Work to Share

I had two projects in Scrapbooking Memories Vol 11 No 2 a couple of months ago. The first is a layout I did quite a while back, although it's still a favourite, because I love this photo of Jamie, playing in the window at his grandparents' house.

The second is a mini album for the Masters' Maya Road challenge. I had a stack of photos from last Winter when Jamie was helping his dad do some renovation work. Love how this turned out! They only showed a couple of pages in the mag, so here it is in its entirety.

That's it from me tonight.
Have a great week.
Kathie

Competition

This month Jamie has discovered my computer. And the internet. He is loving playing on the Bob the Builder website, and on ABC Kids. I realised that I was having difficulty removing him from his computer games. It always results in a huge tantrum. Nevertheless, the fact that he has completely zipped through this month's internet download caught me by surprise.

So, on the off chance you had noticed I haven't been around? I am back on dial up speed and consequently will be a break from the computer for the next week or so.

See you next month. I will let you know how we go with the cold turkey computer game withdrawal ;)

Storytelling

I have been in a story telling mood this week. These two layouts are recent ones for Shop and Crop, using the May Crop Kit.

The first layout is about my struggle during the last two years with secondary infertility and miscarriage. The journaling's pretty private, and not something that I often admit to. My take on it all is that I try to be positive and grateful about what I have rather than pining for something that doesn't exist. I am acutely conscious that many families are not able to have even one child. So I try to be grateful. However.... it would be pretending to say that I'm always "happy happy joy joy" and that it never gets to me. Because quite simply, sometimes it does.

Journaling: "I don't talk about it much - our struggle with infertility; about the ups and the downs; the hope; the heartbreak; about the drugs, the temp. charts, the blood tests. I don't talk about it, but it consumes me. I wish that I could just give up on my wish for a second child, but I can't. I try to tell myself to let it go. But I can't. Every time someone announces their pregnancy; everytime I hold a newborn baby, I know that I can't kid myself. I want one more."

OK. Enough of that. Mood change needed!

With the second layout I tried to take all that girly paper and find a boyish twist. I love doing that.

I've taken quite an old photo of Jamie, and used it to tell a story about one of the funny little things he did about 2 years ago.

Journaling: "You are a funny guy. Today there was a feather on the floor. A small fluffy feather. You were captivated. You got down on your hands and knees and looked closely at it. I explained what it was and that it came from a bird. You flapped your hands - you understood birds. A little while later I gave you a piece of cheese for a snack. The next thing caught be completely by surprise. You knelt down next to the feather, face to the tiles - and offered it your food!"

That's it from me today.
See you soon.
Kathie

More from the Cropaholic kit

I thought I would show you the third layout I created from Shop and Crop's Cropaholic Kit this month.

Can't wait to Meet You

When I first heard the lyrics to Bachelor Girl's single "Can't Wait to Meet You", I was trying to get pregnant and had been for a bit.

"Can't wait to meet you, I'm counting down the days
I sleepwalk beside you, I'm dreaming of your face
I'm shooting for the sky, just killing time
Til the day I meet you
Can't wait to meet you"

Those lyrics really hit home when I found myself pregnant with Jamie. I know that they were written about a girl dreaming of her soulmate. But, they also reflected exactly how I was feeling, yearning for and dreaming of my baby.

I had often thought of scrapping those lyrics. It only took me three and a half years!

I loved the backsides of some of the Fancy Pants papers in this month's Cropaholic kit and have used them primarily here on this layout. The photo lifts up to reveal hidden journaling.

The instructions for this layout are included in the price of the kit. You also get instructions for two other layouts (featured here).

See you!
Kathie

42 months

Dear Rabbit,


Sometime during the last month you totally gave up napping in the afternoon; it happened suddenly – one day you were having two hour naps still, then the next day you stopped. Nothing. I couldn't even entice you to enter your bedroom.

I’m trying to put you to bed earlier (by 7pm) at night, to help you make up some sleep; for the most part we seem to be successful with that.

We are experiencing more tantrums; probably partly to do with you being more tired in the late afternoons now, but probably also just because you’re getting a bit more independent and assertive with me.


“When I don’t do something that you want me to, you cry “I want it NOW!!!!!” “NOW MUMMY!!!!!!’; which totally makes me laugh because it’s exactly what I sound like in the morning on work days when we’re in a rush and I call you into the bathroom to clean your teeth.

You have been exploring the computer – you love doing simple colouring in online, and enjoy playing “pairs” on the Bob the Builder Website.

When you get excited, you can’t think fast enough and your sentences get interspersed with “and, and, and, and…”


You love the crèche on mornings when I go to the gym – they have a Woody doll there and a Buzz Lightyear.

I love helping out with your imaginative play. The other day we had all the Bob the Builder vehicles out and were “working” in Bob’s yard. You were telling me what we were doing as we pushed the vehicles around and back and forth.

I hear you as you’re playing “Hello Thomas” “What you doing Thomas?” “You going this way Thomas”. A constant narrative as you interact with your toys, in your little-boy voice.


When we are out in the car you want to bring your Thomas the Tank Engine book with you – it has a full page picture showing a top view of a railway track – it looks like a map. You sit in your seat with it open on your lap and use it to “direct” us in which direction we should go.

You’re booked into kindergarten one morning a week next term. You will love that!

You're a caring little soul. We had a collision last week, you and I, and I ended up putting a tooth through my lip. As I exclaimed in pain, you were totally concerned with my wellbeing. "Sorry mummy!" you said worriedly, as you peered in my eyes and patted my shoulder. "You crying, mummy?" you asked.


You know heaps of songs and can recite a variety of nursery rhymes. Lots of the songs I don’t recognize and, because of your speech difficulties, I’m not able to work out the words. I catch myself trying to work out what you’re singing and have to smile when I reflect that it’s probably a foreign language – your childcare centre teaches you a lot of songs in foreign languages.

We have started seeing a new speech pathologist and I am hoping that we can make some progress with your speaking, as you’re getting more and more frustrated, not being able to be understood.


We went for another hearing test; unfortunately you had yet another cold at the time. Again, they found fluid on your ears and a slight hearing impairment. We now have a referral to an ENT specialist.

You recited half of the “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” book to the speech pathologist this week. She was quite taken aback. And all because one of the pictures she showed you in the book was a little boy hiding behind a tree. All she expected you to say was “Tree”. Instead, she got “We’re going on a bear hunt we’re going to catch a big one what a beautiful day we’re not scared oh oh a cave a narrow gloomy cave we can’t go over it we can’t go under it oh no we’ve got to go through it tiptoe tiptoe what’s that? one shiny wet nose two big goggly eyes IT’S A BEAR!” Yes, and without one single breath or punctuation mark!

Love you gorgeous boy!

Scrapware DT call

Scrapware is calling for applications from designers interested in joining their design team. Details are here.

Saying goodbye to...

My twelve month term on the Scrapware Design Team has come to an end, and I have decided to step down from the team. It is with much regret that I say goodbye, because I have really enjoyed working with Ange and the DT girls.

I think it showed too :)

My Family

Winter

Joy Shadowbox

Sandcastles Mini Album

Fresh

Postcards

Mine!

There were others too, however they are out for publication at the moment.

Thanks Ange for the opportunity to belong to an inspirational group of scrapbookers.

Kathie

Some Sassafras lovin'

Just popping in to let you know that one of my layouts is featured on the Sassafras Lass blog today. If you're a fan of Sassafras' Anthem line pop over here to see some of the other layouts created with it.

I have a very squeaky non-voice at the moment but after spending yesterday on the couch I have battled my way into work today. I hope you are all in good health :)

Have a great weekend.

Summer memories

While I was interstate on holidays back last November, I received an email from Scrapbooking Memories magazine, asking if I would participate in a Kaisercraft challenge. Given the timeframe, and because we were on holiday, I declined the offer, albeit with thanks for being invited. Sharryn, from Scrapbooking Memories emailed me back and asked if I would please reconsider, and she extended the deadline. After discussing it with my husband, I accepted. I very nearly didn't.

That challenge in fact was the second of the Masters challenges. I didn't yet know that yet though. I wouldn't know for another week or so that I was to be announced a 2008 Master.

So, anyway the results of that challenge appeared in Scrapbooking Memories Vol 11 No 1 a couple of months ago. Only a couple of small images appeared in the magazine, so here is the entire album:

Cover

Pages 1-2

Pages 3-4

Pages 5-6


It's a bit of a clean look for me. The temptation to cover the acrylic pages with loads of patterned paper was pretty severe. But I resisted. Otherwise it'd just be any other mini album, wouldn't it? I deliberately preserved the transparency of the pages and used heaps of transparent elements like rubons and swirls to build up the layers of pattern.

Sigh. That holiday seems a million years ago as we head into Winter. We all have colds, frayed tempers. I heard so many tantrums today that I threw my own tonight. Sigh. Anyway, I'm off for an early night.

Kathie

May Cropaholics Kit

The Shop and Crop May Cropaholics kit ships on May 16. I was lucky enough to be asked to work with it this month. It contains a delicious combination of Fancy Pants On a Whimsy and Delight lines, Heidi Swapp handwriting stamps and the most gorgeous autumnal toned flowers from Hero Arts.

Here are two of the three layouts that you get instructions for when you purchase the kit.

Sister

At the Park


Short and sweet today. I have an irritable, sick toddler who is making it difficult to get much done. I am taking lessons in patience. Not my strong point, lol.

Back soon.
Kathie

Garage sale

*waving* Hello to all my visitors from Tapuz forum in Israel.

A bit closer to home - if you're in Adelaide tomorrow and you want some cheap scrapbooking product, I'm putting out a heap of stuff at my friend's garage sale. Starts around 9.30am (I think) Sunday morning, at Grange Rd. Westbourne Park.

Includes fairly recent Kaisercraft papers, brads and rubons; Urban Lily papers, rubons and chipboard; Coredinations cardstock; Kaiser mini albums; Maya Road chipboard and felt; scrapbooking adhesives just to name a few.

I'll be there. Come and say hi :)

Follow the signs.

Sharing

I have some new pages to share this week. First of all are a couple of pages I did for an article in the Shop and Crop newsletter on "what's hot" right now. I'm loving vintage imagery in scrapbooking product at the moment, and I used the new Sassafras Lass Anthem line to illustrate incorporating vintage (but colourful) elements into a scrapbooking page.

Love You
The background is made from old book print collaged together.

Favourite Things
This one incorporates some images from Mum's old children's picture books, scanned and printed then added in as embellishments.

I also got to play with some product from the new BasicGrey Lime Rickey line this week.

Easter
Do you believe that I still haven't scrapped last year's Easter photos? This is the first.

Drive
Love the psychadelic retro feel of Lime Rickey.

Hope you have a great weekend planned!
Kathie