12 hour working days… I guess the Christmas break is well and truly over.

… but someone mentioned the other night that there is a public holiday coming up. Wait, what? Already? Haven’t we just had a public holiday and a whole bunch of time off?

Certainly not complaining, I’ll take it.

Our break between term 4 and term 1 is so long, and I do love it, I truly do, but I really love it when term starts again, when the shop is bustling with people taking classes and back into the swing of crafting again. It means working an extra couple of  12 hours days a week for me, like today, but if you enjoy it then it’s not really like work, right?

This week’s page beautifully designed by Sharon was a fun and joyous Christmas layout using an interesting mix of colours and everyone enjoyed it very much. What looked so simple and easy, actually had loads of extra little things in it, that take just that make it just that little extra special. Our morning ladies did take a lot longer to complete, but then, they also had a whole lot of serious chatting catch-up to do since the last class. Tuesday night’s class was done and dusted in 2 hours even with  4 new scrappers in class, (mind you they were all so good at what they were doing, I don’t think they really count as ‘entry level’ students)

Sharon had die cut the trees using her Silhouette machine, (saving everyone buckets of time) then we had everyone using the included template to cut the patterned papers to fit. The finished product, wrapped in blue twine, and tags and ornaments added, looks so good!

The second page Sharon created is also lovely, using the Pink Bazzill provided in the kit, and then a third and fourth pocket page using some of the leftovers. Sharon has also included the pocket page in the kit – bonus!
You can see these lovely pages and close ups too on the store page soon.

With a plethora of product to use and choose from, there will be enough in this kit to do a  whole album of Christmas! Just look what there was, from gemstones and die-cuts to cut-outs and tags plus a whole 12″x 12″ pad of patterned paper.

Thanks to our lovely students for a great week back to class

The kit will be available online to purchase soon, check here to buy.

Have a great day

 

Christmas Page Workshop

Want to make this great page using Gold Paints and the new Texture Tool? Come along to our Scrapbook Class on either Tuesday morning, Tuesday evening or Thursday Evening and get painty! Classes start Feb 10 2105

See our timetable (link above on the webpage current timetable) and ring us to book.

12 Days of Christmas

12 Days of Christmas, starts Tuesday 11th Dec 2012
Check daily for our ONE DAY instore only specials.

Lost and Found Christmas

With only a month till Christmas there are a few of us getting keen to have our Christmas shopping done and our cards ready for the post.

We have some terrific Christmas ideas in store, with advent calendars and santa sleighs and new countdown kits.

This is a finished advent house by Carol from the Twiddleybitz design team

Click here to see more of Carol’s beautiful Christmas creations made using Twiddleybitz.  

Next week’s card making class is the last of the Christmas cards for the year, followed by some gorgeous inking and silhouette stamping cards the following week.

Awesome papers, embellishments  – THE very best Christmas range I have seen in years! Glittered double sided.

lost & found christmas   »  accessories

 

You can’t argue with a Mum

I bought myself a gift today. Yup… it came up on my screen… like it was meant to be… so I pre-ordered it.

Had. To. Have. It.

You know what his Mum says? She says it is his best album ever.

Who am I to argue with his Mum? Of course it will be his best album ever. 

And my poor kids will be remembering Christmases for-ever-more with the sound of his voice… just as I remember my Mum’s Bing Crosby Christmas records. Bwhaha… my turn!

Kira’s Advent Calendar

How darling its this? Kira used the new Blitzen Christmas papers to make this terrific advent calendar! I am so keen to make one too now, anyone else? Do we need to get a class together? 

Go HERE to see the full range in store now.  

each little ribbon handle pulls our to reveal a drawer just big enough for a treat or three.

I love December… you get to eat chocolate EVERY morning.

 

Blitzen Collection

Here is Bo Bunny’s second range of Christmas for this year! There’s a couple of papers in this range that I am totally besotted with, the colourings are fresh and stylish. That ‘deer’ is just gorgeous! Kira has already used this and created a fabulous little advent calendar. She posted it on our facebook page. It is the perfect size for little chocolates. She’s so clever! I am hoping she will bring it back in and I can copy it, I think I can see a scrap night or even a class coming up? 

If you are putting together Christmas Cards, Layouts or Mini Albums you are going to want some of these as well…. I just know it. 🙂 (oh, and check out that insanely cute lamp post on the 12″ chipboard and also the dimensional stickers)

Father Christmas Collection

It’s never too early to get your Christmas papers, and Bo Bunny have two fabulous Christmas ranges this year. I can’t quite decide which I like better. Might have to get them both!

And what would a great range of papers be without a great range of embellishments to go with it? Complete with fabulous stamps, this set is wonderful.

Floating around the web i found this gorgeous little mailbox decorated by the talented Bo Bunny designer Tara Orr using this Father Christmas range. What a lovely idea for kids to send letters to ‘you-know-who’.

and this…

Joy and Hope

Love this…

Christmas Day Moments

I just love Christmas, and I love spending it with family. Love my family. xx

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Merry Christmas

I cherish days like this…

Not a creature was stirring…

Christmas Eve.  What’s it like for you? I guess it’s either a nice quiet time or it’s when the party starts.

For us right now it’s quiet, time for me to check that list twice and be sure that Santa will come to visit. It sure has been busy, our family starts celebrating Christmas Eve, with dinner, drinks and games. The kids get excited and presents go under the tree.  We have a 4-year-old in the house for Christmas morning, who wrote Santa a note with his name on it. Super smart little nephew that one. Little O can write his name… I asked him to and he produced it  for me. I also spelt out “Santa xxx” for him to copy and look what we got? It’s little moments like these that make family Christmas absolutely priceless. I am so pleased he chose chocolate for Santa this year too, we all need a little “Boost” on Christmas eve. We have made our reindeer food, with sparkly glitter in it to shine in the moonlight so they can see it, and scattered it on the lawn. I certainly don’t want Santa with his messy reindeer on my roof when there is a perfectly good lawn to park on.

I have never been so relaxed at Christmas time before, maybe it’s just age… maybe it’s the age of my children, maybe the ‘care-factor’ is just not there. Maybe it’s because I went away for a little ‘de-stress’ last weekend with some fabulous girls?

I am not sure exactly what it is, but I have had to let some things go lately and I am refusing to let it get to me. One of the biggest things this year for me is not sending out Cards. I do this every year, and have done so for 25 years. This year I didn’t even get my Halloween thank-you’s out and there was no way I was going to get to the Christmas Cards. I was just too busy. Most of you would know that Rachel is no longer working at the shop, so for much of the time I have been going it alone, working everyday (except the Sat and Mon last weekend) and the nights, even with classes for the whole term. The busiest time of the year… from Retreat to Christmas… and you know what? I did it. The shop is standing… as tall as ever… and so am I. So, if you didn’t get a card from me I am sorry. I got to thinking that most people wouldn’t even miss it, if I didn’t send one. Then I realised there are a few people on my list who really needed a card from us. Not to let this get me down, I have let it go as ‘one of those things’ and will carry on regardless, perhaps I can make it up to them in the New year. Yup, there’s always next year, and it’s comin up fast! The way we are going, it’ll be all over in a blur.

So now it’s Christmas Eve, time to go find all those things I have hidden so well and do a quick tidy up. Josh is still talking from his room and the rest of the family are finding it hard to go to sleep, it’s very exciting to think about the morning. I am excited to have my family here, my brothers and their ladies, and 2 gorgeous little nephews who my children are absolutely besotted with. I do love having a baby around and seeing little Sam asleep face down on Andrew’s tummy tonight was such a sight. Makes me wanna go have some more babies. Nah… just kidding. I’m good, haha.  

To all a Merry Christmas and to all Goodnight.

Christmas Parties

This time of the year is fun with Christmas Parties and and-of-year get togethers on for everyone… young and old.  I guess it depends on what stage of life you are in, where you are living, how much you like Christmas and if you like getting out.

Our Christmas parties seemed to define us – perhaps they always have.  Where we work, who our friends are and how old are children are. If we don’t have children, perhaps we party till the wee hours, if we are very old perhaps we have the nursing home party. Clubs celebrate, schools have concerts, and families gather. Even if we can’t all get together, (and always there are people missing in each circle), we enjoy the company we have and chink our glasses together in celebration.

This year I had two Scrapbook House Christmas parties – the shop is a major part of my life, I love the people who attend the classes, who shop in my store and have supported me. Some forever, some for years  and some are new friends, we always welcome new friends. We are like-minded, we are ‘crafty’ and we are family orientated. We like pretty things, we like to make cards and scrapbook the photographs of our family and capture the memories. We like to shop for papers, hoard embellishments and at the end of the year we get together, share a meal, make some more art and hang out together.  We swapped gifts… so many scrappy girly gifts – thankyou Secret Santas… I still don’t know who you are… but I love my chocolate, tea towel and my mug. 

 

We also went to the Variety Club Christmas party for children with disablitites and their siblings. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to take their children out and the kids are ‘just one of the kids’.  Sure, they might have a disablity, but everyone there has a family member who has special needs in their lives, so yes they are different – just like everyone else! Variety does some wonderful work for children who are sick , disadvantaged and those with special needs. Being amongst the Variety Club volunteers is inspiring, they are generous and kind. They are giving and accepting and non judgemental. For the kids to have this experience is just wonderful and they set up different events to cater for as many as possible and for all abilities. There were horse-rides and a bouncy castle, they could play ten-pin bowling and have a go at the craft tables. Joshua likes bubbles, and hung out by the bubble machine for a while, where his brothers would spin the streamers and play balloons with him. There were acts and more, the only shame is that now I am on my own at the shop I can’t attend family events like this during shop hours and Emily and I had to leave to run the shop. The boys all had a good time, staying till stumps and coming home with goodies from Santa! How wonderful the gifts were… gosh we love Santa! Thank you Variety. xx

..and then the Golf Club Kids Christmas Party – okay, this is a ‘kids’ party, but beacuse it was with our friends… it was a ‘big kids’ party too. Santa made his appearance again… on a golf cart and all the young ones were surprised with another gift! Santa won’t have anything left for the big day the way he is going. The main attraction for the children was the wet slide… perfect for a warm Sunday afternoon and suitably wore out the kids as they went up and down up and down up and down up and down. Wet and exhausted, with full bellies from the BBQ we retired home for Joshua’s needs.

Wherever you are… whatever you are doing… however your year has been… chink your glass with me to celebrate 2010. (mine is fulled with Diet Coke) Has it been a big year for you too?

Christmas Mystery

Can you see what is wrong with this picture? Take a look.

Yes, it does look like a Christmas Tree. You’d be correct there. It was decorated by three children, beautifully. There are gifts wrapped and placed below, with love.

Let me give you a little hint…

It has a something to do with this little guy here.

He is not used to be left alone at home for any length of time and today when we went off to a Christmas Party he decided to have his own little party. It must have been a fabulously fun party.

He chose the very best gift he could find, the prettiest, the most glittery, the sweetest.

Then he chomped into it!

And how do we know the blame is to be laid on the little white doggy and not on of the other critters in this house? Well, it would seem a whole box of chocolates did not agree with our little pooch and he brought the evidence back up. How could we be mad at a sick little dawg?

I think I should have bought Nanna perfume this year instead of chocolate.

Kids Classes – Wreath Frame

Another cute and fun project to make as as keepsake or give as a gift.
Kids will need a photograph for this freestanding wreath frame.

 



 

A two-hour class  

 
Wednesday 22 December 2010 – 10.30am- 12.30 pm

Cost $25
Includes MDF Wreath Kit, with holly and berries, chip words, glues, paints, embossing powders and instruction

Kids classes

We have 3 more fabulously fun classes to offer before Christmas to offer seeing as the other ones are fully booked.

The first is the Santa Sleigh.

This is MDF and they will paint it  and then put it together with glue and glitter it. If we have time we will make little gift boxes from the many choices of Christmas papers to go inside. I can’t wait to see what they come up with – creative little people – love being surrounded by them!

This sample was completed by Daniel – aged 10

Tuesday 21st December 10.30 – 12.30 Cost $25. Includes MDF Sleigh, glues, paints, glitter, papers and instruction.

Fancy Pants – Tradition

More Christmas papers have arrived in time for your Christmas projects, cards and scrapbook pages. Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly fit another range in. These were so beautiful I just had to get them for you. I see more than just Christmas when I look at these.

So, of course we have the whole range,  but it is limited to one drop only, so there are only 25 of each available.  Papers are all sold individually but we also have the collection kit if you wish to have them all.

           

Tags and Titles

 

Rub ons

 

Velveteen Trim

   

Collection Kit

 

In store now.

See you soon.

Images of Christmas

As we move into 2010, leaving the naughties behind (01- 09) our fun and frivolities at the Golf Club this New Years,  I thought I’d share some of our Christmas photos with you.

The boys are always keen to help set the table… especially if fire is involved. The attraction for candle lighting job is so great I could just about get these boys to do anything with the promise they can light the candle. I can even get them to comb their hair. Now that’s a force to be reckoned with.

The table did look lovely though, and I must say my last minute place cards (thanks Michele for the great idea) were fun. Cuttlebugged of course with the new Making Memories Blingy Letters and Glitterey Scrolls, they matched my setting perfectly.

Christmas Morning… Santa was very kind to our family… he left a Wii for us. Must say, wii have all had a lot of fun with it too.

Everyone helped Josh open his gifts. He  didn’t quite last the morning, but did quite well considering. He doesn’t seem to like sitting for long these days, hopefully he’ll be better once his dodgy hips are repaired. Till then, we alllow him the luxury of being an unsociable little so-and-so who prefers tv in his bed to anything else on offer.

Aww… lovely photo of David and Lauren. A far cry from the first Christmas when I tried to get photos of them, now they just pose and get it over and done with… and look at the result.. Beautiful.

Emily and Georgie, and I will point out that Em was playing “dress-ups” in Lauren’s shoes. These DO NOT belong to my baby girl, even if she is the same size. Darn kid, keeps growing up on me.

Ever seen “jump boots”? They are cool. And yes, helmet is required. Especially for beginners. This hyper child can be seen running about the neighborhood like Go Go Gadget Man.

My Ma and Me. Love photos of us together. We need more.

Mr Immaturity himself. I know you are all insanely jealous really, that I have this hunk of spunk all to myself.  

 

I hope you all had a very merry christmas everyone, and all the best for 2010.

Love always

What WAS I thinking?

I think I need my head read.

Why oh why did I let my daughter talk me into getting the King THIS for Christmas?

 

Totally insane. I do have my moments of madness. Lately I have been having more moments more often.

Joys of the season

I do hope you and yours had a lovely Christmas.

Our home was full of everything we love at Christmas-time.

Family, love, gifts, noise, laughter, tears (the happy kind) new toys to play with, great food, fun friends, sleep-ins, swimming, biking, sunshine and just hanging out together.

Blissful Christmas. Hope yours was joyful too.

xxx