Get Picky inspiration challenge December

The last challenge for 2010 is up over at the Get Picky challenge blog. And it's a beautiful Christmas image:

Wow, I would love that sitting room! Or then again... thinking sticky fingers and dirty scuff marks... maybe not. LOL. Anyway, this is my layout:

 

Journaling: Jamie takes great delight in helping decorate the Christmas tree. He pulls all the decorations out of the box and puts them on the lower branches. And then he takes delight in making his own decorations.

Can you see the inspiration I've drawn from the image? Or should I say inspirations? Because I fell in love with so many of the elements of this page and was motivated to try to incorporate all of them on my page. Let's see, listing them:

The cream/green/silver colour scheme - yep!
The Christmas tree - the subject of my page, the photos, and also the feature embellishment on my page.
The wallpaper - I was rapt to find something very similar for my background.
The white framed mirror on the mantel - the white frame in my background.
The silver wreath on the mantel - the circular doily and tinsel matting for my main photo
The tassled throw rug on the couch - I heavily frayed a piece of canvas so the edges resemble those tassled ends, and popped it under my main photo.
The vase of white flowers on the coffee table - I've handcut white flowers from patterned paper and clustered them on either end of the strip of photos.

I think that's it! And I also think that's the last of my Christmas projects for this year!
I'm wishing you all a happy and prosperous new year! Is anyone making new year's resolutions? I haven't decided on any this year. I mentioned one to Phil the other day, but I've forgotten it already, so it couldn't have been too life-altering, lol!
That's it from me for this year!
Kathie xx

Merry Christmas wishes

I would like to wish all my blog readers a Merry Christmas!! I hope you have a wonderful celebration, and that 2011 brings you only the best of what you wish for :).

I've decided to take a break from my blog over the Christmas break.

Thank you so much for your support here on Linkage this year. If it wasn't for you guys, I would not have written 885 posts - well, 211 last year, but all up it's 885. How awesome is that? 885 posts.

Have a wonderful Christmas period. And I'll see you early in 2011.

Kathie xx

Paper Crowns - Lily Bee Christmas Town

I am sharing another Christmas themed page on the Aussie Scrap Source blog today.

Journaling: Ah, Christmas joy! My two favourite guys, posing for a photo in their silly Christmas paper crowns. It's little things like this that make me smile; make me happy.

The papers in the Lily Bee Christmas Town range are beautifully vintage. I chose to stick with the red and black colours of the range (there are also tones of green), and based the layout on a kraft background - lovin' the kraft and neutral backgrounds of BasicGrey's Basics collection!

Some Webster's Pages' Christmas tinsel and some Jenni Bowlin pins give a bit of Christmas sparkle.

Well, that's almost the end of my Christmas pages for this year. I have one more to share, but that won't be until after Christmas :).

Kathie

Ordinary Life

I have just become aware that I had a layout published in issue 12(7) of Scrapbooking Memories (Australia) that I wasn't aware of. I mean, I knew it was due to be published, I just hadn't been advised that it had been published. Here it is:

Journaling: I'm going to be 45 this year. And I have so much to be thankful for.

The quote I used for the title is one that I love " Time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life." I'm all for taking the time to notice the little moments in every day for which we should give thanks. There really are so many of them!

I'm quite proud of that background, as I made it myself. Then I filled up the page with lots of fun little photos from my life - me as a baby in the top LH corner, my sister and I, a photo Phil took of me at Disneyworld in Paris, a photo of friends and I out partying, a photo from our wedding, then some photos of Jamie and us, and finally a photo of the three of us at the beach last year.

That's it from me today.
Kathie xx

Get Picky December sketch challenge

There's a brand new sketch up at the Get Picky challenge blog.

And this is my contribution:

Journaling: It’s not often that we get a family photo with all of us in it. So, at Jamie’s fifth birthday I asked mum to quickly snap a few shots. Of course, Jamie wouldn’t stop chattering. But, oh well, that’s just how it is with us! I love having photos that depict us at a moment in time. And I kinda like that they’re candid.

Recently I decided to splurge with some Pink Paislee Sweetness. I had no idea at the time what I would do with it. I don't normally buy girly stuff. Maybe it was just time to indulge :). I just liked it. There's really no better reason, is there? Does it still look like my page? I reckon it looks totally different. Not my style at all. But then I'm useless at being able to see "my style". What do you reckon?

The photos were taken at Jamie's fifth birthday party. After his fifth birthday party, I should say. Look at him. He just would not stop talking! Do you think we could persuade him to shut up for one second and smile? Nope. Sugar high anyone?

But, oh well, at least I have a record of us on his fifth birthday. And it's an accurate record. Because, in real life he rarely shuts up. Today he's had his little mate here all afternoon. I love listening to them. It's something that I don't get to do on a daily basis, as he's the only one here. And there's nothing like two five year olds chatting away together.... It always makes me smile. Ridiculous little boy stuff - eyeballs falling out, who the naughtiest boys are at their respective childcare centres.. that sort of stuff. :)

Anyway, back to the topic. The other girls on the design team have done a fabulous job! Emeline Seet is the guest designer this month, and I love her work! If you want to have a look, it's here.

Kathie xx

Top ten layouts of 2010

It's become a tradition... Every year I review my layouts and pull together my favourite ten. Here are this year's. For various reasons...

Sunny Day Fun
Published in Creating Keepsakes (Aust) 15(5)

OK, first cab off the rank. This layout features a series of self portraits taken in our back garden one early Spring day. I love the quirky design of this. I love the mushroom. I love the signpost. Most of all I love that the layout captures Jamie and me. I have often thought of scraplifting this one.... but it's so different I'm not quite sure how I'd pull it off.

Smile for the Birdie
Published on the Aussie Scrap Source blog, November 2010

Awww. Bright. Sassafras. Cute pictures. Fun chipboard. Need I say more?

Playtime
Published in Creating Keepsakes (Aust) 15(3)

I think I probably scrapped this layout late in 2009, but it didn't make it into my 2009 favourites as it was out for publication. Paper piecing. Yes, there had to be at least one paper pieced layout in my favourites :).

Instructions to a Young Child
Created for The Color Room, published in ScrapZine magazine (Brazil)

From the beautiful poem, to the vintage photo, to all the fabric, lace and whimsy, this is a firm favourite layout. Love, love, love the sentiment of the poem. It makes my heart smile.

Idyll
Created for the Get Picky challenge blog, October 2010

This layout came together supremely quickly. Which is a rare event for me. This was such a soul soothing layout to make. The journaling is about how much of a sanctuary I find my parents garden. I indulged my love affair with butterfly embellishments here :). Have you noticed that, while layouts about Jamie are brightly coloured, layouts for my album are usually muted and based on a neutral color palette? It just happens. Can't help it.

Fun Days
Published on the Aussie Scrap Source blog, August, 2010

Aaaaah, I adore this layout. All the photos of Jamie, singing his song. The lyrics of a nursery song. And my journaling capturing how much I love being a mum to a pre-schooler, and how I don't ever want these days to end. But he's off to school next year...

Five Months
Created for The Color Room, August 2010

This year I have noticed my pages incorporating more and more white space. Whether it's a centrally focussed page, or off centre, there's always white space. OK, so what else have I noticed as constant features? Fences, clouds, rainbows and butterflies. I was pretty pleased with myself here for creating that little rainbow... without traditional rainbow colours. And it still works. This page is a favourite.

Dodgems

Published in Scrapbook Creations Issue 81

A favourite photo of Jamie and his dad. This was probably the first page I did where I started being more adventurous with misting and paints. I have been turning to ways of grunging up my pages a bit more this year. Turning away from the overtly cute, to more "little boy" product fit for a five year old. I can see that I am going to be more and more restricted in what I can use on Jamie's pages as he grows older.

At Four
Published on the Aussie Scrap Source blog, May 2010

This records an interview I conducted with Jamie when he turned four. Such a great way to capture his developing personality. And he looks so grown up in that photo, taken on his fourth birthday. Notwithstanding my comment above about feeling like I'm going to be restricted from using the overtly "cute" lines for Jamie's page in the near future, we really are spoilt with scrapbooking product for boys these days. The embellishments have come a long way since the traditional stars and circles of five years ago. These days we have a plethora of imagery that's suitable for boy pages - planes, monsters, outdoor stuff, pirates, cars, trucks etc etc. Is it any wonder then, that I find flowers challenging these days?

Baby
Published on the Aussie Scrap Source blog, August 2010

My favourite photo of Jamie's birth. Journaling is taken from my journal, written on the day he was born. Aww. Favourite photo. Heartfelt journaling. Momentous, life changing event. No wonder this one makes it into my favourites... .

So there you have it. A portfolio from 2010. My style. My favourites. Sentimental favourites. Design favourites. Colour favourites.

Do you have favourite layouts that you've created this year? I'd love to know.
Kathie xx

The Color Room palette #36

The palette this week at The Color Room contains cool greens and browns.

I chose to make this Purple Onion stamp a feature (they are sponsoring The Color Room this month).

So, I scrounged out some old photos of Jamie searching for bugs in the backyard (he he he, little possum).... and this is what I came up with:

Journaling: I would like to say that you were engaged in some pleasurable gardening activity. But, alas, I fear the truth is rather that you were just searching for Bugs.

Stamping with Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Peeled Paint and Shabby Shutters. As well as the grasses, I've used some of the other Purple Onion stamps subtly on the background. Just to add some subtle texture.

And a bit of Webster's Pages - Nature's Storybook and Garden Gala combined - and some Hambly.

We have our work Christmas lunch today, so it's going to be a pretty relaxed kinda day. All our workspaces are decorated with tinsel and baubles. It's looking very festive!

Enjoy your day too!
Kathie

My Little Elf

Here they all are. (Kate, just for you :) )
All twenty six photos.... Cheeky monkey.

(click to see larger photo)

He really tries. You can tell. He just has a serious case of the wriggles.

I'm all for the candid photo shot, so I have tried not to "pose" him too many times. Mostly I try to get him while he's engrossed in an activity. But, I can see that we will have to do some lessons ;). He's seriously cute though. Although I may be biased!

Oh, for Goodness Sake!

This afternoon after kindy (Jamie's last ever session), I took him out in the backgarden for some Christmas photos. It was quite a relaxed photo session because, I mean, how hard can it be to get a photo for the Christmas cards? I mean, there's only one of him. There's no coordinating needed. Just smile for the camera, point and shoot. Right? Right?





Oh for Goodness Sake! Look at the camera and smile!


One out of two aint bad.
Or the other one out of two.

Do you think that, out of 26 photos I could get him to 1) look at the camera, 2) stop talking and 3) smile? All at the same time? Nup. Not one photo!

Argh! Gotta laugh.
Kathie xx

Growing up

In the last week we have had a kindy graduation.

.... they had to sit on little chairs out the front and were presented with their artwork portfolio and a journal that has photos showing their journey through the last year at kindergarten (such a lovely keepsake for a scrapbooker!).

Then we had school transitional visits and a new school uniform.

.... which of course, he had to wear as soon as he got home... :)

Then that night ... and picture this... a small child in bed, asleep, with his head on the pillow. Next to him, on one side of the pillow is his new school hat, on the other is his new lunchbox. His new school bag is further down on the bed, tucked against the wall. Next to it are his kindy artwork portfolio and his kindy workbook. In his hand he is clutching his new blue folder (goes in the bag for homework sheets and diary).

Awwww. He is so darn excited :). And it shows. This week we have drawings with a distinctive school theme...

A school and Jamie wearing his new backpack (silly mama, I asked if it was a tree lol!). And, yes, the backpack is almost as big as he is. His dimensions are totally spot on in the picture ;).

On a scrapbooking note, I see that there are only two Cropaholics kits left at Shop and Crop. If you were intending on purchasing one, I'd suggest you fly over there now and hope there's still one left!

Have a great day.
Kathie xx

Getting caught up on last year's Christmas

One of my Christmas project for Aussie Scrap Source this month is a mini album using Cosmo Cricket's Mitten Weather Christmas range.

I've used a Twiddleybitz wooden album as the base of my project. I painted the front white, then aged it slightly with distress inks and added a hint of glitter.


I kept to the cooler, more subtle papers from the 6x6 inch Mitten Weather paper pack. (I do gravitate towards those colours, don't I?) To add texture (and a Christmas feel) to the album I've used Webster's pages trim and tinsel all the way through. I added a couple of pieces of Hambly overlays to the album, to create a couple more pages.

I've added all my favourite photos of our family, in the leadup up to Christmas - decorating the tree;

...reading our Christmas books;

....going to see Santa;

and then on Christmas morning...... we open our presents;

... then we go to Grandma and Grandad's for lunch. We always wear our silly paper hats and we tell the jokes from the Christmas bon-bons;


... and we have our photos taken.

So now I have all my favourite photos from last year's Christmas together in a little album. And I'm all ready for this year!

Kathie