan and their sisters would have  us in stitches with the way  they interacted and talked about each other.  As an adult I have been lucky  enough to spend time with my Great Aunts and they are awesome.  I am sure the TV show Golden Girls could have learnt a thing or two from Nan and the Aunts!!  They all came to the Gold Coast  18 months ago and I got to spend some fabulous days escorting them around  the Gold Coast and Sea World. 

 We lost Nan a couple of years ago now and I think it makes me sad to think that another of these  brilliant  women will soon leave this life as well. 

I went into hopsital today to visit her and she looks  like a very frail old woman - on oxygen and struggling for every breath.  Three years ago - she was  still doing the  Extreme rides at Dreamworld - she has done the Tower of Terror and the Claw- SERIOSULY  wicked rides for an 86 yr old!!!  Now it looks like she will  miss her  90th birthday......

SO I will have my day of sadness and be grateful that I had these 3  people in my life at all.  Im going to hug my kids and be thankful for my good health and strong genes!!!!

And get a tissue or two

From screen to scrap April challenge

Just  singing in the rain  is the  inspiration for this month over at From screen to scrap.....and  while I couldnt get all the criterion - umbrellas and three photos....they were  being sprayed by ocean spray  so thats kinda  like rain!!

Here is my take on the challenge

There are  some great entries already so head over and check it out HERE !!!

April 123 challenge

Ahhhhhhh-  the peace and tranquility ....Shane is at work , Daniel is at a sleepover, Joshua  is at the movies with a mate and I only have Lachlan and Teleah at home so  I have actually SCRAPPED!!

I was blog hopping and saw a post about  the April 123 challenge   and the criterion were  Lime green,  the word REALLY and  fabric!!!!!  One of my fave  glimmer  mist colours is Key Lime Pie!  So that  is where this began...then drag  out all the green bits  that are like lime  ....blah blah blah and you know the drill.......Throw it a page and  this is what I got!!

So pop in HERE  if you want to have a go yourself!!

The cutest chubby baby Docker!!

I found some old pictures of the two big boys and its so nice to scrap them as babies in a more recent  scrap style than the sad Creative memories that make up their first  few years ( buried  deep down in a sub basement somewhere !)   I  joined Scrapbook savvy for some fun and I like their monthly ABC  challenge - even though I have joined at the end of the alphabet! Here is my take on the Y and Z  letters...Yarn and zips.....My cute chubby Lachlan at 4 months - SO  delicious !!!  Probably the only time in his life he will be chubby!!

Delicious Websters papers, some scrummy lace from my ribbon man!! and some texture paste for fun!!

If you have seen this months Scrapbook memories  magazine  there is a layout of Son number  three in there also.....he is always  writing us love letters and leaves them on our pillow - here is one of those - I love that it is scrapped and  there for the future.  He is our  mischief maker but the most adorable loving kid!!!  and TOO cute for his own good!!

I have a crop night coming up soon at my place so am hoping for a  serious  kick of mojo before then!!!
Maybe  tomorrow when the Doctor is at work?

Everyone loves a cupcake!!

In my last Twiddleybitz DT pack I got some fabulous off the page stuff - and one of them is this cool cupcake stand - I distress painted it, lacquered it and then added the  old lace and  pearl rope and roses  just to pretty  it up.  The  gorgeous cupcake is from my lovely friend Jeanelle - she is  TOO clever!!

Cute huh!!

Looks like I forgot this one....

Losing  my mind...or the little  of it that I had left!!!  Ha ha

I did this layout last month for From screen to scrap - I really  love  doing the  boys pages - they challenge  me  way more than pretty  easy  girly pages and I kinda like this - not  colours I would  go for ordinarily!!

You know I love stuff and bits on my page so this was FUN!!!!

Our woodland Fairy - Artastic entry

SO  I  got to  do the Artastic  entyr this month - I have missed a few months.  This whole working  business is great for our bank account but not so great for my creativity .  I have been  tired when I get home and  then the kids  have sport after school again - so  days are FULL!!!  BUT  its school holidays soon and I have   plans to do some fun stuff with my gorgeous kids but also  to get some  serious  scrap  time happening.  I have  even  organised a crop night at my place - filled up in  Hours!!!  I have even added some extra  places  this time so that should be  FUN!!!!  ANYWAY  enough babble - here is my  Artastic entry

My  spunky little girl on her 5th birthday last year at Noosa!!

The colour room - palette #52

I always  love the work in the colour room  but  dont often get the layouts up and loaded in  the  right  space of time - LOL
But I loved this weeks palette - inspired by Prima  so how could you lose?!!

Here is my layout featuring two beautiful  women I have the honour of calling friends - Deb and Em.  Taken  at our Coffs Harbour retreat  back in November!

I used all scraps and leftovers  from my scraps  container - sometimes they are just my favourite layouts!!

Scrap with V April kits

Okay so I am in shock  that we are already in April - where did the last three months of this year go?
Anyway the great thing about the beginning of a new month is the arrival of Ness new  bunch of kits!!
I had a fabulous  summery  and bright kit  to work with and I had a gorgeous pic of the  kids from Shanes graduand ceremony!!

Here is my kits  sample

so pop in HERE  and check out all the kits!!  Ness has some  fabulous  stuff in store and also a GREAT  blog giveaway!!!