pushing the envelope

… is this week’s theme at blue bazaar & i must admit that when i 1st saw it i was worried. my scrapping is clean & simple - the idea pushing the envelope is more for arty people like emily & rett. anyhoo … i do love how these themes challenge me to get out of my comfort zone!

so i went with the envelope idea & used an old sonnets template (you know one of those things that you had to have but haven’t actually used!) to create a mini-accordian album for madi (i’ve since made one for bear too). the idea is for madi & bear to have their own special albums with photos of their cousins (who they don’t get to see very often). & i have to say they’ve been a huge hit!

materials: wild asparagus paper, CBX cardstock & photo corner, junkitz ring, heidi swapp letter, tape & ribbon, sonnets template.

another CJ

… this one is for jan’s xmas CJ. when i sat down to do this, i realised that i had heaps of photos from last xmas that i hadn’t done anything with - so thank you jan for giving me a reason to work on them at last! totally love how this entry came together!

the double page spread - plus the individual pages so you can see the details:

materials: deja views "home for the holidays" collection, sanded & inked edges of paper; photos printed on epson archival matte paper & edges sanded; font: 2peas tasklist.

the scene outside …

rain!!! we woke this morning to the delightful sound of rain on a tin roof & its been cool & cloudy all day. then this afternoon, there was the rumbling of thunder, then this!! there’s nothing like seeing the landscape white-out as the rain come towards the house. we’ve had over an inch of rain today. it was totally unexpected (the weather bureau predicted 20% chance of less than 1mm - ha!) & one of the best falls we’ve had all year! definately a happy day!

another CJ

completed my entry in michelle’s "things my parents taught me" CJ last nite:

materials: the gorgeous crate paper (love it!), designers library tinted tags, k&co rubons & stickers, nick bantok ink, heidi swapp ribbon & PSX alpha stamps. for those who are interested, the tags read:

1. family first! be interested & involved in kids activities. enjoy holidays at the beach together. show how much you care. keep in touch.

2. attention to detail & a love of organising. my dad & i have both made detailed trip diaries.

3. any job worth doing is worth doing well.

4. the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!

5. credit cards are only useful if you pay them off every month.

6. be involved in your community. help others.

chai tea

when i was in brissie last week for tests on my back, a friend introduced me to bondi chai "a seriously delicious creamy-smooth blend of milk, black tea, honey, vanilla & exotic comfort spices" trust me it is a taste sensation!! there are two varieties to choose from - vanilla honey & club cinnamon - the cinnamon flavour is stronger, but both are delicious! i’ve been drinking far too much coffee lately - more as a companionable thing to do than anything - so i’ve been wanting to find a nice low caffeine alternative. i think i’ve found it!

BTW. i’ve tried lipton’s chai latte too & trust me it doesn’t come close!

two-wheeling

just a quick post to celebrate madi’s 1st spin two wheeling!! in truth, she hasn’t needed training wheels for a long time - having them on has been a confidence thing. but today, she was encouraged to give it a try & there’s no stopping her now!! we’re so proud of her! note the tiara she’s wearing - our little princess has taken to wearing it all day every day lately! LOL! i’m glad that i managed to get our new puppy in the photo too. i’ve been meaning to get some photos of her - she’s growing so fast! michael hasn’t decided on a name for her yet. madi likes princess annaliese (which is highly unlikely! LOL!) so i’m calling her cleo (short for cleopatra) until he can think of anything better.

rainbow CJ

tania sent me three CJ’s last week - what fun! they’re such a great way to get back into scrapping! i decided to start with sharon’s rainbow CJ … lots of gorgeous entires in there already! i love so many colours ATM, but pink has been an enduring favourite. it goes so beautifully with black, chocolate, green etc! i love using it on my layouts & its finding its way into my wardrobe. my new favourite jammies are pink with pink & chocolate spots & i’ve got a lovely hot pink sequined shirt to wear when i lose a few kilos! anyhoo … here’s my entry:

materials: patterned paper - making memories, basic grey, carolee’s creations, 7gypsies; making memories velvet stickers, lil davis camo rubons, fancy pants flowers.