Storm Scraps

Rainy Tuesday

2012-01-24T12:51:00.002+10:00

We've had a lovely lot of rain today, everything is looking heavy and wet out there. Love it.

Good day for scrapping, too, though actually, I've been tidying, blog hopping and reading instead. And contemplating making a cake. There's nothing like a proper afternoon tea sometimes, and rainy days seem perfect somehow.

I had a good scrapping day yesterday, and here are the results, all challenges from the CC at The Scrapbooking Haven:

This one had to have a handmade embellishment, ribbons and paint. I made the tree and fence and I put eyelets in the photos and threaded ribbon through. Love how that turned out.

This one had to have Happy in the title. My take was a wee bit different, since my photo focuses on my very not happy DD, lol. I hope you can see the look on her face, she was very moody that day...

She was much happier this day, her usual cheerful self in fact. Had to use masking and/or stamping here. Love how you can alter a plain piece of cs so well with a little ink splashed about.

And finally, me, with paint, string, pp strips and an altered chippy. I have been loving altering chipboard lately, using inks, paint, embossing powder and tiny wee chips of mica sometimes even. So much fun to experiment with it all. The crochet heart is a leftover from the ones I made for my gift tags at Christmas. The creamy splodges on the background are paint used on a stamp. It turned out very indistinctly, but I like it anyway.

All of these pages used up stash. Except for the tree and fence, I didn't actually cut anything for any of them, everything was already made or cut to that size, and in my scraps folders, etc. I am so loving that I have managed some great pages this week with my scraps. Just goes to show we should be delving in there more often!

love, Heather"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Pages Galore

2012-01-23T13:42:00.000+10:00

I just realised I haven't been sharing my pages... I have been doing some secret ones but I forgot to share the ones I can share. The secret ones are for challenges coming up soon, but there are others that I've done over the last week or so, inspired by challenges from the forums I visit. I do love the creative minds that set a challenge and spark off so much other creativity, and I love seeing what everybody does with the same set of instructions or guidelines. It's endlessly fascinating.

I am on a stash buster kick at the moment, so almost all of these pages have been put together using up bits and pieces already cut, already made up, gifted by other scrappers during swaps or RAK items from friends. I have cut or made a few bits, but for the most part, the next month or so I am just using scraps - and loving the personal challenge :-)

First up here are my pages for Home and Scrapped and the Mid Week Challenges at Scrappy Sketches, both my own sites where the challenges were mine to start with.

Mid Week Sketch 3-12

I don't wear much red, or have much red in my life actually, but this new t-shirt has made me realise that it's not as bad as I thought. My DH and I have been together for half our lives now. The title says all there is to say about that.

Mid Week Sketch 2-12

My wild child using up more energy than is seemly (OK, more than I can muster, lol). I love all the different variations of banners/bunting that people use. This one was inspired by a journaling card I have, that has something similar printed on it. It's supposed to look like mini doilies.

Then there are a couple for Challenge Heaven, another site that I sketch for.

This is the December Sketch, which I turned on it's side and instead of one large photo, I used 4 smaller ones grouped together. Strong background colour for me, but it went so well with my daughter's bed linen.

And Rebekkah, who runs Challenge Heaven, set us a bonus challenge this month, to scrap-lift a page we like, preferably from CH, and I chose a page by Leah Cameron for it's elegant simplicity and different techniques. I rarely stamp straight onto a page, so I had to be brave, lol and just do it. Love the way it turned out. And yes, more red... but my daughter loves red and black, so it's not so unusual for her.

The butterflies came from pps I bought last year, aren't they pretty? One was BoBunny, but I can't find the name of the other one - must have thrown away the strip when I was cutting them out. I've bought a few pps just for cutting out the beautiful butterflies or flowers, it's a much more economical way to add embellishments to the stash. And I love butterflies, love putting them on my pages, so I am always looking...

And because I don't have enough to do (um, or something...) I recently joined another forum. The Scrapbooking Haven had a Cyber Crop this weekend, so I've been being very inspired by the DT's challenges and have been happily creating pages this weekend for that. Still a few to go, but we don't have to have them done till Thursday, so I will keep going because they are all good. Here's what I've done so far:

This was a card sketch challenge - more red, lol... must be a craze at the moment with me.

This was a white + one challenge, and the one was magenta. I didn't even know I had much in the way of magenta, but there you go, I had enough :-) I was inspired for this by my mother's magenta dress and I was delighted in the end, because this was the only half decent photo of her visit to Brisbane recently and it was a story I wanted to tell. I was putting it off a bit because of the photo, so this challenge was perfect and I love how it turned out. I used my delicious and treasured last snippet of the magenta Basic Grey I had to make the roses, and I think they set it off really well. The dark strip is a piece of velvet ribbon. Yum.

Believe it or not, this is quite a lot more yellow in real life. Dull day photography doesn't do much for some colours. The challenge was to use blue and yellow. I didn't cut or make a single thing for this page, it was already in my stash, tucked away here and there. I bet I could do a few pages like that...

I have actually done another page too, and I have one on the desk, so I will be back later with more to share. Hope you like what I've been doing so far. I wish I could share the other three I've done, but all will be revealed in time.

love, Heather"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

And Some More Flowers...

2012-01-17T12:31:00.003+10:00

I put some new flowers in my Flower Shop the other day - and promptly sold more than half of them! So excited, thanks girls :-) But, it did leave the Shop looking rather bare, so I had to get busy and make some more. It isn't a quick job really, so it's taken a few days of planning, cutting and sticking, but oh, they just look so scrumptious, it's worth every minute. There is just something satisfying about creating these little darlings, and I love it.

So, I just added 20 new packs! And I've decided to get a bit more organised and bring out a fresh new garden's worth at the beginning of every month, so look for them again in February, if you want to keep up a fresh supply.

Here are a few of the flower packs, but for the full range, head to the Flower Shop on this blog. All the details about how to have these little beauties on your desk to play with are at the bottom of that page.

And now that my desk is clear of snippets, petals and leaves, I am going to do some mending, then go scrap :-) It's raining today, a perfect scrapping day. My daughter has a pile of friends around and they are playing war games or some such thing (very ladylike I'm sure) and watching DVDs. I guess they will need feeding at some stage, teens are always hungry. Might be able to sneak a few photos for even more scrapping. Shhh!

love, Heather"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Crochet Goodness

2012-01-12T19:20:00.001+10:00

Have you seen the deliciousness that is Lime Tree Creations? Becci makes the nicest crochet doilies, lace strips and sweet little flowers - you have to check it out. And if you do it this month, you might be super lucky and win one of these lovely packs. Just look at those lovely colours! Just look at the hours of work that has gone into each one. Becci is always generous and her work is gorgeous (I know, I have some of it). {{smug}}

love, Heather"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

New Sketch and New Flowers

2012-01-11T10:40:00.001+10:00

I've been busy this morning, putting up some delicious new flower packs in the Flower Shop and adding a new Mid Week Sketch to ScrappySketches. More flowers on their way soon too, just had to share some, I love them so much, lol. I hope you do too.

So, not a lot of pages done recently, or anything else much either... but today I'm scrapping and mending, and making space in the garage so that I can take my big old desk out there and do it up. It's going to take a fair bit of prep before I can paint it, because whoever painted it before didn't use a good paint and it's scratching off. It will be worth it though.

love, Heather"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Cool

2012-01-05T10:32:00.001+10:00

I was checking out blogs the other day and came across a link to a new forum. The Scrapbook Haven looks like a nice one, so I joined. Made a page with their sketch and love it, such a good idea to just use ribbons as a background. I put the scalloped mat on thick pop dots and it looks really good, gives the ribbons some space.

There are so many great forums and blogs out there. Inspiration everywhere (have I said that before, lol?) and I am all fired up with mojo, so I'm happy to take a few on atm. I've done 8 pages so far this year, woo hoo!

Do you like my poppy? I made that last night and I was so thrilled with it. Going to make a few more today for my flower shop, which will be reopening soon with a whole new range.

Another couple of pages today, and then I think I will have to put the paper away and get the sewing machine out, because the sewing mojo is just as fired up as the scrapping mojo, lol.

love, Heather"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

New Sketch

2012-01-04T13:08:00.001+10:00

Looking for some inspiration? Have a look at my sketch blog, ScrappySketches. I have uploaded a new sketch today, the first of my new plan for a Mid Week Sketch, every week.

I have also been doing some fun pages from the challenges at Challenge Heaven. There are so many good challenges on blogs and forums to start the year with - a girl could just scrap non stop with all the inspiration out there. Love it! Here's the first page I did.

Had to use stamping and embossing on this one - messy, but heaps of fun. Love how it turned out. I should do more embossing straight onto the page, I like how it turned out.

love, Heather"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Pretty, pretty

2012-01-02T14:31:00.001+10:00

Do you like my new look blog? I am loving this design, it's so gorgeous to my eye. The background and header both came from Itkupilli, that uber clever and inspired Finnish artist - love her work! I had to change the size of the header, and used two different designs from Itkupilli for it, to get that fab distressed look. Thank goodness my DH was here, because I could just look all girlie and pathetic and he showed me what to do. Non-techy, me. But yes, that's me in the picture. Well, it is, inside. Pity the outside doesn't quite match, lol.

Speaking of my DH, I made him a kindle cover for Christmas, and it worked so well, that I thought I'd share. Going to make another one and do a tutorial to show you how to do it. Watch this space :-)

love, Heather"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Fresh New Start

2012-01-01T17:05:00.001+10:00

You have to love a new year. It always feels like such a great chance to start again somehow. It's not really any different to any other day or week, but it certainly feels like it is. The old and jaded is sloughed off with the night, and the day dawns with new hope. Well, that's what happens to me anyway. It just has a different feel to it.

I am really ready for a fresh new start, too. Last year had more than it's share of sadness, tension and worry for lots of us, despite the many good things that happened too.

This year, I want to focus on the good and the positive, much more. I have been aware of the power this holds for a long time, but I still have some negative people in my life, so I obviously still attract that a bit. Going to be taking responsibility for that this year, and getting my own positivity in order, so that is what I attract. That's how I believe the world works, and I'm not the type to deliberately walk under a ladder and think it's worth the risk, lol.

I have put up three challenges at Home and Scrapped today. Starting out the year with very good intentions, and even a bit of a bang, since I have actually done the pages already, yay!

This first one is for the journalling challenge. My daughter's friend took these great photos of her and I was delighted to find them on her camera. I have used various old embellishments that have been lurking - it's my intention to use up heaps of stash this year - and a pp I bought on sale last November. The big flower came from a friend in a swap and just happened to be perfect for the page.

The second one is for the colour challenge - more stash, and that was the last of those two pieces. More photos found on my daughter's camera, self portraits this time. Love them, I have to say, they are so much fun, just like she is.

And this is the sketch challenge - just a nice simple sketch that lets the photos shine. The ribbon is the string from an old pair of sweat pants - you find treasure everywhere if your eyes are open, lol - and the flower leaves are from my new Quickutz die that just arrived in the post a couple of days ago. I think it's an old one, but it's new to me and I think it's going to have a good bit of use. I made the journalling card from plain white cardstock, which I inked and stamped. Love these photos of my son and his puppy.

So, a good start to the year, with book reading, scrapping, blog hopping and a little stitching all thrown in. I hope your day has been positive and relaxed and that this year brings you peace, time to play, grow and be your best you.

love, Heather"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Favourite Layouts of 2011

2011-12-31T12:21:00.002+10:00

I have been inspired by others to go through my scrapbooking pages today and choose my favourite ones for the year. Here they are, in no particular order.

I am loving this new style I have going, stamping the background. It gives me quite a bit more freedom of expression and it's really fun to do.

Not to forget painting and stencilling the background. Love the dark grey with the acid green, but it all looked a bit dull until that little pop of pink, which seemed to make the rest just look good.

This is what started me out on the whole getting messy business. Love this layout, which was a challenge on Home and Scrapped by Angela Budden, combined with a tutorial on how to do it. This is one of the rarer pages in my collection, in that there is no journaling. But then, the title says it all.

Love the clean blue and white, the silver lettering and the mixed flowers. I don't use embossing much, but sometimes it's just exactly what you need.

I love my pot of roses and the beaded circle in this one. Also the little bird watching my Aunty working :-)

I should use negative space more often, I like it.

Twinchies, hand lettered title, using fairly simple lines to make it look complex.

Love this idea of having a group portrait and then using random photos with a bit of info about each person.

Loving that orange! So fresh and pretty without being boring old pink.

The patchwork I love, but the hearts really make this page, I think. Love scrapping the older photos.

Just like this one, love the softness and the pale colours, and that I didn't cut or make anything for it, it was all just stuff I already had made or scraps to hand. Also love that I captured my daughter just checking - she does that a lot, LOL.

Thanks 2011, you helped me tell our story a little bit more. Not all of it was good, and I'm kind of glad it's over. There are bits of 2011 that will stick in my memory forever but oh well, it's all part of life, learning, loving and living. I'd rather have been here than not, lol. We have ended up whole and happy and still standing, and that, my friends, counts for a lot.

love, Heather"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Get Inspired

2011-12-30T17:40:00.000+10:00

If you are looking for some scrappy inspiration to get you motivated and making pages this year coming, you will find all that you need at Home and Scrapped Challenge Heaven and Red Earth Scrapping three fab forums that have all sorts of goodness happening. New DTs, loads of challenges, chatting and friendship, and Oh My Gosh, so much inspiration! Join in, you won't be disappointed. And ~~if you do~~ when you do, you will find my sketches at H&S and CH for your scrapping pleasure :-)

Yep, not only am I challenging everyone all over the place at Home and Scrapped, but I am now doing two sketches every month at Challenge Heaven! Fun, fun, fun :-) I am just in the middle of doing my pages for the monthly challenges at H&S (will share later) and also the sketch for the CH Cyber Crop which is coming up soon. Oh, and I must tell you, both places have also had a bit of a transformation and update. Both looking very pretty in their new summer dresses ;-)

It's been such a nice day, just pottering here in my scraproom, with no other commitments, apart from rushing out to get the washing in when it started to rain. Of course, it stopped as soon as it was all safely inside, tsk... I don't really want to be not-working, but if I am not-working, then this is what I want to be doing - stitching, crafting, making pretty with paper. I hope you are getting time for some creative fun too.

love, Heather"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Assessing and Wishing

2011-12-29T12:37:00.003+10:00

This time of year is all about assessment and reassessment, don't you think? Reviewing what has been and what maybe should have been. That's how it gets me anyway. I wonder how it would be if we didn't name the years, and we just had to carry on with only the seasons for change? I suspect we would still have this assessing time, just at the end of winter before the spring arrives or something. It's necessary in lots of ways, I think.

One thing I've been assessing is this blog. I've been a bit of a bad blogger this year. And part of that is that I want it to be more than just about scrapping now. I love lots of other crafts and things too, so I'm going to start bringing those into my blog too, sharing creativity in all it's forms. I feel a reawakening of all that I used to love, and all the new things to love and explore are mustering on the horizon as well, waiting for attention. Pretty exciting.

Anyway, more of that later. For now, I just want to say that I wish you every happiness in 2012. I hope that good stalks you in every moment, that you find peace, comfort, pleasure and well being and that you are surrounded by love from all and sundry. I wish you well and safe and happy, whatever comes your way. I hope you get to the end of the year with roses in your cheeks and with a lot of good memories. x

love, Heather"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Time Slip

2011-11-23T19:32:00.001+10:00

I can't believe it was August the last time I was here. What? How does life do that - slip by while you are busy fiddling about living it, and disappear forever?

I have some excuses, but not many. I moved house. I started working again. I am naturally idle, my mojo has been a little sluggish ... um... I'm sure there is something else I've forgotten. Oh, that'll do: I'm forgetful :-D

I have a nice new scraproom to play in at the new house, and it's been quite a rearrangement of my craft space with this move. I used to sew, you see. I used to sew and sew and sew. But then I fell into the open doors of my then local scrapbook shop and the thimble had to share with the glue stick. Then I damaged all the ligaments in my wrists and sewing was too painful for ages, even strapped up. So the glue stick, which had been biding it's time quietly, took over.

I've always been a secret stationery lover. That line in You've Got Mail about a bouquet of sharpened pencils, I get that. The idea gives me a little thrill. I love paper, pencils and scissors, and everything to do with them, really. If there was an apocalypse it's paper I'd miss most. Well, that and chocolate... and quite a lot more actually, but you get my point - a world where paper production stopped would be a very strange and somehow lonely place.

So, with this move, there is much more space dedicated to paper pursuits than there is to fabric pursuits. For the first time in my adult life, my space isn't called my Sewing room/area, even in my heart. This room is my Scraproom.

I had to change things a fair bit, because I lost the big bookcase I used to have, and the cupboard in here is only half the size of the last one, which was in turn, half the size of the one in the house before that. Eeek, just as well I'm OK at de-cluttering. Mind you, having just made that bold statement, we won't discuss the boxes still needing attention in the garage, shhh. Back to the Scraproom. I have a one door built in cupboard, behind which I've put a little metal shelf unit from Ikea, $16. Can't argue much about that price... It is the perfect size for my paper and cardstock stash, the folders that hold all my scrap offcuts and the boxes that hold my ribbons. It's good, there is no space for junk so there is none. Love it. When I am scrapping, the door is open, when I'm not, the door is shut and the room looks tidy. Shhh, I know the desk is a mess, but I'm doing something.

The something I am doing is Christmas cards and presents. And a couple of swaps. I fear the desk will be messy for a while. I'll share the cards soon. In the meantime, here are some of the layouts I've done in the few months since August. Sorry for being absent, but I'm back now. :-)

love, Heather"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Challenge Scrapfest

2011-08-14T16:31:00.001+10:00

I've had myself a little bit of a scrapfest the last few days, doing some of the excellent challenges on Home & Scrapped and Challenge Heaven. I love doing challenges, I have to say. There is something fun about making things fit the parameters, finding just the right photos to go with the theme required - and making it your own, telling the stories that make up your own life.

This page is a combination of challenges from H&S and Challenge Heaven. I don't often combine challenges, but sometimes it just works. I don't have very many photos of my father either, but I managed to get this one at Christmas time last year. It's good to have this part of my father's story told in some small way.

These two cards were a challenge to use some of the flowers from a recent swap. I've spritzed smooch all over them to add a bit of glamour because they turned out a little duller than I thought they'd be. Love smooch spritz, so pretty.

A sketch challenge from Home & Scrapped. I altered the background cs with a bit of paint on a dry brush - it's such an easy technique, you wouldn't think it could change the feel so much.

Another altered background, but this time stamps and inking to give a plain white background a unique and much softer feel. I used four different stamps here. This was a H&S challenge to use the word Friend in the title, use some flowers from a recent swap and it had a bit of a recipe attached too: 1 scallop, 2 pps, 3 flowers, 4 brads. I didn't cut anything for this page, it was all already cut and in my stash. That's always satisfying.

Ah yes, Summer Breeze... this one was supposed to be the challenge above, but I got carried away with some of the criteria and forgot what I was about! Oh well, happy to have another page done and the story of my daughter's happy day told in words and pictures.

The August Sketch at H&S, and a bit of a change for me in terms of white space. I often fill my pages, so it was quite refreshing to be a little more restrained. I should do it more often perhaps.

This car is about to be sold, he's not in love with it anymore... I thought I'd better scrap it before it goes. The coin was found in the car, so I thought it appropriate to put it here. This was a Challenge Heaven challenge, use Black or White with red and pink - I got to use pink on a Boy Page! Yes, there is pink, and doesn't it go well? :-)

Oooh, the yumminess of these delightful colours, love it. A colour challenge from Challenge Heaven, and who knew I had all those turquoise flowers waiting to be loved? This was also a title challenge at Home & Scrapped. I must find some more of this yummy silver card, it looks so nice.

I participated in a couple of Twinchie swaps recently and they were so pretty. I think I need to make myself a stash of them to have on hand, it's a great little embellishment. Another page for the Swap Challenges at Home.

And here is a little canvas I made with some more of the Twinchie swaps. I couldn't resist making a little wall hanging. I love the creative variety of these little works of art, and the way they go so well together. I covered the canvas in book paper, paper doily, patterned paper and mulberry paper, stamped, inked and glimmer misted it and then mod podged the lot.

This final page is one from a personal challenge I was set by some of my cyber friends. I was challenged to use no flowers, geometric shapes for the photos (no circles or squares) and to create a scrap stash frame for the page. It was quite a challenge for me, I can tell you. I have an aversion to funny shaped photos, but in the end, I quite enjoyed this way of putting together some odd photos of my precious pets that didn't really otherwise go together. And I loved going out of my comfort zone with the scrappy frame. That's something I hope to repeat another time.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

2011-08-07T23:02:00.000+10:00

I had a flick through my photos today and thought it was time to get some new ones. I've just about used up the last lot. I usually get a whole heap printed at one time rather than print at home in spits and spats. Might need to take a few, too...

In the meantime, I have scrapped a few pages. The first one is the sketch challenge at Challenge Heaven this month (my sketch - yay). See the little embellishment above the photos? That is a wall plaque that was on the wall above the sofa in this flat, and I just cut around the photo of it and popped it out with foam spots.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Flower Shop

2011-07-30T12:06:00.001+10:00

My flower shop is brimming with some lovely new blooms ready for you to fall in love with - go have a look, and let me know what you think. Everyone who purchases 3 or more flower sets in August will go in the draw to win some of my flower shop blooms :-)

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Pages to Share

2011-07-30T12:04:00.001+10:00

I have been busy in the last week or so, doing a few pages here and there, and making friends and flowers.

I forgot to mention the H&S Cyber Crop, which was last weekend. I won the Viewer's Choice Award, for this double page, a sketch by Karen with a butterfly theme. I got to use my lovely new butterfly die :-) I also used some flowers from a swap, made by Kerri, and all sorts of other bits and pieces from my cyber friends. Such a joy to have my pages enhanced by my friends around the world. Thanks girls :-)

I did several other pages for the CC, too.

And a few other pages besides. I really must get back in the habit of sharing straight away...

I see my family well reflected in these pages. Here we are doing our stuff. Some of it anyway... So much goes on behind the scenes in any family, that doesn't make it to the page, and yet, looking at the pages that are done brings back the feel of family life in an instant. I love scrapbooking :-)

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

In an Orange Mood

2011-07-12T13:08:00.000+10:00

I am loving orange atm. It's such a good colour, and can go from sunny, bright and cheerful to warm and cosy in a flash. Here are my three latest layouts, all orange.

I'm loving the new dies that I bought at the Scrapbooking and Papercraft Expo in Brisbane last month, and the ones my sister and niece own - such luck to have family members who scrap too, so we can play with each other's pretties :-) The first layout here has die cuts from my sister and niece, the second one from all of us, the third one from me and my niece :-)

I won a prize! Well, I won two actually, woo hooo! The first one was from Lime Tree Creations, and it's the most delicious little pack of crochet doilies from the hands of the very talented and busy Becci. I am going to have fun with that delish pack for ages :-) The second prize was from Challenge Heaven, for my layout Picture Perfect, the one of my parents. So happy about that, because I loved that layout. That was a gift voucher to spend at Scrapbook Boutique (yay!) and my parcel is now on it's way to me from that little shopping venture.

I've also sent out quite a pile of little prizes for the lucky winners at Home and Scrapped from our last Cyber Crop, and I'm sure there are going to be some happy girls when the postie comes - hope so anyway, lol.

It's nearly time for the next Cyber Crop at Home and Scrapped too, can hardly wait. I've had a sneak peak at some of the challenges and it's going to be fun! I am putting together a tutorial too, more about that later :-)

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Day and Night

2011-06-20T12:22:00.001+10:00

I've finished the final two challenges for Challenge Heaven's Cyber Crop :-) Such good challenges, it was easy to get the pages done and some more stories told. The overall theme of the CC was Day & Night, and here are two pages that fit that theme. The first one is being out in the sunshine and the second one is sleepy.

Do you like my glittery clouds? I bought some Art Glitter recently, it's all microbeads, real glass chips, glitter and icy looking bits. Love it!

This is my little Freya puss, the sweetest and most loving little cat on the planet. She lives to love and be loved, she's totally soppy. Hope that little birdy is safe there.... ;-)

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Sunday Scrapping

2011-06-19T17:47:00.001+10:00

I've done a few pages this weekend for the Cyber Crop at Challenge Heaven. I've completed three so far, with a day or two yet to finish the next ones. One is actually finished, but it's gone dark for some strange reason so I can't photograph it with my dodgy little camera. Could it be dark because the day is somehow finished already, lol? How did that happen, it must have been one of those Short Sundays the government is bringing in... (let's blame the government, they get blamed for everything else, lol).

This was fun to put together - and unexpected. I didn't expect to get busy with the silver ink for a start, lol. I had a plain red page that's been lurking in the stash for ages, unloved. But it happened to match the red in the striped paper, so obviously it was in with a chance this time. The challenge required silver and I don't use much silver, but it was fun today, and silver, red and black go so well together. The photos are my DH at Christmastime last year, having some halo fun.

This was a Blind Scrap, which is always a little bit scary, lol. But it worked out just fine, I love it. I had forgotten to gather my supplies so I was a little bit behind, but it doesn't matter in the end, does it, when you have your page in front of you.

For this page, which was a colour challenge + paint, I swished white paint over with a dry brush, then stencilled through a clock mask. I only used precut pps for this, and premade embellishments. Didn't make a single cut, it was all from the stash. I should do more pages like that and use up some of the scrap stash...

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

The Expo and Anniversary Challenges

2011-06-14T22:31:00.001+10:00

I've just had a lovely time at the Scrapbooking and Papercraft Convention and Expo in Brisbane this weekend, though it was smaller than last year I'm sure... and there was hardly any paper for sale! Lots of things to do with paper and on paper, but not much actual paper for sale. I was hoping to see heaps of new ranges, especially since there are now a pathetic range of brick and mortar shops available to browse in. I so miss Scrapbook City in Brisbane, why oh why did it just vanish like that? :-( Oh well, the Expo gave me plenty to look at, feel, touch and drool over.

I came home from the Expo much poorer in one sort of paper that we love, and much richer in things to do with and on the other sort we all love. I bought some new dies, some rather gorgeous chipboard, inks, etc, etc. Much fun.

I've done three new pages for the H&S Anniversary challenges.

This one was to celebrate all the online friendships made and all the little pretties we send each other from time to time in swaps, as little gifts, etc. I have things on this page from Mistra, Karen, Melissa, Joy and Suzanne and a scraplifted idea from Trisha, so it's truely made up from my online friends - thanks girls :-)

This was a Step by Step I set for the girls of Home and Scrapped. I really enjoyed swiping paint across my page with a dry brush. I really should do that more often, it's so effective and fun.That cute alpha is my new alpha die that I bought at the Expo, love it! It's from WonderHouse - good luck finding it here, I know it's available from VicSew, because that's who I bought it from at the Expo, but I can't find it on their website.

What can I say? She is pretty cool. This challenge was to celebrate the 2nd anniversary at Home and Scrapped, so it had to have: 2 photos, 2 pieces of pp, 2 pieces of cs, 2 word title, 2 embellishment groupings, 2 techniques (I did inking and distressing), 2 old things and 2 new things. I also added 2 butterflies, 2 journaling tags, 2 hearts 2 ribbons, 2 brads and 2 buttons. Yep, that was pretty cool to do too :-)

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Almost Half Way

2011-06-10T08:19:00.000+10:00

It's June - we are almost half way through the year, almost half way to Christmas again! Eeek, what have I done with my year? Where did it go? I really must control this blinking problem, it'll be next Easter before I know it at this rate!

At least this week I have something to show for my time. Don't you hate how half of the stuff you do (at least) isn't noticable to anyone unless it's not done? At least scrapping is something that stays done.

These are all pages based on the H&S June Challenges. Still getting into the Anniversary Challenges, I'll share them soon.

This one is the sketch challenge, using some Twinchies. Love that orange fringed braid, it's sooo deliciously lush and soft. The bird was given to me by my sister, who had a trip to Europe recently and found a few little treasures while she was touring. It was Easter there, and there were heaps of pretties around.

This was the stash challenge. We had to use some diecuts or punched things that have been lurking in our stash for a while. I used the scalloped lace, the flowers, heart and flourishes - I didn't cut anything specially for the layout. Hardly made a dent in the stash, but it's a start. :-)

This one was a quote challenge. The quotes were all about friendship. I used the technique that was taught at the last Cyber Crop to make my page. Such a great way to make a page, I love it!

For this page, the challenge was a journaling one - to make a list of what you like right now. It will be great to look back at this one and remember the things on the list. We all change so much in small subtle ways, I'm sure I'll enjoy this little step back in history at some stage.

I am going to the Scrapbook and Papercraft Convention and Expo in Brisbane tomorrow. I've only been once before, and that was enough to make me want to go each and every year forever! Such an abundance of ideas, pretties, and scrappiness. Bliss... I can hardly wait - only one sleep to go :-)

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Anniversary Party

2011-06-04T11:05:00.000+10:00

Home and Scrapped is 2 this week! We are a happy little band of scrappers, just pottering along with our lives and fitting as much scrapping as we can into them and we've been sharing and chatting away now for two whole years, making new friends along the way and being inspired by each other too. Two Years - woo hooo!

I started H&S after another forum I was on was about to collapse and I couldn't bear to lose my cyber friends. We've grown a bit since then, and we've all evolved and grown as scrappers, too. It's been a fabulous ride, and I'm proud to be a part of the friendly, close community of Home.

We are celebrating our good fortune and friendship this week with a week long Anniversary Party. There are challenges, games, fun things to do and tutorials, along with heaps of chances for winning some pretties. Want to join us? You're welcome to come and see what it's like to be part of it all and find out just how comfortable and easy belonging can be :-) It's not called Home for nothing.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

A New Page and Some Candy

2011-06-01T16:46:00.002+10:00

Blog candy! The sweet and clever Becci has a giveaway for someone. Look how pretty it is, go check Becci's blog and do what you have to do to win - um, no, actually, don't do it, stay away and let me win it, LOL. No, honestly, go check it out, it's beautiful.

I made a page today about why I scrap.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

A few pages

2011-05-31T13:43:00.001+10:00

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Cyber Crop Pages

2011-05-24T22:40:00.001+10:00

The painting of furniture and other things took a back seat for a minute or two this weekend while I played cyber crop with the girls at Home and Scrapped. I was taken kicking and fussing right out of my comfort zone into a messy zone which I was a bit worried about (imagine little toe reluctantly testing the fast cold river and you have me, lol) but ooooh, the water was niiiiice! I loved it, I am very proud of my page and I want to do more please :-) I discovered the edges of my comfort zone are elastic after all, and, brave reader, there is nothing to fear out there.

Here is my page: we had to stick all sorts on the background, use paint, ink, rubons, stamps, etc and layer it all up. My sister thinks we should make some backgrounds and ask some manufacturers to print them, they're so good. Mmmm, my, wouldn't that be fun?

Then there were a few other challenges that were just gorgeous too, I love the creativity behind the girls at Home, you can always trust them to think up something original and interesting.

And finally, I am at last getting around to doing the month's challenges, before the month runs out on me... it's trying hard to get to the end very fast.

This page was for the colour challenge, grey and aqua. Lovely combo, I really like it, it can be anything from soft to daring. Mine is in the soft range.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Big Cyber Crop Weekend Ahead

2011-05-18T15:53:00.000+10:00

It's a big CC weekend for me this weekend, so I am hoping to break the drought! I will be attending the Home & Scrapped CC and the Red Earth Scrapping CC - and I am sure the girls at both will have some fantastic challenges for us. It's always a delight to see the inspiration flying about at Cyber Crops, love it!

If you have any time to spare, join in one or both, I know you'll be welcomed with open arms.

PS I will have a couple of little flower tutorials happening at Home and Scrapped this weekend too... if you've been bitten by the flower fairy, you might be interested.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Pretty Flowers

2011-05-14T10:33:00.001+10:00

Have you seen my new flower shop? Here's a sneak peek at some of the yummies you can find there (it's up there, on a tab - see it?). Go there for some handmade goodness to delight your scrap senses and enhance your pages.

See, I haven't been doing nothing in the last month. My scrapping might have taken a bit of a backseat to other less delightful pursuits, but the urge to create and share is still burning. In my spare scrappy moments, I have been making pretty flowers for you. Head to the flower shop regularly to see new flowers popping up and making happy.

And guess what, there are two pages on my desk, just waiting for me to finish them and share with you, and today is all mine to play with them - yay!

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Pretty in Pink

2011-04-05T09:31:00.001+10:00

I seem to be on a pink roll atm. I have hardly done any pink layouts, despite having a daughter... she's never been into pink much, but recently she's decided hot pink is acceptable. Please, she's 16, I've had to wait ages! I don't expect it to last though, so I'm taking advantage while I can :-)

These three pages are all for the April challenges at Home and Scrapped - I know, I can hardly believe it myself, because I haven't done the March ones at all yet. I'm so fast I've got burn marks, lol... oh sorry, that's ink. My mistake, hehehe.

The first one is a title challenge, the second a stash challenge and the third a colour challenge. I've used stash for all of them though, and the last one I didn't actually cut any of those pps or bits, they all came out of the stash folder as is. The purple swirl pp is the first pp I ever bought, years ago when I first discovered the delights and drooled over the new LSS in town. I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven... hey, there is going to be pretty paper in Heaven, isn't there?

These little darlings are for a new swap I am involved in, on Kerri's blog, for Twinchies - two inch squares all decorated up. Loved doing these, they were heaps of fun. I will be making some more, for sure, there is just so much you can squeeze onto a two inch square! I used chipboard, paper, vellum, paper doily, paint, ink, glimmermist, braid and stamen and I painted, inked, scrunched, rolled, glued, snipped, diecut and stamped!

Head on over to Ideas for Scrapbookers for a great tutorial about adding a bit of dimension to your layouts.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

A Good Start

2011-04-02T17:45:00.000+10:00

I've had a good start to the month, with several pages completed, woo hoo!

My first page is from a kit sent to me by an online scrapping friend, as part of a Kit Swap that we were participating in. It's a fun way to do a page, you just put up your photos and someone is chosen to send you a kit to scrap them with. My kit came from the lovely Suzanne in California this time around, and she did a wonderful job choosing luscious colours, papers, flowers, bling and other bits for me to scrap these photos of my daughter. The lovely birdcage and floral bit on the bottom right was part of a pp by Websters Pages, Postcards from Paris. The tag in the heart pocket is also from that pp, it's cut from the top corner. The title is Thickers Rainboots. Cute name.

My next pages are all pages for Challenge Heaven, the first one from the March challenges, the next two the start of my April pages.

Looking forward to tomorrow, because I know I'm going to get another page or two done and I am loving all the challenges this month that are inspiring me :-)

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Little Robots

2011-03-25T15:47:00.000+10:00

I had a thoroughly good time making these little cuties - it's amazing how much personality a few squares and scraps and snippets can have! They are for a swap I am involved with at Challenge Heaven, and I am loving them. I'm going to have to make a few I think, the one I will end up with will need a few friends... Such a good idea to have a go at boy embellishments, because there is precious little in the shops.

I will do a tutorial on these if you like - just leave me a comment and I will get it organised :-)

The robots was one swap, and there was another one too, with an Easter theme. I wanted to make abaskets, but I didn't really want to paper piece. In the end, after procrastingating for long enough, I decided to just get on with it, lol. Made up a little pattern and spent a happy afternoon cutting, inking and sticking. The photo had to be taken in early morning light, so it's a bit shadowed, but you get the idea - cute! I used up so many little scrappy bits making all those eggs, too - bonus! These are about the size of a coaster and I think they will look pretty good on a page, so I must remember to take a few photos this Easter and have fun making sure.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Red Pages

2011-03-23T13:12:00.001+10:00

I have completed the layouts now for Red Earth Scrapping Cyber Crop and I love them. The challenges were beautifully inspiring, and helped me to create pages I am delighted with. The theme was "inspiring women" and of course, there are just so many inspiring women in our lives, so it was great to get a couple more of those stories told.

I have updated my blog list today. I realised that I was following a lot of very clever ladies, but hadn't put them on my list, so I updated and they're there now. Go check them out, such inspiring pages and fabulous ideas!

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Two More for the CC

2011-03-21T22:26:00.000+10:00

I finished two more pages today for the H&S Cyber Crop. Very happy with both of them. This first one was a challenge about using ephemera on our pages. I do have some printed material and postcards, etc, but I decided to go with these photos of my son when he broke his hand on Australia Day - chalk another one up to youth...

I've used his wrist band from the hospital and some of his actual bandage on the page. Bandage makes an interesting "ribbon" don't you think?

And this one was for the sketch challenge that I put up. Love this photo of my Mother and me.

Another successful weekend :-) Had lots of fun with the girls, chatting and hanging out together online. Just a couple of pages to go for Red Earth now.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Pages and Pages of Fun

2011-03-20T11:41:00.001+10:00

Well, I've had a lovely time scrapping this weekend - and another day left of it yet (not a whole day, since I've spent half of it yakking already, lol). But there's enough of it left that I can do some more pages for the Cyber Crops I'm taking part in. So many excellent challenges, nice and creative.

Here are the pages I've done so far for Home and Scrapped:

And here is my first page for Red Earth, about some of the most inspiring women in my life - my mother and her sisters:

And I've even managed a couple of other pages, here's a couple I've done for Challenge Heaven:

And one more for Home and Scrapped.

So you see, I haven't been doing nothing! And to top it off, my house is tidy, woo hoo. Gotta love days like that :-)

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Home and Scrapped Cyber Crop

2011-03-18T08:45:00.001+10:00

Looking for something to do this weekend that will get your creative juices flowing? Head on over to Home and Scrapped for some fun challenges that will do just that. It's only a little site, but it's packed full of goodness.

There is also a Cyber Crop on this weekend at Red Earth Scrapping - some fabulous challenges there as well, with an excellent theme about the inspiring women in our lives - something we all have in common there. If you are looking for inspiration, the challenges and gallery there is the place to go.

I haven't been around for a while, and there is nothing quite like having a neglected blog to show you just how fast the weeks can disappear. I have done a little scrapping while I've been awol, and made a few really nice little flowers. More of that later... in the meantime, here are two layouts I did of my DH.

These were both challenges at Home and Scrapped - the first one is a fun one called Build A Page where several people join the challenge and each person takes it in turn to add another step to the page. We have created some good pages together that way, and I always love watching it evolve and grow into something good. And it always amazes me how different they all look just by using different photos, colours and papers, and of course the different embellishments to suit.

I have a clear desk today except for the almost finished page on it, and a clear house as well, so hopefully the two will go together nicely to make me a happy scrappy day and I can share even more with you. See you soon :-)

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Early Monday

2011-03-07T08:24:00.000+10:00

It's not even 8.30 yet, but I have just finished a page - gotta like that :-) OK, I admit I started it yesterday, but it's still nice to feel like I've achieved something already, this early in the day. It's a Pencil Lines sketch, clean and simple and nice. Sorry I can't tell you which one it is though... Always worth looking at Pencil Lines though, there is always something good to see there.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Sunday Scrapping

2011-03-06T14:24:00.000+10:00

I've been doing a little scrapping this weekend, which has been nice. It's a gorgeous day and I suppose I should be out there enjoying it - or weeding, one or the other... not that weeding isn't satisfying in it's own way. However, scrapping has taken priority and this is what I've managed so far:

They're from the March challenges at Challenge Heaven.

Onto the next one now :-)

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Scrap Room Makeover

2011-03-04T13:21:00.002+10:00

I have been starting the big make over of my scraproom at last! So much joy in a little can of paint and some pretty paper :-)

My scraproom, like a lot of others, is furnished from left overs and odd bits of furniture found free or cheaply - nothing matches, not much is gorgeous, but it all works for me, to create the work space and storage that I need. Scrap stuff all takes up so much space, doesn't it? I am quite spoilt, I suppose, because I have an actual room of my own, a left over from the time that I ran a craft business from home.

In my room I have an old oak desk that I found in a junkyard under about 12 layers of paint, another desk that looks to be a home made job. It's not very elegant but with 5 drawers down one side and good sturdy shelves at the back it's very useful. It just needs a new worktop and a lick of paint. It's a great desk for a scraproom, and it's next on my fix it list. Next to my oak desk sits an old tea trolley that I rescued off the street on bin day and revamped. It's particularly useful because it has two fold up flaps to give me extra workspace when I need it.

There is also a large bookcase, that houses all my papers and cardstock in 12x12 folders, some A4 folders that I keep all my off cuts and scraps in, colour coordinated, some Ikea drawers (they don't do them any more, mores the pity) and boxes for my ribbons, chippies, etc.

Last week I painted the little shelf unit that sits at the end of my desk and houses all my flowers, diecuts and stamps. I particularly like that little shelf unit because it started life when I found a length of pine in the rafters of our garage left behind by a previous tennant. So I "rescued" it and handed it to my father with a request for shelves. He cut it in half lengthways to make it narrower, and to give twice as much board, and duly made me a great little shelf unit. I have had it now for nearly 2 years, so it was definitely time to get the paint out.

When I was finished, I rearranged all my flowers and die cuts on it. I also covered an old round carboard box with some gorgeous paper and some handmade flowers, and decorated little wooden storage boxes that were originally for CDs. Perfect for glues and glimmer mists. I bought some A5 folders and added some zip lock inserts which I keep die cuts in. So handy to have them all right there, easy access! I keep all my acrylic stamp sheets in the A5 folders too, in plastic sleeves. I love being able to flip through them to see what to use.

I had a bit of "storage envy" when I first saw the lovely clip-it-up system. Out of my price range unfortunately, but I came up with an alternative. I sorted all my flattish embellishments into little zip lock bags and I have them in an old singer sewing drawer on my shelves, easy to get at and find just the right bits to use on a page. I find I use the bits way more now that they are just there, too.

In the oak drawers, I keep buttons and odd bits in compartmented plastic boxes, also very easy access. Hope you like the pictures of the start of my make over.

And here are a few other bits from my room. Still a long way to go, but this is a start I am happy with.

The lovely big word on top of my shelves came from some online scrapping friends when we met at last, at a retreat last year. Oh, and if you want to know what the pretty pps are, they are from Kaisercraft, the old Vagabond range. I love the crushed raspberry and eucalyptus colours, and the patterns are just perfect for my room, which is a little bit shabby chic style.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Blog RAK Winner

2011-03-02T21:23:00.000+10:00

Thank you to everyone who has left me a comment this month, it's been lovely to hear from you and to know I'm not just talking to myself here, lol ;-) Lovely to get a little feedback in the pursuit of our craft, too.

I put everyone's name on pieces of paper, put them in a hat (no fancy shmancy random number generators here, my scrap room is happily low tech) and shoogled it around, and pulled out ... Dale Tiernan! Congratulations Dale, thank you for becoming a follower and leaving me some encouragement, my little green pack is yours to enjoy.

I think I'll do this again some time, it was fun to put together. :-)

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Hump Day pages

2011-03-02T16:55:00.000+10:00

Another week we've come to the middle of... the slippery slide now begins towards another weekend. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the weekend... it's just that it's another week gone by. Again. Oh well, at least they are good weeks at the moment, that counts for something. Lots of friendship and time to scrap and play.

I made a pile of cards this week. I'm particularly fond of this one with the tree and all that stitching. Must do that on a page soon, I think it looks good. There's something about the stitching going off the green in wild ovals. Funny how being messy and random is sometimes trickier than being tidy... Anyway, this card also uses up a few bits of scrap left from other projects, something cards are particularly good for.

Here are some of the other cards I made.

They were all done from sketches I made for Home and Scrapped and the Mid Week Challenge last week. This week's challenge was a Step By Step layout, and here is my page from that challenge, my DH still asleep early one morning when I sneaked out to my scraproom.

And this is a sketch by Pencil Lines and features a flourish by Mistra, some flowers from a swap and some lettering from a RAK I received from an online friend. Lots of my pages have bits of online friends on them, and it always gives me a thrill to use all those tokens of friendship.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Catching up with Challenges

2011-02-24T08:54:00.000+10:00

I've been catching up with some challenge pages this week, although I don't seem to be getting very far ahead, because of not doing any for a while. Still, some great ideas for pages, so I'm happy to play catch up :-)

This one is one of my sketches for Home and Scrapped. See the blue Marilyn flower in the corner - I'm enjoying making a few of her flowers, they are so pretty on the page and especially go well with little rolled roses, I think.

This one is a challenge about transport from Challenge Heaven. Love these photos my sister took of our girls waving Grandma and Grandad off on the train, with them both peeking through the window. Great capture. I used a variety of flowers here, some made from vellum (that crinkles up nicely!) some felt, paper and cardstock, bought and handmade.

Another one for Home and Scrapped - a colour challenge of plum, taupe and chocolate. Sucn nice colours to work with. This is my lovely Aunty and Uncle on their wedding day - look at that dress, sooo nice, wish I had it! Don't you love that Prima flower and the pretty tag? My niece gave them to me as part of my Christmas gift - yummy :-)

Another one for Challenge Heaven, a word challenge this time. I scraplifted the hearts idea from a scrappy friend, Kerri, it was so nice had to have it!

Another sketch, from Challenge Heaven this time, with photos of my daughter that continue the story of her hair obsession... I fear it's a never-ending tale!

Still working my way through a few more this week, so much inspiration to tempt me.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Pretty flowers

2011-02-19T09:24:00.001+10:00

Ooooh, just had a look at Ideas for Scrapbookers blog and they have a featured artist today who has shared a really funky flower tutorial, which is also on her blog, Treasuring Memories. Such a great twist on the usual folding one I do, I'm playing with this right now and they look fabulous! But don't just go for the tutorial, Marilyn does beautiful scrapping, she's a clever lady.

Here are the first two flowers I made, on the pp I made them from. Sooo pretty! Thanks Marilyn, I love them. :-)

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Visiting Blogland

2011-02-17T13:38:00.001+10:00

Been visiting lately? I have. I loooove blogland - so, so much creativity, inspiration and help out there, I am constantly amazed and delighted. Who could ever be bored?

Here are some good ones that I have found recently:

Leelou Blogs has a couple of videos to watch on photo editing and digital scrapping, so interesting, even if you don't digi. Leelou has some pretties for blogs, too.

My Space and the Things I Love is a gorgeous blog in Spanish - just click on the translate button if you need to.

Another blog in Spanish is Artist Team Club, which has some great tutorials for interesting techniques to use on ATCs - but you can use those techniques on any other scrapping medium, of course.

And here's one everybody except me already knew about, apparently, because I was visitor 106,726... Kathy Link - what can I say- fabulous!

As is Crop Addict, mmmm, slurp :-)

Help Me Ronda is another fun place to be, so many nice ideas.

I'll find more another day. That's enough to keep us all occupied for now :-) Bliss to be so surrounded by such beauty.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Blog Candy RAK

2011-02-16T14:33:00.004+10:00

I have a little surprise for my lovely followers :-)

I was browsing a charity shop the other day and came across a couple of lime green doilies. I know, lime green - usually it's all ecru and white. They weren't long on the shelf after I saw them, I can tell you, lol. The hand was quicker than the eye!

I have started the arduous process of pulling them all apart, very carefully so as to not lose any stitches, and I thought that someone in blogland might just like some of these.

So, I've put together a very nice little collection with some of the doily flowers, some crochet flowers that I made last month, a fabric flower, some vintage mother of pearl buttons and covered buttons, ribbon and ric-rac, journaling cards and a generous pile of Cuttlebugged Hippie Chick letters - um.... and some fabric and paper hearts. I think that's it. I love it, and if you do too, become a follower AND leave me a comment, and I will draw a name out of my sunhat at the end of this month for one lucky person to win the whole pretty pile. Feel free to tell others on your blog, too.

And here it is:

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Some recent challenge layouts

2011-02-16T14:21:00.001+10:00

I haven't done much scrapping lately. My son broke his hand and I've been playing nursemaid-Mama-comforter for a couple of weeks. He has gone home again now, not that he can manage to do much for himself, but at least he can dress himself and cook toast, etc now. Loooong story, but he's had some deep thinking to do about it all and the consequences of actions, shall we say. I don't grudge a second spent with my son, but I do wish it hadn't happened to him and I do fervently hope nothing else like that happens to him again, for his sake. Scrapping and all the other things that got put on hold are nothing in comparison to having the use of your hands, and being well.

Anyway, these are the pages I have managed to do in amongst it all. This first one was my entry into the DT competition at Red Earth - didn't win, but loved the challenge and had fun creating this page of my sister. The scrap of paper at the bottom right of the photo was handmade by my sister's husband, so it's kind of special.

This one was made for a challenge at Home & Scrapped - a step by step challenge that I put up for the girls last week. I rarely do the challenges before I put them up, I just seem to love to be challenged too, lol. I was challenged this time, too. I had hardly any photos left to scrap (well, actually, I have about a million in old albums and boxes, but who's counting?) but I was lucky, these photos of my little brother and my niece were just right.

The next two were challenges on Challenge Heaven for December/January. I didn't get them up in time because of the whole broken hand drama, but I had already chosen my photos and papers so I did them anyway. I'm not an apricot person, so "White or Black with Apricot" was interesting, until I found this pretty apricot in my stash - it's amazing what's in there... That made it quite easy to put together, and I found I had quite a bit of apricot actually.

This was another colour challenge. I like colour challenges, they're interesting. I have to tell you it's not just my brother in law who can make paper. My husband made the green swirly paper here. He used to experiment with photography and his computer and made some really amazing images. He had some printed out and they happen to have fallen into my hands recently. This particular layout has quite a few bits and pieces given to me by my scrappy friends. Love that I can make layouts that remind me not just of the subject, but my friends around the world.

I am so hoping to get into the scrapping a bit more this week, now that I have some time, and before the next thing happens to stop me. So many good challenges out there in blogland and on forums, I am just drooling with anticipation, lol!

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Online Safety

2011-02-10T08:20:00.000+10:00

Do yourself a favour and go and read this blog post about online safety - we all need to be reminded occasionally that it's not just friends who read us. It's not grim, but it is sensible, so please go read and think about what it says.

I'll be back later with some pages :-)

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Challenge Pages

2011-01-27T12:34:00.000+10:00

The rest of the cyber crop went well, and I managed 3 more pages - two were challenges, one was a companion page. Finally have that whole story told now with these three completed. I think it was from July, so my daughter will be pleased to see them in the album as it's nice memories for her.

I've been busy making sketches this week, for a forum I visit (more about that another day) and for next month on Home & Scrapped and Scrappy Sketches.

At the moment I have another challenge on my desk and I'm loving it, it's coming together nicely.

Be nice to each other out there people, and stay positive, whatever happens.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Scrap Fun

2011-01-24T13:39:00.001+10:00

The Cyber Crop gave us some great challenges - still time to head over and have a go if you want. Here's what I've done so far - two more to go, but it doesn't finish until midnight, so hopefully that'll be easy... one's done, just need to upload. In the meantime, here are the two I've finished.

This is the first challenge, a sketch.

The second one was a journaling challenge - think of 13 words to describe your photo/s. My photos are my little cat, who is the soppiest, most devoted and snuggly cat imaginable. Sometimes it's almost ridiculous, but how can anyone resist unconditional love pouring out in their direction?

And this is a page I did this week in collaboration with a few other scrap girls. We each took it in turns to say what to do next to the page, thereby building our pages together. Lots of fun, and I love how mine turned out.

More to come, and I'm hoping heaps more this week, I'm taking a week to myself, to play, woo hoo!

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

New Sketches

2011-01-22T07:10:00.000+10:00

Have you had a look at my sketch blog? It's called Scrappy Sketches. I will be posting a new sketch every week this year, so head on over if you want some inspiration to use up some of your scrappy stash - oh, and tell all your friends! :-)

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Cyber Crop Weekend

2011-01-21T23:35:00.002+10:00

It's Cyber Crop weekend at Home and Scrapped. I love CC. I have two fabby challenges to put up at H&S, and the lovely Ange is going to be putting up two as well. The girls have requested a flower tutorial, so I'm just about to do that (nothing like being organised well in advance..) We have a great prize on offer, generously donated by one of the H&S girls, for the Viewers Choice favourite layout - can hardly wait to see what the girls come up with and who will win.

If you're interested, come on over and join the fun, you'd be very welcome.

I haven't been scrapping today, I've been painting. I'm revamping my scrappy furniture and storage. I mean, it's very scrappy - more shabby than chic I can tell you! I have a big old mish mash of styles and shapes, some gorgeous old, some just old and scruffy, and one set of pine shelves that my father made from a plank I found somewhere, bless him. Good having a father who can do stuff. Of course, that was a while back and I still haven't painted it, but it's next on the list.

I'm just doing some Ikea cube drawers at the moment that I bought years ago. They've had quite a chequered career in my possession, and have lived in various rooms and in many positions in those rooms - floor, back of desk, on shelves, stacked, side by side... Well, now they are on a shelf in my bookcase, side by side again, all pretty and clean looking with their new coat of paint. One is still drying, but the other two are in place. One day the bookcase will be painted too. That'll be a shock to the system!

When I have a couple more things done, I will show you how it all looks. I've been going to do this for years, it's so exciting to finally be actually doing it. Tsk, why did I keep putting it off?

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Challenge Pages

2011-01-16T17:29:00.002+10:00

I have recently been visiting a new forum, Challenge Heaven, where the lovely creator, Shell, puts up some great challenges every month to inspire some fun creativity. I have completed four so far this month, and one companion page for one of the challenges, too. I hope to get the other ones finished too, I'm trying to be a determined scrapper this year! Here's what I have done so far. Go check the forum if you want, it's definitely worth a look.

I really enjoyed making the flowers for the next two, rolled roses and folded daisies and one little rose, too.

This next one is the companion page, so that I have a double in my album. I couldn't choose between all the photos, because of all the expressions on everyone's faces - all sorts going on there, lol. Getting a group to just stand still and smile is such a task sometimes, but it does make for interesting pages! You probably can't see it, but the littlest grandchild (being held up by his hidden mother because he wouldn't stand nicely at the time) is blowing a party whistle in the middle photo here, completely making it non formal. Love it! :-)

The next two were for different challenges, but I sneakily made them to go together as a double. This time I decided to use some of my stash of printed chipboard flowers. They are so pretty, I should be using them. I am soooo going to be stash-busting this year, the time has come! The circle here is hand beaded using pretty little seed beads. Slow, but rewarding, because it looks really nice on the page. Enjoying my new cuttlebug font, too.

I am doing some pages for Rising Waters at the moment too. I know that the people in Victoria who received albums after the fires down there were very appreciative of the kindness of strangers helping them to rebuild their memories, and I'm sure it will be just as appreciated in Queensland by the many people who have lost everything (and maybe elsewhere too - floods everywhere at the moment). I can't do much, but I can do this, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to do some small thing. Here is the first page, and I have one on the desk half done, too. It's odd doing a page without knowing anything about the possible photo or photos that will be put on it, but in a way it's liberating as well. Just scrap. Make pretty and hope for the best for the recipient. It's good to see retailers and manufacturers getting into the swing too.

If you are interested in pretty handmade goodies for your scrapbook pages, cards and other crafting adventures, have a look at Lime Tree Creations, where there is a sale going on for some very sweet crochet flowers and scalloped trim.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

A Challenge

2011-01-12T11:49:00.003+10:00

I had a challenge to complete today for the girls at Home & Scrapped, and at first I thought it was hard, but then a friend said one little word that changed the whole thing: texture. Funny how we can be stuck and the simplest thing will unlock it all! My challenge was to use 1. lots of stitching, 2. only one colour, although I could use hues of that one, and 3. a handmade monogram. I used hand and machine stitching, luscious cream and a bead encrusted cs letter L, for my daughters name. The photo is a bit pale, because of the weather up here in non-sunny Queensland. I will replace it when I can.

I would do the one colour thing again, although that was my biggest worry to start with. It was so much fun pulling out bits of my stash with just that one colour in mind. Really focusses your thoughts, and I loved the process actually. I would love to try it in every colour of the rainbow now, and I'm sure over the year I will have the right photos to do a few more anyway.

Oh, and by the way, if you are interested in helping the lives of the Queensland flood victims in some small way, there is an appeal blog now, set up by a warm hearted woman, asking for donations of crafts, particularly scrapbook pages and albums. Go to Rising Waters for all the details - and share the idea, I'm sure lots of us would like to contribute if we can.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

New Beginnings

2011-01-08T12:46:00.001+10:00

How goes the year so far? We're a week into it already, is it living up to expectations yet? Have you done at least one thing this past week that is entirely for you? I hope so, and I hope you continue to do so. It's not selfish to do the things we want and love to do, it helps to make us better people, more content and up where we belong, which makes us nicer to be around, and more able to share our precious time with others. So there you go, not only do you have my official permission, but I expect it of you ;-)

I have had a page sitting on my desk for four days now... it's not singing to me. I need to take it all apart and push all the bits away and start again with just the photo, which is a good photo, and let it re-unfold it's story.

I did manage to complete a few other pages, one of my son when he was little, and a double (sort of) of one of my lovely cyber friends, who came to my birthday party a while back now, even though she lives a long journey away - how special is that? I am slowly getting there with my old photos of my son. I miss that little boy he was, and it's good to relive the fun times through scrapping his story.

Photos were taken differently then, I didn't know about scrapbooking. We were just taking photos, we weren't thinking about how they might crop for the page... not to mention, it wasn't digital back then either. I'm very lucky that so many of them were good ones. My husband is a photographer, but not a people photographer, he's a scientific photographer, and his own passion is nature. But he's the reason that we have quite a lot of photos, at least, he always had his camera to hand.

Photography has changed so much over the last decade. What we now take for granted was unreal a decade ago. And even more so, when my son was little and all those boy bands were in the charts, and nobody even had an inkling that the last roll of film would be commercially processed and that would be it forever. That's just happened, by the way. End of an era. Who would have thought, too, that the ordinary family would expect their ordinary camera to be a whizz bang state of the art affair suitable for professionals? Or that professional shots would become the norm? I love it, it's exciting. Just wish I had a few more of my son... Well, here he is, anyway, bless his little cotton socks. Love the grin (don't love that terrible sweater though, lol - thank goodness fashion has changed...).

The last one is a sketch from Scrappy Sketches, my sketch blog. If you haven't seen it yet, go check it out, you might find something you like there. I'm planning on uploading a new sketch there every week this year, so I hope to inspire lots of scrapping!

See you soon with that naughty other page... I'll get that sorted today.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

The Last Few

2010-12-31T13:40:00.002+10:00

I have been scrapping on and off over the last few days, first while it was pouring with rain, then in cloud, then in bright sunshine. The temperature has risen as well - finally feels like summer out there. At the moment I have the fan on full force, and a large raspberry mineral water by my side. I am thinking I will need to go and water the pot plants soon, and get my feet wet under the hose.

I'm just about ready to say goodbye to 2010, the house is nice and clean and ready for the new year, my scrapping gear is in order, my phone batteries well charged, ready to say HNY to all my far flung friends and family when the time comes. Just need to squeeze in another page if I can while I wait for it to get a wee bit cooler so I can go get the last minute shopping.

Here are the last few that I've done, almost the last ones of 2010.

All the large diecut shapes are not large diecut shapes, I did them myself. I particularly like the top one, with the teeny flowers from my Cuttlebug paisley die. Just something about that cute little flower.

With the second layout, I used flowers I cut from some pp. I had a thing for buying different pps that I could cut shapes from for a while, and sat through several movies cutting them up. Now it's time to actually use them, and I'm quite enjoying the way they look.

The beautiful rose in the last one was in my Christmas parcels, and it's way nicer in real life. I'm SO lucky! I made the little blue ones that go with it with one of my new dies. Oh, and those cute little blue birds in the second last layout? I traced them and cut them out of cs. Very happy with the way they turned out.

Most of these layouts were challenges set on Home & Scrapped over the last couple of months, and I've just finally got to them.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Wishes

2010-12-29T07:10:00.001+10:00

I know this is a bit late, but I wish for you a happy and peaceful Christmastime full of love. I hope that's what happened for you. I hope that your New Year is brim full of love, happiness, friendship, good health, satisfaction and fulfillment, and that at every turn, you find that life is wonderful and that you get to live the life you most desire.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

A Christmas Gift

2010-12-23T09:30:00.001+10:00

I have been busy making my mother a canvas for Christmas. I've not done one before, but this won't be the last, I'm delighted with how well it turned out and how much fun it was to do.

I chose an 11x14 inch canvas, and it was a really nice size to work with. I paint splattered and glimmer misted the canvas, then added my layers, modpodging over them before adding the next layers. To make the doily sturdier, I mod podged both sides of it before adding it to the canvas. It has a nice feel to it now, and doesn't feel fragile or brittle.

This was a bit of a learning curve for me, I've not done so much layering of embellishments before, but I will definitely be doing it again, I love the effect of depth it gives.

Sorry for the dodgy photo - more rain here, and I just can't get a clear picture when it's dull. But I have to wrap it today, so it's now or never.

I made the little crochet flower and the blue folded flowers, my sister made the gorgeous dress-pattern flower and several of the other bits came from scrapping friends. I love the sisterhood of my scrappy friends :-)

Oh, and I was inspired by that card blog to revamp my simple cards - just a wee bit of bling and they look heaps better :-) No more boring cards for me, I will dutifully add a little extra love to each one I make from now on.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Getting Inspired

2010-12-18T19:12:00.004+10:00

I so have to lift my game - I just found this card blog, Card-A-Licious and have decided my cards need an injection of whatever those ladies have! I'm obviously not getting enough mo in my jo or something... I admit to being in a bit of a rut, but looking through a teeny fraction of the blogs out there has given me a feeling of quiet anticipation and excitement. I can feel "it" coming back to me :-) Yay!

Not sure how long it will take me to get back to my desk, mind you... Christmas is coming and the To Do Lists are getting fat...

Here are some other great blogs you might like to browse through, to help with your own inspiration and excitement.

A Piece of Sky

Chloe's Creative Corner

Echo Park Paper

My Scrap Burrow

Art Of Love

or just browse any of the other blogs down my list, gee there is some great creativity about! Sigh... love it :-) Now I just need to do something! Looking is only half of it, even if it is a fun part. Better stop reading and go create something.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

2010-12-16T10:40:00.000+10:00

Look what I found in blogland - Scrap N Craft has a tutorial on a new product - and I want some! Go have a look and tell me that you don't want some too! It's on my list for the next time I go shopping.

I have added quite a few new blogs down the side in what I lovingly call my gift space - it's me giving the gift of time to look at other people's inspirational creativity to myself. I seem to be doing it a lot lately - well, anything but the ironing, please! I just love seeing what other people are up to and there are some lovely generous ladies out there, who share their clever ideas with us so we can all learn how to improve our skills. Thanks to all of them x.

Just making some more pretties. Will share later.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Christmas Cheer

2010-12-15T18:51:00.003+10:00

Have you been busy? I should have been, but it's been hard to do it for one reason or another. I've had a few headaches this week, nasty things.

Feeling better today though, and busy making a few little pretties to include in Christmas gifts. Check out this cute little box designed by Paula Goff, I had to make one straight away when I found it this morning. I made a few little gift cards to put in it too. One pressie down, a few million to go.. although, I think I will be making more than one of the little boxes, they are sooo easy and they turn out so cute! And all it took was one sheet of cardstock and a few scraps.

Paula seems to have a lot of cute ideas on her blog, I think I'll be visiting her more often. I'll be whipping up a few little purses similar to this one too I think, to put a big Christmas cookie in for each of the little people on my list, it's super cute. Most of the little people are boys, but I think I can boy-ify them no problem. That's one of the fun things about creativity - one idea sparks another, and we all keep growing as we share.

I've made a few Christmas cards, but I am terribly late this year. I need a good smacking! I'm doing some more this afternoon though, so I can post them all tomorrow morning. They aren't all that amazing, but I'd rather have these simple ones than bought ones.

I have been making some of these cute calendars too. I made up the calendars myself, what do you think? They are just some scrappy bits attached to a magnetic clip, and the clip is holding the calendar. I think they'd be cute on the fridge.

Hope you like my offerings today. There will be more tomorrow - only 10 sleeps to go, so there has to be, lol!

And if you would like to win one of my magnetic calendars, I have two to give away. Just leave a comment on my blog to go in the draw to win this and maybe some other little pretty :-) Good luck.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

A Christmas Recipe for you :-)

2010-12-08T17:31:00.001+10:00

I made some Christmas Muffins for breakfast this morning. Everything in the cupboard and fridge looked particularly unappealing this morning, so I figured I needed some muffins. I wanted something a bit different, so I made up this recipe. And now it's yours to enjoy too :-)

Heather's Christmas Muffins

90g butter
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 apple, grated
1/2 cup fruit mince
2 dessertspoons oat bran
1 teaspoon mixed spice
2 cups plain flour
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup brown sugar

Melt the butter and mix in the egg and milk. Stir in the grated apple and fruit mince until the mince is all separated out and coated. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then add in one lot to the butter mix. Stir only until just combined - overstirring makes muffins tough. Now pile into 12 muffin cases and bake for 20 mins in a hot oven (about 180C, fanforced) or until golden brown and the smell is driving you crazy. Turn out onto a rack to cool, dust with sifted icing sugar. Hope you like them as much as I do.

By the way, the oat bran? I add oat bran to almost everything, it's super good for you and much nicer than wheat bran. Get some, lol!

I've been doing a little blog hopping today. Oh, I love all that creativity, it's so much fun! Here are three of my favourites from today's journey through blogland.

The Joy of a Page!

Simple Things

Ideas for Scrapbookers

I hope you find something you like there, or in one of their links. Such fun... sigh... :-)

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

December, December...

2010-12-04T16:47:00.001+10:00

It's December already... when did I last post something? Sept 23rd? Really? Gee, I have been neglectful. I wonder what happened to October and November? I guess I used them up, and I know I did do some fun things and scrapped a few pages, so they weren't completely wasted.

In October I went on Retreat for nearly a week with some of my gorgeous online friends. Ohhh, to get that IRL hug from people you know well, but only in chat. It was lovely. Still haven't printed those photos yet, but I will, I will.

I didn't end up finishing the Bootcamp pages, but I did enough to make myself happy with my achievements, and had a lot of pleasure scrapping those older photos. I'm sure a lot of us have photos BS (Before Scrapping) that leave a little to be desired in the scrapability stakes, and a lot of those Bootcamp sketches were perfect for them. These days I crop and zoom before printing, so I have a lot of 4x6 photos just right to scrap. The old ones however, need some careful cutting and figuring out, to make the most of them.

My camera is being naughty lately - and the weather doesn't help. I can't seem to get much in the way of decent photos of my layouts, but I am going to share some layouts I've done lately, anyway. Hope you don't mind.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Bootcamping Again

2010-09-23T08:19:00.003+10:00

I had a rather productive week last week, and I'm quite pleased with my haul. I am still doing pages for Blue Bazaar Bootcamp, and I'm loving the trip down memory lane that getting into those old photos of my son way back when, is giving me. He was such a cutie - he still is, but it's a very different kind of cute when they are 22 instead of 4 and 5! Oh, for one more hug of that little boy he was. I am sooo grateful that there is such a thing as photography - it has brought so many people so much joy. It's certainly given me some this week, looking into that little face and remembering all the happiness he has brought into my life.

Anyway, my pages haven't photgraphed all that well because of the almost constant cloud cover we have had lately - and more for another week it seems. I am delighting in all the lovely gentle rain we've had, it's just going to be so wonderful for my new garden, but it makes it hard to get a nice sharp photo. These ones are all from bootcamp.

I am enjoying the process of doing someone else's sketches, rather than my own, for a change. It is interesting to do things differently and follow a different style for a while. I'm sure it will add to my own style, as does all the browsing and trying and experimenting that we do as scrappers. It's such a great evolution, this art form.

By the way, there are some nice ideas for using ribbon from Practical Scrappers this week. Definitely going to try a few of those.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Another Friday comes and goes

2010-09-10T20:16:00.002+10:00

Have you ever considered being part of a design team? I have, sometimes, but I've never been brave enough. Silly really. The Cuttlebug Spot is calling for submissions at the moment. Should I? Should you? I would encourage you to go have a look and think about it at least. It might be a lot of fun.

In the meantime, here are a few pages I've done recently. Terrible photos, because it's been cloudy here for a couple of days, but I will replace them when the sun comes out again. Just thought I'd share.

The first one is a challenge to do stripes across the page, using up stash. I didn't cut any of these stripes, they were already waiting in my stash! I will do this again, I think it made a pretty good page.

The second page was a challenge to do a deckled, punched or handcut edge, and I got a bit creative with my punches. Not brilliant, but I might have another go another time, and use ordinary punches to see what patterns I can make. I also had to use lots of blue and some buttons. I was inspired to make the flowers after being sent a similar one by a friend.

And this one is another page for my son's album, from the Blue Bazaar Bootcamp, LO#18. You can't really see the look of joy on his face, but it's gorgeous. Better photo soon.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Bootcamp and More

2010-09-02T20:37:00.005+10:00

Have you joined the Blue Bazaar Bootcamp? I know a few people who have, so I decided to join up too. It's all about getting some pages done, using up some stash and getting those photos and stories down on paper. I love that sort of thing - no hype or hoo haa, just lets get some scrapping done! They are providing us with some great ideas and sketches and it's all free to sign up. It runs right through September and October, and we are encouraged to do 50 pages. Should be lots of fun! I have decided to concentrate my efforts on old photos of my son, which are mostly still in 'ordinary' photo albums. He's 22 now, so it's a fabulous trip down memory lane to a blissful time BT (before teenhood) lol. Here are a few I've done already.

And that's not all I've done! I have been a busy girl this week, and I am in the mood for more. Here is the cute little boy all grown up now, at 22. Still cute, but then I might be biased... ;-) Just looove this Basic Grey pp, wish I had more of it.

This next one was a swap page - kind of. I am involved in a group that has a fun game going: Pass the Parcel. There is a parcel full of scrap goodies going around the members, who are scattered all over the place. When the parcel arrives at your door, you take out a couple of items and replace them with something else, then pass it on to the next person on the list. It's been very popular and we've had some lovely things shared between our members. This time I chose the paper doilies and the Kaiser wooden butterflies. The idea is you don't just take some stuff and stash it - you have to actually use it! Most of the flowers on this page are also from swaps with my lovely cyber friends. It's so much fun putting a layout together that has a little bit of friendship in it. Nice memories.

This page was another swap page. This time, the members each post up photos that they want to scrap and they get partnered up with another member, who sends them a kit of pps and other goodies to scrap their photos with. This kit came to me from the lovely Ange in NZ - perfect colours for a b&w photo shoot.

Not a bad haul for a week - and I did a few cards too. Here are my two favourites from the few I did.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Changes

2010-08-27T09:33:00.000+10:00

If you've been around lately you will have noticed the revolving door look to my blog. Well, I've finally settled down a bit and found The Look, and I'm so happy with it. There are so many talented blog template designers out there, it's just amazing. I am loving the designs from Aqua Poppy - just yummy!

The other change I am making is to dedication. I am coming out of my grey cloud and I'm feeling ready to play again. :-) So you can expect more regular postings, layouts to look at, links to try, etc.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Feels like Thursday

2010-08-19T13:29:00.001+10:00

It feels like Thursday today. I will freely admit it's probably because it is. Funny how a day could have a feel... or is it just me?

I finished my layouts for the Cyber Crop, right on the stroke of midnight. Then by the time I had photographed them (badly) and uploaded them, fiddled about and "quickly put together" a couple of cards, it was waaaaay past bedtime and I thought, sigh, what's the point? Then I heard a kookaburra and knew it was too late. Silly me. I don't think I will get to see much of my tv program tonight, I think the softeness of the sofa and the cat on my lap will create a little sanctuary and cause my eyes to contemplate the inside of their lids. I'd go now and do it but there are a million things at least on my list.

That's the last two layouts of the CC, and these are the offending midnight-snack-cards -seven altogether.

Back soon with more - I found all my old photo albums, so I have to scrap - have to, you understand, have to, LOL!

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Home and Scrapped Cyber Crop

2010-08-17T07:20:00.000+10:00

I've been having fun with the challenges setat this weekend's Cyber Crop at Home and Scrapped. Those girls always come up with some interesting challenges, love it! Here are my pages so far:

There are still 2 challenges for me to complete before the end of CC tomorrow midnight - I think I can manage... One is on the desk half done already.

I love how doing challenges always sparks a different way to do a page that you might not have thought of. Not just the arrangements, but the whole theme and feel can be something you didn't expect. Your journaling can be affected, too. I think that's what interests me the most, actually. The fact that it sparks something so that the story is told in a slightly different way. Love challenges.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Big Weekend of Scrapping

2010-08-09T15:54:00.000+10:00

I've had a lovely weekend scrapping and here is the proof:

Hope you enjoy the eye candy. I had fun doing it all. I am still ready for more, and I hope to get at least one more in today, before the evening's duties call me. These ones are full of little treasures shared by my online friends, for which I am very grateful. It's so lovely to get little surprises in the mail, or to swap items with people to spiff up our stashes. Great fun.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

A Few Challenges

2010-07-21T17:22:00.000+10:00

I've just been working on a few challenge pages lately. I seem to be a slow scrapper this month, but I am thoroughly enjoying what I am doing. That's more than good, don't you think? No point being quick and not enjoying the process. It's not all about pages completed...

So here are my latest pages, and there is another on the desk about to be finished, but you'll have to wait for that one.

The little trees were shown to me by an online friend - aren't they cute?

I've been checking out some youtube tutorials lately too. What a variety - but it's very time consuming. I want to learn some new techniques though, to smarten up my pages. I feel that they are all a bit the same, even if they're different and I love them. Um... maybe I just have a certain style now that is my comfort zone. Anyway, if I find anything utterly share-able, I will let you know.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Where Did the Time GO?

2010-07-09T00:17:00.001+10:00

I blinked... I must have, because all of a sudden it's July. Lots under the bridge in the last few months, sorry that I've been absent. My computer died. My husband's computer died. The laptop died. My camera died.... yep, a few other things too. We had a mini mass extinction, if you can have a mini mass...

The best news is that my very long term unemployed husband was offered a job - a decent job, a real job, not just an OK-this-will-do job, a job he can be happy in. He had been for an interview last year at this place, but they gave the job to the other guy... silly them! Then the job alongside that one became available, so he was offered it, went for an interview, and got it. We had three weeks to find somewhere new, pack up a whole household and leave, get a school organised, etc - all that goes with a move. We moved to Brisbane, just over 5 hours from our last place - I've never lived in a different state before - a different country, yes, but not a different state.

We are now happily installed in a nice little house in a leafy suburb, and have computers again - although now the car has died, lol... We are getting used to things in sunny Queensland and the subtle differences living in a different state entails. Love the libraries and the public transport here, and I'm happy to be living right near a city again with access to - whatever! My daughter is very happy with her new school and the shops, too. It's great.

So.... the big question is, have I managed any scrapbooking while I've been away? Well, not as much as I would like, but I have a lovely little room in our new house and I am finally managing to get some stuff done again. I have discovered a little crop group and I'm on my way back to having lots of fun cutting up perfectly good pieces of paper and sticking them onto other bits. Here are a few of the pages I've done.

This last one is of me, about 20 years ago and so much cuter, sigh... lol. There are others, but they are lost on the old computer, so you will just have to wait and see what happens next! :-)It's good to be back in the swing of things.

love, Heather "It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Challenge Pages

2010-03-03T02:10:00.003+10:00

We've been experiencing a bit of rain the last few days. I mean, it's not flooding like it is up north of here, but it's been fairly constant for a while. Perfect scrapping weather, and I have indeed managed a few pages. But I'm so ready to get out of the house and take a walk in the garden. It's boggy out there just now - well, it's dark out there just now, it's 3am... I'm just not in the slightest bit sleepy tonight.

I guess I'll go soon, but in the meantime, here are some pages I've done this weekend at the H&S Cyber Crop - some great challenge ideas! I have a lovely page on my desk half done, too, with some flowers I made up - so excited about them, but they were a little fiddly to make. I'll share as soon as I get it finished. I might even do a tutorial on the flowers if you're lucky...

See you soon with some more. I hope life is being good to you where you are. Take care.

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Cyber Crop This Weekend

2010-02-28T07:08:00.000+10:00

There is still time to join the Home & Scrapped Cyber Crop, which is happening this weekend. There have been some great challenges already and some fabulous pages made from them. Not mine. I seem to be on a go slow. But my first page is almost finished and I have the whole day ahead of me and I know what I'm doing for the next one, so that's one step forward. So looking forward to the next challenge. If you feel inclined, join in.

It still surprises me how supportive the girls at H&S are. It is so much more than a scrapbooking site, it's a real community. There is always someone to hear - it's a home away from home for many of us.

Back later with some layout pictures.

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Thanks

2010-02-17T17:14:00.002+10:00

Wow, it doesn't seem that long ago that I was excited to be at 2,000 visitors, now I've suddenly hit 3,000! Thanks, people out there in blogland, it makes me happy to think that you want to come and see what I've been doing. :-) Mwah!

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Capturing the Moments

2010-02-16T12:07:00.003+10:00

You don't do any posts for a few days and all of a sudden, a few weeks have whizzed by - how does that work? I think I must have blinked...

Time is a strange thing. It ticks by ever so slowly when you're waiting for an appointment or a decision, but turn your back on the cheese grilling for a few seconds and you have to fetch the broom for the smoke alarm. The moments in time that make up our lives can be lost forever - things we think we will always remember are gone in a flash.

That's one of the things (of which there are many) that I love about scrapbooking. You get to capture those moments and flick back through them later. Don't make the mistake of thinking you'll remember all the little things, you won't. They'll be gone. Capture them in your journalling - those little things people say, the feeling you get when you look at them. Write it down for later, when it's behind locked doors in your mind.

I have so many pages in my head waiting to come out, but I haven't been idle while I've been away from blog-land. Here's what I've been up to:

As you can see, I've had some fun with different flowers, paper piecing, die cutting, crochet, felt, inking, stamping, paper piecing, cutting out, stitching and other stuff. Well, a girl doesn't want to be bored - or boring! There is just so much variety out there. I'm not really into trends, I'm interested more in what works for this page in front of me. It takes time to develop a style, and along the way, I'm into having as much fun as possible.

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Busy January

2010-01-26T17:48:00.002+10:00

January has been a busy month, despite it being the school holidays and supposedly relaxing. Always something to be doing, people visiting and to visit, little trips to be made, appointments to go to, movies to watch, dinners to be had - and some scrapping to squeeze in there somewhere. New Challenges and a Cyber Crop at Home & Scrapped have meant a busy scrapping schedule as well, but loads of fun! Tried several new techniques and ideas. I just love what those girls can come up with for us all.

My daughter has been on holiday with my sister for a week and a bit, and I was really hoping to get more done, but oh well, I did what I did and that's been fun. Can hardly wait to see her again now.

Here are some of my new pages. I've had fun with stamping, inking, poppet making, cutting, glueing, flower making, masking, die cutting, punching, distressing, doodling and stitching. And best of all, my mojo lives! I am not burnt out, I'm hungry to do more, yay! :-)

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Getting Down To It

2010-01-16T10:28:00.001+10:00

How can day follow day and disappear into the great unknown without a trace, not even a page done to show for it? Don't know, but I do know it happens with relentless regularity...

I did manage to finish one page and six cards for my Scrapover Event, and the next page is on my desk, waiting to be done. The cards used up 5 pieces of scrap pp that were in my scrap folder, so I'm pretty pleased to have used them - finished at last. I'm hoping to use up lots of my bits and pieces of left overs this year.

But already, other pages are calling me. Home and Scrapped is having another weekend of fun with our first Cyber Crop of 2010 this very weekend and the first two challenges have already been posted. Today will be busy, I can tell, because I am feeling so inspired! Mojo is wiggling and itching to get out and active.Excuse me while I get down to it!

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Wednesday Night Challenges

2010-01-13T18:12:00.000+10:00

I'm having fun over at Home and Scrapped tonight, putting up a few challenges for our first ever Scrapover Event. It's a bit like a mini Cyber Crop, all on one night -just for fun. Scrapping should never become a chore, it should be an interesting journey and fun to do. That's what the 2nd Wednesday of the month is going to be now for me - just fun with my friends, playing at scrapbooking. Yay! Great start to the year.

Get your own dinner tonight kids, Mama's busy playing :-)

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Scallops and flags

2010-01-07T09:15:00.000+10:00

Things are happening over at Home & Scrapped. A new year, some new challenges, some new people even, and lots of lovely layouts from people. I posted a sketch last night, at nearly midnight, and already there are some pages done from it! How exciting is that?

This is my sketch page, and the second one is just a page I did last week.

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

More Inspiration

2010-01-05T10:26:00.001+10:00

Here's another couple of good places to visit for a little mojo lifting and inspiration.

Mojo Monday has some great sketches and examples of the sketch - very inspiring, I love this weeks sketch, going to be doing that as soon as I've finished here, I think.

Taylored Expressions is similar - great sketches and examples - and heaps of links to keep you happily lost in blogland for ages, lol! There is also a link there to Taylors website - OMG, the stamps she has are divine!

I'll be back later with a couple of pages I've done, after I put the finishing touches on one. I'm planning on a nice lazy (busy) scrapping day today, so hopefully you'll be in for something to look at soon.

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Inspirational Sites

2010-01-03T09:01:00.002+10:00

I've been using the quiet of the morning today to play at blog hopping. I love the sheer exuberance of the crafters out there in Blogland, they are so enthusiastic and generous, giving of their time and energy to share challenges, layouts, card making ideas, mojo boosters and stash busters. Here are a few of the places I enjoyed this morning.

Practical Scrappers has some excellent challenge ideas, just love it.

365 Cards has some great card challenges, and lots of pictures of other peoples takes on the challenges.

Caardvarks is a fabulous card challenge site, wow, heaps of inspiration. I am going to be so busy making cards, lol!

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

RAK Winner

2010-01-03T06:58:00.000+10:00

Thanks to the people who left me a comment - you all had your names written down, cut out, folded up, put in a hat (small basket actually) and shaken up. The first name out of the basket was Angie, so congratulations Angie, you will be finding a little something in your mailbox one day soon.

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Whooosh! 2010 has arrived - don't blink!

2010-01-02T21:59:00.001+10:00

Happy New Year! I hope that life is good to you this year, that more of your wishes and dreams are fulfilled than you dare to hope for, and that you have good health, happiness, the kindness of family, friends and strangers, and much love, peace and plenty throughout the entire year.

I am hoping for good things this year, it already feels more positive somehow. I'm quite glad 2009 is done with, actually. On to better things!

I have done some scrapping while I've been absent - I haven't just been laying around reading books, though that did enter into it, too. Here are a few of the layouts I did last week. I have a couple more on my desk, nearly complete - hopefully I'll get to them tomorrow.

I also did a few Christmas presents I thought I might share - nothing spectacular, but nice enough.

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Flower Tutorial

2009-12-06T16:19:00.008+10:00

I have been working on a fabby flower tutorial for you. I am so excited, because I made these flowers up all by myself, and they're so cute, and now I get to share them with you! No more scraps, just unmade flowers, is how I feel about them. I've made them in all sorts of colours and they look gorgeous every time. So go here for the PDF version, get your scraps out and make some. I bet you can't stop at one - I have two jars full of them, lol. If you have any questions, just ask. Oh, and scroll down the page to see the flowers used on my layouts titled Little Bitty Pretty One, Me and Going Into Year 8.

Remember to leave a comment if you want to go into the draw for a RAK to celebrate getting over 2,000 hits on my blog.

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

RAK to win

2009-11-30T20:56:00.002+10:00

I just realised that my counter is nearly at the 2,000 mark! To celebrate and thank you for coming for a look, I have a little RAK to give away to one lucky person who leaves a comment for me this week. Check back on Monday 7th to see if it was you. :-)

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

A Scrapping Good Week

2009-11-30T15:09:00.006+10:00

I've had heaps of fun scrapping this week and weekend. I finished 24 cards and 3 layouts for the Home & Scrapped Cyber Crop - 2 layouts to go. The challenges were really interesting, and wow, some of the girls have done amazing layouts! I just love being part of the scrapping community - especially when you're with a group of girls who know how to be supportive and kind to each other. It's just the best feeling to be part of such a group.

Here are the three layouts I've done so far:

I have also finished another couple of layouts for the Scrapability November competition, the 3rd and 4th rounds. It's all over now, the winners have been chosen and hey, guess what? I was given an Encouragement Award from Rebekkah at Scrapability and I have a Mystery Prize coming. Woo Hoo! Very excited about that, especially since there were so many great layouts created.

But wait - there's more! Here is the layout I did for the November sketch challenge at Totally Addicted to Sketch. They put up a new sketch on the first day of every month, so tomorrow I will be heading over there again to see what delights they have waiting to be explored.

And finally, a layout I did just for fun! So many for something in particular, but sometimes you need to just get one down, just because.

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Small Calendar Tutorial

2009-11-28T14:27:00.004+10:00

I have created a cute little calendar or mini album tutorial for you. It's in two parts, in PDF format, so that you can print it out and go play to your hearts content. Click here to go to the calendar printout and here to go to the tutorial. I am loving my little one and will be making another few, to pop in with Christmas presents for the people on my list. I'd love to see what you come up with, so please feel free to email me pictures and I'll share them on the blog. There is so much possibility for embellishing and having fun decorating this little project - enjoy!

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

H&S Cyber Crop

2009-11-23T21:59:00.003+10:00

The next Home and Scrapped Cyber Crop is on this weekend beginning Friday, 27th November at 1pm and finishing on Sunday 29th, though you have until midnight on Wednesday 2nd December to finish your challenges (all Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time, which is +11 hours).

If you want to join in the fun and games and do some interesting challenges, come on over, you'll be most welcome. The challenges at H&S CCs are set by the members and it's always fun to see what they can come up with. The emphasis is on enjoying yourself and getting scrapped, but there are also some small prizes on offer, to add to the fun.

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Thinking of Christmas but not doing it yet...

2009-11-23T14:53:00.003+10:00

Hi there, another week closer to Christmas.... are you organised? I'm not, although I've had a few small ideas. I have a large family of all ages and tastes, and we're all givers and receivers, so I have a long list to see about. I have been taking a look in some of my old scrapbooking magazines and also online and there is a wealth of ideas out there, it's just a matter of deciding what to do and knuckling down and doing it.

I love making things for my family, it's very rewarding I think and I also love being given made things, that's even better! It's funny how Christmas always sneaks up on me and then it's a rush - I mean, it's not like I don't know it's coming... it happens the same time every year after all. I do love it, but I'm always slow to get into it.

In the meantime, I've done a little scrapping. Still haven't done my Christmas cards, but that will start this week.

The last two were sketches from Scrapability. I'm doing a coordinating layout for the last one, using a sketch from Totally Addicted to Sketch, too, but that one's still on the desk.

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Inspiration

2009-11-16T15:21:00.004+10:00

You can get so much inspiration when blog hopping. There is just SO much out there! No excuse for not having a mojo, is there? Yet still it eludes us at times. I'm lucky at the moment, mine seems to be in place, but sometimes it just goes on holiday. One of my favourite things to do when the mojo is awol, but the desire is still there, is to follow a sketch. Just get something out and do it. I just found this new sketch blog, Scrap A Little and it has some nice designs on it that could easily kick start a sluggish mo. I found her through looking for more paper flowers to make. I am just in love with paper flower making, lol! I don't think I'll be buying many more.... although, every now and then you do just have to indulge in whatever new delight they (the Manufacturer Tempters, lol) come up with.

I also joined a couple of new forums this weekend. My own forum is on ning, and I wondered what other scrapbooking forums might be ning based, so yet again Mr Google led me down the garden path to a wonderful afternoons entertainment. I've been so inspired by the competitions and sketches on Scrapability and Crafting in Style that I've already done a couple of layouts.

Here is one, from the Scrapability competition - note my lovely flowers, I am so, so happy with them! The tutorial will be here this week, I promise :-)

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

A fabulous idea!

2009-11-11T13:36:00.001+10:00

You have to check out this blog 52 Projects. It has some wild ideas for really getting into life, actually living, rather than just plodding through. I love it and I just had to share.

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

A Floral Encounter

2009-11-11T11:56:00.006+10:00

OK, it's official, I am not keeping up with time, it's just whooshing past me in such a smoooooth rush that I'm hardly even aware of it. There is, I admit, a slight breeze as it passes, but nothing that would ruffle feathers. It's only the looking back that causes that to happen, when I realise just how much of the year has already gone! It's almost mid November, for goodness sake... I think I'm stuck around Easter time :-/

Since I was last here, I have had a momentous birthday, one of those that end in a zero... time to reflect again on where my life is "at" and what it's about, and what I'm going to do about that, lol... it's all very well having another birthday and losing another year, but when it's a whole decade, that needs a bit more attention.

I had a good party - wore a nice dress, ate delicious food, had family and friends surrounding me, was showered with love and loot, including exciting things like vouchers for my LSS, a day spa, a sushi course and some music - other scrapping things, pretty jewellery, chocolate and Baileys and original art. The party seemed to go on all weekend, too, with other meals out and other visitors arriving. I feel thoroughly spoiled.

I didn't get any scrapping done in the run up to the party, but I've managed a few layouts and nice cards since - oh, oh, and I've discovered and been shown all sorts of amazing paper flowers! I'm sooo excited about them, and they are such fun to do. I've done loads of them - I think I need a lot of them to have on hand in all the colours of the rainbow and mother earth, just in case... First, here are the layouts I've done this week, catching up on some of the challenges on Home and Scrapped from the last Cyber Crop there. You will see I've managed to sneak some of the new flowers onto the pages. I'll post the links when I can find them, so you can make some too - but be warned, they're addictive!

The last flower I made up myself, using one of the curled centres of the crysanthemum above it in the centre. The petals I cut from a stamped image on cs - just happened to have a large foam flower with pointy petals from years ago.

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Buying Things

2009-10-28T12:30:00.004+10:00

Had an embarrassing moment at the local scrap shop today - apparently my bank account wasn't full enough to cope with my purchasing desires - drat that food shopping! It got in the way of my fun again...

So the kind lady put it all under the counter for me for tomorrow so I don't have to trail around the shop again - hmm, is she a friend or a foe, I wonder? I LOVE trailing around the shop! I suppose she was just trying to be helpful, but with it being payday tomorrow, I think another teeny weeny little trail might be in order.

Speaking of shopping, a few people I know have some fabulous things to buy for scrapping. Take a look at Mistra's flourishes, ooooh, so delicious! Or what about Josie 's blooms? Yummo! I am going to be naughty, I know I am... shhh! don't tell my beloved one...

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Two months!

2009-10-25T10:59:00.009+10:00

Two months? It's two whole long, busy months since I've been here. I can hardly believe that much time has elapsed. Oh well, it waits for nobody, apparently.

In the meantime, I haven't been idle. I've hosted a couple of cyber crops on Home and Scrapped and scrapped a few nice pages, worked a bit, gardened a bit, cooked loads, scrapped some pictures, done all the usual "life and living" stuff, gone down a dress size, co-hosted a very successful Girls Night In fundraiser for breast cancer, had loads of fun chatting to people online, made some cards, did a little sewing, shopped for some fabulous bargains and was totally loved and spoiled by some friends and um, oh yes, I've managed a few pages, as well. :-D

You want to see some of the pages? OK, here are a few:

This first one is some place cards I made for the girls night in, half made. I was so excited to work out how I could make daffodils. It was a fair bit of work, but they looked fabulous on the tables.

This one was a challenge I put up on Home & Scrapped, about the influence of my father. The layout was a scraplift of another member's page, which was part of the challenge, too.

Another H&S challenge, about Pride. This is my son, the day he passed his interviews and was offered a job. He was chosen because of his attitude and manners - now that's something for a young man to be proud of, these days. I loved the effect of tracing the title on the stripe, turned the other way to the background piece.

Don't you love the leaves in this? My sister has a new sizzix die cut, mmmm... so useful having family who scraps as well!

This layout is all about my daughter's love for strawberries, because she is food intolerant and can't usually have them. But sometimes, we just have to break the rules and have a little taste. I wanted to keep it simple, so there is only one pp - the fabulous spot - and one cs, so that the focus is on the photos.

Mum, caught in the act of sewing, one of the things that looms large in my memories of my mother. I remember her sewing all my life. She's created a most wonderful array of quilts and embroideries, as well as clothes and things. Here she's helping me with some embroidery for a magazine project I was designing. I love the blue and brown together, especially with white.

This was a tricky challenge, about scrapping the worst things about yourself. I decided I'd better do a list, so I could figure out which bit was the worst... then I thought I may as well keep the whole list, lol! I was amazed at the strong reactions of my family and friends who saw it. They could just see me being negative. When my scrapping friends saw it, they got what it was about, however. That was interesting. It was also an interesting challenge, from the book We Dare You by Kristina Contes and others. It has loads of interesting in depth challenges.

My DH, just before an interview for a job we both really wanted him to get - but he didn't... ho hum, it was obviously not meant to be. The spotty paper is a basic grey one I should have bought 20 sheets of, I love it so much. The inchies were the last little bits of it - couldn't waste them.

Another challenge page from the last Home & Scrapped Cyber Crop - gee the girls came up with some good ideas!

My cute niece Madeline, modelling for her 15th birthday shots. There are more of my sister's leaves - I'm going to have to get that die for myself!

I'm squinting in the sunshine a bit, but ignore the photo and check out my lovely cuttlebugged flower embossing down the side of it! My lovely friend Lisa sent it to me from the USA. It's sooo good for cards, but this is the first time I'd used it on a layout. I will again, it's a really nice accent, I thought. The colourful flowers are cut from a We R Memory Keepers pp which I loved. I love pps that have things I can cut out.

The next layout is from a page kit swap - a group of cyber friends each post a photo or two and then are allocated a person who chooses the papers and other embellishments for the photos. It's hair raising to do that for someone, lol, but it's fun, too. I've done a few now and they are so interesting, everyone always ends up with fantastic pages.

One of my lovely cyber friends sent me a lovely kit of papers and pretties recently, from the Kaisercraft Loire Valley collection. Oh, how exciting that was to open! Thanks Kerri! Here's the first pages from the kit - more to come.

This was an interesting scrap challenge - make your background paper entirely from scraps. I try to use heaps of my scraps, usually in cards or other layouts, but this was the first time I'd attempted anything like this. It was really interesting to do, and I love how it turned out.

Another challenge on Home & Scrapped, using something specific as inspiration. I chose a fabulous Bella pp full of flowers, cut them all out by hand and put them on the page, some with pop dots, to layer them, along with a few paper flowers from Kaiser, Prima, etc. Love how it turned out!

Forgiven? I hope so... and today, after a month of being overly busy and taxed, I am hoping for a few days of peace to just be... although actually, this week might be fairly busy too. I am going to reach another decade milestone this week, ick! Having a party, so I might have to do a few little things to organise it...more cooking, more sewing, more fabby little cards, too, I suspect.

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Background Balancing Act

2009-08-30T14:16:00.006+10:00

Oh whew, I thought there for a minute I had managed to lose this blog. Just trying to sort some things out in the background and it was quite a run around! Why is nothing simple - one step leads to another and down a different path and around a few bends and you have to keep the roadmap in your head or you will surely be lost in the tangle! Still here we are, I'm back on track it would seem. Don't ask me how I got here though, lol, I think I just found my way back accidentally through a hole in a prickly hedge....

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Finishing Off Some Challenges

2009-08-17T15:47:00.005+10:00

I was feeling as if I had hardly done any scrapping this week, but actually, I did manage quite a few. I have been going through the Home and Scrapped challenges and finishing off a few I've missed over the weeks. There is some really inspirational stuff there from the girls, and I'm enjoying all these diverse challenges. And I'm enjoying making some cards from the scraps.

This is a new thing I've been doing - rather than just file all the scraps straight away (yes, it does happen sometimes, lol) I have been making a card or two while they are still on the desk, and even using some up completely. Yay! It feels so good to be doing something useful with them all like this. And bonus! I have a whole pile of cards ready to use. Someone suggested to me that I could bundle some up for a gift, too. Might just!

love Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Catching Up

2009-08-10T09:07:00.005+10:00

Helloooo, anybody still out there? Neglect, neglect.. I've been in a bit of a grey place lately, so I haven't done anything much constructive, but hey, I'm back, and it's a nice colourful world out here.

The little tree I planted has some cute little leaf buds just starting to unfurl and it looks like Spring is on it's way. My favourite seasons are Spring and Autumn, the change over seasons. I like change. I love to think about all the possibilities and the different things that might come about because of it all. I am turning "old enough to know better" this Spring... wonder if it will hit me like a lightning bolt, or be a gradual thing? Whatever, I am looking forward to this sudden impact of wisdom... ;-)

I have done a fair bit of scrapping in the last month or so, lots of nice pages inspired by some crafty and exciting challenges at Home and Scrapped - there are some creative members there doing all sorts of fun things.

We had our first Cyber Crop there too. I was very smart and gave the challenges over to some of the members, so I could have some fun too. It worked very well, because they all came up with some excellent ideas, the clever girls that they are. Here are a few of the pages I've done - from the H&S CC and from other challenges.

Hope all is well with you right now and that you are getting plenty of scrapping time in. I am working on a wedding album for a friend at the moment, which is fun. It's her parent's wedding, so the photos are all smallish black and whites. It's nice to work with black and white for a change, it makes you look at things a little differently.

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

A New Baby

2009-06-10T22:44:00.002+10:00

I have done something! Something exciting and new (for me). It wasn't so long ago that I did nothing on line at all - now I go on forums, run challenges, do cyber crops, play games, blog hop, have my own blog, and ta-dah! Now I have my own forum - oh, so exciting!

Want to see it? Click here to take you to: Home and Scrapped a friendly, supportive community of happy scrappers and other paper crafters. I'm pretty new at it, but I'm having some fun so far and I think the other members are too. Maybe I'll see you there, I hope so anyway... :-)

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Boys in Yellow

2009-05-26T21:43:00.003+10:00

You don't normally associate big boys/young men with soft yellows, do you? But I think it works a treat! My son is not a softie type of bloke, and I wouldn't normally choose such a shade for him, but I bought this gorgeous patterned paper the other day, and happened to plop the photos down on it as it was still sitting on my desk after I brought it home. Mmmmm. I liked it. It's not what I was going to do with it, but sometimes you just have to go with the flow. The letters are from various pps that happened to go with the original paper, traced from some chipboard letters I bought ages ago. Nice shape. (That second page doesn't really bow, it was just a wonky photograph for some reason.) I think one of the reasons the yellow works so well is the rust and black bits. I really like this colour scheme, I'd like to use it again some time.

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

Mini Japanese Dolls Tutorial

2009-05-24T16:41:00.007+10:00

I have a little treat for you today. I've done a tutorial on some cute new friends I've made. Go here to find the PDF file. She is free for you to download and make - and if your friends want one too, just direct them here!

It's nice and easy, and I've done lots of pictures so you can see how to do it. I tried to find a decent pattern somewhere online but there was nothing I could find. Just vague directions and some of them were really quite big dolls, too. I just wanted something small for a card I was making. Once I'd worked out sizes, and how to make the shapes and folds, I thought I may as well share. :-) Hope you like her.
love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June

A month of productivity

2009-05-24T16:12:00.009+10:00

Goodness, it's been longer than I thought since I've been here - I was thinking it was a couple of weeks and feeling bad enough about that, but it's more than a month! What happens to time? Where does it all disappear to, and so without permission...

I have done a few pages in that missing time. Not as many as I'd like, but I've also made a quilt and practically decluttered my entire house, so it's not like I've been sitting around doing nothing. Well, OK, I have sometimes. But we're allowed to sometimes, aren't we?

Anyway, this is partly what I've been up to:

And I've done quite a few recipe, tag and other swaps... and have received so many delicious things in return - it's been a very productive month actually. There's even cake in the dome and a spare one in the freezer!

love, Heather

"It's about love. You don't have to scrapbook to love but you have to love in order to scrapbook." June