See.Share.Remember.

Happy Valentines Day

2012-02-14T02:14:00.004+08:00

I spotted these little guys on a friends Pinterest Boards. They are originally the brain child of this creative soul.

I made them for my family and some teachers who need a little appreciating.

Will chose these two for his teachers and we handed them over after school today as he doesn't go on a Tuesday. They have treat size KitKat bars for their bodies.

Happy Valentines Day- I hope you get some Lovin' today in whatever form!

♥

Intro to scrapbooking Part 2: More on supplies

2012-02-12T23:06:00.041+08:00

Basic Consumables

Cardstock: Cardstock will most likely form the foundation of a lot of the pages you do and the mats for your photos when/if you do that. There are a few different options around, they range in price and quality. I like Bazzill Cardstock and so do a bunch of other scrapbookers- it's good quality, textured, quite thick, and comes in a large range of colours the downside is it's more expensive and it's really just a matter of taste. I keep on hand large quantities of White, French Vanilla (Creamy colour), Black and Kraft, and smaller quantities of Navy and Scarlet- because that's what I use most. I used to have on hand a whole range of colours- in fact I still do have on hand a whole range of colours- that's because I very seldom use colours! Lesson here is get a little and see what you end up using- then get more of that.

Patterned Paper: I'm having a torrid affair with Patterned Paper. I LOVE it sooooo much. I have way, way more than I can ever use and they just keep coming out with more, and it's all SO good and I just want to BUY IT! Sometimes you will use Patterned Paper as the foundation for your pages- but more often you will use smaller pieces on your pages. Once again start small and see what you use and what doesn't work. My advice is that people are more likely to use:

paper that is more low-key
paper that has patterns all over rather than pictures all over
patterns that are not so bold
patterns that are not too contrasting
brighter colours that have subtle patterns
bolder patterns in lighter colours

Therefore that's what I'd look for when building up a stash.

I also recommend

buying a few papers from the same range so you can easily co-ordinate.
looking at what brands you use most over time and sticking to them. Especially as a lot of designers work with particular aesthetic- so you'll find that they will co-ordinate better over the ranges. Giving you more options.

Don't be afraid to cut.
There will be papers that you just love and you'll want to use the whole thing, or you'll want a particular part to show on your layout- don't sacrifice your design for the sake of your supplies- scrapbooking is usually about the photos and the words- everything else is secondary. (Unless you are Irene Tan- then it seems to be more about supplies and techniques). Don't hoard your stash- use it! There will be more papers to love- I promise.
Left-overs- you'll have scraps of Patterned Paper big and small. Personally I don't keep anything smaller than a business card- yes you could use it on a card, but will you, probably not. Bin it or keep a bag of the small scraps and regularly donate it to kindy. For the medium size pieces- something like a clearfile sorted by colour is a good starting point for storage- you may want to move up to one of those expanding concertina files eventually- anything more than that and you're keeping too much stuff- sort and pass on. For the really big pieces keep it with your full sheets. Don't be afraid to purge your supplies and pass on stuff that you've had forever- use it or lose it.
Patterned paper is light you don't need to go overboard when sticking it to your page- mostly I just used a photo split in each corner and maybe the centre if it is very large.

All the other bits that you stick on:

Alphabet stickers and rub-ons: Generally used for titles, these are often considered a must have supply- but they can end up being not terribly cost effective. Look out for sets that have multiple vowels and commonly used letters (m, n,s,t etc). If you have three kids with L's in their names or someone uses a bunch of A's then a set of letter stickers might not go so far. :-) There are lots of alternatives to alphabets- I'll get to that later.

Stickers: Oh so many pretty stickers, there's the temptation to just spew them onto your page! When starting out- don't go overboard and then see what you use and more importantly what you don't. More often you can do the same job, much cheaper, with patterned paper, scissors, and a punch or two.

Ribbon: Ribbon is a good investment. Go with solid colours and simple patterns eg stripes and spots. Not too wide. Look at the colours you tend to use on your LO's and buy those colours or ones that co-ordinate with those colours. Ribbon also includes: Ric rac, Pompom and other trims, lace, and the most recent trend twine. You can adhere ribbon to your pages with : Glue dots, Xyron, staples, brads.

Tape: All sorts of tape out there- Washi (Japanese paper tape is also trending right now). This is another good investment if you get solids and basic patterns. Tape can be used as a frame, feature, arrow, dividing line, adhesive and so much more- the more generic it is the more use you will get from it.

Flowers: Also a fairly good investment- layered, grouped and so on. If you have colouring options then you can buy white and recolour to suit. Flowers in the right colours and places can look fine on boy LO's too. Attach with glue, glue dots, photo splits or brads.

Rub-ons: Rub-ons are designs and words that you literally place on your page and rub-on. They can look really good and effective in the right place. In my experience you should avoid the cheaper ones as they are more prone to failure... leaving you, at best, having to rub them off or at worst with a mess on your page. Word of advice: Cut out the design you want to use from the sheet- don't just try and rub from the whole sheet- because you'll likely end up getting bits of the surrounding designs on your page.

Bling, buttons, brads, and eyelets: ('Bling' refers to gems and pearls) Once again these items are generic making them a fairly decent investment. The first three go great in the centre of flowers and things. Brads and eyelets and another way to attach flat items like paper etc to your LO and add interest without pulling attention from your photos and story. Don't go overboard- and stick to black, white, silver and the colours you most use. Buttons are best attached with Glue dots or a good liquid adhesive like Tombo Green.

Embellishments: This covers a huge range of stuff! Essentially this is any decorative element you add to your page including a bunch of the stuff that I just singled out above. Look for multi purpose stuff- not so much theme specific and you will get more value for your money. If you are scrapping a page about Aeroplanes you don't necessarily need aeroplane embellishments because your photos will tell that story. Sometimes we get drawn in by the cute/beauty factor on stuff- but really have limited use for it- or find it just doesn't work with our style of scrapbooking no matter how cute/beautiful it is. Look for basic motifs things like: circles, hearts, arrows, butterflies, flowers and stars- these things are multi purpose and can be used over and over across a range of LO's.

Journalling Spots: It's nice to have a supply of 'stuff' you can write on- this comes in many forms, pads, cards, stickers, die cut paper, and so on. As always look for generic/multi-purpose and not too much themed stuff. But remember a piece of plain cardstock is just fine.

Non-scrapbooking scrapbooking materials: There's a bunch of stuff out in the world that you can use for scrapping that was intended to be that way- I have seen some cool ribbon buckles made will pull tabs from cans of drink and some letters cut from milk bottles. The haberdashery section is a good place to find cool stuff. Keep you eyes open and think outside the square- but don't hoard too much stuff!

NB: Lumpy and Bumpy- some people like their pages to be really lumpy and bumpy and full of texture and dimension- some prefer clean flat lines and not much texture at all- neither is right or wrong- it's personal choice. The only thing to note is that if you go the lumpy way you will want to store your albums standing up and not squished onto a shelf or the pressure may cause dents from the lumps and bumps on the opposing pages.

All that glitters is not gold... I doubt there is a scrapbooker alive who at one time did not buy something because it was a great deal- too good to pass up! Consider the cheap stuff and specials carefully- it might be good value, but if you won't use it- then it wasn't all that special and all it did was cost you money, not save you money.

Here's a list of the stuff in my stash that seemed like a good idea at the time but I haven't used or haven't used enough to justify the purchase: Beads, tags, paperclips, fat cheap ugly plastic butterflies and lady birds, raw chipboard: shapes, frames and alphabets, buckles, photo turns, photo corners, safety pins, heat embossing powder, sequins, glitter, pins, picture stickers, metal frames, twist ties, dominoes, charms, hair accessories and bottle tops.

A note about Creative Memories: A lot of scrapbookers start out with CM. Some move on and combine CM with non-CM supplies, some stay loyal, and some move one completely. CM has some great good quality tools. That stuff is worth checking out.
I have heard some funny stuff come from the mouths of CM scrappers talking about being 'rebellious' or admiring the non CM supplies but not being 'allowed' to use them. It reminds me a bit of Tupperware, a bit more expensive, a bit more prescribed, modular and doesn't fit with the other stuff.
I'm not dissing it- each to their own- it's been a great starting point for many scrappers. But I do think it's not the be all and end all of scrapbooking and the staunch dogma of "Only CM products" goes against the basic tenets of creativity...if using October Afternoon papers makes me rebellious I'll go with that.... I'll leave you to make up your own mind.

Acid and Lignin Free: There are a vast amount of differing opinions on this. You will find the 'religious right' with virginal scrapbook pages, unsullied by acid and lignin, they have their acid detecting pens and deacidifying sprays and never take any risks. And then there's the loose lefties who don't give a toss and anything goes! And a the rest who lie right across the spectrum. It comes down to two things:

What you want to happen to your scrapbooks down the track.
How important the 'non-safe' stuff is.

These are my thoughts.
I have some personally meaningful and possibly 'unsafe' stuff that I want in my scrapbooks. Letters and pictures from my kids, tickets, programmes, maps, postcards and brochures from special events/places, greeting cards, and letters from family and other ephemera. I also have clothing tags and dockets and school stuff that tell the story of our days better than I can. I'm not willing to leave them off my pages they are part of our story.
The vast majority of my photos are backed-up digitally in two locations (one off-site). So I'm not worried about keeping the photos safe on my pages and generally I'm not willing to compromise the design of my page to keep those possibly unsafe items separate.
I am making these things to be enjoyed now by the people who are in them.
I have a lot of scrapbooks, albums and albums, mini albums, photobooks and handmade books. I'd like to think my kids will want to be handed down some of them- but there is a huge volume of stuff and I don't want to burden them with it. So if some of that stuff doesn't last the distance I'm really not worried.
That said if there is something I know will fail fast and wreck a page, or doesn't bring any meaning to the page I won't use them- regular sellotape, dried flowers, and faxes are some that come to mind.
You need to make up your own mind where you are on the scale, and what your limits will be.

Starting out with storage: Don't invest too much money in storage to begin with- you WILL grow out of it. I'd suggest you put all your stuff in zip lock bags in one of those 60 litre lidded bins from the Warehouse. By the time you fill 2-3 of those bins you have a better idea of what you need to store/organise and how you may want to store it. More on this later.

Where to buy: (NZ version)

Non-specialist stores: $2 Dollar type stores, The Warehouse, Stationery Warehouse and Spotlight.
Upsides: Easy to find, can be cheap, sometimes have cheaper versions of more expensive supplies.
Downsides: Limited selection, often poorer quality, sometimes expensive (Spotlight), no staff to give specific advice).

LSS (Local Scrapbook Store): Not too many of these around and can be a dying breed- look in your phone book and use word of mouth.
Upsides: Often have a wide range of up-to-date, professional advice, good quality, look for home based businesses with a bit of a store front for good deals. Often run classes and crops.
Downsides: can be more expensive it's hard in this business for retailers! Not too many around.

Online Stores: A few of these around and some LSS have online as well.

Upsides: Can be chearper, often have a good selection of good quality product, shop anytime- in your PJ's even! Often have blogs and forums for online support and inspiration.
Downsides: You can't see and touch the stuff in person. I find it takes longer to shop online. Postage costs, though some have free postage if you buy over a certain amount. Some are definitely not cheaper. You have to wait for it to arrive.

Auctions: Trade Me and Ebay- (Not so much Ebay in NZ- but when the exchange rate is good some bargains can be found.) Trade me can be a great place to pick up bargains- especially if you buy from the same seller and combine postage. The advantages/disadvantages are pretty much the same as for online and you'll find a lot of the Online shops are selling on trade me as well.

Overseas: There are some good deals to be had from overseas if you have some or all of the following:

On sale
Good exchange rate
Seller who charges actual postage.
Your items are flat, light and small (Eg stickers, flat-ish embellishments, individual and smaller dies etc Not Punches and 12x12 papers) and therefore cheaper to post
Big ticket (expensive to buy in NZ items) eg Stamps, Dies etc
Seller who offers a personal service and will remove extraneous packaging to reduce size and bulk.
Someone who can bring the package to you.

Part 3 coming soon.

♥

Intro to scrapbooking Part 1

2012-02-11T22:29:00.000+08:00

In New Zealand very dear friend of mine is getting started in scrapbooking. I kind of wish I could be there with her to help her out- but I actually think she'll get more info from these posts. So here goes.

Don't do it!
I LOVE scrapbooking but I'm actually a little serious. Here are the reasons not to take up scrapbooking:

It gets expensive. It doesn't seem like it when it's a bit of paper here and some sparkly stuff there a few stickers and perhaps some ribbon. But then there's more delicious paper and stamps, and if you have stamps you'll want ink. And then you'll see someone use paint in a cool way, and then misters and other glittery stuff. And what colours... just one or two, maybe five or twelve- why not complete the set? I know.
It takes up room... seriously. If you get that whole set of misters you'll need somewhere to put them. And the other stuff. And the albums you'll start filling up. And before long you'll need new bookshelves, and a pantry cupboard for your stash and a dedicated table to work on, so you don't have to pack up your stuff each day.... and a room to put it all in. I know.
Did I mention it's gets expensive.
It takes time. Lets face it if you have a few years under your belt and a a few kids just imagine how many photos you've taken in that time... and imagine how you can scrap them.... and imagine the stories yet to come..... that's a lot of scrapping.
It takes more time.... if you get really hardcore you'll discover crop nights, and scrapcamps and lets face it you deserve some me time!... before you know it you'll be waving your kids and partners good bye and heading off to hang out with other hardcore scrappers. I know.
Oh and by the way it gets expensive.
It takes more time. You'll discover Pinterest, and scrapping blogs and forums and online stores. When you aren't scrapping you be thinking about scrapping and shopping for scrapping. I know.
That can be quite expensive.
It's addictive. Seriously it's addictive like drugs. And soon you'll just want to do more. And if you don't get much time to feed your habit you'll go through withdrawal and get all cranky. I know.
You'll become a scrapbook snob... The Warehouse and spotlight papers won't be good enough for you eventually.You'll go on pilgrimages to scrapbook shops in Wellington and Christchurch and if you can get free Airforce flights, Auckland as well! You'll trawl Trade-me for good deals and spend time looking at stuff in US dollars on Two Peas and wonder who you know that can bring some stuff home for you from the States. I know.
You realise you can spend quite a bit of money right? It can get quite expensive.
It makes you a bad parent. Seriously, you'll hoard previously available art supplies and won't let your kids play with your gear. You'll leave them behind for the previously mentioned retreats and camps. You'll make them undergo torturous photo shoots. You'll be the daggy mum at their parties, sports games and school events taking 100's of photos. And eventually you'll start buying them clothes that co-ordinate, not just with each other- but with that piece of patterned paper you've been hanging out to use. And you'll record all of their most embarrassing moments in scrapbook pages you'll share with friends and families. I know.
Oh and if you're not careful you'll end up spending quite a bit of money. I know. (I'm not sure if Les knows though so Shhhhhhh!)

You didn't listen to me did you?

Ok then, don't say I didn't warn you though. And make sure your significant other knows I told you about the dark side of scrapbooking. Because I don't want to be held responsible when he finds you in what used to be your master bedroom at 6am hunched over some glue and paper, with a bunch of photos trying to decide if you should use the baby blue ribbon or the sky blue ribbon. After you told him at 11pm as he went to bed you'd be there soon and led him to believe he might get lucky. Because believe me once you've got the bug there won't be any action in the bedroom- unless that's where your scrapbook table is. I know.

So here's what you need to know.

Before you start

My very best suggestion is to go buy some magazines either in a shop or score a bundle on trade me or try the library. Get yourself a few different mags: Creating Keepsakes, Scrapbooking Memories, and Scrapbook Creations are a good starting point. As you read through look out for the pages that really resonate with you. Mark them with post-its or fold down the corners of the pages. Then go back and ask yourself what you like about them. Look at the style of the pages and the products being used. Look at the colours and find any common themes across the pages. If you didn't like the flowery flouncy pages with doilies and pretty diamanté spirals- then please don't go out and buy lots of pretty flowers and doilies and diamanté spirals. No matter how pretty or how cheap. If you liked the pages with muted tones and greens and browns then don't go out and buy a pack of bright party coloured paper. Make a list of ideas and stuff.

Think about what sorts of pictures you'll be scrapping. If you are a world traveller and all your pages will be travel pics- then don't buy those cute little baby hand print brads- no matter how cute or how cheap. If you have a bunch of boys who like to play in dirt and run around on the rugby field- then think about getting stuff that's going to suit those stories.

Ok, time to shop.
Please don't go nuts. Please. Just get a few things, scrap a few pages, and get a feel for what you like and don't like.

Tools: The Bare necessities:

Don't tell my husband but add card, and photos to that lot and that's all I really need to make a page.
Basic Tool Kit:
Craft Mat- (bigger the better).
Paper Trimmer- I've tried a few and quite happily swear by my Fiskars and know a lot of people that agree. But if you know some scrappers and have the option to try before you buy don't be shy about asking to do so. This is the one absolutely MUST have tool.
Ruler- I prefer metal- they are always straight and the weight can come in handy as well.
Scissors- These were $2- I've been sucked into the wonders of some more expensive ones- they sit forlorn in my scissor basket- other people swear by them- use what works for you.
Rubber and a Pencil.
A couple of pens for journalling and such I like the Smiggle Pigment pens but there are HEAPS of options out there.
Adhesive-

Photos and paper (I use Henzo Photo splits- but there are a whole heap of options out there see what others use and figure what will best suit your work flow).
Tiny heavy things (and when you are in a hurry) for things like buttons, metal embellishments etc I use glue dots they are instant and easy- but not as cheap as using a liquid glue.
Everything else: Chipboard, ribbon, flowers, die cuts etc. A good all round liquid glue. I like Tombo Green it can handle quite a lot of weight dries clear and doesn't pucker your paper.

(More on adhesives later).

Seriously that's all I need to make a LO. Want me to prove it?

(and I didn't even use the scissors or two of the adhesives!)

A little bit more:

So you've got a little bit of cash and you want a few more options....

More Pens- more colours, more options.

White Journalling Pen For writing on dark backgrounds and also doodling.

Stapler- alternative way to attach stuff like ribbon, tags and twine

Corner rounder- Some times it's nice to round the corners of your photos, card or patterned paper.

Knife/Blade/Scalpel- lots of different options try and find out what's best for you.

Tweezers- Mine seem to come in handy for all sorts of fiddly things.

Eyelet setting tools (inclu Hammer)- Eyelets are a cheap and easy embellishment that can be used in all sorts of ways to use them you need a punch, setter, and hammer. Note you can buy various tools that set eyelets some cost $20 (silent setter) some cost $85 (Big Bite) unless you need to set a lot of eyelets and punch a lot of holes- save your money.

A basic set of inks- Black and brown, 95% of the time these are the only colours I use.

Sand Paper- Great for distressing things- roughing them up- a nice feature on lots of pages- especially the more masculine ones. (Steal it from your husband if possible).

Sewing Needles- for stitching on your pages. And poking holes for brads.

Date stamp- I like to add the date to each project I do... this is just a sweet easy way to do it on some of my work.

Xyron 150- this is one of the most handy tools/adhesives I have- small flat things go in, pull the strip, and they come out ready to stick down. This one does up to 1.5 inches wide- you can get bigger- but then anything bigger is easy to use another adhesive on. A must if you are die-cutting letters and other little things. Use permanent adhesive.

Circle Punch- I use mine quite a bit, you may not be that way inclined. The one inch is my most used- but I have a collection of bigger ones too- but then I scrap a lot so the investment is worth it for me.

Centering Ruler- You don't need one of these but I love mine and I use it all the time- the numbers go from the centre out- that makes it easy to find the middle on photos, photo matts, cardstock and so forth- and get your photos and paper even and straight on your page- yay!

Paint brush and Pallette - If you are going to invest in some paints- if you like the look of them on pages, then obviously you'll need something to mix it up on and apply it with.

Your computer and Printer: For journalling on among other things.

Books: A small selection for ideas, inspiration, and techniques: You'll need to find these second hand but look for Cathy Zielske's- Clean and Simple Scrapbooking and/or Clean and Simple The Sequel even if simple pages are not your style there is a lot of information in these two books about layout and design, type, journalling and content. And for tips and techniques Creating Keepsakes Encyclopedia of Scrapbooking. Note: There are a lot of books out there- the scrapbooking industry is huge and a lot of people jumped on the gravy train... and produced crap! Before you buy a book have a really good look through it! If you can't look throught it then ask me because I'll probably know- I've seen a lot of them. And don't forget your library!

Ok that's enough for now right? More later, soon I promise.

Gypsy

♥

365 2012 Week 5

2012-02-09T21:06:00.001+08:00

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365 2012 Week 4

2012-02-08T12:53:00.003+08:00

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Dr Watson I presume-

2012-02-07T09:36:00.000+08:00

This boy recently got a large magnifying glass and decided he needed a Sherlock Holmes style Detective hat to go with it. The next day after a strange series of events including an early morning drop off in the central city, temperatures at 9am over 30 deg, a fountain, and a minor 'I can't sit in my wet undies' melt down I found myself dashing past the hat box at an Op shop. I spied these two little gems and a plan fell into place which meant that for the rest of the day at varying intervals all I heard was: "Have you made my hat yet Mum?" I think I finished it around 7:30pm, just in time for a quick modelling session and then bed.

♥

Measure of a Monkey

2012-02-06T09:50:00.000+08:00

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Pretty Cute

2012-02-05T09:51:00.000+08:00

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Miss Lily

2012-02-04T09:51:00.000+08:00

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You are my boy

2012-02-03T09:51:00.000+08:00

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Bold

2012-02-02T09:49:00.003+08:00

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this boy

2012-02-01T09:49:00.004+08:00

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Ikea Ginger Bread House

2012-01-31T05:26:00.003+08:00

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Move More Eat Well Pre Class Assignment

2012-01-30T21:22:00.000+08:00

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Imagine The Possibilities

2012-01-29T21:11:00.001+08:00

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Your Style

2012-01-28T21:11:00.002+08:00

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Helper Boy

2012-01-27T21:11:00.001+08:00

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Missing

2012-01-26T21:11:00.001+08:00

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Will: Shape-O

2012-01-25T21:01:00.001+08:00

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Tama 7 Months

2012-01-24T23:37:00.003+08:00

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Real Fake Birthday Card....

2012-01-23T21:01:00.000+08:00

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365 Week 3

2012-01-22T23:37:00.002+08:00

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Impromptu Invite

2012-01-21T21:31:00.003+08:00

We had a real party for a fake birthday at out place today... so I very quickly put an invite together for the birthday boy....

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Tag your it....

2012-01-20T05:27:00.000+08:00

A simple project to name the baskets on our new side table.... so everyone knows where to find their junk.

In case you're wondering: Tama has no junk and I get a whole drawer for mine.

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Will: Month 49

2012-01-19T23:37:00.000+08:00

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One Little Word: Month 1

2012-01-18T05:49:00.004+08:00

This is the first months prompts for the One Little Word Class I am doing at Big Picture Classes. The supply list called for 4x6 pockets for the smaller page but I couldn't get those here so I am just using some 6x6's and adding 2 inches of pattered paper on the side.

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Tama's Pregnancy Album

2012-01-17T05:39:00.002+08:00

Just edited highlights....

Not the album I would have chosen- but the only 6x6 I could find. It's gate fold- I think if I'm feeling flush at some point in the future I'll buy a replacement.

There's 20 pages in all and I should really photograph every one so I still have the record on the back-up EHD if the house goes up in flames- but for blogging purposes this is all you need. :-)

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Can I make dinner?

2012-01-16T05:33:00.001+08:00

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Clasped

2012-01-15T05:33:00.001+08:00

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365 2012 Week 1

2012-01-14T05:19:00.000+08:00

As you can see I am bringing Simple into my life by streamlining the way I put together my 365. No patterned paper to have to agonise over. No titles to colour. No day stickers on each photo and much, much, shorter journalling. While I would love to do this project as a paper album I don't have the time or resources. This still tells the story of our year plus you get to see the progression of the small people to bigger people.

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365: Day 365.

2012-01-13T05:19:00.005+08:00

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365 Week 52

2012-01-12T05:19:00.001+08:00

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Daily December 2011 Days 21 - 25

2012-01-11T05:14:00.030+08:00

Day 21- Mostly spent at home and the Dentist.

I cannot tell you just how excited I was to get this package from my friends at Starbucks in Auckland- talk about exciting! I totally wasn't expecting it and I was seriously, seriously ecstatic when I opened the package!

Day 23- Deciding to order the shopping for Dec/Jan online and have it delivered was probably the biggest stroke of genius I had in 2011- SO good! So simple and SO easy!!

Day 24- Tama hits six months and gets to finally eat FOOD!

Les takes the kids out for the Christmas Eve Neighbourhood lights drive.

Christmas Day!!

In the past I have taken this album right though to January- but the end of 2011 was a lot more low key than in the past and I have less time for scrapbooking at the moment so I stopped at 25 to keep things Simple and easy.

The end piece.

♥

Daily December 2011 Days 16 - 20

2012-01-10T05:11:00.025+08:00

Day 16- a look at how we decorated this year- totally loved having space and not feeling like I was living with a Christmas Tree on my lap! And also the Invite for the Bristow 'Grown-ups' work do.

More decorations- I had Kieran download Instagram on his iPod for me.

Our traditional Family Santa photo.

The garden with it's Christmas colours on!

Day 19- Will's 4th Birthday!

Day 20- took the big kids to Belmont to do their shop and asked Will what he'd get everyone if he could: L- Licorice Allsorts, G: Scrapbook supplies, K: Llama T-shirt, M- Horses and T: A kitten. Apart from the kitten I think he was pretty spot on.

Will's day report from his first day at Kids Inn and his letter to Santa- expressing a sincere desire for MORE power tools!

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Daily December 2011 Days 11 - 15

2012-01-09T09:59:00.040+08:00

Not much happened on Day 11 which is why I am happy that this project is ever so flexible and I can thrown in a page about the new books we got this year- the tradition is that we buy one new book each year but... um... well- I got 4 the fourth came later by post. :-)

I guess day 12 was a quiet one too because Will and I did the tree earlier in the month- lots of fun extra bits in this section- love those Hambly banner transparencies.

Day 13 was Will's last day at Smarties he was so happy he was singing his own little made up finishing pre-school song.

This page was printed with the number and washi tape digitally attached.

The other half of the 13th was Presentation day for Merenia's School at Camp Wattle Grove- which was an experience from start to finish and due to an altercation between a slide and head, and some wet pants I didn't even get to see the finish. The Principal at the school gave the longest speech known to man- it was the State of the Nation, the Queens Christmas Speech and the Pope's Sermon all rolled into one- I have to say I didn't really buy it- I've not known someone to manage to come across as so insincere when they're trying to do exactly the opposite. It was fun to watch the Kindy kids do the Baby Elephant dance with Will- thinking it'd be him in 2012. And seriously amusing to watch the extreme adoration parent madness- primary school paparazzi- no holds barred but all views barred! We stood up on our seats- we were down the back anyway because we figured that 15 minutes early would be heaps- WRONG.

Day 14: Last day of school!

Day 15: Will adding a few more decorations to his mini tree. He primped and preened it a lot.

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Daily December 2011 Days 6 - 10

2012-01-08T09:34:00.033+08:00

Love this un-ironed angelina fibre for evoking the lightning I didn't manage to capture.

Can't believe I was still writing Christmas cards on the 7th!

Day 8: Will's Teacher Helen's last day at Pre-school.

Day 9: All the goodies to give for 'A Hills Christmas', the Shire effort for families in need.

December 10th was the Bristow Family Christmas Day at Adventure land a big water and theme ride park.

I used card collector files to add some more pics.

And a pocket for the map of the park.

This how the main pages are printed, you can see where I've left space for the number and embellishments.

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Tama: 6 Months

2012-01-07T05:13:00.007+08:00

I'm obviously a bit behind in publishing these, Tama turned 6 months on Christmas Eve.

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Simple 2

2012-01-06T05:52:00.002+08:00

This is the second 8x10 canvas I made to remind me to keep life simple this year. I like this one the best- but I think the first one conveys the idea of simplicity better.

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A very Simple mini album for 2012

2012-01-05T05:49:00.002+08:00

7 6x4 photos printed with 2 4x3 Keep it Simple cards cut in half backed with my favourite patterned papers and some embellishments that suit the theme word and that I love. 13 words to concentrate on to keep my life simple this year. Bound together with a small book ring. All put together in an evening. Simple- yay.

Simple 1

2012-01-04T05:26:00.002+08:00

This is the first 8x10 canvas that I have made to remind myself to live Simply this year. My word for the year 2012 is: Simple.

Challenge Day 23 Christmas Card 5

2012-01-03T05:51:00.006+08:00

There's a story behind this... We were watching Tim Minchin vs. the SSO and in the intro to Lullaby he talked about telling his daughter about how she was adopted from the Slums and how now whenever she's naughty they say "That's it back to the slums for you". He was obviously just joking- and now it's an 'in' joke in the family for us.
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Challenge Day 22 Christmas Card 4

2012-01-02T05:50:00.002+08:00

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Challenge Day 21 Christmas Card 3

2012-01-01T05:50:00.001+08:00

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Challenge Day 20 Christmas Card 2

2011-12-31T05:50:00.003+08:00

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Challenge Day 19 Christmas Card 1

2011-12-30T05:50:00.002+08:00

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365 Week 51

2011-12-29T05:50:00.002+08:00

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Will: Month 48 (aka 4)

2011-12-27T05:20:00.001+08:00

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365 Week 50

2011-12-26T05:13:00.001+08:00

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2011-12-25T00:01:00.001+08:00

365 Week 49

2011-12-24T05:22:00.002+08:00

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365 Week 48

2011-12-23T22:24:00.000+08:00

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Challenge Day 18- More Blog Headers

2011-12-23T19:44:00.001+08:00

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Challenge Day 17- December Daily 5

2011-12-22T13:24:00.001+08:00

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Challenge Day 16- December Daily 4

2011-12-21T13:24:00.000+08:00

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Challenge Day 15- December Daily 3

2011-12-20T13:24:00.000+08:00

That right hand page is waiting for Les to tell me what he enjoyed about Scotland.

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Challenge Day 14- December Daily 2

2011-12-19T13:24:00.000+08:00

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Challenge Day 13- December Daily 1

2011-12-18T13:24:00.001+08:00

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Challenge Day 12- December Daily Intro

2011-12-17T13:24:00.000+08:00

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Challenge Day 11- Tamas Stocking

2011-12-16T23:47:00.001+08:00

I did actually finish this on Day 11 but only just got around to sorting my life out to blog... I have been working on my Daily December album pages as well so haven't quite fallen off the December crafting wagon! So here is the last stocking I will need to make for quite some time!

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Challenge Day 10- Sizzix 2

2011-12-10T05:44:00.004+08:00

This is the second of the sizzix dies I got and I think it has a bit more potential than the other one as it has some cool geometric shapes. I cut two sets of two added stickles and distress stickles to them as then stuck them together in different configurations.The green one looks quite cool when I add it to the top of the button Bauble from yesterday- like a collar of greenery.

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Challenge Day 9 Bauble 3

2011-12-09T05:45:00.003+08:00

I have to admit I hated this! While I was making it I absolutely thought it was terrible and I was gutted because I chose a bunch of buttons I loved and had been saving for 'a rainy day'- stuck them on first and then started to add the fillers and just thought- "what have I done?" And as my head got foggier and foggier from the fumes from the super glue I just hated it more and more. By the way the glue that normally sets in 5 minutes was drying in literally seconds in the Perth heat- not at all easy to work with!
That said now it is done and I have had some time to sit with it- it's not so bad and I think when it's been up on the tree a few days I might just grow to like it.

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Challenge Day 8- Sizzix 1

2011-12-08T06:06:00.016+08:00

Recently I joined the Die cut machine owners ranks for the first time. I always held back on this because the dies are limited and expensive but I never got around to using my Craft Robo because I just couldn't get it to cut right and it was in the lounge- and when I was crafting I wasn't. I'll most likely just have Alphabet dies and a few basic ones like flowers that I can use over and over again but I also got a couple of Christmas Decoration dies with the machine so figured this is as good a time as any to have a play. (Sorry about the terrible photos but no time to retake!)

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Challenge Day 7 Bauble 2

2011-12-07T06:03:00.010+08:00

I love the softness and texture in this project. The fibres look like a sweet little nest. It came together really fast because I brought the Fibres in a colour co-ordinated bunch from Carolann- they aren't on the web site but you should email her as she has more.

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Challenge Day 6 Scrabble Star

2011-12-06T05:52:00.013+08:00

I spotted the idea for this decoration on Piniterest and just adapted it for my own purposes. Yes they are real scrabble tiles.
I love the little wooden stars- they are Jenni Bowlin.

And as I liked the idea so much I put together a little something for my scrap table at the same time....

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Challenge Day 5: Bauble 1

2011-12-05T05:52:00.006+08:00

I had some of these glass baubles over from making a ball for Tama and our across the road neighbour in NZ. So decided to try some different options for filling them for this challenge- no. 1 paper srtips rolled and pulled.

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Challenge Day 4: More Daily December Foundation Pages

2011-12-04T08:51:00.025+08:00

This was my cosy nest last night and the early hours of this morning- and it was very cosy 28 deg inside our house and possibly a little hotter in this space! I had some success, some failure, and some middle of the road results.

Was absolutely rapt to find that the binding fits just fine and my plan is coming together.....

And also very pleased to get all the foundation pages for my daily December album finished and ready to go.

You can see the details of that top left pocket below. And the page on the left in the middle row has another pocket.

I took my inspiration from Ali Edwards when I stitched these stars into one of pockets. I'll add the number for that day into the other pocket beside it.

The fact that my binding plan is going to work means I can hang stuff off the edges of the pages like the birds above. Another pocket on the pink and green page if I don't find anything to stuff in there I'll just cover it with a photo- but perhaps a good place for the docket from the Christmas food shop.

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Challenge Day 3

2011-12-03T08:35:00.000+08:00

Thank-goodness there are no rules here! Creative progress is slow with a baby in the house and a sick 3 year old. I have some further work on my Daily December 'inside pages' to share and it's not much! I've had my sewing machine going on high speed and been raiding my ribbon stash!

I recycled one of the reject doilys from the cover.

I created a pocket on this page with transparency which I will use to hold some of my lists from this year. And turned a business envelope inside out to add a letter to Santa that Will wrote at Pre-school last week.

And my binding turned up super fast so a big shout out to Bound To Impress in Melbourne.

Now I just need to mess around and see if I can get it to work with 3:1 holes! It's huge.....

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Challenge Day 2

2011-12-02T05:06:00.000+08:00

I think the challenge for me with this challenge will be managing to scrap when Tama is asleep and get everything else done I need to around the place. And then staying up late enough to get the blog post done.!

So today for me was the making of the covers of my Daily December Album. My internal pages are 6x8inches but I have cut the covers 8x10 because I have a plan. I use chipboard for the covers and the papers are Cosmo Cricket and Teresa Collins.

After cutting the paper down with an inch or so of excess on each side. I spread glue over one side of the chipboard. A perfectionist would then spread the glue with a brush but I'm a get it done fast scrapper so I just flip it onto the paper as is and then brayer it hard to spread the glue. If you have a patterned paper that has some sort of symmetrical design be careful to make sure your paper is straight on the card.

Use an offcut of the chipboard flush against the corner of your cover to draw a line to trim.

Use a bone folder to make the creases against the edge of the board before you glue- makes life a whole bunch easier.

Use your finger nail to squeeze a little paper in at the corner so that it will come up looking tidy.

Then apply the glue a flap at a time- this time I do spread the glue across the whole flap.

Do each flap using the brayer or bone folder to help ensure a neat finish.

Just a little tip- if you have to mess around like I did choosing a different paper for the inside cover or tend to a tiny human being- wrap your glue brush in a wet baby wipe to stop it from drying out.

For the inside cover use your cover to trace the outline onto your patterned paper and then cut it about 5mm shorter.

Apply your glue and place your paper carefully.

Brayer again to spread the glue and ensure no air bubbles or creases.

I used a strip of the flip side of this Basic Grey jovial paper as an accent on the inside front cover. I inked it with Pine Needles distress ink.

And then ran it through my Xyron.

I used this card from Teresa Collins.

With a couple of stickers from Simple Stories ( a really great company I was pleased to recently discover).

I was particularly keen on the motif in the corner so I covered it up and added our details.

For the front cover another piece from Teresa Collins. It got lost on it's own on the cover so I messed around to find the best option... I tried an inked doily.

A Mister Misted doily which was nice but not quite...

Plain doily.

Which I decided to mount on some patterned paper with a similar green to the design on the Cosmo Cricket paper. Placed it with the aid of my centering ruler.

And added the text on foam tape for a bit more dimension.

Front and back covers....

Inside covers....

This album ends up being pretty think and in the past I have used 3in book or hinge rings- this year I am hoping to wire bind them. I am currently waiting for some 38mm bindings to come from Melbourne as I couldn't find a source for them individually here in Perth. Problem is I'm not 100% sure that they will work as they are a 2:1 ratio (that 2 holes to the inch) whereas the smaller ones we normally use are 3:1- I am hoping I can fudge it as my plan depends on using the spiral binding- if not I'll have to get creative. These are the albums for the past three years- looking back through them I realised not doing this project this year (which I seriously considered) was not an option.

And these are my kits- to make life easy: Numbers, Embellishments, and Journalling supplies- each in a bag of their own.

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Paula's Christmas Challenge Day 1

2011-12-01T09:19:00.000+08:00

Today is day 1 of Paula's Christmas Craft Challenge. My creation for today: New December themed Blog headers. I am hoping to have a little something to share every day- but I am not sure how realistic that is with a 5 month old and almost 4 year old in the house, but we will see.

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365 Week 47

2011-11-30T15:35:00.001+08:00

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I'm working on....

2011-11-29T15:46:00.000+08:00

My Daily December. In between sleeps.

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While Away The Day

2011-11-28T05:43:00.004+08:00

For what ever reason I am struggling to get back into paper scrapbooking- so I have challenged myself to do the various Sketch LO's for the month of a few sites I visit. The LO above is the Purple Pumpkin November Sketch Challenge. And of course I used some of their goodness on the page: Clouds, Doily, and Twine.

I have to say it seems a little weird scrapping stuff from NZ- right now that life seems like a world, and a century away!

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"Sound the Octo-Toilet!"

2011-11-27T05:30:00.002+08:00

Since we moved to Australia Will discovered "The Octonauts" which he absolutely loves. There have been some very cool games of Octonauts going on around home especially in the last holidays. And that's where the title of this post comes from. It's a direct quote from Will, who didn't realise that Captain Barnacles actually says "Sound the Octo-Alert!". What does all this have to do with crafting you ask? Well in the holidays I scored this classy apron for $1 at the OP shop.

And transformed it....

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You Are my People

2011-11-26T09:18:00.006+08:00

There's an abundance of Sassafras in my house at the moment because my last 'big box' ever FINALLY arrived this week- so I went Sass crazy on this page. And yes, I cut people out of my photo- I don't like to do that but I wanted just my 'bestest' Scrapbooking people!

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Tama 5 Months

2011-11-25T05:55:00.000+08:00

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Home on a Bus Roll

2011-11-24T08:11:00.000+08:00

This is a piece of Art that I have created based the the plethora of Bus Roll art out in the world.

It pretty much incorporates all our favourite people and places that we love- even if your name isn't there it's most likely that there is a place we associate with you. It's going to printed on canvas and hung a bit like a scroll in the entrance way to our house. The final product will be approx 50 x 150cm, I'm really looking forward to seeing it in real life.

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You are made of Awesome

2011-11-23T05:56:00.001+08:00

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365 Week 46

2011-11-22T06:23:00.001+08:00

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365 Week 45

2011-11-21T06:08:00.003+08:00

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Will: Month 47

2011-11-20T06:37:00.001+08:00

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Getting ready for the Christmas Mail out....

2011-11-19T06:46:00.002+08:00

Finally getting to some of the niceties that had to be left aside due to the move. These will be printed as 6x4's and go out with my Christmas cards!

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A little bit of digital stuff...

2011-11-18T06:44:00.003+08:00

Time to say good bye to my old headers and bring in something fresh for the rest of the month...

Old...

New...

Old....

and new....

There's something Spring cleaning like and refreshing about new headers- it always makes me feel a bit lighter! I've also done one for December- hopefully I'll get a chance to do a few more before the new year rolls around. FYI The hearts on the new headers are by Katie Pertiet At Designer Digitals.

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Life Snapshot

2011-11-17T07:37:00.000+08:00

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Tamas Monogram Canvas

2011-11-16T08:14:00.000+08:00

Finally I stuck adhesive to real paper with pretty things!!

I thought I had blogged these canvas' before but I can't seem to find the post and we have a Transition to Kindy Meeting this morning and then our first official visitor!! So I don't have time to a: find the post or b: find the pictures of the others; but suffice to say everyone in our family has one of these 6x6 monogram canvas' now. At the moment they are all stacked on a shelf but sometime I'll get around to figuring out how I can hang them in this house where minimal hanging is allowed.

I also finally used some of my Purple Pumpkin stash, this sweet little cloud... I like these I expect I should probably get more as I can see them becoming a staple.

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365 Week 44

2011-11-15T06:06:00.006+08:00

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Tama: Month Four

2011-11-14T06:04:00.004+08:00

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365 Week 43

2011-11-13T06:04:00.001+08:00

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Will: Month 46

2011-11-12T05:49:00.002+08:00

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365 Week 42

2011-11-11T06:30:00.003+08:00

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365 Week 41

2011-11-10T06:30:00.006+08:00

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365 Week 40

2011-11-09T06:25:00.004+08:00

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Tama: Month Three

2011-11-08T06:01:00.002+08:00

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365 Week 39

2011-11-07T06:25:00.005+08:00

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Will: Month 45

2011-11-06T06:01:00.000+08:00

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365 Week 38

2011-11-05T06:42:00.000+08:00

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From the archives: 2006: Moment

2011-11-04T05:02:00.002+08:00

365 Week 37

2011-11-03T06:42:00.003+08:00

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Yummy Pumpkiny Goodness....

2011-11-02T19:19:00.000+08:00

Since moving to Aus I have been lucky to discover Purple Pumpkin- a mother and daughter team of awesomeness who create scrapbooking embellishments and the sell them via a monthly (or so) sale on their blog. I just managed to find out in time to grab some cool stuff in their October sale. You have to be fast I had my order in within 13 minutes and still missed out on a couple of things I was keen on.

Today they are running a super duper giveaway hence the motivation for this post happening today specifically- but I can tell you that I would have blogged about them eventually and will be sure to do so again in the future- once I finally get photos to paper because their stuff is good, nay excellent.... actually superb! Go check them out....

365 Week 36

2011-11-02T06:42:00.003+08:00

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From the archives: 2006: Two Amigos

2011-11-01T06:18:00.002+08:00

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